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No. 5 FSU at Wake Forest, 3:30

BRIAN LANDMAN
Published October 23, 2004

Coach Bobby Bowdens Seminoles havent lost to Wake Forest; the last FSU team to do that was in 1973. But in recent years, the Demon Deacons havent been an easy W, especially in Winston-Salem. In 1998, the Seminoles and backup quarterback turned starter Marcus Outzen won 24-7 thanks to a big fourth quarter. In 2002, the Seminoles and backup turned starting quarterback Adrian McPherson trailed 21-7 in the first half before rallying for a 34-21 win. Jim Grobes team is only .500 and winless in the ACC but it lost at Clemson and North Carolina State in overtime and lost to Virginia Tech 17-10 when the Hokies came up with a red-zone stop in the waning moments. Theyre about three plays from being undefeated right now, Bowden said. Its amazing. The key is Grobes unorthodox offense, a mix of the pro-passing attack with the option coupled with low blocking that frustrates many defenses. He can just give you doggone fits, and theyre usually physical, very physical, Bowden said. Junior tailback Chris Barclay is fourth in the league in rushing (86.7 yards) and the Deacons are second (14th nationally) rushing overall (221.7 yards). Junior receiver Chris Davis of Gibbs High has 10 catches for 158 yards and two touchdowns. But the Seminoles defense is coming off one of its best performances in years, shutting down Virginia. FSU is first nationally against the run (58 yards) and sixth overall (265 yards). The FSU offense seems to be jelling, too, behind redshirt sophomore quarterback Wyatt Sexton, who threw for a career-high 275 yards against the Cavaliers on 20-of-26 passing.

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