TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Just when Florida State gets a break from facing mobile quarterbacks like Clemson’s Tajh Boyd and South Florida’s B.J. Daniels, the Seminoles now prepare for a prolific passing attack led by N.C. State’s Mike Glennon.
Glennon is coming off a 440-yard, four-touchdown performance in Saturday’s loss to Miami. He has thrown for 1,422 yards in just five games.
“Glennon is a fabulous player,” FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. “He can reach all parts of the field. Great arm strength. He is an extremely talented guy.”
The N.C. State senior quarterback is 6-foot-6, 230 pounds and completes 61 percent of his passes. He likes to spread the wealth, as five receivers have at least 11 catches. Glennon has connected with deep threat Quintin Payton, who leads the team with 19 receptions and 421 yards. But he has also frequently found Bryan Underwood in the red zone. Underwood has 12 catches – six for touchdowns.
“They have a very diverse system, a West Coast-style system,” Fisher said. “Good skill guys. And they get the ball to their backs and tight ends in the passing game.”
But N.C. State (3-2, 0-1 ACC) will have challenges up front on the offensive line. Senior right guard Zach Allen injured his leg against Miami and will see his streak of 31 consecutive starts end. Another senior, right tackle Andrew Wallace, missed the Miami game after suffering a leg injury and his status for Saturday’s game is not known. And junior left tackle Rob Crisp has missed the last four games with a back injury.
None of that is good news going into Saturday night’s game against No. 4 FSU (5-0, 2-0 ACC), which has the nation’s fourth-best pass defense (128.4 yards per game). The Seminoles also have 15 sacks, led by defensive ends Tank Carradine’s (seven) and Bjoern Werner (6.5).
“Certainly they have great speed, guys that can come off the edge with speed,” N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien said. “We saw that last year. We only have one starter in a spot we want him in. That’s going to be the challenge for the guys up front. We have to be able to protect the quarterback and we have to be able to throw the ball.”
Last year, N.C. State couldn’t do very much against FSU’s defense. The Seminoles held Glennon to 130 passing yards and N.C. State managed just 36 rushing yards on 28 carries in a 34-0 loss in Tallahassee.
The Wolfpack are a different story in 2012, averaging 30 points per game. And while N.C. State is averaging 3.8 yards per carry, the injuries on the line may force N.C. State to sit back and have Glennon play pitch and catch with his receivers on Saturday.
That makes life easier for FSU’s linebackers, who don’t have to worry about Glennon running wild like Boyd and Daniels.
“It will definitely help us out,” linebacker Christian Jones said. “We know he’s not going to take off and run. It will help us stay on our coverage.
“In a way it makes the d-line’s job easier because they don’t have to worry too much about keeping contain or getting out of their passing lane. It will be a lot easier for those guys to make plays.”
Pressure up front will help FSU’s secondary, which is facing its first drop-back, pocket passer in weeks. But if the offensive line gives Glennon time, he could take shots at FSU’s defense.
“This is going to be a big challenge,” FSU safety Lamarcus Joyner said. “That’s always interesting – you always get excited as a DB knowing you are getting challenged that week versus a team that may run a lot with a mobile quarterback. You get to go against a guy that is going to test his arm and try to impose his will on the secondary.”
Glennon and FSU quarterback EJ Manuel are both from Virginia and have known each other since high school. The two exchanged text messages over the weekend, and Manuel said that Glennon texted him about getting the upset over FSU on Saturday. Manuel told Glennon that he would relay the message, which he delivered to FSU’s defensive players on Sunday.
“It went over well,” Manuel said with a smile.
