What Will it Take for the Deacs to Down the Seminoles?

This is Wake Forest's fourth-consecutive Homecoming game of the season—what will it take to go 4–0 in those games?

Wake Forest quarterback Deshawn Purdie (5) taking a snap against the SMU Mustangs, Oct. 25, 2025. | Evan Harris/Wake Forest On SI

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (5–2, 2–2 ACC) travel to Tallahassee this weekend for a date with the Florida State Seminoles (3–4, 0–4 ACC). While this game is not a make-or-break scenario for Wake's bowl eligibility, knocking off a historic ACC foe would certainly be the ideal way to punch their ticket. Here are the keys to a Wake Forest W.

Avoid the Shootout

Florida State Seminoles quarterback Tommy Castellanos (1) fights off a defender as he makes his way down the field. The Miami Hurricanes defeated the Florida State Seminoles 22-28 at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. | Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It was a concern last weekend, but the Wake Forest defense did a stellar job preventing a high-scoring affair. In back-to-back weeks, the Deacs face opponents with the potential to hum on offense, but this game is a little different.

Florida State is a premier program in the college football landscape, even despite their recent history of failure. Coach Dickert went as far as to call them a "blue blood" in his weekly press conference. Regardless of their title, they have top-tier athletes with daunting size and physicality.

Fun Fact: Speaking of size and physicality, Florida State's starting center is former Demon Deacon Luke Petitbon—2024 All-ACC Honorable Mention.

Seminoles' quarterback Tommy Castellanos can make plays happen through the air and on the ground, and with lethal effectiveness. However, Castellanos has a touch of the turnover bug, and Wake Forest had their best outing forcing turnovers against SMU. If that trend continues this weekend, it could easily derail Florida State's attempt at generating juggernaut momentum.

Blake's Take: While the Deacs' defense has yet to face an opponent like Florida State, I still anticipate them to have success. However, they will need the assistance of their offense—not to score 45 points, but to sustain drives and score points in the second half. If the offense plays as they did last weekend, the Seminoles will likely be less forgiving than the Mustangs were.

Quarterback Turnovers Off the Menu

Wake Forest quarterback Robby Ashford (2) attempting a pass against the SMU Mustangs, Oct. 25, 2025. | Evan Harris/Wake Forest On SI

Last week was a game of musical chairs at the quarterback position for Wake Forest; Deshawn Purdie was the surprise starter, but Robby Ashford made a brief fill-in appearance and led the Deacs to their only touchdown drive. However, Purdie ultimately came back and finished the game.

At the helm, Purdie threw two interceptions and lost a fumble against SMU. His fumble came late in the fourth quarter and inside the Mustang 10-yard line. Despite Florida State's 3–4 record, all but one of their losses came against high-quality opponents; another turnover-filled quarterback outing would be far less tolerable against the Seminoles.

Blake's Take: We still don't exactly know who the starting quarterback will be on Saturday night, or if both Ashford and Purdie will play. On Monday, Coach Dickert said Ashford needs to fully recover from his thumb injury, but that they will also make the best decision for the team regarding who plays. Regardless of who it is, two things need to happen: minimize or ideally eliminate QB turnovers and call plays that fit the playing quarterback's style. Against SMU, it appeared Wake was running plays tailored to Robby Ashford's style, putting Purdie in awkward positions—particularly on QB draws. It's worth noting that Purdie's fumble was on a quarterback run.

If the Demon Deacons fire on all (or most) cylinders and beat Florida State, they will be in a prime position to get ranked when they travel to play the Virginia Cavaliers on Nov. 8. But that's the thing: the Deacs need to first put a complete game together and upset the vengeful Seminoles on their Homecoming weekend.