The Daily Nole

FSU-Wake Forest: Five Things to Watch

Mitch White/FSU athletics

Florida State will look to even its ACC record and move to within one win from becoming bowl-eligible on Saturday as the Seminoles play host to Wake Forest on homecoming. Though the Demon Deacons have lost four straight in the series and by an average margin of 39 points, they are in the midst of their best season in years.

Wake Forest will enter Saturday’s contest with a record of 5-1, which includes a 2-1 mark in ACC play. The Demon Deacons were impressive in a 28-9 win over Syracuse last week while FSU will look to build on its momentum from a 20-19 victory over rival Miami. As Saturday’s contest nears, here are five things to watch for:

1. Deondre Francois
Through six games this season, it’s been hard to have not been impressed by the play of FSU redshirt freshman quarterback Deondre Francois. Francois has passed for 1,557 yards and nine scores compared to only two interceptions. He’s also engineered a pair of double-digit deficit comebacks over top-15 teams. Perhaps what has impressed folks most about Francois has been the toughness he has displayed. Francois has been fearless in the pocket, standing tall in the face of immense pressure and delivering strikes in key victories.

In last week’s win over Miami, Francois came back from an early shoulder injury to lead the Seminoles from 13 points down in a victory over rival Miami. On Saturday, Francois will face another very good defense in Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons can rush the passer and are an opportunistic bunch. For Wake to have a shot at pulling off the upset, it will need to force turnovers, so expect the Demon Deacons to try to bring pressure and try to force Francois into foolish mistakes — something he really hasn’t made this season.

2. Tight Ends
While most people will be paying attention to Florida State running back Dalvin Cook, a position that has seen an increase in production over the last couple weeks for the FSU offense is at tight end. Redshirt sophomore Ryan Izzo has been steady at the position with 12 catches for 146 yards and a score, but in recent weeks, Mavin Saunders, also a sophomore, has emerged as a solid No. 2. After being held without a catch through three games, Saunders has five catches for 97 yards over the last three weeks — a solid 19.4 yards per average. Look for the two to continue to compliment one another on Saturday.

The best tight end on the field at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday however, will be Wake Forest’s Cam Serigne. A 6-3, 250-pound junior, Serigne was Wake Forest’s leading receiver a year ago. Against FSU, Serigne finished with 10 catches for 83 yards and scored the Demon Deacons’ only touchdown. Against a young corps of linebackers and a banged up group of safeties for FSU, Serigne will be a tough cover.

3. Linebackers
The thinnest position for Florida State — linebacker — will be even thinner to start Saturday. That’s because redshirt junior Matthew Thomas will miss the first half after being ejected for targeting against Miami last week. In his place, freshman Dontavious Jackson will make his first career start. Jackson has really emerged as a reliable option over the last month of the season and will start alongside redshirt junior Ro’Derrick Hoskins.

For Wake Forest, Marquel Lee is the name to know. Lee was named the ACC’s Linebacker of the Week for his performance against Syracuse when he finished with 15 tackles. Lee ranks third in the ACC with nine tackles for loss this season. Jaboree Williams and Grant Dawson will also see a lot of time at the position. Against a potent FSU offense, Wake Forest’s corps of linebackers will need to be productive.

4. FSU Punt Coverage
Allowing big punt returns have become somewhat routine for Florida State in ACC play. After allowing Louisville’s Jaire Alexander to return one 69 yards for a score on Sept. 17, Miami’s Braxton Berrios had a 43-yard return in the fourth quarter last week to set up the Hurricanes’ final touchdown. Wake Forest hasn’t had much success returning punts this year, but against an FSU team that ranks last in net punting in ACC play, there could be an opportunity to change that.

5. Turnovers
When it comes to turnover margin, Florida State and Wake Forest are the best two teams in the ACC. The Seminoles are +7 through six games while the Wake Forest Demon Deacons are +5. With FSU’s edge in overall talent and Wake’s struggles on offense, the onus will fall more squarely on Wake Forest to try and take the ball away to start with short fields. The one contest against an FBS opponent where the Demon Deacons didn’t take the ball away was the Oct. 1 loss at North Carolina State.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson

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