’Noles focus on playing their best against UNC
TALLAHASSEE — Rolling into Game 5 of a difficult season, Florida State’s focus against No. 5 North Carolina Saturday is to play the Seminoles’ best football.
“We want to play faster as the season goes, we want to build to the new standard and continue to elevate and continue to grow,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said. “… We just have to go out there regardless of who the opponent is and play our best ball.”
UNC (3-0, 3-0 ACC) leads the ACC in total offense and is pushing to compete for a conference championship.
FSU (1-3, 0-3 ACC) has yet to earn a conference win and is rebuilding mode. Norvell focused on the encouraging signs of progress the Seminoles saw during a 46-26 loss at Notre Dame, stressing the team had a great week of practice.
“They’re operating at a high level. … They’ve got wideouts that can deliver, so they’re an absolute challenge from side out to side. Those two backs, two wideouts, the quarterback, they’re playing well up front, so they offer a lot of challenges.”
Adam Fuller, FSU defensive coordinator
Kickoff for the matchup is set for 7:30 p.m. and the game will air nationally on ABC.
Quarterback Jordan Travis, who ignited the FSU offense against Notre Dame, said the Seminoles can’t worry about the Tar Heels’ high national ranking and success.
“We have to focus on ourselves,” Travis said. “They have great players, but we have to go out there and play football.”
The Tar Heels have an array of offensive threats who have proven they can score quickly.
UNC running back Michael Carter has delivered explosive plays and is the only running back in the country to average 12-plus yards per carry in a game, according to Pro Football Focus.
He’s joined by Javonte Williams, another UNC powerhouse with 1,440 career rushing yards.
North Carolina starting quarterback Sam Howell, who was once committed to FSU, directs the balanced Tar Heels attack.
“They’re operating at a high level. … They’ve got wideouts that can deliver, so they’re an absolute challenge from side out to side. Those two backs, two wideouts, the quarterback, they’re playing well up front, so they offer a lot of challenges,” FSU defensive coordinator Adam Fuller said.
To earn the upper hand, the Seminoles must get out of their own way and work on reducing penalties. The Seminoles average 9.25 penalties for a loss of 81.8 yards per game.
“A couple of focus penalties throughout, but it’s something we’re emphasizing we’ve got to act on to make a choice to play a cleaner game. We want to be the least penalized team in each contest.” Norvell said.
While North Carolina’s offense gets a lot of attention, the defense has played a key role in the Tar Heels’ success.
“They bring pressure from all over from every shape, every size — it’s coming at you,” FSU offensive coordinator Kenny
Dillingham said. “That’s kind of the identity of what they’re gonna do. Defensively, they got a lot of guys that have played for a long time. … They’ve got a lot of talent and a lot of veteran guys there that allows them to bring a lot of pressure.”
Travis, who suffered a hand injury at Notre Dame, said Wednesday he is healthy and ready to lead the Seminoles’ offense. He’ll do so without veteran wide receiver Tamorrion Terry, who had knee surgery this week.
Norvell said he wants his team to keep pushing to improve, certain positive results will follow.
“I do believe we’re playing harder with a better sense of urgency in a lot of regards,” he said. “We gotta make sure we still maintain the fundamentals, stay focused on the little things.”