Written by Michael Hull
Tallahassee, FL – The Florida State Seminoles have defeated the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, 38-17. FSU went up and down the field pretty effectively in this one, with 485 total yards in the contest. It was the Florida State defense, however, that really stepped up. They had five sacks in this one and allowed just 122 yards in the second half.
Wake Forest started out with the ball after the Seminoles deferred to the second half. Wake wasted no time getting going, driving the ball down past midfield in under a minute. The drive stalled in the red zone, however, and the Demon Deacons were forced to settle for a 32 yard field goal. After the two teams traded punts for three straight possessions, Wake took advantage of great field position and scored a touchdown on a nine yard pass from Sam Hartman to Jack Freudenthal. It was their first touchdown in Doak Campbell since 2007, and extended the lead to 10-0 with six minutes left in the first quarter. The Seminoles were able to get their first first down of the afternoon on the following drive, but then were forced to punt. Wake picked up right where they left off, driving the ball quickly into FSU territory. However, the Florida State defense finally stepped up, getting a much needed sack on a fourth down attempt. The offense then picked up the momentum and Cam Akers scored a three yard touchdown run on a 60 yard drive that took only 1:40. At the end of the first, the Demon Deacons were up 10-7.
The Seminoles forced a punt to start the second quarter, and their offense took over at their own 20. The next few plays were an emotional roller coaster, as Francois hit receiver Keith Gavin for a 57 yard gain, only for Gavin to then fumble the ball. The fumble was recovered in the end zone by Wake. On the following drive, corner Asante Samuel Jr. broke up a pass that was picked off by Stanford Samuels III and returned to the red zone. The Noles were able to take advantage, and running back Jacques Patrick put it in the end zone, giving FSU a 14-10 lead.
After the two teams traded punts back and forth, FSU started to get the ball moving and looked like they had a 58 yard touchdown, but the play was negated by a holding call. The drive looked it had stalled at Wake’s 33, but FSU managed to not only convert the fourth down attempt, but they scored a touchdown. Francois hit Nyqwan Murray for the touchdown to give the Noles a 21-10 lead with two minutes left in the half. At the half, FSU held a 21-10 lead. The Seminoles outgained Wake by just two yards in the first half, 249-247. Francois threw for 211 yards and a touchdown.
FSU got off to a quick start to the second half, with Cam Akers jetting for a 58 yard touchdown just 30 seconds in. The run put Akers at 97 yards and two touchdowns. Wake then turned the ball over on downs in Seminole territory, giving the Noles offense another opportunity to extend the lead. They took advantage, as Ricky Aguayo was able to nail a 49 yarder that extended the Seminole lead to 21. The Florida State defense came out firing on the next possession, getting their fourth sack of the afternoon. Ricky Aguayo missed a field goal on the following drive, keeping the score at 31-10.
Wake brought in a new quarterback for the following drive, redshirt sophomore Jamie Newman. It didn’t help, as the Demon Deacons went three and out again. After trading punts yet again, the third quarter ended with FSU holding a commanding 31-10 lead.
The Seminoles added another touchdown with 9:43 to go in the fourth. This time it was Tre’Shaun Harrison on a nice 21 yard catch and run to extend their lead to 28. Sam Hartman returned to the game for Wake, and threw a garbage time touchdown that made the game 38-17.
