Football scouting report: Week 13 vs. Florida State

By Noah Fleischman

NC State is back home to close out the 2025 season with a two-game stint in Raleigh. Up first? A battle with Florida State on Friday night (8 p.m., ESPN).

But before the Wolfpack takes on the Seminoles, here’s a look at what this year’s Florida State team looks like and the challenges it will present at Carter-Finley Stadium.

5 Florida State players to watch

1. WR Duce Robinson

A mismatch for a lot of defensive backs, the 6-foot-6 Robinson is a weapon on the outside for the Seminoles. The wideout has posted 49 receptions for an ACC-leading 947 yards and a team-best five touchdowns to pace Florida State’s offense. His last three games have been video game numbers with a trio of 100-yard games, racking up five such performances this fall. Robinson is a deep threat as he averages 15.8 yards per target, posting nearly 20 yards per reception, so he will not only test the outside cornerbacks, but the safeties too. Knowing where he is at all times will be imperative for the Wolfpack.

2. QB Thomas Castellanos

Castellanos is an experienced quarterback who has been in the ACC for the past three seasons between his time at Boston College and Florida State. He’s having a career-best campaign under center this season with 2,317 yards while he has added 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. Castellanos has a stable of weapons to help make the Seminoles’ offense dynamic, but he’s also a capable runner with 404 yards and eight scores on the ground this fall. Castellanos has thrown for 200-plus yards in all but two games this season as Florida State looks to stretch the field to open up the running game too.

3. DB Earl Little Jr.

Florida State’s defense has been up and down this season, but Little has been a key part of the Seminoles’ unit. He leads the team with 63 total tackles, including 28 solo stops, while also pacing the team with four interceptions. While Little is all over the field for the Seminoles, he has allowed nine receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown this season in pass coverage. He was, however, able to post three straight games with an interception against Pitt, Stanford and Wake Forest. 

4. WR Micahi Danzy

Speaking of playmakers on Florida State’s offense, Danzy is a speed threat that lines up all over the field for the Seminoles. Whether it’s an end around, pop pass or throw downfield, Danzy is a threat to get the ball and take off with his elite track speed — a 44.83 to win the ACC title in the 400, to be exact — to make opposing defenses pay. He has recorded 23 receptions for 522 yards and two touchdowns through the air with another 11 carries for 212 yards and three scores as a ball carrier. Danzy, similar to former NC State wideout Kevin Concepcion, can change the game in a blink of an eye. 

5. DL Mandrell Desir

Florida State has big defensive linemen that anchor the interior of its front, led by Desir. The 6-foot-4, 262-pound lineman has played all over the Seminoles’ front this season, and in the process, has totaled a team-best five sacks in just 17 total quarterback pressures. He’s also stout against the run with 13 “stops,” a tackle that results in a failure for the offense, according to Pro Football Focus. Desir and the rest of Florida State’s defensive line will challenge NC State’s offensive line, which was pushed back by Miami’s defensive front for most of last weekend’s loss.

3 keys to the game

1. Stop the run

Florida State is going to run the ball. That’s a fact. It’ll use the traditional style with a running back with Gavin Sawchuk (97 carries, 444 yards, 8 touchdowns), but the Seminoles will also get creative with quarterback carries and different ways to use their wideouts on reverses and other unique ways to challenge the defense. Florida State currently leads the ACC with 227.7 rushing yards per game, while NC State’s defense is 11th in the conference with 140.5 yards allowed per contest this season. 

2. Establish a consistent flow

It sounds simple, but the Wolfpack’s offense has struggled moving the ball at a consistent clip in three of its last four games. NC State didn’t reach the red zone in its loss at Notre Dame, while it got inside the 20-yard line on its last drives at Pitt and Miami in each of the past two losses. In the upset win over No. 8 Georgia Tech at home, the Wolfpack went 6-of-6 in the red zone. The Pack has moved the ball better at home this season and it will need to do so against Florida State to have a chance to earn its sixth win of the 2025 campaign.

3. Block well

NC State’s offensive line wasn’t able to slow down Miami’s defensive front last week, which led to 14 total quarterback pressures, which kept sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey off balance for most of the afternoon. It also affected the run game as the Wolfpack couldn’t establish a positive ground attack as it logged 29 rushing yards, though it had 52 after contact. If the Pack is going to have a chance to win, blocking will be of the utmost importance going into this game.

1 NC State player that can alter the game

RB Hollywood Smothers

There’s a simple stat that has described how NC State’s season has gone to this point. When the Wolfpack has rushed for more than 200 yards this season, it’s 4-0. When it doesn’t? The Pack is just 1-5. So getting a rushing game going will be critical, which means redshirt sophomore running back Hollywood Smothers needs to get going on the ground. He’s rushed for 823 yards on 127 attempts in nine games this season, but he posted just minus-2 yards at Miami. Smothers has four 100-yard games on the year, and if he can get another rolling, it will be pivotal to NC State’s ability to eclipse 200 rushing yards as a team.