Wake Forest Bounces Back With Road Win Over Florida State
Read our game summary and five key stats from Wake Forest's win over Florida State.
After a heartbreaking loss to Clemson last week, Wake Forest took the field in Tallahassee with something to prove. They did just that, beating Florida State 31-21 in a critical victory away from home.
“It was a bounce back game,” running back Justice Ellison said after the game. “This year our team has known that, in a fight, you’re going to get punched in the face. You have to punch back.”
Ellison stepped up in a big way on Saturday, torching the Seminoles for 114 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, his first time eclipsing the 100-yard mark. After tough outings against Clemson and Liberty, the Wake Forest halfbacks found their stride.
“We knew it was a matter of time,” Ellison said. “We knew they were going to have to respect our wide receivers and play high [on the field]. We knew what opportunities they would give us, we just had to go out and make the most of it.”
🏈 16 rushes
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) October 1, 2022
💨 114 yards
🏁 One touchdown
Let's go, @JusticeEllison1 🎩 https://t.co/03noDJL81A pic.twitter.com/IVytDCtTuj
Christian Turner was stellar in the backfield as well, using his 20 attempts to pick up 64 yards and a score. While his numbers don’t jump out as much as Ellison’s, Turner was pivotal in killing the clock in the fourth quarter and taking the game out of the Seminoles’ hands.
“That last drive by the offense was huge,” head coach Dave Clawson said. “They're within seven points, and we get the football back and convert third downs and fourth downs. Christian Turner made so many big first downs at the end there. That's a situation where they knew we were running the ball. They knew it, and we still ran it.”
Things didn’t start well for the Demon Deacons. On the opening drive, Florida State slashed through the defense, marching 83 yards down the field for a touchdown. In Clawson’s words, the team was “jittery”. But after that misstep, Clawson’s squad came to life. The offense scored 28 unanswered points, while the defense stopped the Seminoles on five straight drives, consistently pressuring Jordan Travis and forcing a fumble along the way. After giving up 559 yards against Clemson, Wake Forest held Florida State to just 393.
“After the Clemson game, everybody took accountability for what they could have done better,” defensive tackle Kobie Turner said. “One of those things for me and the position group was getting to the quarterback. Even if there weren’t a ton of sacks, we were causing a lot of pressure, so they couldn’t get the ball off on the deep passes.”
“It starts with [Defensive Coordinator Brad] Lambert,” quarterback Sam Hartman noted. “His schemes, his intensity, his message, you love to hear him talk. And it’s always the same. He’s very consistent, he’s not freaking out on them. That [performance] was how we do — we bend but don’t break.”
Hartman was rock solid on Saturday. The redshirt junior threw for 234 yards and two touchdowns, relying on his receivers to make big plays. Hartman’s connection with receiver A.T. Perry was on display against Florida State; the two linked up eight times for 91 yards and a touchdown. On their first drive of the second half, the offense marched 75 yards down the field for a touchdown, significantly aided by Perry’s two catches for 33 yards.
“When we had to throw the ball, we caught it,” Hartman said. “That was a big, big key. We knew they were going to play deep coverage, and we weren’t going to get a lot of shots over their head. [The receivers] made me look good.”
.@WakeFB strikes again 👏
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) October 1, 2022
The Demon Deacons lead the Seminoles 21-7. pic.twitter.com/wZiUbWa9CC
One such receiver was sophomore Ke’Shawn Williams, who caught four passes for 43 yards. One catch, though, stood out among the rest. In the fourth quarter, with the Deacs leading by a touchdown, Williams reached over a Florida State defender to steal what would’ve surely been an interception.
“That one play that Ke’Shawn made on the third down was incredible,” Clawson said.
Another key play that Hartman highlighted was the field goal on the same drive converted by redshirt freshman Matthew Dennis. After missing on a 44-yarder in the second quarter, Dennis hit a kick from 27 to extend Wake Forest’s lead to two possessions.
“Matthew Dennis coming back after his missed kick, that's huge to see,” Hartman said. “You love to see that out of a freshman. He didn't flinch. He told me he was going to get [the missed kick] back, and he did.”
Dennis’ response is a microcosm of the entire team’s approach to rebounding from the Clemson loss. With the way Wake Forest prepared, how the team would play this week was never in doubt.
“We had a good week of preparation,” Clawson said. “The guys were focused and gave great effort. They weren’t hanging their hats. There was no hangover. Despite what some people may think, we were not scared to play this game. We were very excited to play this game.”
Next up for Wake Forest is Army, a team that truly tested the Deacs in a 70-56 shootout last season. The win against Florida State shows that Wake Forest has the right mindset — they’re right where they want to be.
“Coach Clawson, he’s an even keel guy,” Hartman said. “He’s not going to scream after a three-and-out. He’s not rah rah. He’s Coach Clawson. We just have to go play football. At the end of the day, we can play with anybody. And when we do our jobs, it’s going to be fun.”
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