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Boston College-Florida St. Preview

Oct 13, 2010 - 10:13 PM By MATT BECKER STATS Senior Writer

Boston College (2-3) at Florida State (5-1), 12:00 p.m. EDT

Florida State senior quarterback Christian Ponder has never defeated Boston College, but there's reason to believe that could change.

Coming off an impressive victory over an in-state rival, the No. 16 Seminoles look to win their fifth in a row Saturday when they face the Eagles, who are in the midst of their longest losing streak in a dozen years.

Since falling to then-No. 10 Oklahoma 47-17 on Sept. 11, Florida State (5-1, 3-0 ACC) has outscored opponents by an average of 25.8 points in winning its last four games. While the first three victories came against unranked foes, the Seminoles easily defeated then-No. 13 Miami 45-17 last Saturday.

Running back Jermaine Thomas scored a career-high three touchdowns - all in the first 21 minutes - and Florida State racked up 298 rushing yards to match its best win streak since opening the 2005 season 5-0. The Seminoles also opened 3-0 in conference play that season, and haven't had a better ACC start since winning the first six league games in 2003.

Despite being the highest-ranked team in Florida for the first time since October 2005, the Seminoles, who have outscored opponents 124-16 in winning their three home games, aren't letting the fast start go to their heads.

"We haven't achieved anything yet," said Ponder, who has passed for 737 yards with six touchdowns and one interception during the winning streak. "We're sitting at 5-1, but we're not going to the ACC championship yet. We've won a couple games, but it's not that big of a deal.

"In our minds, we're going somewhere, but we haven't achieved anything yet."

A win over the Eagles would make Florida State bowl eligible and move it closer to the conference title. The Seminoles, though, have lost two straight in the series since a 27-17 win over then-No. 2 Boston College in 2007.

Ponder threw for 523 yards in those losses, but didn't have a TD pass and was intercepted three times.

"They always seem to make plays when we play each other," Ponder said. "I haven't beaten them yet. They always just play us really tough and I'm expecting the same thing this year."

Although Ponder is expecting a challenge, the Eagles are struggling and have some concerns at quarterback.

Boston College (2-3, 0-2) has been outscored 94-30 during a three-game losing streak, its longest since a six-game skid in 1998.

Chase Rettig is on track to be back under center after spraining his left ankle in a 31-13 loss to Notre Dame on Oct. 2. He said Wednesday that he's ready to play after taking all the snaps he needed at Tuesday's practice, and that his ankle feels good.

In a 44-17 loss to North Carolina State on Saturday, Dave Shinskie - who had already been benched once this season - started and was replaced by Mike Marscovetra after going 7 of 24 for 89 yards with two interceptions. Marscovetra was 4 for 8 with a TD and interception.

Shinskie has been ruled out with a concussion, and freshman Josh Bordner has moved up from the scout team to No. 3 on the depth chart.

Despite Rettig's expected return, it could be difficult for the Eagles to fix their offensive woes against a Florida State team that has yielded 10.3 points over the last four games.

The Seminoles' rushing attack has also been instrumental to their winning streak, as they have averaged 258.3 yards on the ground during the run.

Chris Thompson has led the charge with an ACC-best 8.8 yards per carry on the season. The sophomore rushed for 158 yards and a 90-yard touchdown on 14 attempts against Miami.

Thompson could have trouble finding room to run against a Boston College team that ranks first in the ACC in run defense, allowing an average of 80.2 yards. If Florida State struggles to establish a ground attack, it could have better the luck moving the ball through the air, as the Eagles are last in the league against the pass at 253.0 yards a contest.