Florida State vs. North Carolina State: Game Grades, Analysis for the Seminoles

It wasn’t pretty, but the outcome sure was if you’re a Florida State fan. The No. 1 Seminoles rallied from a 17-point deficit Saturday night and earned a 56-41 win at North Carolina State for the program’s 20th consecutive victory.

Carter-Finley Stadium had been a house of horrors for the Seminoles (4-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) over the years, but in beating the Wolfpack (4-1, 0-1), they kept their national title chances intact.

As far as grades are concerned, I was tough on Florida State's pass defense, which had too many busted plays and allowed Jacoby Brissett to have a coming-out party on national television. Conversely, I was critical of the FSU running game but thought that it did a remarkable job in the second half of bouncing back and looking like a strong unit for the first time this season.

Complete grades and analysis are listed below. 

Position Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	B	A-
Run Offense	F	B+
Pass Defense	C	C
Run Defense	B	B+
Special Teams	B	C
Coaching	B-	A-

Pass Offense

I would have given Jameis Winston an A-plus, but he made two big mistakes on both of his interceptions that could have wound up costing FSU the game—in particular, his turnover late in the contest when the Seminoles had secured the victory.

But it is hard to find many faults in Winston’s game. After his one-game suspension, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner was up to his old tricks, putting passes in perfect spots for his receivers to make plays, effectively running the offense and orchestrating another victory.

Winston finished the night with 365 yards and four touchdowns. He has never lost a college game, and no matter how the rest of this season plays out, FSU is never out of the game when Winston is running the show.

Rashad Greene was once again a superstar, catching 11 passes for 125 yards and one score, and Bobo Wilson continues to impress as he solidifies himself as the team's No. 2 wide receiver. Wilson hauled in six passes for 109 yards while redshirt senior Christian Green grabbed the first touchdown catch of his career.

Run Offense

FSU’s rushing attack has been a sore spot through the first three games of the season, but that wasn’t the case in the second half Saturday night.

After managing just 16 yards on 12 carries in the first two quarters, FSU exploded on the ground in the second half. Karlos Williams led the effort with a career-best three touchdown runs to go along with his 126 yards, while Dalvin Cook added 45 yards.

As a team, FSU ran for a season-high 168 yards. For a team that needs its running game to get going, the second half was a good first step in regaining the explosive form of a typical Jimbo Fisher offense. 

Pass Defense

Florida State led the entire country in interceptions a season ago, but this year the ‘Noles haven’t had the same luck when it comes to generating takeaways through the air.

FSU was unable to stop Brissett from slinging the football all over the field, as the former University of Florida quarterback threw for 359 yards and three touchdowns. Perhaps the most concerning aspect of FSU's defensive effort was the team's game-long inability to form tackle and bring Wolfpack offensive players to the ground.

The Seminoles have one of the best secondaries in the nation but once again didn’t play like it Saturday night.

Run Defense

Outside of a long Brissett scramble at the end of the first half, Florida State did an excellent job of corralling a very good Wolfpack running game.

Despite playing without nose guard Nile Lawrence-Stample and perhaps college football’s best run-game defensive end in Mario Edwards Jr., the Seminoles weren’t beaten on the ground. FSU did a good job of limiting any big NC State plays on the ground all night.

Take away Brissett’s 36-yard scramble, and the Wolfpack’s 161 rushing yards dwindle to 125 yards on the night—a very manageable number for this type of game.

Special Teams

Roberto Aguayo was once again perfect on extra points, and Cason Beatty wasn’t terrible punting the football, but Florida State gets a C-minus on special teams because of some poor decisions and lack of production in the return game.

Kermit Whitfield managed just 18.7 yards per return on kickoffs, while Bobo Wilson did have one 34-yard return. Most surprising, though, was Greene’s mental errors returning punts. On one return he called fair catch and then tried to return the ball, which drew a flag; then he muffed a punt in the second half that led to an NC State score just three plays later.

Greene is FSU’s best wide receiver, but he is lucky those two plays didn’t haunt the ‘Noles more than they did.

Coaching

Like they did a week ago against Clemson, Fisher and his staff did a masterful job of making halftime adjustments and correcting the issues that were plaguing the team.

This victory was Fisher’s first in three tries at Carter-Finley Stadium, and his improvement as a head coach and game manager since the 17-16 loss at NC State in 2012 is staggering.

Brandon Mellor is a Florida State writer for Bleacher Report. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Statistics courtesy of Seminoles.com. All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Follow @BrandonMellor on Twitter.