TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Chris Thompson scored on runs of 74 and 80 yards
on successive first-half carries to lead No. 5 Florida State to a 52-0
victory over Wake Forest on Saturday.
Thompson, who suffered a broken back at
Wake Forest a year ago that nearly ended his career, had a career-high
197 yards following his 80-yard touchdown run that put the Seminoles
into a 28-0 lead with 9:42 remaining in the first half. And he was done
for the day after nine carries.
His 74-yard touchdown earlier followed a
60-yard punt return TD by Rashad Greene as the Seminoles (3-0, 1-0
Atlantic Coast Conference) led 38-0 at the half.
Thompson has five touchdown runs of more than 70 yards in his Florida State career, including two of over 90 yards.
Florida State's defense, which has
allowed three points this season, held Wake Forest (2-1, 1-1 ACC) to 126
yards. Tanner Price managed only 82 passing yards and Michael Campanaro
had two catches for 8 yards.
Campanaro had caught 22 passes in Wake
Forest's first two games, but was smothered by the Seminole secondary
while Price, who threw for a career-high 327 yards last week in a win
over North Carolina to earn ACC offensive back of the week honors, spent
the afternoon trying to stay upright.
Wake Forest upset the Seminoles 35-30 a
year ago and had won four of the previous six games in the series, but
was no match this time.
Florida State had 357 of its 612 yards
offense by halftime. James Wilder Jr. chipped in with 94 of the
Seminoles' 385 rushing yards. It was the Seminoles most lopsided win
over the Demon Deacons since a 72-13 rout in 1995.
EJ Manuel's 16-yard touchdown run set
up by a 33-yard Thompson gain started the scoring avalanche with 4:28
left in the opening quarter. A minute and 43 seconds later Greene was in
the end zone with his second TD of the season on a punt return.
Manuel retired after throwing his
second touchdown pass, a 19-yard throw to Kenny Shaw, in the final
minute of the third period that gave the Seminoles a 45-0 lead. He
completed 15 of 24 passes for 172 yards and two scores.
Florida State, which hosts 11th-ranked
Clemson next week, has outscored its first three opponents 176-3
although its first two games were against teams from the lower-division
Football Championship Subdivision.
The Seminoles kept the Demon Deacons
pinned down deep in their own territory throughout the first half. Wake
Forest first five offensive possessions started inside its 20, including
two at the five.
It was sixth time Florida State has shut out Wake Forest.
