FSU Seminoles

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Tre Jackson delivered the first block, and Chris Thompson didn't need much more help.

The tailback burst through the line of scrimmage and shot down the sideline for the first of two long touchdowns, the highlights of another blowout win for Florida State.

"That's the best feeling as an offensive lineman you can have, when you set the block, open up the hole, and you see your running back bust through," Jackson said. "You're just running behind him cheering him on."

Florida State's offensive line was dominant in the running game on Saturday, as the Seminoles racked up nearly 400 yards on the ground, dismantling a Wake Forest defensive front that had no answers.

In the passing game, things weren't quite so pretty.

EJ Manuel was under pressure throughout the game. Manuel was sacked three times, forced out of the pocket far more often, and by halftime, FSU had completed just five passes.

Given the myriad questions regarding the inexperienced offensive line entering the season, the struggles in pass protection against Wake Forest are reason for some concern.

"It wasn't perfect," fullback Lonnie Pryor said. "It may look good watching, but it wasn't perfect. We had some good plays and we had some bad plays. We still need to work on pass blocking and be more focused and do things right."

Wake Forest didn't make things easy.

The Demon Deacons routinely threw a five-man front at Florida State, forcing the line to adjust, the backs and tight ends to pick up blitzes, and forcing Manuel to make quick decisions. It took one full half before Florida State adjusted to those things.

Moreover, Wake’s base 3-4 defense was further complicated when Jimbo Fisher was forced to use backup Daniel Glauser at right tackle after starter Menelik Watson missed two practices -- and a bulk of the preparation for the Deacon's defense.

"It was a little different," Jackson said. "I believe we were coached well on it during the week. Our coaches got us some good looks with the scout team and we were well prepared for it."

Still, there were missed assignments on the line. There were backs that failed to pick up blocks. There were receivers that broke off routes too soon and times when Manuel held the ball too long, left the pocket too soon or simply delivered a throw that was off the mark.

After two straight weeks in which Florida State was simply far more physical and athletic than the opposition, Wake Forest at least provided a test, and the grades weren't quite as high as Fisher might have liked.

"We've still got a lot of things we've got to clean up, still have a lot of sloppiness in a lot of areas," Fisher said.

Even in the running game, things weren't perfect.

Late in the second quarter, a 20-yard screen pass and a 10-yard run set up what appeared to be another easy scoring chance for Florida State, but Pryor and James Wilder Jr. failed to find the end zone on three straight tries from inside the 2-yard line.

A year ago, pass protection and short yardage doomed the Florida State offense. On Saturday, there was no slowing the Seminoles, but those problems haven’t disappeared.

Still, Manuel insists progress has been made, and the steps Florida State needs to take to iron the remaining flaws aren't major.

“Nothing out of the ordinary, but just to be more consistent," Manuel said. "I think that there are some throws that I missed and then some catches that they usually don’t miss, but just as an offense we have to be more detailed.”

That's how Fisher sees things, too.

Criticism is tough to come by after winning three games by a score of 176-3, but Fisher knows there is work to be done.

And yet, there's no ignoring the outcomes, regardless of the level of competition or the handful of flaws that managed to surface anyway. For now, at least, he'll measure progress by how far FSU's line has come rather than how much further they have to go.

"We're head and shoulders above where we were," Fisher said. "Are we where we want to be? No, we're not close. But we're making a lot of progress."

<a href="http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/501094/debrale-smiley" target="_new">Debrale Smiley</a> bounced off a would-be tackler and rumbled 18 yards into the end zone for Florida State's seventh touchdown of the day, a final dose of salt in the wounds for Wake Forest and the finishing touches on a 52-0 Seminoles win.

In the end, Smiley's touchdown meant little, but it did push Florida State past the 50-point plateau for the third straight game -- something it had never done before.

"We wanted to make a statement today," fullback <a href="http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/480765/lonnie-pryor" target="_new">Lonnie Pryor</a> said. "Our goal is to win the ACC and hopefully win a national championship, and they were in our way. Hopefully we can keep this going."

This marked just the third time in ACC history that a team topped 50 in three straight games, the last coming in 1992.

Florida State actually might have been able to add to the carnage again in the fourth quarter, as third-string quarterback <a href="http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/514124/jacob-coker" target="_new">Jacob Coker</a> drove the Seminoles to the Wake Forest 19 before the clock ran out.

As it turned out, that drive snapped a streak of 25 straight trips into the red zone that resulted in points for FSU, but it was of little consequence.

Overall, the Seminoles tallied 612 yards of total offense, including 385 on the ground. Eleven different receivers caught passes, <a href="http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/380849/ej-manuel" target="_new">EJ Manuel</a> accounted for two passing touchdowns and one on the ground, and <a href="http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/480764/chris-thompson" target="_new">Chris Thompson</a> racked up 220 yards of total offense.

