Backup QB sparks offense, but ’Noles fall short

RALEIGH, N.C. — It’s been 10 months since James Blackman last took a snap as Florida State’s starting quarterback, leading the Seminoles to an impressive 42-13 win over Southern Miss in the Independence Bowl on Dec. 27.

Since then, Blackman learned a new offense and lost his starting job.

Throughout it all, the sophomore has remained a positive force in the locker room, biding his time until his number would be called again. It happened this week after starter Deondre Francois was limited due to injury, giving Blackman the chance to start Saturday at NC State.

But even a career-best effort from Blackman wasn’t enough to spark Florida State (4-5, 2-5 ACC) as the Seminoles struggled to contain one of the conference’s top offenses, falling to 47-28 at No. 21 NC State.

“We’ve got to keep working,” FSU coach Willie Taggart said. “I love this team. We’ve got to keep fighting.”

The Wolfpack (6-2, 3-2 ACC) took the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards, capping the series with a one-yard touchdown run by freshman Ricky Person Jr.

Blackman’s first start of 2018 got off to a rough start, with Florida State called for holding and unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties on the kickoff after NC State’s score. Both were enforced, leaving the Seminoles to start the drive with their backs against the goal line.

FSU managed to move the football quickly, with running back Cam Akers picking up 22 yards and Blackman connecting with a pair of receivers to move the football to the Seminoles’ 43-yard line. But on a third-and-two, Jacques Patrick fumbled the football and it was recovered by NC State’s Stephen Griffin. It was the 11th fumble by FSU this season.

The Seminoles’ defense

managed to force NC State to punt.

But the Wolfpack weren’t contained for long, adding a

21-yard field goal by Christopher Dunn and an eightyard touchdown pass from Ryan Finley to push the lead to 17-0.

Florida State heated up midway through the second quarter, with Blackman finding Tamorrion Terry on back-to-back deep plays — a

40-yard throw and a

35-yard touchdown on the right side of the end zone. The Seminoles cut the lead to 17-7.

After allowing another Dunn field goal that stretched the lead to 20-7, Blackman tried to get the offense back on track again, but instead he threw his first interception of the season deep within FSU territory. It was the second turnover of the game for Florida State.

Six plays later, Person scrambled into the end zone for his second score of the day, pushing the lead to 27-7 with 1:14 left in the half.

The Seminoles got the ensuing kickoff and ran their two-minute offense, capping a quick drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Akers that cut the lead to

27-14 at the half. The drive took all of 48 seconds.

FSU opened the first drive of the second half at its own 11-yard line and drove the ball to the 34. Facing a

fourth-and-1, Taggart elected to go for it. However, Akers was stuffed in the backfield, losing three yards.

NC State took over and Dunn hit a 31-yard field goal that pushed the lead to 30-14 with 8:49 left in the third quarter.

The FSU offense showed some life late in the third quarter as Blackman found Terry again, first for a

35-yard reception and then again for a 10-yard touchdown that cut the lead to

37-21.

But the Wolfpack added another touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter to push the game out of reach.

“We’re still trying to find ourselves, at least on the offensive side of the football,” Taggart said.

FSU was missing a pair of starters in receiver Nyqwan Murray and linebacker Zaguandre White, who were forced to sit out the first half of Saturday’s game after being suspended by Taggart for throwing punches during two separate incidents against Clemson last week.

Murray is the team’s leading receiver, entering the game with a team-high in catches (40) and receiving yards (536). White, meanwhile, has 12 tackles this season. Sophomore DJ Matthews, who is fifth on the team in receiving with

173 yards on 22 catches, started the game in place of Murray.

The loss puts the Seminoles’ chances of extending their 36-year bowl streak in serious jeopardy. The team would need wins during two of its final three games.

Florida State travels to No. 4 Notre Dame next weekend before hosting No.

22 Boston College and No. 11 Florida. The Seminoles are not projected to win any of those games, according to ESPN’s latest Football Power Index.

The last time FSU failed to qualify for a bowl game was 1981.

LANCE KING/GETTY FSU quarterback James Blackman drops back to pass from his own end zone against NC State Saturday.