Matchup Analysis: N.C. State at No. 11 Florida State
Florida State's ability to throw the football will be the biggest question mark going into Saturday's home opener after Deondre Francois sustained a season-ending injury against Alabama in week one. That means true freshman James Blackman will make his first college start against the Wolfpack. The reports from practice have been glowing, and the skinny rookie will have plenty of offensive talent around him. However, until Blackman takes the field, there's no way to know how he will handle running the offense. On the plus side, the quartet of Auden Tate, Nyqwan Murray, Keith Gavin and tight end Ryan Izzo all looked like dependable targets in the opener against Alabama.
Along with most of its defense, the N.C. State secondary showed improvement last season. However, the group hasn't exactly shined so far in 2017. Despite a relatively weak schedule through the first three games, the Wolfpack are giving up an average of 254 yards a game through the air and rank No. 101 in pass efficiency defense.
MATCHUP: This would have been a solid advantage for Florida State had Francois been healthy. Even with a stable of talented receivers and an improved offensive line, it's a stretch go give the edge to the Seminoles with an untested rookie under center. N.C. State will certainly come in with a game plan to put pressure on Blackman in hopes of frustrating the 'Noles' young quarterback.
WINNER: EVEN
For the last couple of seasons, Florida State's ground game was a one-man show with Dalvin Cook leading the way. This year, the 'Noles are expected to go with a running back-by-committee approach. Leading the way is junior Jacques Patrick. The former five-star recruit performed well in his first two seasons backing up Cook but was relatively quiet against Alabama's stellar defense in the opener. Highly touted freshman Cam Akers should be the other primary running back and will share the majority of the carries. There are several other talented backs on the roster, including speedy sophomore Amir Rasul, who could also see some action off the bench.
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