"We've still got a lot of things to work on," receiver <a href="http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/514136/rashad-greene" target="_new">Rashad Greene</a> said, "but this was a game to be able to get better and have fun."

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Tanner Price had just completed a 41-yard pass early in the third quarter. It would end up as the longest play of the day for Wake Forest.

It was hardly a threat. The Deacons were deep in Florida State territory, but the Seminoles were already working with a five-touchdown lead in a game they'd eventually win 52-0.

But for the FSU defense, the play was significant. It was a chink in their armor, and it didn't sit well.

Three of the next five plays went for a loss, two more passes fell incomplete, and Wake Forest followed its biggest play of the game by marching eight yards in the wrong direction. The Deacons ended up punting, and Florida State's defense recorded its second straight shutout.

"It means everything," defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan said of the shutout. The Seminoles have now outscored the opposition 176-3.

Wake Forest's overmatched offensive line crumbled at the hands of Cornellius Carradine and Bjoern Werner, who combined for four sacks and five tackles-for-loss.

A week ago, Price was the ACC's top quarterback, and receiver Michael Campanaro hauled in 13 catches for 163 yards. On Saturday, Price completed just 8 of 22 passes, and Campanaro ended up with just eight yards receiving.

In the game, Florida State's defense held Wake Forest to a mere 126 yards of offense, racked up 11 tackles-for-loss, and forced punts on 13 of 15 drives.

Through three games, Florida State's defense has held the opposition to just 1.91 yards per play.

"Our defense was very dominant," coach Jimbo Fisher said. "They contested all the throws, controlled the line of scrimmage, didn't give them any free releases. We're going to have to continue that next week."

Indeed, the test gets far more difficult next week when Sammy Watkins and Clemson come to Tallahassee for what promises to be one of the biggest games of the year in the ACC.

A year ago, the Tigers tallied 443 yards, and Watkins went for 141 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-30 win, and Jernigan knows that's enough to undermine a good portion of the work the FSU defense has done in three easy wins to start this season.

"I'm not trying to get in a tongue-wrestling match with nobody," Jernigan said. "We've got a point to prove, and I feel like every week in practice we're going out and making sure we're able to prove it on Saturday."

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A week ago, lightning ended Florida State's win over Savannah State with nearly 25 minutes of game time remaining. It meant little to the starters, who had long since retired to the sideline.

For the freshmen getting their first significant taste of action, however, the abrupt ending to the game was a missed opportunity. Against Wake Forest on Saturday, however, they were able to make up for lost time.

By the fourth quarter of Saturday's 52-0 win over the Demon Deacons, sophomore Karlos Williams was the lone member of Florida State's defense on the field that wasn’t a freshman or redshirt freshman.

"They held up real well," defensive end Cornellius Carradine said. "They're still trying to adjust to the system, but they held up great. They'll get more comfortable as the season goes along."

Defensive tackle Eddie Goldman finished with three tackles, including one for a loss. Defensive ends Chris Casher and Mario Edwards Jr. both saw action in the second half, combining for two more tackles. Ronald Darby and Keelin Smith both got plenty of work in the secondary, and they picked up right where their veteran teammates left off, smothering the overmatched Wake Forest offense.

"They played hard," sophomore defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan said. "The coaches are real tough on them, and I'm just glad to see them out there making plays and still hunting. That's the biggest thing."

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A year ago, Chris Thompson's career nearly ended against Wake Forest. He took a handoff, cut inside, lowered his head, and ran into a tackle that broke two bones in his back and ended his season.

Thompson said this had been an emotional week as he thought back to the injury and how far he has come since, and, in the first half Saturday, he marked the occasion by delivering one of the best running performances in Florida State history.

Thompson had touchdown runs of 74 and 80 yards in the second quarter, helping Florida State to a 38-0 halftime lead.

Stat of the half: 197. That's Thompson's rushing total in the first half, more than double his total for the entirety of the 2011 season. In addition to his dominance on the ground, Thompson added two catches for 23 more yards.

Player of the half: Thompson, of course. The senior tailback had already tallied the 10th-best rushing day in Florida State history with nine minutes remaining in the second quarter. The two long touchdowns were the fourth and fifth of Thompson's career of at least 70 yards. Thompson was responsible for 62 percent of Florida State's total offense in the first half.

What's working for FSU: Aside from Thompson, the special teams have been the key. Rashad Greene returned a punt 60 yards for a touchdown, his second of the year. Dustin Hopkins has pinned Wake Forest inside the 20 on five of six kickoffs, and punter Cason Beatty delivered two exceptional kicks in the first quarter to pin the Deacons deep in their own territory.

