North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Florida State Seminoles Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 2nd 2024
Preview and Prediction
North Carolina may have stumbled upon a route to regain some momentum in the final month of the regular season.
Florida State continues to search for any semblance of success.
These objectives will be at the top of the agenda when the Tar Heels take on the Seminoles in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup on Saturday afternoon in Tallahassee, Florida.
"They have a lot of talent," North Carolina coach Mack Brown acknowledged of Florida State. "We know they're going to give us a tough game, so it's up to us to come out and perform well."
Last Saturday, the Tar Heels (4-4, 1-3) put an end to a four-game losing streak with a dominant 41-14 win over Virginia.
Meanwhile, the Seminoles (1-7, 1-6) have dropped four straight games and no longer have the goal of bowl eligibility to motivate them.
"I challenged everyone involved, players and coaches, to focus on the opportunity in front of us this week," Florida State coach Mike Norvell stated.
North Carolina's convincing victory over Virginia gave Brown reason to believe that his team is poised for a strong finish to the season.
"We played with confidence, we played freely, and we had fun," Brown said. "Winning is incredible. It solves a lot of problems."
Brown sees the Seminoles in a similar light to his own team, noting that both have underperformed based on their talent levels. He is wary of Florida State rising up to challenge his team, much like the Tar Heels did against Virginia.
Norvell, on the other hand, sees signs of improvement in the Seminoles' rushing attack, which could provide a boost to their inconsistent quarterback play.
Last week against then-No. 6 Miami, Florida State used both Luke Kromenhoek and Brock Glenn at quarterback, but neither was able to complete more than half of their passes.
With the possibility of a quarterback change for the Seminoles, the Tar Heels will be prepared. They recorded 10 sacks against Virginia.
Brown also noted that Tar Heels quarterback Jacolby Criswell has developed a better rapport with the offensive coaches. Criswell threw for 293 yards last week, his second-highest total of the season.
"If Jacolby continues to improve, we have a chance to achieve what we set out to do at the end of the season," Brown said.
Both teams were ranked nationally last season, but now find themselves in danger of finishing at the bottom of the ACC. They have both suffered close losses to Georgia Tech and Duke this season.
North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Florida State Seminoles Recap NOV 2TH 2024
Running back Omarion Hampton scored five touchdowns and North Carolina picked up a 35-11 road victory against Florida State on Saturday in Tallahassee, Fla.
It marked the first time in Hall of Fame coach Mack Brown's career that he directed a victory against his alma mater.
Hampton reached the end zone four times on running plays as he rolled up 172 yards on the ground with 32 carries. He eclipsed the 3,000-yard rushing mark for his career.
He also scored on a 49-yard pass from quarterback Jacolby Criswell, who finished with 211 yards on 13-for-17 passing. Hampton had 93 yards on three catches.
The Tar Heels (5-4, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) turned in a strong defensive performance for the second week in a row, following a four-game losing streak with a pair of dominant triumphs.
Florida State (1-8, 1-7) had 201 yards of total offense compared to North Carolina's 500.
Brock Glenn threw a 28-yard pass to Ja'Khi Doulgas in the third quarter for the Seminoles' only touchdown, with Lawayne McCoy's two-point conversion run closing the gap to 21-11.
Glenn finished 6-for-11 for 123 yards in the air. Backup quarterback Luke Kromenhoek threw interceptions on back-to-back series in the second half.
The Seminoles scored first on Ryan Fitzgerald's 56-yard field goal. Then they came up with a big defensive play, stopping North Carolina on fourth-and-goal from the 1.
Later in the half, Hampton bowled in on a third-and-goal from a yard out to put the Tar Heels on top. Hampton's 2-yard run with 1:57 left in the first half helped stretch the lead to 14-3 at the end of a 93-yard drive.
Hampton, a preseason All-American, scored on third-quarter runs of 31 and 1 yards as twice the Tar Heels navigated 75 yards for touchdowns.
Alijah Huzzie and Will Hardy grabbed the interceptions for North Carolina's defense. Beau Atkinson recorded 3 1/2 sacks.
Three of North Carolina's victories this year have come on the road.