Florida State football: Former NC State QB Mike Glennon analyzes Seminoles vs. Wolfpack

Perhaps the biggest illustration of Florida State’s recent woes at Carter-Finley Stadium came exactly 10 years ago from Thursday.

Former NC State quarterback Mike Glennon will even admit that his team pulled off quite the unlikely win that night. And not just because the then-unranked Wolfpack battled back from a 16-0 deficit against the then-unbeaten No. 3 Seminoles.

“If you look back, probably over 90 percent of the starters on that team ended up playing in the NFL,” said Glennon, who threw a touchdown pass in the final minute to help complete NC State’s 17-16 upset victory.

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FSU featured enough talent to win 34 of its next 35 games. And the Seminoles were so loaded that in 2015, they broke the modern-day NFL Draft record for the most players selected in a three-year period with 29. 

Whereas the Wolfpack limped to a 7-6 finish that season and fired then-head coach Tom O’Brien before their bowl game.

Carter-Finley Stadium has only continued to be a house of horrors for the garnet and gold. FSU (4-1, 2-1 ACC) will look to win at No. 14 NC State (4-1, 0-1) for the first time since 2016 when the two teams square off at 8 p.m. Saturday (TV: ACC Network).

It’s a game that should have heavy implications on the ACC Atlantic standings. And it’s a game that Glennon plans to attend. He spent the last nine seasons playing for various NFL teams but is not currently on a roster.

“I’ve had so many different teammates who played in the ACC, and they would always come up to me and say how underrated and how good of an environment NC State is,” Glennon said. “Outside of probably Virginia Tech, Clemson and Florida State when it’s good, I think NC State would be the next-best one in the conference.

“The fans are into it. They are passionate. Win or lose, NC State fans show up. We have a great fan base. Seats about 60,000. It’s going to be rocking on Saturday night.”

When Glennon is not training or throwing a football, he likes to post film breakdowns of ACC games on his Twitter account. Whether Glennon will land with an NFL team this season remains to be seen, but his future as an ACC football analyst seems like a lock.

Earlier this week, Glennon joined the NoleSports podcast to assess the Seminoles and the Wolfpack. Below are a few of the other topics he discussed beyond the 10-year anniversary of 17-16.

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Florida State’s loss to Wake Forest

The way FSU crumbled in its 31-21 loss to Wake Forest last Saturday prompted questions.

The Seminoles looked to be in control on their opening six-play, 83-yard touchdown drive. Then they didn’t score again until midway through the third quarter. And by that point, the Demon Deacons had a commanding 28-7 advantage.

“Some things I noticed is, it felt like Wake Forest’s defense was doing a really good job of getting pressure on Jordan Travis,” Glennon said. “The O-line didn’t hold up quite as well as they have in other games, and it felt like Jordan (Travis) was maybe leaving the pocket early sometimes.

“It just felt like Wake Forest was executing better and was playing a little bit harder than Florida State.”

Poor third- and fourth-down defense. Untimely penalties. Uncharacteristic mistakes. Those blunders proved to be costly for a banged up FSU team. The Seminoles also missed left tackle Robert Scott Jr. (lower right leg) and defensive tackle Fabien Lovett (lower right leg). Limited defensive end Jared Verse (left knee) only played 23 snaps.

Glennon credited Wake Forest for being a veteran team that took advantage of FSU’s errors and overall sloppy play.

“The first thing was the run game. That was the best Wake Forest’s run game has looked,” Glennon said. “The second thing was, you have to give Wake Forest credit. There were some really good plays made by those receivers. …

“And then the third thing that really jumped out to me was how Wake Forest was able to stay on the field and convert third and fourth downs. It seemed like whenever Sam Hartman needed to, he made a play on third or fourth down. 

“So they were able to sustain drives.”

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Florida State vs. NC State

Strength on strength, and weakness on weakness.

That is how Glennon described this FSU vs. NC State matchup.

The potent Seminole offense (No. 24 in rushing and No. 29 in passing efficiency) will face a 3-3-5 Wolfpack defense that ranks No. 9 in opponent passing efficiency (102.36 rating on average), No. 15 against the run (94.4 rushing yards allowed per game) and No. 19 in scoring (15.4 points allowed per game).

And the struggling NC State offense (No. 55 in scoring, No. 84 in passing efficiency and No. 95 in rushing) will look to challenge a bend-don’t-break FSU defense that ranks No. 59 in opponent pass efficiency (126.8 rating on average) and No. 78 against the run (150 rushing yards allowed per game).

Glennon wondered if the Wolfpack may look to establish their ground game against a porous Seminole run defense. FSU has allowed a 100-yard rusher in three of its four games against FBS competition.

“And then on the defensive side for NC State, they are going to want to take away that (run-pass option) game,” Glennon said. “That is what Jordan Travis is great at. You take away the RPO game, and you take away the run against (running backs) Treshaun Ward and Trey Benson – NC State’s defense has been very good against the run. … 

“If they come up on the run, can they hang with the RPOs and defend the passes on the outside?”

With the Seminoles, Glennon liked the idea of Travis using his legs more. After accumulating 15.3 carries per game across his eight starts last season, Travis is much more of a pocket passer now. He averages 5.25 rush attempts per game this season.

Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei ran the ball effectively in Clemson’s 30-20 win over NC State last Saturday, though, turning 14 carries into 73 yards and two touchdowns. Maybe Travis could find similar success. He looked more mobile in practice this week after shedding the brace he wore around his left knee.

“And from a defensive standpoint, they are going to want to challenge these receivers,” Glennon said. “So far against man coverage, which it seems like Florida State likes to do a lot, NC State hasn’t been great against man coverage. So these DBs are going to want to challenge these guys and see if the receivers can beat them. 

“NC State has a really good quarterback in Devin Leary. But if the receivers aren’t getting separation, aren’t getting open, it makes it hard on him. So that man coverage element is going to be important. 

“But they are going to have to stop Thayer Thomas, who is the slot receiver. He had a really good game against Clemson. He has kind of been the go-to guy this year.”

More on FSU vs. Wake Forest:Stats, PFF grades that help explain Seminoles' loss to Wake Forest

Mike Glennon’s prediction

It’s no surprise that Glennon picked NC State to win.

“I think it’s going to be a little higher scoring than it has been the last couple weeks for NC State,” Glennon said. “I’m going to go with a close one. I’m going to go with 35-31, and I’ve got to go with the Pack. Carter-Finley, they have not won there since 2016. …

“I think for NC State, it’s a must-win for them like it is for Florida State as well. But I just think that home-field advantage could be the difference in this one.”

GAME INFORMATION

Who: FSU (4-1, 2-1 ACC) vs. No. 14 NC State (4-1, 0-1)

When/where: Saturday, 8 p.m.; Carter-Finley Stadium

TV/Radio: ACC Network/94.9 FM

Live game updates: www.Tallahassee.com; @CarterKarels on Twitter; @Ehsan_Kassim on Twitter; @JimHenryTALLY on Twitter

Reach Carter Karels at ckarels@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @CarterKarels. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).

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