2011 NC State Wolfpack Football: NC State @ Florida State

It took quite a long time, but at last, the Florida State Seminoles are playing to their potential. Perhaps it’s just a cruel tease now that a division championship is no longer a possibility. Perhaps it’s not an indication of future greatness or a stepping stone to the 2012 season. Yet, at the very least, a talented squad is finally putting the pieces together after floundering for the first half of the 2011 college football season.

Florida State dominated North Carolina State in a big way, outgaining the Wolfpack by about a 2.5 yards to 1 ratio. The Seminoles finished with 444 yards to the Wolfpack’s 166. Florida State is finally starting to look like the team they thought they would be before the season, having won three straight in dominating fashion. The Seminoles’ passing game was especially effective against what has been a very poor NCState pass defense. FSU QB EJ Manuel was 25-34 for 321 yards with two TDs and an INT that was not his fault, as a receiver deflected a ball he should have caught. The FSU rushing game, again, was much less effective. Jermaine Thomas led the team with 48 yards rushing on 11 attempts, and the Seminoles averaged only 3.3 yards per carry. The rushing game has been a disappointment all year behind a makeshift offensive line that now does not have a single player starting in the position they started the season, and which includes a 17 year old offensive tackle. The Seminoles are only 89th in the nation in rushing offense, but they are 12th in the nation in passing offense.

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The Seminoles defense stifled the Wolfpack offense, holding them to only 36 rushing yards on 28 attempts, a 1.3 yard per carry average. The longest Wolfpack run of the game was only 8 yards. Of course, that stat is somewhat skewed by the four sacks FSU registered, but even if you only count the running backs, NCState only gained 62 yards on the ground and only 2.7 yards per carry. Mike Glennon struggled to throw the ball downfield, with no passes of more than 17 yards. He finished with 19 completions on 34 attempts, a respectable completion percentage, but most were short underneath passes where the NCState receivers were not able to break free. His 3.8 yards per attempt average reflect the difficulties he had getting the ball downfield.

Florida State is 5-3, 3-2 in the ACC, and travels to Boston College on Thursday night, then closes with Miami, Virginia and Florida. FSU is already eliminated from the ACC Atlantic race. NCState is 4-4, 1-3 in the ACC, and is also eliminated from the ACC Atlantic. The Wolfpack host North Carolina, then finish with Boston College, Clemson, and Maryland.

NC State Wolfpack @ Florida State Seminoles Football Recap