Florida State vs. Boston College Complete Game Preview

For a Florida State team that has lived by the comeback in 2014, the Seminoles are playing a Boston College team that they earned that reputation against in 2013.

FSU trailed 17-3 in the second quarter at Boston College in September 2013 before mounting a furious rally to go ahead 24-17 at halftime on Jameis Winston's Hail Mary 55-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Shaw.

Since that day, FSU has rallied to win the national championship game over Auburn and then has come back from a deficit to beat Clemson, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Louisville and Miami.

The Seminoles are the first team since UCLA in 2005 to rally after trailing by 15 points in three games, according to research from FSU's sports information department. FSU trailed N.C. State 24-7 (and won 56-41), Louisville 21-0 (42-31 victory) and Miami 16-0 (30-26 win).

Here's a look at No. 3 FSU's game on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. against Boston College in Tallahassee, Florida.

FSU Keys to Victory

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FSU has managed just seven points in the first quarter of its last three games.

Keep Murphy in the Pocket

FSU hasn't faced a mobile quarterback recently. The Seminoles held Notre Dame's Everett Golson to 33 yards on 11 carries on Oct. 18. Since then, Louisville's Will Gardner, Virginia's Greyson Lambert and Miami's Brad Kaaya haven't challenged FSU much.

Boston College is very one-dimensional on offense, as Tyler Murphy has thrown for just 1,293 yards in 10 games. But he has 1,000 rushing yards, and his ability to run—and turn broken plays into positive yards—is a concern for FSU.

Show Up Early and Play Well

FSU has scored just seven points in the first quarter of its last three games. The Seminoles have made the right adjustments in the second half, and the record still says 10-0.

But FSU needs to start fast on offense and not put the defense in a bad position. This is a game in which FSU should be able to play well early and rest the starters in the fourth quarter.

BC Keys to Victory

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BC's Tyler Murphy averages seven yards per carry.

Murphy's Law: Keep Running

Boston College is one of the nation's worst passing teams, ranking 120th of 125 FBS teams (134 passing yards per game). So it's pretty obvious that the Eagles will use Tyler Murphy to run and hand off to Jon Hilliman.

Murphy and Hilliman are Boston College's best offensive weapons. And now they have the chance to play against an FSU run defense that struggled in allowing Duke Johnson to run for 130 yards at Miami.

Stop FSU's run, Bring Pressure on Winston

Boston College is the nation's No. 4 rush defense, holding opponents to just 96 rushing yards per game. But BC is average against the pass, ranking 65th and giving up 226 passing yards per game.

FSU's receivers will be a tough challenge for BC's secondary. The Eagles like to bring pressure normally, and it's essential to try to disrupt the rhythm of the passing game. 

FSU Players to Watch

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Jameis Winston has 2,844 passing yards and 18 TDs in nine games this season.

QB Jameis Winston

Winston struggled in the first half but is at his best when FSU trails. He finished with a 304-yard passing game at Miami, his 12th career game in which he surpassed that mark. 

In his career against ACC teams, Winston has averaged 322 passing yards per game. If FSU's offensive line can absorb the constant pressure brought by BC's blitz, Winston could add to his totals.

WR Rashad Greene

The senior already owns FSU's all-time receptions record (246). But Greene is now closing in on Ron Sellers' receiving yards mark (Sellers has 3,598, while Greene has 3,507).

Greene had a relatively quiet night at Miami, but he still came through with four catches for 53 yards.

CB Jalen Ramsey

Ramsey was named the ACC Player of the Week after he forced a fumble, had an interception and blocked an extra-point attempt against Miami. He keeps getting better and more comfortable with his "star" corner role.

The versatile sophomore has 60 tackles, eight tackles for loss and two sacks.

BC Players to Watch

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Tyler Murphy is completing 54 percent of his passes, but he already has 1,006 rushing yards.

QB Tyler Murphy

The senior, who graduated in December 2013 and transferred from Florida, has sparked Boston College to a 6-4 season. Murphy isn't a very accurate passer (54 percent), but he is able to tuck it and run, and he has averaged seven yards per carry. 

While he has struggled with accuracy and made plenty of mistakes (10 interceptions in 10 games), FSU's front seven will have to make sure to keep him contained to the pocket.

RB Jon Hilliman

The 6'0", 215-pound freshman has run for 620 yards and 11 touchdowns. He is a tough runner and should be yet another challenge for an FSU defense that has struggled at times against the run.

LB Josh Keyes

The 6'2'', 223-pound senior has 56 tackles but also leads the team with four sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss. He is exceptional at finding a way to make his way into the backfield and can wreak havoc.

What They're Saying

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Jimbo Fisher changed up the offensive line with success on Saturday at Miami.

FSU coach Jimbo Fisher

On left tackle Cameron Erving moving to center and true freshman Roderick Johnson playing left tackle: "We like that right now. That gives us the best chance to be the best we can be right now."

On Cam Erving at center: "Cam's so athletic. Movement. Can pull. As good as Stork was. Cam is such an athlete, can bend, can pull. Big body. Clogs up the middle."

On Johnson at left tackle: "Big Rod looks so long and big on the edge. He's so light on his feet. And intelligent. Really gets the game. I thought he played one heck of a game."

Boston College coach Steve Addazio

"We have to keep our mistakes to a minimum—turnovers, penalties and just flat mistakes. We can't play that way and think we would have an opportunity to win this game. So the challenge for our team is to play a really hard, really physical brand of football and play a high-execution level of football."

On FSU: "They deserve to be No. 1. They're undefeated and in a power-five conference, the reigning national champs and they play like it. They really rise up and play extremely hard. I'm very, very impressed with their season and their play and their talent level."

On why FSU starts slowly: "Having been in a situation like that myself when I was at Florida ... you get everybody's best shot. You're doing it week in and week out and now year in and year out. We over-evaluate things too much, whether you jump out early or not. At the end of the day, when I put the tape on to watch them, I know that in the second half of those games, they are playing at a high, high level with unbelievable intensity. It jumps at you."

Prediction

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Look for Jameis Winston and FSU to pull away from BC in the second half on Saturday.

Fisher would prefer to play a Football Championship Series team or an FBS team from outside the power-five conferences on the Saturday before the Florida game. He got his wish last year when FSU was able to schedule—and rout—Idaho. This time, it's Boston College, a team that's already bowl-eligible and has a mobile quarterback and an aggressive defense.

FSU can't be looking ahead on the calendar with the Gators up next. The Seminoles need to put pressure on Murphy and make the Eagles one-dimensional. FSU, this Saturday more than ever, needs to play as close to a complete game as it can. The first-team offense and defense needs to get some extra rest with Florida up next. Will they be able to do it? The Seminoles should.

FSU 38, Boston College 13

Bob Ferrante is the Florida State Lead Writer for Bleacher Report, all quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bob on Twitter. All stats are courtesy of seminoles.com and bceagles.com.