No. 23 Florida State Seminoles (-13) at Wake Forest Demon Deacons, Total 50 |
Florida State heads to Winston-Salem, NC, and will be aiming for its first ACC win of the season. The Seminoles have dropped consecutive games against the Clemson Tigers (35-30) and Oklahoma Sooners (23-10), after starting the year 2-0.
“We have to keep looking forward, because we’ve still got a big season a head of ourselves, we’ve just got to let everybody know we’ve got to continue to work hard,” commented Seminoles receiver Rodney Smith.
Quarterback EJ Manuel is expected to play Saturday, as he practiced in full pads Monday, as he suffered a shoulder injury in the loss to the Sooners. The Seminoles have still managed to lead the conference in passing for 328 yards a game.
Florida State leads the all-time series 23-5-1, which includes a 6-2 record at Wake Forest.
Florida State’s defense ranks sixth in the country, surrendering just 257 yards a game, but will be tested against a Wake Forest unit that is averaging 422.5 yards of offense. The Seminoles defense did a tremendous job against the Demon Deacons last year in scoring a 31-0 victory as 20-point home favorites.
Don’t expect the ball to be on the ground often when watching this game, as both teams have the fewest rushing yards among ACC teams. Neither team gives up much on the ground either, as FSU is second in the ACC in rush defense, while Wake Forest is third.
sportsbook Bettors will find that the Seminoles are 12-17 ATS over the last two-plus seasons, including the ‘under’ going 15-14 over that span.
Wake Forest has won three consecutive games and is coming off a 27-19 win over the Boston College Eagles as one-point underdogs. The Demon Deacons have won the statistical battle in all four of their games this season.
“The big-game feel is going to be there because it’s Florida State and the aura they have,” commented Demon Deacons running back Brandon Pendergrass.
The team is aiming for its first 3-0 start in ACC play, as the program has won its first two conference games for the seventh time in 58 seasons as a member of the body.
Head coach Jim Grobe owns a 5-23 record against ranked opponents during his time on campus, while the program as a whole is 10-42-1 when hosting such opponents.
Sportsbook bettors will find that the Demon Deacons are 2-0 ATS at home this season, but just 1-3 ATS following two or more consecutive wins.
