Five Things: FSU-Wake Forest

After rallying from 17 points down last week to beat N.C. State 56-41, top-ranked Florida State returns home this Saturday to take on Wake Forest. The Seminoles have shut out the Demon Deacons in each of Wake’s previous two trips to Tallahassee. FSU will look for a third straight victory over Wake Forest and 21 straight overall. Florida State has not defeated Wake Forest three years in a row since 2003-2005.

While the Seminoles are 4-0 this season and riding a 20-game winning streak overall, Wake Forest comes in with a record of 2-3. The Demon Deacons led 10-7 entering the final quarter against Louisville last week, but fell 20-10. To break down Saturday’s contest between the ‘Noles and Deacons in Tallahassee, Noled Out editor Mike Ferguson and staff writer Jon Marchant give you, “Five Things”:

1. On Wake Forest

Mike Ferguson: Under first-year head coach Dave Clawson, Wake Forest is in the midst of a rebuilding campaign. The Demon Deacons are woefully inexperienced, but have played hard for their new head coach through the early parts of the season. Wake’s only victory over a FBS opponent however, came by just three points over Army.

Jon Marchant: Florida State plays the Wake Forest Demon Deacons this weekend. Wake’s offense has been almost historically bad, averaging only 3.12 yards per play against FBS teams this year. The next worst offense? Purdue, at 4.09 yards per play.

2. Players to Watch for FSU

Mike Ferguson: For Florida State this week, look toward the secondary. After leading the nation in interceptions last season, Florida State has not picked off a pass since the first half of the season-opener against Oklahoma State. The Demon Deacons have been dreadful in terms of running the football this year and that could mean a lot of pass attempts for freshman quarterback John Wolford, who has already thrown 10 interceptions. Expect a big week for Seminole cornerbacks P.J. Williams and Ronald Darby.

Jon Marchant: The players to watch this week is once again the offensive line and the running backs. Wake’s defense isn’t bad, and the running game finally got going in the second half against N.C. State. Look to see if that continues against Wake. It’s imperative that it gets fixed before Florida State faces Notre Dame in two weeks.

3. Biggest Concern for FSU

Mike Ferguson: For Florida State this week, its biggest adversary may be a lack of focus. FSU is coming off of back-to-back hard-fought victories against Clemson and North Carolina State and getting up for a home game against Wake Forest may not be easy. On the surface, this doesn’t look like a game that Florida State could lose. Against an inexperienced Wake Forest team that has struggled against the likes of Louisiana-Monroe, Utah State and Army, this should be an opportunity for Florida State to play its most complete game of the year.

Jon Marchant: The biggest concern here is more injuries along the defensive line. The depth at nose tackle is paper thin. Look for Florida State to go up big early via the passing game, then rely on the running game to kill the clock.

4. X-Factor for FSU

Mike Ferguson: This week’s X-factor for Florida State will be center Austin Barron. After rumors of him being replaced surfaced all last week, Barron had his best game of the season as the Seminoles racked up 168 yards rushing and scored a season-high 56 points. The Seminoles certainly showed how capable they were of putting up huge offensive numbers in Raleigh, but for FSU to continue to be balanced on offense, Barron must avoid being a noticeable liability up front as he was over the first three games.

Jon Marchant: Since FSU holds such a ridiculously large talent advantage in this game, the X-factor for FSU will be turnovers and the young players. FSU turned the ball over four times last week and some of the true freshmen flashed against N.C. State, so a key to this game will be for FSU to take better care of the football and get some of the young players more experience and see more of what they can do.

5. FSU Wins If…

Mike Ferguson: It’s hard to imagine Florida State losing this one, but for FSU to come out of this game feeling good about itself, it will need to play solid defensively and put the Demon Deacons away early. The 41 points allowed to N.C. State last week was the most given up by Florida State since 2010. Versus a Wake Forest team that has been dreadful on offense, Florida State needs to put together a solid defensive effort. Putting the Deacons away early would also mean extended playing time for the number of young players that have been forced into action early on this season.

Jon Marchant: Florida State’s offense has found its groove and will put up points in bunches. Couple that with the massive talent gap and this one might not be much different from last season’s 59-3 shellacking. But don’t be fooled; even with a blowout, this 2014 squad still has issues to be worked out.