Florida State Looks To Break Three Game Slide At North Carolina

NFL News - October 21st, 2009 - Written by Scott

Thursday night's game will be crucial for both teams as the North Carolina Tar Heels will play host to the Florida State Seminoles. The Seminoles are in an uncharacteristic situation as they find themselves at 2-4 and are fighting for a winning season. The Tar Heels (4-2, 0-2) are still in position to make a run in the Coastal Division of the ACC and get to the title game. Florida State is on a three game slide and this game is important in turning their program around as their goals have changed and they are now looking to just become bowl eligible. These two team have not met since 2004 and FSU won this NCAA College Football Matchup 38-16.

Florida State's lone bright spot has been on offense this year. They have shown the ability to move the football, but turnovers have hurt the Seminoles all year. They are led by quarterback Christian Ponder who has grown into a proven leader for their team. He has passed for 1,781 yards and 9 touchdowns, but more importantly, has only 1 interception on the year. Ty Jones is the leader in their rushing attack which has been inconsistent this season. He has rushed for 228 yards and 4 touchdowns. Bert Reed and Richard Goodman lead a very talented group of wide receivers and have combined for 719 yards this year. The Seminoles will face a tough task on Thursday as they face one of the nation's best defenses.

The defensive side of the ball has been the downfall for Florida State this season. They are giving up too many big plays and can not seem to find any consistency. Their lack of a pass rush has caused their defense to get abused all season through the air. They will also be without defensive lineman Bud Thacker against the Tar Heels and now will have to use more inexperienced players on the defensive side of the ball.

North Carolina's offense has not been explosive this year, but has performed well enough to get them four wins. Quarterback T.J. Yates has passed for 964 yards and 6 touchdowns, but he has 7 picks on the year. Their running attack has been their driving force and is led by Shaun Draughn and Ryan Houston. They have combined for 570 yards and 8 touchdowns. They have a good opportunity against the Seminoles to make plays through the air as the Noles defense has been horrible in pass defense.

North Carolina will have the edge defensively as they are ranked 5th nationally in total defense. Their passing defense is excellent (3rd nationally) and will be tested against a pass-happy Seminole offense. They will need to stop the Noles' running game and force them to go to the air where the Tar Heels have been successful in stopping their opponents all year.

North Carolina will be favored by 2 at home against Florida State on Thursday night according to Betus Sportsbook, and a win will increase their NCAA College Football Standings.   

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