For Florida State, Saturday’s emotional 23-17 victory over Clemson without Jameis Winston certainly said a lot about the Seminoles’ character as FSU overcame an industrial warehouse worth of adversity to remain unbeaten and run its school-record winning streak to 19 games.
As Florida State gets ready to resume ACC play against N.C. State, many are pointing to the victory over Clemson as a moment that could spark the Seminoles moving forward and bring about another potentially special season.
There were a number of things that made the Seminoles special in 2013. Florida State had that old school FSU swagger that it carried during its glory days of the 1990s and the Seminoles were a very close-knit group. Unlike in years past, Florida State also was able to focus on the job at hand week in and week out and avoid ever suffering a letdown.
After rallying to top Clemson, Florida State’s visit to N.C. State this week looks to be a prime opportunity for the Seminoles to let their guard down. FSU raced to a 35-0 lead over N.C. State in the first quarter last season in a 49-17 victory in Tallahassee as the Wolfpack went on to finish just 3-9 and without an ACC victory.
Though Saturday’s contest against North Carolina State may not instill the emotion or national intrigue of the Clemson game, finding motivation for the trip to Raleigh should not be difficult for the Seminoles.
When FSU arrives at Carter-Finley Stadium, it will not only be facing a team that was winless in conference play a season ago, but it will be returning to the site of its last ACC loss.
As the third-ranked team in the country in October of 2012, Florida State let a 16-0 lead slip away against N.C. State as Mike Glennon rallied the Wolfpack to a 17-16 victory. Glennon’s short touchdown pass to Bryan Underwood with 16 seconds to play turned out to be the game-winner. Since then, Florida State has won 14 ACC straight games while the Wolfpack are just 3-11 in conference play.
While the revenge factor could certainly be relevant concerning this week’s game for top-ranked Florida State, the Seminoles will also be getting their starting quarterback back in the lineup and facing a North Carolina State team that seems to be hitting its stride at the right time.
After serving a one-game suspension, the return of reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston should provide FSU a much-needed offensive spark. Though Winston has had his issues off the field, he is unquestionably one of the leaders on the team and a player the Seminoles rally around.
Although Florida State will be facing a squad that finished winless in conference play last season, N.C. State is quietly becoming one of the more improved teams in the ACC.
N.C. State had to rally to beat Georgia Southern its season-opener and followed that up with a lackluster victory over Old Dominion, but since then, the Wolfpack have looked very good. In its first true road game, N.C. State had little trouble with South Florida in a 49-17 victory before blanking Presbyterian at home, 42-0.
If having its starting quarterback return and going back to the place of its last ACC loss isn’t motivating enough for Florida State, facing a 4-0 team should be.
While Florida State’s contest in Raleigh on Saturday wasn’t circled on the calendar of most prior to the season, it’s the type of game that has served as an opportunity for a letdown in recent years. Following an emotional overtime victory over Clemson, getting up for a team like N.C. State hasn’t always been easy. This week however, there seem to be too many motivating factors for the Seminoles to do anything other than take the Wolfpack seriously.
