The NC State football team takes on a .500 Florida State team, looking to continue the offensive terror it had in the game against Syracuse this past weekend. The Seminoles come in off of an embarrassing 59-10 loss to the Clemson Tigers. Putting the Clemson game aside, the Seminoles defense has been improving every week, giving the Pack a tough matchup this week.
Quarterback vs. Secondary
After playing in possibly the worst game of his NC State career against Clemson, graduate Ryan Finley bounced back in a huge way against Syracuse, throwing for 473 yards and three touchdowns. Getting in a rhythm is key to the Pack’s offense and was a main reason why it had success against the Orange. This rhythm must get going early against the Seminoles and be sustained throughout the contest in order for the Pack to succeed.
The Seminoles’ secondary allows just under 300 yards passing per game, meaning Finley and his wide receivers should have their way Saturday. Florida State’s secondary will be coming at the Pack with a two-safety look after facing a nickel package against Syracuse.
Wide Receivers vs. Secondary
The wide receiver core fired on all cylinders Saturday in the Carrier Dome, with junior Kelvin Harmon reeling in 11 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns. His longest catch of the night came on a 74-yard touchdown pass from Finley as the two were in a rhythm all night long.
Expect to see senior A.J. Westbrook and his counterpart sophomore Stanford Samuels III playing a tight quarters coverage scheme to try and slow down the Pack wideouts. Both players are coming off of a week where they faced top-tier wide receivers against Clemson.
Running Backs vs. Linebackers
Freshman Ricky Person Jr. will be back in action this Saturday after sitting out the game against Syracuse due to an injury. Person’s production has steadily increased throughout the first seven games of the season despite missing a couple games due to injury. In order for the Wolfpack offense to get into a rhythm, it must establish the run game to open up the play-action pass. This will be more important against Florida State than it was last week against the Orange because of the Seminoles’ secondary and linebackers being at a higher level.
Offensive Line vs. Defensive Line
For two weeks in a row the Wolfpack offensive line has faced two of the top defensive front fours in the conference. Redshirt sophomore offensive tackle Justin Witt did not travel with the team to Syracuse nursing an injury which had an impact on the right side of the offensive line in the game. The Orange were able to attack and blitz that side of the line, getting to Finley at various parts of the game, impacting certain drives for the Pack.
The Seminoles will bring to Raleigh an experienced defensive line with all of the starters being juniors or beyond. The toughest of them all being junior defensive end Brian Burns who is currently averaging just over two and a half solo tackles per game this season. Burns and the Seminoles defensive line will be hungry when they take the field Saturday to disturb Finley and the Wolfpack offensive line.
Tight Ends vs. Defensive Line
Redshirt sophomore Dylan Autenrieth will need to continue his strong blocking against a tough defensive line for the third straight week in order for Person and senior Reggie Gallaspy Jr. to be impactful. Also, keep an eye out for redshirt sophomore Cary Angeline who had two receptions for 64 yards against Syracuse. At 6-foot-7, Angeline is a tall target for Finley especially in the red zone.
Matchup to Watch
Wide receivers versus secondary. After a huge week for the Pack’s wideouts against the Syracuse secondary and an atrocious week for the Florida State secondary against Clemson receivers, look to see how effective the Seminoles can be against one of the top wide receiving corps in the conference.
