North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Tangles with No. 1 Florida State
9/26/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 26, 2014
TV: ABC/ESPN2/ESPN3 | Radio: Wolfpack Sports Network | Live Stats
Game Notes | @PackFootball Twitter | Ask the Analyst
RALEIGH, N.C. - Florida State has brought lofty rankings and national title aspirations to Raleigh many times over the last 20 years, but never before have the Seminoles been ranked No. 1 upon visiting Carter-Finley Stadium.
In fact, no team ranked atop the national polls has ever played a game on NC State’s home turf.
That will all change on Saturday afternoon when FSU (3-0, 1-1 ACC) tries to defend its No. 1 status against the Wolfpack (4-0) at 3:30 p.m. The game will be televised on ABC/ESPN2.
And though they might not admit it, some of the more experienced followers of Florida State football are, at the very least, feeling slight twinges of anxiety as game time approaches. After all, NC State has made a habit of playing the role of spoiler in previous meetings between the two schools.
In 1998, the Seminoles were ranked second in the polls before the Wolfpack took advantage of six Chris Weinke interceptions in a stunning 24-7 victory. And just two short years ago, Florida State was again ranked No. 2 when the Pack stormed back from a 16-0 deficit to post a 17-16 triumph.
Overall, NC State has prevailed in five of the last eight games played between the two teams at Carter-Finley Stadium. The word ‘nemesis’ probably comes to mind when some Florida State fans conjure up images of national title derailments that have been a direct result of painful losses in Raleigh.
Still, reliance on some sort of historical ‘mojo’ will not be a trustworthy ally when the two members of the ACC’s Atlantic Division clash once again this Saturday.
“It has no bearing on what happens in this game,” said Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren. “It just shows that Carter-Finley is a great stadium. It’s a hard to place to win. Our fans are loud and into the game, and when we get them fired up, it’s hard for anybody to win here. I think the past eight [home games] our record against them is 5-3, but that isn’t going to matter on game-day. We just have to do our job and the louder we can be as a fan base, the more help we’ll get.”
In that game two years ago, defensive end Mike Rose set-up Bryan Underwood’s game-winning touchdown reception by getting his hand on a punt with 2:27 left. Underwood and Rose will again have a chance to be major contributors on Saturday, while many others wearing the red uniforms will be facing Florida State for the first time.
The Seminoles haven’t loss to an ACC opponent since that 2012 match-up in Raleigh. FSU is currently riding a 19-game winning streak overall, with its last loss coming to Florida on November 24, 2012. Ironically, the Gators’ back-up quarterback that day was a guy named Jacoby Brissett, who watched from the sidelines.
As he gets set to face FSU as NC State’s starting quarterback, Brissett is off to a blazing start. The redshirt junior leads the ACC in total offense (280.8), completion percentage (.697) and touchdown passes (10). Recent Wolfpack quarterbacks to claim victories over FSU include Philip Rivers, Daniel Evans, Russell Wilson and Mike Glennon.
Joining that group would indeed put a feather in the West Palm Beach native’s cap, but the past successes of his predecessors in this series won’t be on Brissett’s mind when he takes snaps against Florida State’s powerful, speedy defense on Saturday afternoon.
“You hear about it, but it’s not a big topic of conversation around here,” Brissett said. “We’re a different team than what they had here in previous years and they’re a different team than those they had before. It’s just going to be a good game between two good teams.”
Brissett’s quarterbacking counterpart on Saturday is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. For all the negative headlines he’s generated off the field, there’s no denying Jameis Winston’s talent on it. Watching from the sidelines after receiving a one-game suspension for vulgar comments he made in an on-campus outburst, Winston got a reprieve last Saturday night when the Seminoles rallied to edge Clemson in overtime, 23-17.
Coach Jumbo Fisher announced earlier in the week that Winston would be back in the line-up on Saturday, meaning NC State will be forced to defend a fully loaded Florida State offensive arsenal.
“Obviously, Jameis is very hard to deal with and a very, very accurate player,” Doeren said. “They have five seniors on the offensive line. They did lose two great receivers from a year ago, so you see where the ball is going a little bit more with the tight end (Nick O’Leary) and [Rashad] Greene.”
O’Leary, a former high school teammate of Brissett’s, is FSU’s second leading receiver behind the speedy Greene, who is being touted as one of the best receivers in Florida State history. This season, Greene has averaged 17.4 yards on 24 catches with two touchdowns in three games.
