No. 4 Florida State hopes to begin the second half of its season similar to it did the primary: by beating a ranked crew.
Seven weeks after upsetting then-fifth-ranked LSU within the opener, the Seminoles face their second Top 25 opponent of the season when Sixteenth-ranked Duke visits Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday night time for an Atlantic Coast Conference showdown between two of the three remaining unbeatens in league play.
“At the end of this, someone’s going to have a clearer path to (the ACC title game in) Charlotte than the other one,” Duke coach Mike Elko stated. “That’s something that’s critical and that’s not lost on anybody in our locker room. It is an in-league, big stage, big opportunity for our guys to go kind of rise up to and take advantage of.”
The Blue Devils (5-1, 2-0 ACC) upset Clemson of their opener and practically knocked off Notre Dame three weeks in the past. They’re coming off a 24-3 drubbing of North Carolina State and may get quarterback Riley Leonard again from a sprained proper ankle.
But this system that’s winless in 21 tries in opposition to powerhouse FSU is a 14 1/2-point underdog on this primetime matchup, in accordance to FanDuel Sportsbook.
“At the end of the day, we can’t worry about maybe the line or what people are saying, what analysts are saying,” Duke defensive deal with DeWayne Carter stated. “Maybe it’s not same old Duke, which we hear all the time, too. But you can’t really worry about that.
“We know the standard we have to play to to win and we expect to play at that standard no matter who we’re against. No matter what the odds are, stacked against us, that’s kind of how we’re trained in this Elko era. It’s the underdog mentality with the chip on our shoulder. Honestly, it’s nothing new.”
Florida State (6-0, 4-0) has been the favourite in every of its final 5 video games, dealing with rising expectations at the halfway level of the common season. Anything shy of an ACC championship and the crew’s first College Football Playoff berth since 2014 could be a disappointment at this level.
“You get one opportunity, one chance,” Seminoles coach Mike Norvell stated. “Do I think there’s players that feel the pressure? ‘Oh, man, we’re 6-0, here we go, we got to do this.’ Yeah, it’s human nature to want to continue.
“But ultimately it’s still about you can’t get focused on the outside and the exterior. If you’re willing to give your attention to that, the pressure that comes with that, you’re going to miss out on the opportunity to grow and get better throughout the journey, the week, the game.”
ROAD TRIP
After taking part in 5 of its first six video games at residence, Duke appears keen to hit the street. The Blue Devils have ventured outdoors Durham, North Carolina, simply as soon as this season — a 41-7 victory at UConn.
“Let’s go see something new,” Carter stated.
But this will probably be a problem not like many others Duke has confronted lately. The Blue Devils are in Tallahassee for an evening game on ABC, in entrance of a sellout crowd for homecoming and taking part in a crew that’s received 12 consecutive video games.
“There’s no hiding from it, it’s a big game,” Duke left deal with Graham Barton stated. “Everyone knows that. Both sides know that. … We’ve come a long way from when I was younger. It’s awesome to see. We’re excited for the opportunity and we’re going to go show the country what we’ve got.”
STREAKING SEMINOLES
Florida State’s profitable streak is the third longest within the nation, behind two-time defending nationwide champion Georgia (24) and Washington (13). The Seminoles even have scored at least 30 factors in every of these victories, the second-longest 30-point streak in ACC historical past.
GETTING HEALTHY
The Seminoles count on to be shut to full power offensively.
Receiver Johnny Wilson and quarterback Jordan Travis practiced this week with out limitations, and left deal with Bless Harris is about to return after lacking the final two video games with an undisclosed damage.
Wilson left FSU’s game in opposition to Virginia Tech on Oct. 7 after he was sandwiched by two defenders and sat out final week’s 41-3 blowout in opposition to Syracuse.
Travis injured his left hand simply earlier than halftime in opposition to the Orange, however he returned to play within the second half.
“I’m a competitor at the end of the day,” Travis stated. (*4*)
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(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)
