FSU Seminoles

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- He hasn't made the immediate impact his recruiting pedigree may have suggested, but Mario Edwards Jr. is slowly working his way into a more significant role as the season progresses.

The former top recruit has seen only limited action on defense thus far, but he was in on several key snaps against USF, including making a tackle on a short screen to running back Lindsey Lamar in the third quarter.

"We've got to continue to make him grow," Jimbo Fisher said. "It was a weird game to get him a lot of snaps because every possession was pretty critical there for a long time. But he's really developing."

Edwards arrived at FSU heralded by scouts but checking in at nearly 300 pounds -- a bit too heavy for the role he was expected to play for the Seminoles.

In the three months since, however, Edwards has dropped nearly 20 pounds and Fisher said it's clear the freshman is making big strides, particularly in defending the run.

"He's really moving so much better right now," Fisher said.

Fisher hopes to get Edwards down to about 275 pounds, but he said as Edwards gets older, it's not unreasonable to think he could add most of that weight back on and still play with the same quickness.

For now, Edwards remains a work in progress, but Fisher said he's making strides each week.

"He's going to be a really good player," Fisher said. "We've just got to keep bringing him."

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- As the praise mounted for Cornellius Carradine after Saturday's game, Jimbo Fisher's analysis was noticeably tepid.

Carradine had led the team with nine tackles and his forced fumble, which Christian Jones scooped up and returned for a touchdown, was a game-changing play, but Fisher couched his enthusiasm with a simplistic: "We'll have to see what's on the film."

Of course, the coach sees all.

By Monday, Fisher had watched the film and seen all Carradine had done well, but it was clear it hadn't been a virtuoso performance by the first-year starter.

"He made some big plays, but he had a lot of boo-boos in that game," Fisher said. "There's a lot of things you didn't see."

That didn't prevent Carradine from being named the ACC's defensive lineman of the week, nor does it mean Fisher hasn't been impressed by all those big plays, which included 1.5 sacks against USF.

It's just that, from a consistency standpoint, there's still more Fisher wants to see.

"Tank's a phenomenal player, but being an every down player, the starter, there's a lot of little things that go within the teamwork of a defense sometimes," Fisher said. "Now you have to be consistent for a longer period of time. You went from 30 plays a game to 60 plays a game."

Perhaps that's why USF attacked Carradine so consistently, pegging him as "the weakest link," he said.

Indeed, the first four plays of the game were run right at Carradine and met with varied results. When spying quarterback B.J. Daniels, Carradine was strong. He finished with three tackles on QB runs that amounted to a total of four yards, and he was in on two sacks.

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Here’s a look back at Week 5 in the ACC:

The good: Ranked teams stayed ranked. Florida State held off a scrappy South Florida team for its first road win of the season, and Clemson avoided “pulling a Clemson” and escaped Boston College with a win. Through five weeks, the ACC still has a national title contender and a chance at two BCS bowl bids.

The bad: Turnovers. NC State had six. Georgia Tech had four. It would be nice to stop there, but Wake Forest had four, Virginia had three and so did Virginia Tech.

The ugly: The ACC’s 2-3 nonconference record. Georgia Tech’s home loss to Middle Tennessee, Virginia’s home loss to Louisiana Tech and the Hokies’ loss to Cincinnati at FedEx Field didn’t do the ACC's image any favors. Virginia Tech’s loss to Cincy dropped the Hokies to 0-2 against the Big East this year and the ACC to 3-4 overall against the Big East this season.

The streak: Wake Forest’s 12-game winning streak over Duke was snapped. It was the first time since 1999 that the Blue Devils found a way to beat the Deacs.

The record: Miami quarterback Stephen Morris threw for a school- and ACC-record 566 yards and five touchdowns. His final touchdown came with 19 seconds left and sealed the Canes' 44-37 win over NC State for their first three-game winning streak since 2009. Morris was 26-of-50 passing for Miami, which finished with 652 yards of offense.

The record II: UNC set a school single-game scoring record in its 66-0 win over Idaho. The Tar Heels had 371 yards and 45 points by halftime before finishing with 575 total yards.

The record III: Conner Vernon tied an ACC record with his 232nd career reception with about three minutes left for Duke.

The stat: Clemson’s defense had eight plays that resulted in negative yards for Boston College. Entering the game, the Clemson defense had just 20 for the season.

The quote: “I don’t know, in 38 years I’ve never been involved with a team that made this many mistakes,” -- NC State coach Tom O’Brien, according to the Raleigh News & Observer.

Hello, Duke ...

1. Florida State (5-0, 2-0 ACC) – There wasn’t anything spectacular about the Noles’ 30-17 road win over South Florida, but it didn’t matter. FSU won its first road game, avoided a letdown and is still undefeated. FSU will have a difficult trip to NC State this weekend, but likely got a good wake-up call from the Bulls.

2. Clemson (4-1, 1-1) – One week after a disappointing loss to Florida State, the Tigers avoided an upset at Boston College despite a respectable performance from the Eagles’ offense. Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd and receiver DeAndre Hopkins stole the show again without Sammy Watkins in the lineup.

3. Miami (4-1, 3-0) – The Hurricanes are a scrappy young team that keeps finding ways to win. They’re in the midst of a three-game winning streak for the first time since 2009, and quarterback Stephen Morris seems like he can’t miss in each of the past two games.

