It's Deacs vs. 'Noles

The games before the game will have been played by the time No. 18 Wake Forest and No. 24 Florida State meet at 7 p.m. today at Doak Campbell Stadium in the ACC opener for both teams.

By then, it won't be that big of a deal whether quarterback Christian Ponder of the Seminoles guaranteed a victory or safety Chip Vaughn of the Deacons celebrated last year's victory over the Seminoles by brandishing a T-shirt alluding to FSU that read "Conquered."

And it probably won't mean all that much that the Deacons have beaten the Seminoles two years in a row, or that they drubbed the Seminoles 30-0 in 2006 in the only home shutout in Coach Bobby Bowden's 32-plus years as head coach.

Long before tonight's kickoff, Coach Jim Grobe of Wake Forest had tired of all the outrage -- faux or otherwise -- from fans on both sides.

Enough, he said Tuesday, was enough.

"I've got an idea there will be plenty of motivation on both sides," Grobe said. "And I think it will all boil down to just playing good football."

Since 2005, Wake Forest has been playing better football than Florida State, a development that could be seen as a seismic shift along the landscape of not just the ACC, but also of college football. The Deacons are 22-7 over the past two seasons and two games. The Seminoles, national champions in 1993 and 1999, are 16-12.

Both teams are 2-0 this season, although the Seminoles have yet to play a team in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Florida State walloped Western Carolina 69-0 and Chattanooga 46-7. Wake Forest defeated Baylor 41-13 and Mississippi 30-28.

Grobe said he saw enough in FSU's video against its two Southern Conference opponents to expect a resurgence.

That's why Grobe found no fault with The Associated Press poll that promoted the Seminoles to No. 24 despite their less-than-demanding early-season schedule. Florida State will still be playing without 10 to 12 players suspended for academic misconduct but will be strengthened by the return of receiver Parker Preston and defensive tackle Budd Thacker from suspensions.

"I think everybody understands that every year they bring in the best recruits in the country," