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Dave Clawson comments on Hurricane Ian, Mike Norvell before Week 5 matchup

"The team that we're watching right now on tape doesn't look anything like the team that we saw last year."

Charleston Bowles

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No. 23 Florida State (4-0) is ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2018 and is two wins from reaching bowl eligibility for the first time under head coach Mike Norvell.

READ MORE: Florida State Seminoles release Depth Chart for Wake Forest Demon Deacons

The Seminoles host No. 22 Wake Forest (3-1) on Oct. 1 at 3:30 p.m, and Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson began his presser addressing Hurricane Ian and the challenges of the weather. 

"It's not just the flight, it's the hotel, does it have electricity?" Clawson said. "Are they going to be able to feed us there? You can't go down there and not have food, right? If all those things are checked and we feel it's safe and the ACC determines that it's safe, and we feel that it's safe, then there'll be a game." 

Clawson moved past the weather and praised Norvell for Florida State's progress and has been impressed with the roster he's built in Tallahassee.

"Coach Norvell is a really good football coach and it's year three," Clawson said. "I got to know him well when we played Memphis in the Birmingham Bowl in 2018. They've done as good as a job of anybody of blending what he inherited with the transfer portal."

In scouting Florida State's first four games, Clawson admitted the Seminoles look different than they have in the previous years.

"They're playing with a different energy this year," Clawson said. "They're playing with a different confidence, a different sense of purpose. The team that we're watching right now on tape doesn't look anything like the team that we saw last year ... they're playing at a high level."

The Demon Deacons scored seven points in the first quarter of their 52-45 double overtime loss versus Clemson on Sept. 24 and Clawson knows Florida State is capable of building a lead.

"They're a fast starting team," Clawson said. "They've scored 55 points in the first quarter [and] so like a week ago, that we didn't start fast, we need to start fast. If not, these guys can jump out and you don't want to play these guys from behind."

After crediting the 'Noles rushing attack and redshirt sophomore wide receiver Johnny Wilson, Clawson shifted his focus to redshirt junior quarterback Jordan Travis and mentioned his playmaking. 

"This guy [Travis], he can create and he keeps his eyes down the field," Clawson said. "So many of their explosive plays are you don't get him down and he keeps his eyes down the field. He's like Sam [Hartman], he'll jump up and make throws across his body. He plays with a lot of courage."

Since taking over Wake Forest in 2014, Clawson is 2-5 against the Seminoles, with both wins coming in Winston Salem, North Carolina. Clawson is unsure of Doak Campbell Stadium's impact with Hurricane Ian but is looking forward to the atmosphere. 

"It's quite a scene," Clawson said. "Our players enjoy that environment, they really do. They like playing in big stadiums and having big crowds, whether we get that or not right now who knows, I would be surprised but maybe we will."

For Clawson's full press conference, click here.

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Charleston Bowles
CHARLESTON BOWLES

Football writer

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