Christian Ponder Delivers: FSU Rolls Wake Forest In Conference Opener
Florida State opened it's conference play against Wake Forest Saturday and it appeared that they finally have found the right formula for success.
Let's take a step back though first; after all it was Wake Forest. That still doesn't discount the win and the defense looked like the defenses of old holding Wake Forest to a total of 185 yards and zero points on the scoreboard.
Christian Ponder finally looked the part of his preseason Heisman campaign. He tallied 243 yards passing with a pair of touchdowns and chipped in a rushing touchdown. He completed passes to 10 different receivers, but the big story was wide receiver Willie Haulstead.
Haulstead had a total of five catches all of last season. He matched that number on Saturday and hauled in two touchdown grabs.
The rushing attack was complementary. Jermaine Thomas was the leading rusher with 88 yards while Ty Jones was right behind him with 64 yards. Neither running back found the endzone, but they helped to keep the offense moving.
Defensively, the unit was perfect.
They held Wake Forest quarterbacks to a total of 82 yards through the air and held the rushing attack to a total of 103 yards for the day. This defense entered the contest leading the country with 13 total sacks, but they added six more on Saturday. They were relentless and looked the part of a new and revamped defense.
The win was bittersweet for the 'Noles considering that only three seasons ago, Wake Forest had beaten them 30-0 on their home field. This makes two wins in a row over the Demon Deacons and although that isn't something of value, the Deacons have had the Seminoles number these past few years and it makes for a big win and shows that this young team isn't looking past anyone.
The 'Noles move to 3-1 on the season and 1-0 in conference play and will now turn their attention to Virginia. While Virginia is in a re-building mode much like the Seminoles, they still will prove to be a much tougher opponent than Wake Forest.