4. Virginia Tech (3-2, 1-0) – Ugh. This game could have gone either way in the end, and just when it looked like the Hokies were going to win it, Cincinnati’s Munchie Legaux threw the game-winning touchdown pass with 13 seconds remaining. The Hokies are now 0-2 against the Big East this year.

5. Duke (4-1, 1-0) – It’s time to give the Blue Devils some credit. You could even argue they deserve to be ranked above Virginia Tech at this point, but I'm still not sold on that move. Duke has a better overall record than the Hokies, and right now, the Blue Devils have got a more potent offense. Duke is off to its best start since 1994, the last time the program went to a bowl game.

6. NC State (3-2, 0-1) – The Pack had 14 penalties for 100 yards. Six turnovers. Repeat: Six turnovers. Did Miami win, or was NC State its toughest opponent?

7. Wake Forest (3-2, 1-2) – The Deacs’ 12-game winning streak over Duke came to an end, and star receiver Michael Campanaro injured his hand in the process. It was a rough weekend for Wake Forest, which is going to need its best effort the rest of the season to get to a bowl game.

8. North Carolina (3-2, 0-1) – If the Tar Heels weren’t playing a winless Idaho team that is statistically one of the worst programs in the country, their 66-0 win might mean something. Instead, it was more of a glorified practice before the heart of their league schedule begins. We still don’t know if this team is the one we saw in the first half against Louisville (not good) or the second half (much better).

9. Georgia Tech (2-3, 1-2) – The loss to Middle Tennessee was like a black X on Paul Johnson’s résumé. For the second straight weekend, the Jackets lost at home. They looked unenthused. There was no sense of urgency. And the defense was an open door. Johnson has to make the bleeding stop quickly before this season becomes a disaster.

10. Virginia (2-3, 0-1) – The Hoos’ loss to Louisiana Tech wasn’t entirely unexpected considering La Tech had gone on the road and beaten Illinois the previous week and was scoring more than 50 points per game. It still wasn’t good, though, for UVa or for the ACC. Virginia needs to put an end to the turnovers and figure out if it’s sticking with Michael Rocco at quarterback.

11. Maryland (2-2, 0-0) – The Terps had a bye week but will host Wake Forest this weekend in their first league game of the season. The Deacs are coming off a tough, emotional home loss to Duke and now have to travel to face a team that had a week to prepare.

12. Boston College (1-3, 0-2) – The bend-but-don’t-break defensive strategy broke against Clemson’s uber-talented offense, and the Eagles have now lost back-to-back games. It’s not going to get any easier, as the next three games are on the road.

Saturday's 30-17 win over USF wasn't Florida State at its sharpest, with the defense looking sluggish early, the offense faltering in the red zone, and a special teams mishap providing a spark for the Bulls.

But while the game may not have been the most accurate representation of FSU's potential, there were a few numbers worth nothing.

5.34. That's Florida State's yards per carry against USF, less yardage lost on sacks. The average is a bit deceptive, however. The Seminoles' ground game was something of a mixed bag Saturday, with 12 of their 38 rushes going for 1 yard or less, and 10 more going for at least 10 yards. The all-or-nothing performances were highlighted by a 44-yard run by Lonnie Pryor and two long end-arounds by the receivers, which managed to overshadow the negative plays. USF, which didn't have a single tackle-for-loss against Ball State a week ago, dropped an FSU ball carrier in the backfield 10 times Saturday. That's just four fewer TFLs than Florida State had allowed in its first four games combined.

9. That's the number of plays Florida State ran inside the USF 10-yard line, with Kevin Haplea's 1-yard reception on a third-down pass being the only one that went for a touchdown. The goal-line struggles were a touchy subject for Jimbo Fisher afterward, and for good reason. EJ Manuel was 1-of-3 passing on plays inside the 10, missing a wide open Rodney Smith in the end zone on one throw. The ground game was even worse. On six rushes inside the 10, FSU tallied a total of 7 yards.

6. That was the number of receptions made by Florida State's tight ends in Saturday's win, accounting for nearly a third of Manuel's total completions. Manuel has hyped his tight ends dating back to the spring, but Saturday marked the high point for the group in terms of production. Nick O'Leary hauled in a career-high four catches, while Haplea grabbed a 1-yard touchdown.

5. That's the number of completions on eight third-down throws for Manuel in Saturday's win, and they accounted for all but one of FSU's third-down conversions. Overall, FSU moved the chains on just five of 15 third-down tries, but when Manuel threw the ball, the offense looked sharp. Manuel completed passes of 11, 39 and 47 yards on third down, plus the 1-yard throw to Haplea for his lone passing touchdown of the game. Manuel also chipped in with an 11-yard run on third down.

0. That's the number of punt return yards for Florida State on Saturday. In the first four games of the season, Rashad Greene took some risks, which came with some big results (two touchdowns) and some ugly ones (two fumbles). On the whole, though, FSU had been averaging 61.5 punt-return yards per game. On Saturday, it was clear Greene wasn't interested in rolling the dice. Greene had five fair catches on six USF punts, and the sixth was downed by the Bulls deep in FSU territory. It marked the first time the Seminoles didn't have a single punt return in a game since Sept. 24 of last year vs. Clemson. On the upside, Greene did have a 10-yard touchdown run on offense, making him the first FSU player since Peter Warrick in 1999 to score on a reception, a rush and a return all in the same season.