After a pair of home wins over Texas State and USF to start the season, Florida State will open its 2015 Atlantic Coast Conference schedule on the road this week in a rare Friday night matchup with Boston College in Chestnut Hill. The Seminoles (2-0) will represent a huge step up in competition for the Eagles (2-0), who have rallied off consecutive wins over Maine and Howard by a combined score of 100-3 in the last two weeks.
Offensively, Florida State will need to be more patient this week, as the BC defense will present a more disciplined unit than the one from USF that allowed Dalvin Cook and the 'Noles to break off explosive plays throughout the game, including touchdown runs of 74, 37 and 24 yards.
Boston College may be less likely to blow up plays in the FSU backfield than USF, but the Eagles will force the 'Noles to execute much more consistently than they did in registering 30% and 28% success rates on first and third down, respectively, against the Bulls. Expect FSU to continue to pound the football on the ground with Cook – who has 422 yards and five TDs on 8.6 ypc through two games – and Mario Pender, as they have in the last two weeks en route to a ratio of greater than 2-to-1 in terms of touches for running backs vs. receivers.
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Quarterback Everett Golson is yet to get very involved in the run game, which Jimbo Fisher will need to change in order to make the defense respect the threat of the QB run. From there, Golson can be used more effectively as a decoy. From a passing standpoint, FSU will need to be ready to take what it's given underneath – these young receivers will need to avoid some of the easy drops we've seen and prepare to get hit after securing the catch.
The 'Noles are yet to hit any real big passing plays when a game is still competitive, but hitting at least one may be necessary at Alumni Stadium to alleviate things in the ground game.
BC enters this game ranked first in the country against the run and second against the pass, but those numbers have been inflated by the level of competition they have faced so far. Still, FSU will need to execute effectively.
Defensively, Florida State will need to be smart and limit its level of aggression. Boston College, like FSU, has a young offensive line that is prone to self-inflicted mistakes.
BC is unlikely to drive methodically down the field and, with a lack of explosive weapons, the Eagles won't make many big plays that aren't given to them in the form of FSU mistakes. The 'Noles are best served letting BC make its own mistakes and capitalizing on them while being sure to account for trick plays, which we've seen in recent meetings.
The only turnover committed by FSU this season came on a punt return, so the Seminoles will need to catch the football on punts and avoid fumbling on returns. In the kicking game, FSU knows it has a huge weapon in Roberto Aguayo, it just has to get in position to use him.
Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. on ESPN. Be sure to listen to the Nolecast for more in-depth analysis from Bud and Ingram before FSU-BC.