As usual, the Seminoles possess a wealth of size and speed up front on defense, allowing them to play more man coverage than most teams on the corners.
Doeren calls Eddie Goldman “maybe the best defensive tackle in college football.”
After yielding 31 points to Oklahoma State in their opener, the Seminoles have been more disruptive on the defensive side of the ball the last two weeks, giving up just 12 and 17 points, respectively, to The Citadel and Clemson.
“They’re the best team we’ve played so far and I feel like we’re the best team they’ve played so far,” Brissett said. “I feel like we’re playing really well right now. Our offensive line is doing a good job of protecting me and we’re doing a good job in the run game. It’s going to be a real good game.”
NC State leads the ACC in total offense with an average of 502 yards per game. The rushing attack is producing nearly 250 per contest and has recorded three straight games of more than 200 yards, something that hadn’t happened at NC State in 20 years.
Now the question becomes, can the Wolfpack run the ball well enough to keep Florida State’s pass rushers honest when Brissett looks to throw?
“They’re fast, strong and everything you want in a defense,” said Brissett. “We’ve just got come out and play a little faster, a little stronger and just execute our plan.”
The Wolfpack Sports Network begins its coverage on Saturday with the Matthews Motors Countdown to Kickoff at 1:30 p.m. In hour two of the pregame show, shortly after 2:30 p.m., color analyst and former Wolfpack All-American Johnny Evans fields questions from fans on ‘Ask the Analyst.’ Questions to Johnny can be sent on twitter @packradio, or by email here.
The Dave Doeren TV Show can be seen Sunday night at 11:30 p.m. on WRAL TV-5 in Raleigh and on WILM in Wilmington. A stream of the show is also available each Monday on Gopack.com. This year’s show includes questions from fans on Twitter. To forward a question to coach Doeren, use hashtag #CoachDTV.
For other stations and networks airing the Dave Doeren TV Show, go here.
Thursday Football Notebook | #RockYourRed and Tag Yourself
Game 5: NC State (4-0, 0-0 ACC) vs. Florida State (3-0, 1-0 ACC)
September 27, 2014 • 3:30 p.m.
Raleigh, N.C. • Carter-Finley Stadium (57,583)
TV: ABC/ESPN2/ESPN3 | Radio: Wolfpack Sports Network | Live Stats
Game Notes | @PackFootball Twitter | Ask the Analyst
RALEIGH, N.C. - Florida State has brought lofty rankings and national title aspirations to Raleigh many times over the last 20 years, but never before have the Seminoles been ranked No. 1 upon visiting Carter-Finley Stadium.
In fact, no team ranked atop the national polls has ever played a game on NC State’s home turf.
That will all change on Saturday afternoon when FSU (3-0, 1-1 ACC) tries to defend its No. 1 status against the Wolfpack (4-0) at 3:30 p.m. The game will be televised on ABC/ESPN2.
And though they might not admit it, some of the more experienced followers of Florida State football are, at the very least, feeling slight twinges of anxiety as game time approaches. After all, NC State has made a habit of playing the role of spoiler in previous meetings between the two schools.
In 1998, the Seminoles were ranked second in the polls before the Wolfpack took advantage of six Chris Weinke interceptions in a stunning 24-7 victory. And just two short years ago, Florida State was again ranked No. 2 when the Pack stormed back from a 16-0 deficit to post a 17-16 triumph.
Overall, NC State has prevailed in five of the last eight games played between the two teams at Carter-Finley Stadium. The word ‘nemesis’ probably comes to mind when some Florida State fans conjure up images of national title derailments that have been a direct result of painful losses in Raleigh.
Still, reliance on some sort of historical ‘mojo’ will not be a trustworthy ally when the two members of the ACC’s Atlantic Division clash once again this Saturday.
“It has no bearing on what happens in this game,” said Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren. “It just shows that Carter-Finley is a great stadium. It’s a hard to place to win. Our fans are loud and into the game, and when we get them fired up, it’s hard for anybody to win here. I think the past eight [home games] our record against them is 5-3, but that isn’t going to matter on game-day. We just have to do our job and the louder we can be as a fan base, the more help we’ll get.”
In that game two years ago, defensive end Mike Rose set-up Bryan Underwood’s game-winning touchdown reception by getting his hand on a punt with 2:27 left. Underwood and Rose will again have a chance to be major contributors on Saturday, while many others wearing the red uniforms will be facing Florida State for the first time.