What's not working for FSU: Despite Thompson's big day, it's hard to say the first big test for Florida State's offensive line has gone well. The pass protection has been bad, with EJ Manuel sacked twice and under pressure throughout. The Seminoles also were stuffed three straight times from inside the 2 in the second quarter. Pass protection and short-yardage play were big concerns a year ago, and the revamped line has done little to show it has turned a corner.

Noteworthy: Florida State has outscored its first three opponents of the season by a combined 162-0 in less than nine quarters of action. … Right tackle Menelik Watson (ankle) was available for Saturday's game, but Daniel Glauser got the start. … Defensive end Bjoern Werner added 1.5 sacks in the first half and has 6.5 for the season.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida State has opened the year with big expectations before, but, for the past six seasons, that early hype has worn off by Week 3.

The Seminoles haven't opened a season 3-0 since 2005, and, to snap that streak this year, they'll need to get by a Wake Forest team that has won four of its past six meetings with Florida State.

"They’re much more athletic than people think," FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. "Wake’s got good players."

Despite the history and Fisher's words of warning, Florida State remains a four-touchdown favorite for the game.

Perhaps a bigger concern for the Seminoles is the fact that their starters have played only about three quarters through two games, both blowout wins over FCS opponents. Wake Forest represents by far Florida State's biggest test thus far as well as the opening of conference play.

"I don't think the fact that we haven't played a whole lot will bother us at all," quarterback EJ Manuel said. "I think if I still played, I'd have had the same focus and mentality. I don't think it's going to affect us. If anything, it's going to help us because we're more rested. Those guys have had two dogfights."

Florida State right tackle Menelik Watson missed several practices this week with an ankle injury, but he was on the field for warm-ups and Fisher said he expects the junior to be available for the game. Still, fellow junior college transfer Daniel Glauser will get the start at right tackle.

Wake Forest, on the other hand, will be without starting nose guard Nikita Whitlock, who had seven tackles and a sack in last year's win over the Seminoles.

It's finally time for ACC games to get started, and Florida State's first conference adversary has been a thorn in its side in recent years.

To get the behind-the-scenes insight on Wake Forest and what it will take for the Demon Deacons to topple FSU for the fifth time in seven years, we caught up with Bob Sutton, who covers Wake for the Burlington Times-News. Here's what he had to say:

NoleNation: Wake Forest is a heavy underdog, and the Deacons have barely escaped in their first two games. But they've had a lot of success against FSU in recent years. What's the confidence level like for them heading into this game?

(Read full post)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Tyler Hunter waved his arm to signal for a fair catch, the ball was already on top of him.

As Savannah State tacklers closed in, the ball bounced off his right shoulder and bounded away, about 7 yards behind him.

In the end it meant nothing. Hunter backtracked, retrieved the muffed punt, and tumbled to the ground. EJ Manuel began the ensuing drive backed up a bit farther than he might otherwise have been, but Florida State still celebrated its fifth touchdown of the day 5:22 later.

For Jimbo Fisher, however, it meant everything.

"Any time you put a ball on the ground, that is a concern," Fisher said.

What's more concerning is that Hunter's muff isn't the first of the season for FSU, which is adjusting to a new group of punt returners filling the void left when Greg Reid was dismissed from the program last month.

In Week 1 against Murray State, Rashad Greene returned his first punt of the season for a touchdown, but he followed that up with several miscues, including a fumble in the third quarter.

A year ago, Florida State lost to Wake Forest in large part due to five turnovers. That's made fielding each punt cleanly a major emphasis this week.

"Things are going to get a lot more intense," Greene said. "It's a big responsibility, and in practice we have to take it more serious and be focus. It's just making smart decisions."

Greene showed marked improvement in his second game of the season, picking up 64 yards on two returns before giving way to Hunter, but Fisher said better blocking and a more straightforward approach by Savannah State were the big differences.

"It was easier because there was no rugby kicks, and I think we protected better at the line of scrimmage," Fisher said. "But I was pleased with (Greene), and I was pleased with our blocking."

Overall, Florida State is averaging 18.7 yards per punt return so far this season, good for third in the ACC and 15th nationally. A year ago, Reid's punt-return unit ranked 34th overall, but was sixth in return yards per game.

While the return yardage was nice, however, the top priority for Fisher remains fielding the kick cleanly.

"You always have to make sure you're catching the football," Fisher said. "That's the No. 1 goal, take care of that ball. It's always a concern, and we'll continue to work on it hard."

Florida State's best cornerback sat out of Tuesday's practice, but Jimbo Fisher said he's not concerned about Xavier Rhodes' availability against Wake Forest.

Rhodes has "a touch of the flu," Fisher said, and while the junior corner practiced Monday, Fisher held him out of Tuesday's workouts and has kept him away from the rest of the team.

"He was throwing up a little bit, and we just want to make sure we get some fluids in him," Fisher said.

