AP

Hartman, No. 22 Wake Forest beat No. 23 Florida State 31-21

Oct 1, 2022, 4:30 AM | Updated: 6:48 pm

Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman (10) runs out of the pocket in the first half of an NCAA colleg...

Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman (10) runs out of the pocket in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Florida State Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Phil Sears)

(AP Photo/Phil Sears)


              Chief Osceola, aboard Renegade, plants the spear in the first half of an NCAA college football game between Florida State and Wake Forest, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Phil Sears)
            
              Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson reacts in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Florida State, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Phil Sears)
            
              Florida State wide receiver Malik McClain (11) congratulates receiver Mycah Pittman (4) after he scored a touchdown in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Wake Forest, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Phil Sears)
            
              Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman (10) runs out of the pocket in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Florida State Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Phil Sears)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla (AP) — Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson knew his players were down after a double-overtime loss to Clemson last week.

He also knew they had put it behind them by the time they took the field for another top-25 matchup with Florida State.

Sam Hartman threw for 234 yards and two touchdowns, Justice Ellison ran for 114 yards and a touchdown and No. 22 Wake Forest beat the No. 23 Seminoles 31-21 on Saturday.

“That was a great, gutty, incredible team win,” Clawson said. “Last week was a soul crusher and I certainly had concerns with our ability to get them back. They just put in a great week of work and prepared, and came down here expecting to win.”

Wake Forest (4-1, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) looked focused early, scoring touchdowns on three straight drives after an opening punt. The Demon Deacons ran for 171 yards, their most against an FBS opponent in 2022, while Hartman connected with eight receivers. A.T. Perry led the way with eight receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown.

The Demon Deacons also converted 7 of 11 third downs and 2 of 2 fourth downs in the first half as they grabbed a 21-7 halftime lead.

“That’s huge,” Hartman said. “We take pride on that. We take pride on staying on schedule.”

Jordan Travis connected with Mycah Pittman on touchdown receptions of 18 and six yards as the Seminoles opened both halves with TD drives. Travis completed 23 of 35 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns.

The Seminoles (4-1, 2-1) got within 28-21 with a 58-yard drive in the fourth quarter, which culminated in Travis’ 4-yard TD throw to Johnny Wilson and a two-point pass. But the Demon Deacons responded again with a long drive, ending in Matthew Dennis’ 27-yard field goal to give them a 31-21 lead with 2:55 left.

An Oregon transfer, Pittman had career bests with five receptions and 85 yards.

Florida State’s offense had its moments, but Travis’ fumble gave Wake a short field and set up a Demon Deacons touchdown. Another Seminoles drive set up Ryan Fitzgerald for a 29-yard field-goal attempt, which he missed. Florida State also started a drive at its 45 with the benefit of a long kickoff return but went three-and-out.

“Disappointed,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “I thought our guys, especially there in the first half, really started almost pressing when we had a little bit of adversity that showed up, did a lot of uncharacteristic things, uncharacteristic mistakes showing up. Way too many penalties. Turnovers, balls were in jeopardy. You look at the third-down situations on both sides, they did a really good job in those critical down situations. I think they were 13 out of 21 of third and fourth downs.”

THIRD-DOWN SUCCESS

Wake Forest had been converting just 41% of its third-down opportunities coming into the game, while FSU’s third-down stop rate was 31.5%.

The Demon Deacons flipped the script and used those third-down conversions to build lengthy scoring drives. Wake had touchdown drives of 80, 90, 75 and 39 (a short field off the Travis fumble) and also a final 66-yard drive that took 6 1/2 minutes off the clock and resulted in Dennis’ 27-yard field goal with 2:55 to go.

CLIMBING ACC CHARTS

Hartman moved into fifth place on the ACC’s career list with 10,462 passing yards.

TAKEAWAYS

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons put together touchdown drives of 80, 90 and 75 yards, with a final 71-yard drive that resulted in a field goal. Wake also converted 10 of 18 third downs for the game.

Florida State: The Seminoles could not overcome a season-high 11 penalties and a fumble by Travis, which set Wake up with a short field and resulted in a touchdown in the second quarter.

UP NEXT

Wake Forest: Hosts Army next Saturday.

Florida State: Travels to No. 10 North Carolina State next Saturday.

___

More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap_top25. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

1 year ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

1 year ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

1 year ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

1 year ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

1 year ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

1 year ago

Hartman, No. 22 Wake Forest beat No. 23 Florida State 31-21