North Carolina-Florida State: Seminole Injury Losses Make Must-Win Even Tougher

Tomorrow night, Bobby Bowden will face another uphill battle to regain a losing cause that has become FSU's worst start in 32 seasons. Tarheels head coach Butch Davis has found himself suffering his own setbacks in a year that promised to be a breakout season for QB T.J Yates, as well as the vaunted Tarheels Defense.

Both teams sit at zero conference wins apiece, with UNC managing to hold onto a 4-2 mark while FSU is reeling at 2-4. Both teams need this must-win in the worst way.

If that weren't enough, FSU is suffering from several key injuries that may add to the growing problem of an already struggling defense. Korey Mangum (shoulder), DT Justin Mincey (knee), CB Patrick Robinson (ankle), CB Xavier Rhodes (thumb), and LB Vince Williams (back) will all likely miss tomorrow night's start.

This will mean playmakers Ochuko Jenije, Jamie Robinson, and Greg Reid in the secondary—as well as several others on the line including Kevin McNeil, Jaccobi McDaniel, Kendall Stewart, and Craig Yarborough—will all need to step up in a big, big way. 

Is this a cause for concern? Well, as the old adage goes, if things can't get worse, they can only get better. Right?

Tomorrow night will not be without incident. With a thin defense getting thinner, the only cause for optimism is North Carolina's struggling offense. 

With all of Florida State's losses coming at the hands of teams with at least four wins—and four of six teams ranked within the last two weeks in both polls—FSU has had to play a gauntlet of a schedule that just hasn't seemed to get any easier. Even Jacksonville State, a once-laughable contest that FSU nearly lost, does not seem to be quite the cupcake the Seminoles were looking forward to feasting on. At 4-2, the Gamecocks have been feasting on FCS opponents and taking names on their way through their last four contests. 

The Tarheels are healthy and prepared for the ACC's best offense, countering with the ACC's best defense.

The word on FSU this past bye week has been "focus." Nothing at this point is more important than fundamentals, and it would seem on the surface all the head coaches, and coaches-in-waiting are putting their bickering ways aside in an attempt to quell the turmoil brewing in Tallahassee—at least until the offseason. 

Don't sleep because FSU is 2-4. This team only needs one good shot of adrenaline from the young and struggling defensive secondary to make a run right up to the Florida contest in late November.

Nobody expects FSU to win that contest, but winning tomorrow night against a very good North Carolina squad could fuel the team to wins that are well within reach against Maryland, Clemson, Wake Forest, and NC State. 

Tomorrow night will be a game that could put FSU back in a position to be talked about—in the very least—a "neutral" light. 

Look for Christian Ponder to continue to air it out and be a playmaker on the field, while FSU's injury-filled defense seems to look a bit sharper, even without the needed support. Something about a week off tells me this game should be a good one to watch—unless you're from Chapel Hill. 

Florida State 28, UNC 24.