Game Preview: Florida State Seminoles at Boston College Eagles
Florida State travels away from the state of Florida for the first time this season, and will be welcomed by... a hurricane. Are we sure they're actually leaving the state?
READ MORE: Kickoff Time, TV Channel Announced For Florida State's Crucial Road Game Against Clemson
In all seriousness, it's going to be a rainy Saturday afternoon as Boston College will be partaking in their annual "Red Bandanna Game," as the No. 3 Seminoles look to continue their hot start and notch their first conference win of the season. For those unaware, the Red Bandanna Game is a game BC holds in honor of Welles Crowther, a graduate of Boston College, who sacrificed himself to save lives on 9/11. BC is 4-5 in such games since starting the tradition.
This kickoff is slated for 12 pm EST on ABC, with the 'Noles currently favored by 25.5 points and a projected total of 47.5, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
Seminole Headlines
Key Player Health
Florida State saw veteran safety Akeem Dent go down with a leg injury against Southern Miss, while having wide receivers Kentron Poitier and Ja'Khi Douglas and offensive linemen Maurice Smith and Robert Scott miss the game as well. So far, Coach Norvell has just said they'll be "tracking" these players throughout the week, but with Clemson next week and then a bye week after, it wouldn't surprise me to see FSU rest some of these players with a big game next week and a chance to rest following.
Johnny Wilson was in street clothes for the second half of Southern Miss, but has been practicing all week, so he should be suiting up on Saturday afternoon.
Johnny Wilson's Drops
While Pro Football Focus didn't credit any drops to Johnny Wilson against Southern Miss, he was targeted four times and didn't have any catches. He seems to have responded back in a big way in practice this week, making a few impressive catches, and is focused heading into this matchup. Wilson is a big part of this team and has a history of performing well on the road. The weather may make an impact on the passing game in this one, but a confident and productive Johnny Wilson is a must for this team going forward.
Player Familiarity
Florida State's defensive coordinator Adam Fuller said on Tuesday that they tried to recruit Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos as a running back/receiver in high school, and that he has the quickness of a slot receiver. Now leading the offense for the Eagles, they'll have to contain him as a thrower and a runner, coming off of a game where he was 17/23 for 201 yards and 2 TDs in the air while adding 69 yards on the ground. He'll have to continue his level of play, going from playing Holy Cross to Florida State in a big jump in competition.
Burning Questions
How Much of an Impact Will Hurricane Lee Make?
As of the time of this writing, kickoff on Saturday is looking like a 70% chance of rain with winds in the 30 mph range, as Hurricane Lee looks to make some kind of New England landfall Saturday night. While an FCS matchup of Rhode Island and Maine has been moved up a day, nothing has been announced so far for this game.
Assuming the game goes on as its scheduled, the winds may be too heavy to settle for a lot of field goals or throw deep passes, so expect plenty of runs and counters, with some play actions trying to set up some sort of downfield actions occasionally. With FSU's depth on the offensive line, I'm projecting Florida State to have a dominant performance on the ground, maybe even coming to 300 yards on the ground; if Holy Cross quarterback Matthew Sluka can go for 131 rushing yards in a rainy game, there's no reason Jordan Travis can't have a big game as well.
Will Florida State Be Looking Ahead to Clemson?
I'm fairly confident the answer to this is "no" but you really just never know until the game is played and it's absolutely something to wonder about. This team is chomping at the bit to finally topple Clemson, but they need to take care of business here first. While Boston College very likely doesn't have the talent to keep up with FSU across the board, the weather will play into their advantage of keeping things on the ground and sloppy.
There's a decent chance this game is close, at least early on, as both teams try to figure out ways to deal with the weather, but I think FSU is too well-coached (and BC is not that well-coached given their 20 penalties to start the season) to let this be too much of a game.
Game Forecast
There's not a single matchup in this game where BC has the advantage, except for having the home crowd for a school tradition game. Even still, Florida State fans travel well, and I imagine they'll put up a decent showing even in a hurricane.
Give me the 'Noles in a dominant effort in their first ACC game of the 2023 season, 45-10.
READ MORE: Mike Norvell Provides Injury Updates On Multiple Florida State Starters
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