The Seminoles haven’t loss to an ACC opponent since that 2012 match-up in Raleigh. FSU is currently riding a 19-game winning streak overall, with its last loss coming to Florida on November 24, 2012. Ironically, the Gators’ back-up quarterback that day was a guy named Jacoby Brissett, who watched from the sidelines.
As he gets set to face FSU as NC State’s starting quarterback, Brissett is off to a blazing start. The redshirt junior leads the ACC in total offense (280.8), completion percentage (.697) and touchdown passes (10). Recent Wolfpack quarterbacks to claim victories over FSU include Philip Rivers, Daniel Evans, Russell Wilson and Mike Glennon.
Joining that group would indeed put a feather in the West Palm Beach native’s cap, but the past successes of his predecessors in this series won’t be on Brissett’s mind when he takes snaps against Florida State’s powerful, speedy defense on Saturday afternoon.
“You hear about it, but it’s not a big topic of conversation around here,” Brissett said. “We’re a different team than what they had here in previous years and they’re a different team than those they had before. It’s just going to be a good game between two good teams.”
Brissett’s quarterbacking counterpart on Saturday is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. For all the negative headlines he’s generated off the field, there’s no denying Jameis Winston’s talent on it. Watching from the sidelines after receiving a one-game suspension for vulgar comments he made in an on-campus outburst, Winston got a reprieve last Saturday night when the Seminoles rallied to edge Clemson in overtime, 23-17.
Coach Jumbo Fisher announced earlier in the week that Winston would be back in the line-up on Saturday, meaning NC State will be forced to defend a fully loaded Florida State offensive arsenal.
“Obviously, Jameis is very hard to deal with and a very, very accurate player,” Doeren said. “They have five seniors on the offensive line. They did lose two great receivers from a year ago, so you see where the ball is going a little bit more with the tight end (Nick O’Leary) and [Rashad] Greene.”
O’Leary, a former high school teammate of Brissett’s, is FSU’s second leading receiver behind the speedy Greene, who is being touted as one of the best receivers in Florida State history. This season, Greene has averaged 17.4 yards on 24 catches with two touchdowns in three games.
As usual, the Seminoles possess a wealth of size and speed up front on defense, allowing them to play more man coverage than most teams on the corners.
Doeren calls Eddie Goldman “maybe the best defensive tackle in college football.”
After yielding 31 points to Oklahoma State in their opener, the Seminoles have been more disruptive on the defensive side of the ball the last two weeks, giving up just 12 and 17 points, respectively, to The Citadel and Clemson.
“They’re the best team we’ve played so far and I feel like we’re the best team they’ve played so far,” Brissett said. “I feel like we’re playing really well right now. Our offensive line is doing a good job of protecting me and we’re doing a good job in the run game. It’s going to be a real good game.”
NC State leads the ACC in total offense with an average of 502 yards per game. The rushing attack is producing nearly 250 per contest and has recorded three straight games of more than 200 yards, something that hadn’t happened at NC State in 20 years.
Now the question becomes, can the Wolfpack run the ball well enough to keep Florida State’s pass rushers honest when Brissett looks to throw?
“They’re fast, strong and everything you want in a defense,” said Brissett. “We’ve just got come out and play a little faster, a little stronger and just execute our plan.”
The Wolfpack Sports Network begins its coverage on Saturday with the Matthews Motors Countdown to Kickoff at 1:30 p.m. In hour two of the pregame show, shortly after 2:30 p.m., color analyst and former Wolfpack All-American Johnny Evans fields questions from fans on ‘Ask the Analyst.’ Questions to Johnny can be sent on twitter @packradio, or by email here.
The Dave Doeren TV Show can be seen Sunday night at 11:30 p.m. on WRAL TV-5 in Raleigh and on WILM in Wilmington. A stream of the show is also available each Monday on Gopack.com. This year’s show includes questions from fans on Twitter. To forward a question to coach Doeren, use hashtag #CoachDTV.
For other stations and networks airing the Dave Doeren TV Show, go here.
Players Mentioned
WR
/ FootballCoach Doeren Signing Day Presser (Dec. 3rd)
Wednesday, December 03
FB Players Postgame Presser vs UNC
Sunday, November 30
Coach Doeren Postgame Presser vs UNC
Sunday, November 30
Coach Doeren Weekly Press Conference (Nov. 24)
Monday, November 24