Florida State Football: How 'Noles Can Contain NC State QB Jacoby Brissett

Florida State expected to see plenty of Jacoby Brissett through the years. While Brissett was recruited by FSU coach Jimbo Fisher, the quarterback from Palm Beach Gardens didn't make an official visit to Tallahassee and signed with Florida in February 2011.

But Brissett's journey took a detour after three starts over his first two seasons in Gainesville.

When coach Will Muschamp named Jeff Driskel the starter in the fall of 2013, Brissett transferred to North Carolina State.

After sitting out for a season due to the NCAA's transfer rules, Brissett is completing 69.7 percent of his passes and has the Wolfpack off to a 4-0 start. Now FSU will see Brissett for the first time since he threw for 43 yards, a touchdown and an interception for the Gators in a 21-7 loss to the Seminoles in November 2011.

"Strong arm, physical guy, great competitor," FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. "Can reach all the throws across the field, deep, short, intermediate. He moves around well for a big guy. He's a tough guy and a leader and he'll be ready to play. He's the difference in their offense in one year."

N.C. State went just 3-9 in 2013, but coach Dave Doeren's first season included an 0-8 mark in the ACC.

While the Wolfpack are playing their first ACC game against the No. 1 Seminoles on Saturday, they have already won more games than last year and shown improvement on offense and defense.

"I feel like I'm getting better each week," Brissett said. "We're translating what we do in practice to the field, and it's showing in the games."

In wins over Georgia Southern, Old Dominion, South Florida and Presbyterian, Brissett has thrown for a combined 10 touchdowns and one interception. Brissett is leading an offense that has averaged 40.3 points per game in 2014.

"He's been able to be a catalyst for us," Doeren said. "But he's also been able to be a game manager."

Those wins, however, come with one not-so-small asterisk: The first two wins came against programs playing their first seasons in the Football Bowl Subdivision, South Florida has struggled with a 2-2 start and Presbyterian is a Football Championship Subdivision program.

Game	Comp.	Att.	Yards	TD-INT
Ga. Southern	28	40	291	3-1
Old Dominion	21	29	253	2-0
South Florida	20	29	266	2-0
Presbyterian	14	21	195	3-0

Even though the schedule has been relatively soft, FSU's defensive players have been impressed by Brissett.

Without defensive end Mario Edwards Jr., who is out with a concussion, FSU will still need to pressure Brissett. Ends Chris Casher and DeMarcus Walker as well as tackles Eddie Goldman and Derrick Mitchell must put some heat on the quarterback and force him to make mistakes.

Brissett hasn't been pressured much this season, and this is the first time he's seeing a top defensive unit.

"He definitely looks like he is the real deal," FSU cornerback P.J. Williams said. "He can make plays. I think they have a real good offense."

Brissett has made the most of his new opportunity at N.C. State. His first shot at college football was full of ups and downs: He started at LSU (a 41-11 loss) and the following week at Auburn (a 17-6 loss) as a true freshman. The following year, he helped the Gators to wins over Louisiana and Jacksonville State.

But Driskel soon surpassed Brissett, and he decided to move on. After sitting out and watching all of the losses, Brissett has N.C. State off to a hot start.

A week after facing a dynamic Clemson offense with quarterback Deshaun Watson, FSU's defense faces another test.

"They're the best team that we will play so far, and I feel like we're the best team that they've played so far," Brissett said. "We're playing really well right now. Our offensive line is doing a really good job of protecting me and doing well in the run game. It's going to be a real good game."

Bob Ferrante is the Florida State Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Stats courtesy of seminoles.com and gopack.com. All recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports.

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