ESPN College Football

Florida State coach Bobby Bowden comes into Thursday night's game (7:45 p.m. ET, ESPN) at N.C. State looking to get his 350th career victory against former assistant Chuck Amato and his Wolfpack, who are trying to end a three-game skid.

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Florida State felt at the beginning of the year that is was a national championship contender and the defense held up its end of the bargain, but the offense has been inconsistent and the Seminoles already find themselves with two losses. There is still a great deal of hunger, though, and they still have a chance to get to 10 wins, which is always a goal for the FSU program.

N.C. State was in the thick of the ACC race just a few weeks ago, sitting at 3-1 in the league and hosting Miami, but a loss to the Hurricanes started the Wolfpack's current three-game losing streak and was followed by stumbles against Clemson and Georgia Tech.

The 'Pack now has to win its last two games just to become bowl-eligible. But in a big game like this against a team it has beaten two of the last three years, you can bet N.C. State will play its heart out. Amato's players are frontrunners who respond when things go well early, and that will have to happen if they want to stay in the game psychologically and build on the confidence from those two recent wins over FSU.

When Florida State has the ball...

Florida State must be able to line up and run the ball out of the I formation to have success on offense. The Seminoles are averaging 173 yards per game on the ground -- 40 more than at the same point last season -- but the problem they face tonight is the health of their best tailback, Leon Washington.

Questions about his status mean sophomore Lorenzo Booker will get the majority of the carries, and also look out for freshman Lamar Lewis, who the coaches feel provides a little more of a physical presence between the tackles.

The battle up front will be an interesting one with the Florida State line facing an N.C. State defense that has been strong against the run, because of the Wolfpack can get FSU into the shotgun with three wide receivers the pendulum will swing back in its direction.

New defensive coordinator Reggie Herring has brought a great deal of confidence to this very fast unit, and because of the importance of stopping the run look for the N.C. State safeties to be very involved in run support, leaving the cornerbacks isolated against receivers Chauncey Stovall and Craphonso Thorpe.

Defensive ends Mario Williams and Manny Lawson will have to come up big on the pass rush against outstanding FSU tackles Alex Barron and Ray Willis, because Florida State loves to use play action to get the ball deep and they will have to disrupt that plan for the Wolfpack to have a chance.

Also watch the play of quarterback Wyatt Sexton, who came in last week against Duke to rally the team and win back the starting job from Chris Rix. Sexton has completed 69 percent of his passes at home but only 48 percent on the road -- as well as committing six turnovers -- so the decisions he makes will be crucial for the Seminoles.

When N.C. State has the ball...
It has been a long season for the N.C. State offense, which has struggled to hold onto the ball all year. The Wolfpack has 26 turnovers on the year -- 14 on interceptions from new quarterback Jay Davis -- and ranks 114th in the nation with a minus-15 turnover margin.

The offensive line has been beaten up all year and is without three starters in this game, meaning N.C. State will once again be turning to guys not really prepared to start games. That lack of experience has caused Davis to try a little to hard to compensate at times this year, trying to make too many plays to get the offense out of trouble.

Add to that the fact that running backs T.A. McLendon and Tremain Hall along with receiver Richard Washington have been banged up, and this offense has been decimated. Still, with better play from the quarterback position State would likely still be in position to battle for the conference title.

Tonight the Wolfpack will face the toughest defense it will see all year. The Seminoles rank second in the nation in rush defense (66.2 ypg) and seventh in total defense (275.2 ypg), and considering the injury problems the Wolfpack has had the matchup at the line of scrimmage is huge.

A tremendous Seminoles front four, led by Travis Johnson and Eric Moore, will try to exploit the inexperience of young linemen like left guard James Newby and center Luke Lathan. Also keep an eye on FSU's A.J. Nicholson and Ernie Sims, two of the best linebackers in the nation and guys who will be all over the field.

The key for Florida State will be to pressure and rattle Davis, because the matchups FSU corners Bryant McFadden, Leroy Smith and Antonio Cromartie have against the N.C. State wideouts is a big advantage for the Seminoles.

The bottom line for the Wolfpack is that McLendon will not only have to be healthy but also find a way to make some yards. He will be a game-time decision along with Hall and Washington, and if those three cannot go it could be a tough night for the 'Pack.

Kirk Herbstreit is an analyst for ESPN's College GameDay and a regular contributor to ESPN.com during the college football season.