Deondre Francois Status vs. NC State Uncertain

Sophomore James Blackman started for Florida State against NC State last year for the injured Deondre Francois, and it looks like history might repeat itself this Saturday.

Francois was injured in the Clemson game, and has been limited in practice all week. Seminoles head coach Willie Taggart made it clear in his weekly press conference that Francois would need to be able to practice this week in order to play against the Wolfpack this Saturday in Raleigh.

“Deondre, he’s beat up. He took some hits in that game, and I’m sure understandably he’s beat up after a physical ballgame. Again, he’s day-to-day. Well, playing quarterback, you’ve got to practice. We’re going to assess that throughout the week and see where he is, but you’ve got to get practice — you’ve got to get the majority of the reps to be able to go play like we need for him to play. He’s going to have to practice in order to play.” (ACC)

As of yesterday, Francois hasn’t thrown in practice all week, making it more likely that Blackman will take the reins Saturday. Currently, he ranks 2nd in the ACC in passing yards behind Finely, and is the only other quarterback in the conference with over 2,000 passing yards (2,039).

Blackman was decent in 2017, completing 58% of his passes for 2,230 yards and 19 touchdowns (11 interceptions). He threw for a career high 278 yards in a 21-27 loss to NC State down in Tallahassee last year.