Rhodes recorded Florida State's lone interception on the season in Week 1 against Murray State, but he's set to get his biggest test of the year Saturday against Wake Forest and receiver Michael Campanaro, who leads the ACC -- and is fourth nationally -- with 260 receiving yards through two games.

Fisher said Rhodes practiced well Monday, and he doesn't expect his lone veteran corner to miss any more practice time.

"He should be ready to go (Wednesday)," Fisher said.

Jenkins checks in:
Defensive end Brandon Jenkins was on campus Tuesday, his foot wrapped and crutches under his arms.

Jenkins suffered a lisfranc fracture in his left foot against Murray State and will miss the season, but Fisher said he expects the senior to remain a fixture in the Seminoles' locker room.

"He'll come to terms with things, and I think that's what he's doing right now," Fisher said. "But he'll do well, and he'll be back around and be a great leader for us, no doubt."

Small sample size:
The film didn't take long to deconstruct, but Lamarcus Joyner was pleased with his grade from the Savannah State game nevertheless.

"I got a perfect score," Joyner said. "I never got a score like that in my life."

Of course, that perfect score came on just 12 defensive snaps for Joyner, who like the rest of Florida State's starters, was benched after the first quarter as the Seminoles built a 35-0 lead.

Still, Joyner said, he doesn't take anything for granted, and while the game didn't present much of a challenge, Louisiana Monroe's upset of Arkansas last week provided all the incentive he needed to appreciate each win.

"I expected (an easy win), but I'm pretty sure the guys from Arkansas expected the same thing," Joyner said. "It's the easiest game I think I've ever going to play in my life, but it was a good one."

Friendly reminders:
Florida State may be getting plenty of reminders of last year's loss to Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C., but Demon Deacons head coach Jim Grobe is happy to remind his team of an equally ugly performance the last time it played in Tallahassee.

In 2010, Wake Forest lost to the Seminoles in a 31-0 route. QB Tanner Price, then a freshman, finished just 6-of-12 passing for 35 yards and an interception.

“There’s not a tougher place that I know of to play a football game," Grobe said of Doak Campbell Stadium. "We know we’re going to have to play great.”

Chris Thompson knew he wasn't himself at practice Monday.

The senior tailback is usually frenetic, loud, boisterous on the practice field, but on Monday, fellow senior Lonnie Pryor was quick to point out how quiet Thompson had been.

In truth, this is a somber week for Thompson, but that wasn't why he was so low key Monday.

"It's just focusing," he said.

Thompson will be the starting running back against Wake Forest on Saturday, and that holds a special significance for him. It was against the Deacons last season that he took a handoff on third-and-1, ducked his head into a tackler and broke his back.

In the 11 months since, Thompson has made huge strides, and he's running with more quickness and energy than before, Jimbo Fisher said. But this game still marks another obstacle in Thompson's recovery, and he's had it marked on his calendar for a while.

"All the guys know it's going to be an emotional day for me," Thompson said.

There have been plenty of highs and lows as Thompson has fought his way back onto the field and worked his way back into shape since last year's injury, but in his first two games back in 2012 he's looked no worse for the wear.

On 10 touches, Thompson has racked up 76 yards and, last week, his first touchdown in a full year. A bulk of his yards have come after contact, too, and that's been particularly rewarding.

"I've been running the ball a lot harder than I have in the past," Thompson said. "I think at first it was just a whole thing about trying to prove to everybody that I'm back."

If the first two games provided proof, this week's matchup provides closure.

But while Thompson said he's eager to take on the defense that nearly ended his career a year ago, he's not looking to turn the page once it's over. This game is a milestone for him, but not the end of the journey.

"I don't think it's ever going to be behind me," Thompson said. "Even after this game, I'm going to still think about it at times. But it's nothing that's going to slow me down."

He'll be back: Wake Forest finished off a dramatic win over North Carolina on Saturday without its best defender, but Fisher said he doesn't doubt for a second that Nikita Whitlock will be back on the field for this week's game.

"He'll play. You can bank on that," Fisher said.

Whitlock sprained his ankle in last week's win, and reports out of Wake Forest said he's been in a walking boot since. An MRI isn't on the agenda for Whitlock, however, so Fisher's theory may be correct.

It would be bad news for FSU if Whitlock does play. The defensive tackle had seven tackles and a sack in last year's win over the Seminoles.

"He sets the tone inside," Fisher said. "He's quick, athletic, agile, strong. They give him a lot of freedom. You've got to always know where he's at and what he's doing. The guy is one heck of a football player. He's got a motor that doesn't stop."

Injury updates: Tight end Nick O'Leary (thigh) and center Bryan Stork (neck) were both back at practice Monday and Fisher expects both will play against Wake Forest on Saturday.

"No problems," Fisher said. "We should see most everybody back on the field."

Fisher played it safe with several injured regulars against Savannah State, with Stork, O'Leary and Chad Abram among those sitting out the game.