FSU’s P5, ACC bottom-dwelling scoring offense could see a test vs. Wake Forest

Yes, that title is accurate. No Power-Five or Atlantic Coast Conference team averages fewer points per game than Florida State’s 14. Is the two-game sample size small? Yes. Has the competition been formidable? Of course. But it is what it is. The Seminoles, rife with blue-chip talent, have scored two touchdowns over two games. And the going may not get much easier when the ’Noles venture north to take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in their first road game of 2017.

The Deacs are 4-0 and boast the No. 8 scoring defense in the country, allowing a scant 11.5 points per game. Yeah, I know— whom has Wake Forest played? The list is far from distinguished: Presbyterian, at Boston College, Utah State, and at Appalachian State. And unlike FSU, Wake is not teeming with former star recruits. But it consistently plays assignment-sound defense.

Last year, the Deacons finished 23rd, nationally, in scoring defense, in an ACC loaded with quarterback talent. As a comparison, Florida State finished 44th. On the road in Tallahassee, WF surrendered just 17 points to the Seminoles. In 2015, the Deacs were a respectable 43rd, only about a touchdown-per-game behind the ’Noles, and they allowed only 24 points to FSU in a game decided by a lone possession.

The point-spread on this game began with the Seminoles installed as just 10-point favorites, but it’s already shrunk dramatically. The health of key FSU players remains in question. As does the offense’s ability to light up the scoreboard, especially with the typically steady Wake Forest defense on deck.