After 30 minutes, FSU has a 14-0 lead over Wake Forest on homecoming night in a game where it feels like both teams are being a little too careful. The Seminoles shut out an FBS team at the half for the first time since the 2023 ACC Championship Game against Louisville (led 3-0 at the half) and the Demon Deacons are trailing for the first time at the half this season.
Wake Forest is a pretty conservative team and that has played itself out in the first half. The Demon Deacons don't have.an aggressive offense and, through the first half, seemed content to keep things close and play the field position gane.
The Seminoles, however, are an aggressive team on offense, and it's been the few big plays that led to points. A 65-yard pass reception by led to a six-yard touchdown run by Tommy Castellanos for the game's first touchdown.
Duce Robinson 65 yd catch 👋 pic.twitter.com/SX4gG695VA
— Seminole Sports Network (@SeminolesSN) November 2, 2025
FSU struck again late in the first half with a 10-yard touchdown run by Sam Singleton. The sophomore running back was a big part of the drive with a 27-yard run and Castellanos did his thing in the pass game by converting a 3rd-and-13 with a 30-yard pass from Castellanos to Randy Pittman.
Singleton gets the starting nod
FSU made a big change to start the game, going with Singleton getting the first snaps over running back instead Gavin Sawchuk or Ousmane Kromah.
Kromah was the first back off the bench in the rotation and Sawchuk got some carries late in the first half. So far, Singleton has rewarded the coaching staff's faith in him with 44 yards and a touchdown on eight carries in the first half.
Sam Singleton starting???? What???
— Clay Fink (@clay_fink) November 1, 2025
Defense shines with a little help
The Seminoles defense has a shutout thanks in part to some uncharacteristic mistakes from Wake Forest. On the Demon Deacons' second drive, running back Demond Claiborne had a 25-yard run called back on a hold and on the next Wake drive, Claiborne had a 53-yard run called back because of a hold. The Demon Deacons also had three fumbles. They recovered all three, but two of them ended drives.
Defensively, FSU has been helped by Wake's mistakes, but the Seminoles have also limited their own mistakes. There were no silly penalties in the first half, and it's clear that a focus of preparation has been to play with control and not give the Demon Deacons anything they didn't earn.