Florida State will hit the road for the first time this season as it opens ACC play against Boston College on Friday night. The Seminoles have won their last three ACC openers and 23 straight games overall against ACC opponents, but a long trip during a short week is cause for concern for some. The Noled Staff breaks down this week’s contest for FSU in a segment we call “Five Things”:
1. On Boston College
Mike Ferguson: Boston College is a well-coached team that has given the Seminoles trouble in each of the last two years. The Eagles have yet to be tested in 2015, but are off to a nice start after handling a pair of FCS schools. Boston College has been FSU’s toughest game in each of the last two regular seasons and hopes to pull off an upset on Friday night. The Seminoles are however, 5-0 against the Eagles under head coach Jimbo Fisher.
Clint Eiland: The Eagles are a team that has constantly given FSU fits in the past five years, though they have never defeated the ‘Noles in this time span — their last victory over FSU came in 2009. Despite this streak, BC is a program trending up with Steve Addazio at the helm in his third year as head coach. The Eagles return five defensive linemen, five linebackers, and four defensive backs who played in at least 12 games last season. Obviously, that’s not all starters, but the defense is stout in the run game and decent against the pass. Watch its offensive line however, as it only brings back one player who started in more than one game in 2014.
Jon Marchant: Florida State (2-0) travels to play Boston College (2-0) on a Friday night. The Eagles are coached by Steve Addazio and are a run-heavy team with the option mixed in. They are physical up front and are stingy on defense. It’s hard to know exactly what Boston College is and how good it is because its played two FCS teams.
2. Players to Watch for FSU
Ferguson: There’s five guys to watch for Florida State in this contest and they all play on the offensive line. Though Dalvin Cook finished with 266 yards on the ground against South Florida, the offensive front for the Seminoles was often matched physically and routinely broke down in pass-protection early on. Against a Boston College defense that leads the country in stopping the run, this is a unit that needs to play much better this week.
Eiland: Linebacker Jacob Pugh had a great game versus USF, so look for him to come out and try to at least match his most recent performance. Pugh is quickly turning into what many thought he could be coming into the season: A talented, versatile, reliable defender.
Marchant: All eyes should again be on FSU quarterback Everett Golson. If FSU is to have any hope of competing for an ACC title this year, he must get better. He made several mental and physical errors against USF that must be corrected. It will be interesting to see if Golson uses his legs as a weapon this game and how many drop-back passes we see.
3. Biggest Concern for FSU
Ferguson: The biggest concern for Florida State in this one is falling behind early. In its last trip to Alumni Stadium, FSU was hit with a 17-3 first half deficit. With a crowd that won’t be pulling for the Seminoles on Friday, it’s important that FSU seize momentum early. Florida State has yet to trail this season and if it falls behind by more than one score, it may not have the offensive firepower to mount a comeback as it did two years ago.
Eiland: Everett Golson’s poor start last week has suddenly made the quarterback position a cause for concern against Boston College. While he’s had some good games in his career against them Eagles, this next match-up will require him to feel comfortable enough to sling it around the field when FSU needs him to. The Eagles have a good enough defense that the Seminoles won’t be able to just use their talent to outplay them.
Marchant: The passing game. FSU is pretty good on the ground, but Golson has been less than impressive so far this season and the receiving corps has been inconsistent. Golson has shown poor pocket presence and has made several mental errors — both pre-snap and post-snap. It’s clear he’s not comfortable in the offense. The receivers haven’t helped by dropping several passes.
4. X-Factor for FSU
Ferguson: I feel like the X-factor to watch in this week’s ACC opener is redshirt junior running back Mario Pender. Pender struggled against South Florida after having a career-day against Texas State to open the year. The focus of the Boston College defense this week will be Dalvin Cook, but Pender should have the opportunity to make plays and lighten Cook’s load. If Pender can be effective as he was in Week 1, it’ll greatly improve FSU’s chances of starting 1-0 in ACC play.
Eiland: Much like the Texas State game, a good defensive line performance will drastically change how this match-up will play out. Boston College’s offense is centered on the ground game and is not one to air it out unless absolutely necessary. The defensive line had multiple players with encouraging performances last week and if it can bring the pressure against the Eagles, it could throw the game plan out of whack.
Marchant: The X-factor for this game is some of the younger edge defenders for FSU, especially freshman phenom Josh Sweat and sophomore Jacob Pugh. If they can set the edge against the run, they could provide a huge boost to FSU’s effort to shut down Boston College’s offense.
5. FSU Wins If…
Ferguson: The recipe for success for Florida State this week is simple — win the battles up front. Offensively, FSU must find a way to get Boston College blocked up front to open up the ground game for Dalvin Cook and Mario Pender and eventually, the play-action pass for Everett Golson. The Eagles have real experience issues at quarterback which means the Seminoles will need to stuff the run and force sophomore Darius Wade into obvious passing situations. If FSU can do those two things, it should move to 3-0 on the young season.
Eiland: FSU will win if Everett Golson can start strong and make Boston College respect the passing game. As good as Dalvin Cook is, this is a game where he cannot be relied on to carry an entire offense. The Eagles’ run defense is too good for that to happen. Golson will need to channel his previous performances and force Boston College away from stacking the box.
Marchant: Florida State will win if it can run the ball effectively and play mistake-free football. FSU simply can’t afford to commit more than one turnover on Friday night. Golson has been relatively mistake-free so far but that was a huge concern when he transferred from Notre Dame. Can he continue to avoid turnovers against better competition? That may decide this game.
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