Florida State’s Nick O’Leary had a 4-yard touchdown reception from EJ Manuel in the first half Saturday night, the first touchdown of the season for the former Dwyer standout.
O’Leary’s touchdown put FSU up 10-0 just minutes into the second quarter and was part of an efficient FSU passing game in the first half.
Manuel completed 11 of 15 passes for 117 yards in the first half on Saturday.
O’Leary, a sophomore tight end, had 10 catches for 132 yards coming into Saturday’s game — nearly surpassing his 2011 totals (12 catches, 164 yards) through just five games. O’Leary’s touchdown on Saturday was the second of his career; he had a touchdown at Duke last October.
Third-down stops: FSU held N.C. State to just 2-of-8 on third down in the first half. Coming into Saturday's game, FSU was third in the nation in allowing opponents to make 17 of 76 third-down conversions.
Hopkins among NCAA's best: Dustin Hopkins made three field goals (40, 20 and 36 yards) and added an extra point in the first half on Saturday night, placing him ninth on the NCAA's kicker scoring list.
He had 387 points through the first half, and Hopkins is well within reach of the all-time leader, Louisville’s Art Carmody, who had 433 points from 2004-07.
Thompson injured, returns: FSU senior tailback Chris Thompson briefly left Saturday's game to go to the locker room to have his elbow examined.
But he quickly returned with a sleeve on his right arm, and Thompson had a 36-yard run that gave FSU first-and-goal. The play set up a 20-yard field goal by Hopkins that put FSU up 13-0.
Thompson ran for 115 yards on 14 carries in the first half.
Happy about 8-game ACC schedule: Florida State's Jimbo Fisher was among the Atlantic Coast Conference coaches who preferred a return to the eight-game conference schedule. And he got his wish last week when the league opted to move away from the nine-game ACC schedule that was set to take effect in future seasons.
“I was a proponent of the eight-game deal in the first place,” Fisher said. “It’s kind of weird how it happened. A lot of teams are going to be scrambling here quickly if they are not already booked up for games.”
Playing eight conference games allows scheduling flexibility for FSU and other schools. But the Seminoles are also shopping for opponents with just Wofford, Florida and Nevada on the 2013 schedule (and Nevada is looking to back out of its deal to come to Tallahassee).
Fisher said he could also see FSU playing more kickoff games where the school would enjoy a revenue split by playing at a neutral site, like the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta. There were two Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games in 2012, with Tennessee defeating N.C. State and Clemson beating Auburn. Just Alabama-Virginia Tech has been scheduled in 2013.
But the ACC’s decision comes in October and leaves just five months for ACC schools to solidify the 2013 schedule (typically released in February). And it could mean that every school will be scrambling to try and fill out the schedule, just as FSU did with Savannah State this year when West Virginia backed out.
“The problem comes from trying to find a game,” Fisher said. “Like last year, everybody jokes about us getting Savannah. You could not find a game. And everybody thinks I’m crazy; wait until 12 of them go through it this year.”
About the Author
