Scouting Florida State

NC State football will play the eighth game of its 2020 football season on Saturday, Nov. 14 against Florida State in Carter-Finley Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network.

The Seminoles (2-5, 1-5 ACC) are coming off of a 41-17 loss to Pittsburgh in Tallahassee. The Wolfpack (4-3, 4-3 ACC) is also coming off of a loss, a 44-41 heartbreaking defeat at the hands of No. 11 Miami.

Here is the full scouting report on Florida State:

• Redshirt sophomore quarterback Jordan Travis — After transferring from Lousiville following his freshman season, Travis appeared in each of the last four contests for the Seminoles last season. He became the first player in Florida State history to have a 60-yard completion and a 60-yard rush in a single game.

The 6-1, 200-pounder has now earned starting duties for the Seminoles and leads the team in both passing and rushing yards. Travis is an elite runner that has rushed for 472 yards with a 5.5 yards per carry average and six touchdowns despite only starting in the past five contests.

He has struggled more in the passing game but has proven to be effective at times. Travis has completed 52.2 percent of his attempts this season for 864 yards, four touchdowns but five interceptions.

• Junior corner Asante Samuel, Jr. — Samuel has appeared in every game of his Seminoles career now midway through his third collegiate season. He was a full-time starter in 2019 that earned third-team All-ACC honors after leading the league with 14 pass breakups.

The 5-10, 184-pounder has been the highest-graded defender for Florida State according to Pro Football Focus (PFF) through seven games. He's tied for second on the team with 30 tackles and leads the Seminoles with five pass breakups and three interceptions.

• Sophomore running back La'Damian Webb — A junior college transfer addition for the Seminoles in 2020, Webb leads Florida States running backs with 364 rushing yards this season.

The 5-8, 190-pounder also paces the team with 63 carries and has an average of 5.7 yards per attempt. He's second on the team in rushing touchdowns (three) and runs of 10 yards or more (12).

• Redshirt senior defensive end Janarius Robinson — Robinson is a three-year starter for the Seminoles and has continued to make a big impact on the defensive line in 2020.

The 6-5, 260-pounder leads the team with two sacks, 14 quarterback hurries and four hits on opposing signal callers. He has nine total tackles on the season.

• Freshman running back Lawrance Toafili — A four-star recruit in the 2020 class that ranked No. 23 among running backs according to Rivals, Toafili has earned a role in the backfield rotation in his true freshman season at Florida State.

Despite having just the fourth most carries on the team (30), the 6-0, 180-pounder leads the Seminoles with an 8.0 yard per attempt average. Through seven contests, Toafili has 239 rushing yards, eight attempts for a gain of 10 yards or more, and one touchdown.

1. The ability to run the football

Florida State has run the ball on 53 percent of its offensive plays this season and there's a good reason why. Travis has become a good quarterback in year two with the Seminoles, but he has still not proven to be an effective passer.

Florida State has averaged just 5.7 yards per pass attempt compared to a strong 4.8 yards per rush. All four of FSU's backs with at least 30 carries this season have an average of at least 4.9 yards per rush.

The Seminoles have gained 75 first downs on the ground compared to 59 through the air and 12 of their 18 offensive touchdowns this season have come on rush attempts.

2. Injury and personnel problems

Florida State has made headlines entering this contest for all of the wrong reasons. Three of its most recognizable players will not be suiting up Saturday in Carter-Finley Stadium.

In a single press conference this week, first-year head coach Mike Norvell announced that star defensive tackle Marvin Wilson and veteran offensive tackle Devontay Love-Taylor will miss the remainder of the season with injuries, leading wide receiver Tamorrion Terry is no longer with the program and quarterback James Blackman will transfer this offseason after losing the starting job to Travis.

3. Hot starts, cold finishes

Florida State has led after the first quarter in four of its seven games but has only managed to close one of them for a win. The Seminoles have scored 109 of their 154 points this season in the first half but have consistently struggled in the second half.

FSU has been outscored 50-7 by opponents in the fourth quarter through seven contests.

1. If he plays, keep Jordan Travis in check

If you can stop Travis, you can stop this Florida State offense.

Travis not only leads the Seminoles in passing and rushing yards, but he also accounts for 10 of the team's 18 touchdowns despite only starting in five contests. Both of Florida State's wins this season have come with Travis under center.

The starting signal caller suffered a minor injury last Saturday against Pittsburgh and his availability this week is still questionable, but if he is able to suit up Saturday night, stopping him will be the Wolfpack's top priority.

2. Back-to-back strong games from Bailey Hockman

Redshirt junior quarterback Bailey Hockman will make his fifth start of the season Saturday against his former team. The lefty signal caller transferred from Florida State following the 2018 season and made his first significant appearance in 2019 against the Seminoles in Tallahassee.

Hockman had a season-high 208 yards and threw his only touchdown pass of 2019 in last season's 31-13 road loss to FSU. It was also the game in 2019 that he did not throw an interception in a contest in which he had more than five pass attempts.

Hockman is now coming off of a career performance last week in the 44-41 loss to Miami. He completed 19 of 28 passes for a career-high 248 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from redshirt junior receiver Thayer Thomas that was the first reception of his career.

3. Take care of the football and find a reason to pull out the 'Takeaway Bone'

All three of NC State's losses in 2020 have come in games in which the Wolfpack had a negative turnover margin. The Pack is undefeated in contests in which it has an equal or greater amount of takeaways as its opponent.

After forcing seven turnovers in a two-game win streak against Virginia and Duke, the Wolfpack has not forced a single takeaway in the last two contests.

NC State should have a prime opportunity to pull out the Takeaway Bone for the first time in four weeks Saturday. Florida State has turned the ball over 13 times, 11 of which on interceptions, through seven contests.

51 Is the margin of points NC State has outscored Florida State in the first quarter of the last six meetings. The Wolfpack has won the first quarter 68-17 against the Seminoles since 2014.

3 Touchdowns scored by then-freshman running back Ricky Person Jr. in NC State's last meeting with Florida State in Carter-Finley Stadium, a 47-28 win.

2 NC State wins in the past three meetings with Florida State. The Seminoles, however, lead the all-time series 26-13.

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