NC State football opponent scouting report: Florida State

The No. 14-ranked NC State football team is trying to bounce back from last week’s emotionally charged game at No. 5 Clemson, which the Pack dropped 30-20. The defeat left NC State 4-1 on the year and 0-1 in the ACC. Now the Wolfpack will get the first conference home game of the year. Florida State (4-1, 2-1 ACC), comes to Raleigh.

Kickoff is at 8:00 p.m., and the game can be seen nationally on ACC Network.

Here is a full scouting report on Florida State:

Five Florida State Players To Watch

Fourth year junior safety Jammie Robinson (No. 10)

Robinson was the headliner on the returning Florida State defense and has not disappointed. He leads the Seminoles with 34 tackles and was named ACC Defensive Back of the Week after having 13 hits vs. Wake Forest last week. That was the fifth time in a FSU uniform that Robinson has reached double-digit tackles, including last season vs. NC State when he had 10.

Robinson, a former transfer from South Carolina, was a preseason second-team All-American by the Associated Press, Phil Steele and The Athletic.

Fifth-year redshirt junior quarterback Jordan Travis (No. 13)

Since 2021, when Travis starts Florida State is 9-4. That did not include the game vs. NC State last year, when Travis was among the FSU players out with an illness.

Thus far this year, Travis has been an efficient quarterback. He has completed 65.9 percent of his passes for 1,226 yards and 8 touchdowns with just 1 pick. His QB rating of 167.0 is 16th best in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). His average of 14.8 yards per completion leads the ACC and is 10th in the nation.

Curiously, Travis has not rushed much this year, but he is still a dangerous threat with his legs. He is FSU’s all-time leading rusher among quarterbacks with 1,367 yards on the ground and 18 running scores. Thus far this year he has only rushed for 50 yards and 1 touchdown in five games.

Redshirt sophomore defensive end Jared Verse (No. 5)

In 15 games at Albany on the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level, Verse had 21.5 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks.

In his first big test for Florida State following transferring in the offseason, a win over LSU in New Orleans, Verse was named the ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week after he had 2 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss while also blocking a field goal. He missed the win over Boston College with an injury, but returned last week vs. Wake Forest and had 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack.

Verse leads the ACC with an average of 1.0 sacks per game in four contests. He has also added 6.5 tackles for loss.

Fourth-year redshirt sophomore running back Treshaun Ward (No. 8)

A year ago, Ward was the impressive complementary back to Jashaun Corbin, who led FSU with 887 rushing yards before moving on in an attempt to make the NFL. Ward ran 81 times for 515 yards (6.8 yards per rush) behind Corbin and flashed enough that Pro Football Focus (PFF) named him preseason first-team All-ACC.

In five games this year, Ward has twice gone over 100 yards. Overall, he has rushed 67 times for 437 yards and 3 touchdowns while being part of a three-player rotation in the backfield with Trey Benson and Lawrance Toafili. Both of those backs have received at least 32 carries this year.

A season ago, Ward ran twice for 4 yards vs. NC State.

Third-year sophomore receiver Johnny Wilson (No. 14)

At 6-foot-7, 235 pounds, Wilson may be the most challenging matchup for NC State among FSU’s impressive group of receivers.

Wilson was a highly touted, On3 Consensus 4-star recruit coming out of high school when he signed with Arizona State. He produced when given opportunities, catching 18 passes for 233 yards and 1 touchdown in eight games, but by his own admission was not heavily pursued when he went into the portal after last season.

This year, Wilson has looked like a potential future pro with 19 catches for 357 yards and 3 touchdowns in five games. He caught 7 passes for 149 yards and 2 touchdowns in a win at Louisville, and last Saturday had 6 receptions for 85 yards and a score vs. Wake Forest.

What To Watch For From Florida State Against NC State Football

1. A strong start to halves: NC State cannot afford to have much of a hangover from the loss to Clemson. The ‘Noles have scored on 9 of 10 possessions to open a half this season, including 8 touchdowns.

In particular, FSU is a strong first-quarter team. They have outscored opponents 62-24 to start games this year.

2. A potentially balanced attack: Florida State has played four games against Power Five competition, and in each contest the Seminoles have finished with more total yards than the opposing defense has surrendered on average this year.

FSU can attack NC State in multiple ways. For the season, they have thrown for 1,389 yards and rushed for 1,019 yards.

3. A vulnerable rush defense: Prior to facing Florida State, in a pair of Power Five games Boston College had rushed for a total of just 33 yards. Against the Seminoles, BC had 95 yards on the ground.

Louisville’s 252 yards rushing against FSU was second-best for the Cards this year behind 283 yards against South Florida. Wake Forest ran for 171 yards, the most in the Deacons’ four FBS games this year.

Three Keys To The Game For NC State Football

1. Win the line of scrimmage: The loss of defensive tackle Fabien Lovett on the FSU line has left the ‘Noles vulnerable against the run. Furthermore, while Florida State has good skill talent on offense, the offensive line, albeit improved over past years, has 4 of 5 starters grading out at around average or below that by PFF.

NC State did not win the lines against Clemson. The Pack will need to be more physical Saturday vs. FSU, which does not have the fronts that the Tigers boast.

2. Limit big plays: Florida State’s ability to drive down the field and score is limited by a poor kicking game. The ‘Noles have yet to make a field goal longer than 30 yards this year and are 4 for 9 on attempts.

Florida State has big-play ability, leading the ACC in average yards per completion. If NC State and the shorthanded secondary can limit the chunk plays, that will help contain FSU.

3. Contain Travis: At some point, Travis is going to likely unleash a big game running the football. He rushed for over 500 yards each of the past two seasons. For whatever reason, he has taken a more conservative approach to taking off this year and has rushed just 21 times in five games.

For NC State, this is not the game for Travis to unveil a new dimension to the offense.

Three Numbers Of Note For NC State Football Vs. Florida State

11-13 — NC State’s record against Florida State since the Wolfpack stunned the second-ranked ‘Noles in 1998, including 7-5 in games played in Raleigh. For some perspective, in that same span, Clemson is 12-11 vs. FSU, Miami is 13-13 and Florida is 11-12. NC State has won 4 of 5 in the series.

5-1 — Record for NC State football in games following a regular-season loss since 2020.

3.5 — The spread on the betting line in NC State’s favor as of Wednesday morning