No. 4 Florida State (7-0, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) at Wake Forest (4-3, 1-3), Saturday at noon ET (ABC)
Line: Florida State by 20 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: Florida State leads 30-9-1.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Florida State is seeking a 14th straight win, a run that would cover a calendar year. The Seminoles’ streak began on Oct. 29, 2022, with a win over Georgia Tech. Wake Forest had lost three straight games before last week’s win over Pittsburgh, and the Demon Deacons are pushing to secure a bowl berth for an eighth straight season.
KEY MATCHUP
Wake Forest is scoring 23.1 points per game, the fewest in the ACC. But the “slow mesh” offense that features a prolonged quarterback read on the run-pass option has been difficult historically for Florida State defenses to stop, especially when Sam Hartman was in Winston-Salem before his transfer to Notre Dame. The Demon Deacons’ best chance to pull the upset this time is to frustrate the Seminoles by converting third downs and building methodical drives. Florida State has allowed just 13.3 points per game in October and hasn’t allowed a second-half defensive touchdown.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Florida State: WR Keon Coleman. The Michigan State transfer leads Florida State in receptions (31), receiving yards (472) and receiving touchdowns (ACC-leading seven). Coleman could be an even bigger part of the offense if Florida State’s other star WR, Johnny Wilson (undisclosed injury), is out against the Demon Deacons.
Wake Forest: RB Justice Ellison. He’s yet to score a touchdown but he’s had some heavy workloads with three games of least 16 carries. The highlight was an 18-carry, 137-yard day against Georgia Tech. He’s coming off a 20-carry, 60-yard day in last week’s close win against Pittsburgh.
FACTS & FIGURES
The Demon Deacons have won three straight in the series vs. Florida State, including a 31-21 road win last season. … Florida State ranks first in scoring (41.6 points) in the ACC. … The Seminoles have converted on 96.4 percent of red-zone opportunities, sixth in the FBS. … Wake Forest rallied to beat Pitt last week 21-17 on a 15-yard TD pass from Santino Marucci to Cameron Hite with 33 seconds to play. … Wake Forest has won 23 of 28 home games dating to the beginning of the 2019 season.
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