Wolfpack kickoff: Week 5 vs Florida State
NC State (3-1, 0-0 ACC) vs. Florida State (2-2, 1-1 ACC)
Doak Campbell Stadium (79,560)
7 p.m., ACC Network (PxP: Dave O'Brien; Analyst: Tim Hasselbeck, Sideline: Lericia Harris)
Streaming: WatchESPN; National radio: Sirius 119, XM 127; Live stats: GoPack.com
Series history: FSU leads 26-13
Last meeting: NC State 47, FSU 28
Last week: NC State beat Ball State 34-23, FSU beat Louisville 35-24
BetOnline line: NC State plus-6 1/2 | Over/Under 61 1/2
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
"We get to play in a great venue against a football team that has great. They're outscoring their opponents in the first quarter by an alarming rate. For us, starting fast, particularly on the road, would be a huge point of emphasis for us. More importantly, playing four quarters of football." Dave Doeren
"If James (Blackman) is healthy, he's going to play. We're not thinking about the bye week. We're playing North Carolina State, baby." FSU coach Willie Taggart
"We know they start strong in the beginning of the games, so it's our job to start fast and finish fast. It's all about focus, focusing on the little details, limiting presnap penalties and just doing our job. That's the biggest thing." Matthew McKay
PLAYERS TO WATCH
| NC State | Florida State | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Passing | Matthew McKay | 83-141-1 890 yards 3 TD | James Blackman | 86-124-2 970 yards 9 TD |
Bailey Hockman | 7-10-1 47 yards 0 TD | Alex Hornibrook | 15-20-0 255 yards 2 TD | |
Rushing | Zonovan Knight | 47 carries, 273 yards, 3 TD | Cam Akers | 95 carries, 499 yards 6 TD |
Receiving | Emeka Emezie | 25 catches, 252 yards, 0 TD | Tamorrian Terry | 16 catches, 307 yards, 1 TD |
Tackles | Tanner Ingle | 31 tackles, 3 PBU, 1 FR | Hamsah Nasirildeen | 28 tackles, 3 FF |
NOTABLE
Florida State's quarterback situation is up in the air and will likely be a gametime decision. Starter James Blackman left last week's win against Louisville in the third quarter with a MCL sprain and bone bruise in his left knee. If he's not able to go, Wisconsin graduate transfer Alex Hornibrook will get the start. Hornibrook went 15 of 20 for 255 yards and two touchdowns in leading the Seminoles to the victory after relieving Blackman. ...
State has won the last two meetings with Florida State - 27-21 in Tallahassee in 2017 and 47-28 at home last season. In the 29 games played in the series, the Wolfpack has never won three in a row. ...
State will be opening its ACC slate with FSU for the fifth time. The Wolfpack is 2-2 in the previous four occasions, with wins in 1998 and 2017 and losses coming in 1999 and 2014 ...
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Bailey Hockman originally signed with and attended Florida State. He redshirted the 2017 season in Tallhassee and then threw for 203 yards and a TD in the Seminoles 2018 spring game before deciding to transfer. He spent last season at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, but didn't play. ...
State is a perfect 19 for 19 in red zone attempts this season, converting for 13 touchdowns and six field goals. The Wolfpack is one of just 12 FBS teams with a perfect 100% conversion percentage in the red zone, and second among the perfect teams in attempts/conversions, trailing only LSU's 27. ...
Both teams have made a habit out of starting fast this season. FSU has outscored its opponents by a whopping 56-9 margin in the first half so far this season. The Wolfpack, meanwhile, is averaging more than double the yards (278.5-91.5), first downs (18.5-4.5) and points (20.5-10.0) in the first halves of its past two games than in the second halves of those games.
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