FSU Handles Wake Forest

FSU dispatched of Wake Forest today in Tallahassee– here’s how. 

The No. 1 Florida State Seminoles returned home and took care of business today against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, winning by a final score of 43-3. The victory extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 21 games, but, while the final score was beyond decisive, this one was anything but academic early on.

Another Slow Start

After trailing 24-7 in Raleigh last Saturday, many assumed the ‘Noles would be quick to open this one up. But, once again, mistakes plagued FSU early. The Seminoles’ first possession ended with Jameis Winston being intercepted on an ill-advised throw. The next chance saw Florida State give it up on a Karlos Williams fumble.

Defensively, some of the tacking issue that troubled FSU against NC State surfaced again early. But they cleaned this up quickly, and Wake Forest’s woeful offense never really found much success on the day: Wake averaged just 2.1 yards per play to FSU’s 6.4. For the third-straight game in Tallahassee, the Demon Deacons failed to find the end zone.

The Seminole lead was just 13-3 at the half, but they pulled away in the third quarter, creating turnovers, including a Reggie Northrup fumble recovery for a touchdown, and were comfortably ahead 30-3 going to the fourth.

A Big Day in the Trenches

It all begins up front, and this was a banner day for both the offensive and defensive lines– although for different reasons. Center Austin Barron broke his hand early on and was replaced by redshirt-freshman Ryan Hoefeld. Hoefeld had issues in a couple different areas. The game seemed a bit fast for him at times, which is probably to be expected from someone thrust into such a position.

Aside from blocking issues, he also routinely snapped the ball high to Winston in shotgun snaps. One actually did sail over Winston’s head and erased a red zone opportunity. Furthermore, Winston often began plays by jumping for the ball– obviously a problem, as it affects the timing of the play. And this FSU offense is already struggling to find its rhythm early.

The news on the defensive front was much more positive for the ‘Noles. With Derrick Mitchell out, some of the freshmen saw playing time and acquitted themselves nicely. Leading the way was 6’ 7″ Lorenzo Featherston, whose high-energy play sparked the FSU defense all day. Featherston finished with 7 tackles, including 2.5 TFL and a fumble recovery. Derrick Nnadi played quite a bit as well, also recording 1.5 TFL and deflecting a ball. Demarcus Christmas saw some time too, as did Jacob Pugh and, later, Rick Leonard.

Injury Concerns Moving Forward 

The ‘Noles seemed relatively healthy coming into the contest, as Mitchell was then listed as questionable and Trey Marshall was out with a concussion. That changed as kickoff approached. Mitchell, as mentioned, sat, as did leading tackler Terrance Smith, who was replaced by E.J. Levenberry. The ‘Noles also got Ukeme Eligwe his first action of the year.

The Barron injury — and Hoefeld’s issues — prompts obvious questions about the future of the center position. Cameron Erving continues to take reps at the spot in practice, but he also came up a bit lame in the second half, although he continued to play.

Another big loss was that of leading receiver Rashad Greene, who left the contest early with a concussion. His departure forced Winston out of his comfort zone, and he responded by spreading the ball around better than he has all year, connecting with 11 different teammates. Freshmen Ermon Lane worked in at the X quite a bit and flashed nicely, catching a couple balls for 70 yards. Fellow frosh Travis Rudolph came up big as well, snagging four balls for 66 yards and his first  career score.

Up Next…

The ‘Noles are back on the road next week. They’ll travel to Syracuse, New York to face the Orange.