Florida State vs. NC State: Preview, kickoff time, channel

Florida State Seminoles football will once again be kicking off at primetime — except it’ll be on the ACC Network.

FSU is set to take on the NC State Wolfpack (4-3, 4-3) on the road this week at 7:30 p.m., with the game set to be broadcast on the conference’s flagship channel.

NC State, who is coming off a close loss to Miami, has had two other losses by pretty similar margins — 45-24 to Virginia Tech, 48-21 to North Carolina — and is dealing with the loss of quarterback Devin Leary, who broke his fibula against Duke last month.

“Anytime you lose a game that goes down to the wire, it’s obviously going to be a heartbreaking loss,” said NC State head coach Dave Doeren. “It was an emotional loss. However, I was very encouraged and proud of the way our guys prepared, fought and improved from how we played two weeks prior against UNC to how we played that night.”

Bailey Hockman, who transferred to Raleigh from Florida State, has seen some success after sliding into the starting role following the injuries and struggles by the previous players under center.

“I thought Hockman played exceptional this past week against Miami,” head coach Mike Norvell said on his call-in show this week. “It’s a team we really have to do a great job defensively.”

“It should be a lot of fun to see those guys, play against them,” said Hockman. “We’ve just got to kind of keep the momentum going from last week. I’ve played this game before. I played in it last year.”

The big storyline on FSU’s side is the loss of four big names for the rest of the season: James Blackman (graduate transfer), Tamorrion Terry (left the team), Marvin Wilson (NFL Draft, season cut short due to injury) and Devontay Love-Taylor (season-ending injury.)

Game Notes via FSU Sports Info

• Florida State hits the road for the fourth time this season, traveling to face North Carolina State in the primetime matchup on ACC Network. The Seminoles lead the all-time series 27-13 (.675), including 11-8 (.579) in Raleigh. FSU, which earned a 31-13 victory over the Wolfpack last season, has won five of the last seven games in the series.
• Jordan Travis has scored at least one rushing touchdown in five straight games, the longest streak by a quarterback in school history. His 88-yard rushing score vs. Pitt broke a tie with Charlie Ward, who scored on the ground in four straight games in 1992, and Christian Ponder, who had a four-game streak in 2008.
• Jordan Travis’ 88-yard run vs. Pitt was the 5th-longest touchdown rush in program history, and longest run by a quarterback, and is tied for the 3rd-longest rush in the NCAA this season.
• In its four games during October, Florida State averaged 230.5 rushing yards and 443.5 yards of total offense per game, ranking 4th and 7th, respectively, in the ACC. The rushing yards total was 15th nationally in October, while the total offense average ranked 29th in the nation. The Seminoles’ average of 5.46 yards per carry also ranked 4th in the conference and 17th in FBS.
• Florida State is averaging 189.7 rushing yards per game this season, ranking 4th in the ACC and 22nd nationally among teams that have played at least five games in 2020.