Despite promising QB debut, FSU trails at the half against NC State

All eyes were on freshman quarterback James Blackman as FSU’s 2017 home opener against NC State got underway in Tallahassee. But a lot of that focus found him on the sideline, as the Seminoles struggled as an offensive unit early on and were unable to gain a first down until their third possession in falling behind 10-0.

Despite completing his first pass, Blackman looked a little erratic thereafter, and his offense didn’t help him much, incurring penalties and not executing on numerous plays. Blackman established his best groove thus far when he returned to routes in the flats, including a nice fourth down completion to Nyqwan Murray. The Seminoles were also bolstered by frosh RB Cam Akers into the game, as he rushed for 30 yards on his first four carries. Blackman would find Auden Tate on a couple of beautiful balls later on the drive, the latter for a scoring strike that made it 10-7, NCSU.

Defensively, The Seminoles have been on their heels early, as NC State looked to empty its playbook early on searching for ways to out-scheme the Seminoles. A key loss came when starting LB Matthew Thomas left the game and headed to the locker room prior to the Wolfpack’s second drive, but returned shortly thereafter.

NCSU went up 17-7 on a big play, but Blackman finished the half strong to leave the score at 17-10, North Carolina State. Blackman’s stats at the half: 15-20 for 139 yards, with one TD, one fumble lost, and a passer rating of 149.9.