By Scott Haynes, College Football Senior Editor

GAME NOTES: The ninth-ranked Florida State Seminoles welcome the North Carolina State Wolfpack to Tallahassee this weekend, for an ACC clash from Doak Campbell Stadium. Bobby Bowden's Seminoles can take a two-game lead in the ACC's Atlantic Division with two games to play, with a victory over the Wolfpack. At 5-1 in-conference, the Seminoles have clearly put themselves in the driver seat in their division. FSU has won two games in a row, including a 35-27 victory against Maryland last time out. The Wolfpack have struggled this season to a 1-4 league mark, good for last place in the Atlantic Division. Chuck Amato's team took a break from conference action last week with a 21-17 win over Southern Mississippi. The victory brought an end to a two-game skid for NC State. Florida State holds an 18-7 advantage in the series with NC State and has won 10 of the 13 all-time meetings in Tallahassee. Last season, FSU claimed a 17-10 win in Raleigh.

The youngsters came through for the Wolfpack against Southern Miss last week, as freshman tailback Andre Brown rushed for 248 yards (second-highest total in school history) and two touchdowns, while sophomore QB Marcus Stone threw the go-ahead TD pass in the final minutes of the game to help NC State get in the win column. Stone took over for Jay Davis in hopes to provide a spark to a stagnant offense this season. The NC State offense is averaging just over 23 points per game this season, on 352.0 yards of total offense. The ground game has mustered just 119.9 ypg, but the performance by Brown last week is definitely encouraging, as the youngster will get the start in Tallahassee. T.J. Williams (25 receptions, for 276 yards and one TD) and Tramain Hall (21 receptions, for 213 yards and two TDs) have been the top wideouts on the roster in terms of receptions, but senior Brian Clark (18 receptions) has made the most of his catches, leading the team in receiving yards (324) and TDs (four).

The NC State defense is one of the top units in the country against the pass, limiting opponents to a mere 186.7 yards per game. Against Southern Miss, the team shored up its run defense, giving up just 69 yards to the Golden Eagles, while yielding 177 yards through the air. On the year, the Wolfpack are allowing 21.4 ppg. Junior linebacker Stephen Tulloch has been all over the field for NC State, leading the team in tackles (91) and TFLs (16), while adding three sacks. The team's pass rush is in the capable hands of ends Manny Lawson (11 TFLs, five sacks) and Mario Williams (14 TFLs, eight sacks). Linebacker Oliver Hoyte is another player of note on this side of the football, with his 54 tackles, six TFLs, one sack and two forced fumbles.

The quarterback position was a question mark heading into this season for Florida State, but freshman Drew Weatherford has answered the question with his stellar play thus far. He currently leads the ACC in passing (267.8 ypg) and is on pace to break Philip Rivers' ACC record for passing yards by a freshman. Another youngster making his mark in the ACC is wideout Greg Carr, who currently leads the conference in TD catches with nine. On the season, the Seminoles are averaging a respectable 36.2 ppg, on 444.1 yards of total offense. Weatherford has completed 62 percent of his passes this season, for 2,142 yards and 14 TDs. While Carr has been a TD machine, wideout Willie Reid (28 receptions, for 364 yards and one TD) may be the best weapon on the offense. His 227 all-purpose yards, including a 61-yard punt return for a score against the Terps is evidence of that.

The Seminoles own one of the better defenses in the ACC, holding opponents to 18.6 ppg, on 291.8 yards of total offense. The rush defense has been good (109.5 ypg) and the pass defense has been even better (182.2 ypg). The linebacking corps has been solid this year, led by the play of senior A.J. Nicholson, who leads the team in tackles (61), with seven TFLs, one sack and two interceptions. Rush end Kamerion Wimbley and tackle Brodrick Bunkley are the playmakers up front. Wimbley is tied for the ACC lead in sacks with 7.5, while Bunkley is tied for second in the conference among downlinemen with 11 TFLs. Safeties Pat Watkins and Kyler Hall have identical numbers with 43 tackles and two interceptions each.

The Seminoles are closing in on a divisional title and NC State won't stand in the way. The Wolfpack may have found a star in the making in their backfield, but Brown will not even come close to duplicating last week's performance in Tallahassee. Weatherford should continue his strong play, en route to a double-digit win at home.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Florida State 34, NC State 17