If you told me at the beginning of college football season that our North Carolina Tar Heels would be outperforming Florida State on the football field, I'd give you a funny look.

The Seminoles won the ACC last year with an undefeated record, then were a shocking omission from the College Football Playoff. That omission was quickly validated when Georgia curb-stomped FSU, but even without former star quarterback Jordan Travis, the blowout loss was embarrassing.

UNC looked like it would initially compete with the Seminoles atop the ACC in 2023, thanks to a 6-0 start and another electric offense, this time led by Drake Maye and Omarion Hampton. North Carolina jumped off a cliff faster than tourists being chased by an angry mob, though, losing five out of its final seven games to finish 8-5.

Going back to what we said earlier, surely Florida State is the better team this year – right?

Nope.

The Tar Heels, despite losing four consecutive games earlier this year before dominating Virginia, are 4-4 overall and 1-3 in the ACC. The Seminoles are 1-7 (1-6 ACC), amongst the worst Power 4 schools in the country and surely, the greatest disappointment.

Both programs will battle on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 3:30 p.m. in Tallahassee. UNC will try and score 40 points against its opponent for the fourth time this season – last week, Omarion Hampton and J.J. Jones engineered that effort at Virginia.

The Seminoles' defense is slightly better than the Cavaliers, in terms of points allowed and points per game, but their offense is dead last in the ACC.

North Carolina has an explosive offense, but playing in Tallahassee – no matter how bad FSU's season is going – is never an east task.

What exactly do the Tar Heels need to do to put up points, move the football down the field and score against the Seminoles?

Jacolby Criswell needs to find J.J. Jones

There's another star wide receiver in Chapel Hill. In 2024, that young man is none other than graduate student J.J. Jones, who's finally getting his WR1 chance amongst an otherwise-inexperienced room.

Jones has showcased some exceptional chemistry with starting quarterback Jacolby Criswell, with Jones' best performance coming last weekend at Virginia. Jones exploded for a season and career-high 129 receiving yards, catching five passes and adding two touchdowns to his name.

Jones sits at 493 yards through eight UNC games, so a 1,000-yard season isn't totally out of the question. If North Carolina wants to extend Florida State's misery, the Criswell-Jones connection would certainly help.

Counter FSU scores

Florida State might have THE worst offense in the ACC, but UNC has one of the worst defenses in the ACC.

Last weekend was an exception, with North Carolina holding Virginia to just 14 points, but it was a sign of tremendous growth.

The Tar Heel offense did a great job countering Cavalier scores last weekend. After UVA took an initial 3-0 lead on a first-quarter field goal, Jones caught his first touchdown of the day on the ensuing UNC drive. When Will Bettridge kicked a second-quarter field goal, Omarion Hampton scored on the ensuing North Carolina drive.

The Tar Heels' ability to respond, this coming Saturday, will help them quiet the Doak Campbell Stadium crowd.

Establish the run game early

Establishing the run game works wonders for an offense, opening up the playbook to include effective play action and deep passes.

UNC did exactly that against Virginia last weekend, with star running back Omarion Hampton recording 105 rushing yards on 26 carries – and adding two touchdowns.

Criswell played another great game in the spread offense, completing 19 of 30 passes for 293 yards and two scores.

If North Carolina can feed Hampton the rock early, Florida State will be in trouble for a large part of Saturday's clash.

Incorporate tight ends into the passing game

Losing your star tight end for the season is a big blow. Unfortunately for the Tar Heels, this happened in the Georgia Tech loss, when Bryson Nesbit broke his wrist.

UNC has a couple other solid tight ends on its roster: John Copenhaver and Jake Johnson, the latter of whom transferred in from Texas A&M. Copenhaver has 217 receiving yards and is tied for the North Carolina lead with three touchdown catches, while Johnson's taken on more of a blocking role, catching just one pass for eight yards.

If Copenhaver and/or Johnson can produce ever-so-slightly in Tallahassee, they'll be two more weapons the struggling Seminoles have to worry about.

Play until the final whistle

UNC played one of its most complete games last weekend at Virginia, scoring in all four quarters of its 41-14 victory. The Tar Heels' thorough scoring attack allowed them to control the game, finding the end zone (or field goal) seemingly every time they touched the ball.

On the contrary, North Carolina has busted out to big leads and then disappeared offensively. That can't happen on Saturday.

This coming weekend, if UNC plays exactly like it did against the Cavaliers, that'll be one step closer to bowl eligibility.

This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire : UNC football's offensive keys to Week 10 ACC road matchup with Florida State