Florida State Football: Will Seminoles bounce back vs. Wake Forest?

Both Wake Forest and Florida State football are coming off disappointing losses last week. Who rights the ship? Here’s a preview, prediction and live stream.

It’s an ACC Atlantic clash when the Florida State Seminoles tangle with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at BB&T Stadium in Winston-Salem on Saturday evening.

Both teams are coming off losses last Saturday and look to rebound and gain some ground in the ACC. The Demon Deacons lost a track meet of a game against the Louisville Cardinals 62-59 in regulation, and the Seminoles were blown out by the Clemson Tigers on the 45-14.

Despite the loss to Louisville the Deacons are off to one of their best starts in school history. They have a host of talent all over the field. Let by quarterback Jamie Newman — who might not play — the Deacons can light up a scoreboard as well as anyone in the country

The Seminoles have had their ups and downs this season. Cam Akers has been a bright spot at running back, and they’ve looked more in sync in three of their last four games. Coach Willie Taggart has more work to do, however.

It’s the run and gun of the Demon Deacons versus the ground and pound of the Seminoles.

Here’s more information about the game:

Date: Saturday, Oct. 19
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Winston-Salem, N.C.
Venue: BB&T Field
TV: ACC Network
Live Stream: WatchESPN

Keys to Victory

If the Seminoles want a shot at this game, they have to keep the Wake Forest offense off the field. That means heavy doses of both Akers and Khalan Laborn. I know Taggart and offensive coordinator Kendall Briles want to go fast, but slowing down a bit — which they’ve done the last couple of games — might help save the Florida State defense for the fourth quarter.

Defensively, the Seminoles’ interior linemen Marvin Wilson and Cory Durden need to be in the Wake Forest backfield disrupting Newman. He’s a runner and pressure up the middle can take away possible running lanes.

The Deacons need to make this a track meet. They need to get the ball to Sage Surratt and Scotty Washington early and often.

On defense, the Deacons need to shut down the run game. Although the Deacons aren’t known for their pass rush Carlos Basham, Jr. has 4.5 sacks, and the Florida State offensive line has had its struggles this season. Ultimately, the Deacons want to get the ball to their offense as often as possible.

Prediction

So far Vegas is calling this one a toss-up. If I could, I would do that also, but there has to be a winner. Let’s go with the team with the best athletes. Florida State wins on the road.

Final Score: Wake Forest 38, Florida State 41