The N.C. State football team will venture outside North Carolina for the first time this season to take on the No. 2 Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla. Saturday.
The Wolfpack (3-3, 0-3 ACC) is coming off of a much-needed bye week after suffering a 24-10 loss to Syracuse at Carter-Finley Stadium Oct. 12th. The Pack has dealt with numerous injuries in recent weeks and the bye week allowed players a chance to recover.
“Coming off a bye week, we’re going to get a few guys back from the injured reserve,” head coach Dave Doeren said in a weekly teleconference. “We know we’re up against a very good team in their house. We look forward to that challenge and opportunity.”
One player coming back from injury for the Wolfpack is graduate student quarterback Brandon Mitchell.
Mitchell, who led the Wolfpack to two quick touchdowns in the season opener against Louisiana Tech on Aug. 31, broke a bone in his foot midway through the first quarter of the game against the Bulldogs and hasn’t played since. He was in uniform against Syracuse on Oct. 12, but did not get on the field.
“We’re trying to get back into the flow of things with [Brandon] as our leader,” Doeren said. “We’re not healthy as a football team, but we’re healthier than we’ve been.”
In addition to Mitchell, senior receiver Rashard Smith, senior defensive end Darryl Cato-Bishop, and freshman running back Matt Dayes are all expected to play against the Seminoles.
Even though Doeren’s team will get some much-needed reinforcements this weekend, some players remain out with injuries. Senior offensive tackle Rob Crisp will not play Saturday, due to a concussion, while junior quarterback Pete Thomas is questionable for the game.
The Wolfpack will need all the help it can get Saturday. The No. 2 Seminoles (6-0, 4-0) are coming off of a dominating 51-14 road victory over No. 9 Clemson last Saturday.
Thanks to his performance against the Tigers, Florida State’s freshman quarterback Jameis Winston has burst onto the scene as a serious Heisman Trophy contender. Winston, a dual threat quarterback, completed 22 of 34 passes for 444 yards and three touchdowns against Clemson.
The freshman will be State’s biggest worry while on defense on Saturday.
“He’s doing a heck of a job,” Doeren said of Winston. “When he scrambles, he throws the ball well. The talent around him doesn’t hurt him.”
The ’Noles can also move the ball on the ground. They average 210.3 rushing yards per game, and junior running backs Devonta Freeman and Karlos Williams average 6.3 and 8.5 yards per attempt, respectively.
FSU’s defense will be a stiff challenge for the Wolfpack as well. The Seminoles rank third in the nation in points allowed, giving up just 12.3 points per game. They allowed more than 14 points once, in a 48-34 win over Boston College on Sept. 28th.
This does not bode well for a Wolfpack team that has struggled to put points on the board, scoring under 17 points in three of its last four games.
The Seminoles hold a 22-11 advantage in the overall series against the Pack, which dates back to 1952. State is 4-4 in the last eight meetings, but has not won in Tallahassee since 2005. In last season’s meeting, the Pack scored a last-minute touchdown to pull off a 17-16 upset of then-No. 3 FSU in Raleigh.
“We can’t really worry about how they play as much as what we have to do to have a chance to win,” Doeren said. “That’s where our focus has been.”
Kickoff on Saturday is scheduled for 3:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ABC in ACC territories. The rest of the nation can watch it on ESPN2.
