Game Preview: NC State vs. FSU

NC State Wolfpack (3-3) vs. Florida State (6-0)

Game Time: 3:30pm
Location: Tallahassee, FL
TV: ABC

The storyline: An up and down (and winless in the ACC) NC State team looks for their first conference win of the season against the nation’s #2 team, Florida State.

Why NC State will beat Florida State: After a fast start to the season, NC State has come back down to earth and while they’ve shown heart and fight, they simply lack big-time playmakers at the skill positions and are still seeking on-field leadership. The good news for the Pack is that hey are welcoming back their starting quarterback Brandon Mitchell. Mitchell played the first series of the season before being pulled with a broken foot and having to sit out up until today. He will look to take the leadership role back and instill a little confidence in a team that is in dire need of it. Here is what he had to say about today’s game against FSU.

“It fits what we’ve been preaching as a team – facing adversity,” he said. “We’re going in as a 28-point underdog, they have 300 former players coming back.  But we just want to go in there and ruin their plans.”

Aside from the infusion of Mitchell, State will also be facing a less than 100% FSU team. According to ESPN, RB James Wilder Jr. (FSU’s 3rd leading rusher) will sit with concussion symptoms.

The truth is, if NC State is going to pull off the massive upset, it’s not going to be because of a FSU injury, it’s going to be because the team finally comes together, steps up and makes big plays. The Wolfpack was an early whistle and a strange referee call away from taking down a top 10 ranked Clemson team, so you know they have it in them. However,  FSU isn’t Clemson. The Noles ripped the Tigers 51-14 on Oct 19th and are currently playing with all kinds of momentum.

The good news? None of this has ever stopped the Wolfpack before. Any State fan knows that if there is one team that the Pack likes to knock off their pedestal, it’s FSU. Just last year they took down the (then #3) Noles 17-16 in Raleigh.

Why Florida State will walk right over the Wolfpack: You didn’t think we were going to give you just one side of the coin, did you? Well, this is PackInsider.com, so you may have thought that, however we just want to be real and fair here. Florida State is no joke. This is a team that very well could be the best team in college football right now. They have it all. A stout defense, a great Heisman candidate QB and big time playmakers. Now, take all of that and then add the fact that they’ll be playing at home and things just don’t look all that great for NC State.

First and foremost, State is going to need to stop freshman QB Jameis Winston. Here is a kid who has just risen to the occasion, walked right in and become a viable Heisman candidate. He can beat you with his arm, with his legs, basically he can do it all. State is going to need to keep pressure on him all day if they want a shot here.

They’re going to really need big plays from their defense and their special teams if they want to beat FSU, because man for man, few teams in the nation can stack up.