Sunday, 2 a.m.
FSU was in trouble ... again.
By now, Seminole fans have come to know the look of their team against the ropes, and here they went again. It was still in the first quarter, and already, Wake Forest had taken a 10-point lead. The Deacons had driven to the FSU 30, where they were threatening once again.
And then defensive end Brian Burn made a sack, and everything changed.
FSU came back to beat Wake Forest, 38-17, to improve their record to 4-3.
Content beyond this point is for members only.
Already a member? To view the rest of this column, sign in using the handy "Sign In" button located in the upper right corner of the GarySheltonSports.com blog (it's at the far right of the navigation bar under Gary's photo)!
Not a member? It's easy to subscribe so you can view the rest of this column and all other premium content on GarySheltonSports.com.
“We started slow and they did some good things early," said FSU coach Willie Taggart. "Once we settled down and got that first first down, our guys stayed with it and found a way to make plays."
Deondre Francois had a big game for the Seminoles, throwing for 353 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Cam Akers added 98 yards. Receiver Nyqwan Murray caught eight passes for 131 yards.
Taggart thought the difference was the way his team adjusted to the up-tempo pace of Wake Forest.
"We stopped substituting so much," Taggart said. "It allowed our guys to get set up and be in position. You at least have to be aligned. We didn’t do a good job . We stopped substituting so much."
FSU begins a difficult stretch of its schedule next week when the Seminoles play host to Clemson at noon. Following will be games against N.C. State, Notre Dame, Boston College and Florida.
UCF 37, East Carolina 10: They trailed after a quarter. They gave up a 400-yard passing day.
Still, this might have been UCF's most impressive win.
For the first time since their 20-win streak began, the Knights played without star quarterback McKenzie Milton. It didn't matter. Freshman Darriel Mack threw for just 69 yards, but the Knights won going away.
"I just think our football team continues to compete," UCF coach Josh Heupel said. "We just continue to keep competing, no matter what's going on, and that's the sign of a really mature football team."
UCF has an open date this weekend before traveling to Temple.
Mack did run for 120 yards in the victory.
Marshall 31, FAU 7: Evidently, the FAU football team just doesn't travel very well.
The Owls fell to 0-4 on the road, getting outscored 21-0 in the second half. FAU is 3-0 at home, although against lesser competition.
FAU had five turnovers in the game, including four interceptions by quarterback Chris Robison. FAU running back Devin Singletary was held to 39 games for the day.
"We played about as bad as we can on offense," FAU coach Lane Kiffin said. "There's a reason they're the No. 10 run defense in the nation. They stopped the run and we beat ourselves, too. We didn't make plays when they were there to make."
FIU 36, Rice 17: The Panthers pulled away in the second half, outscoring Rice 20-7 to take the win. Quarterback James Morgan threw for 229 yards and two scores in the victory.
“There’s not a throw on the field that this kid can’t make,” said FIU coach Butch Davis.
FIU plays Western Kentucky Saturday.
{ 0 comments… read it below or Subscriptions }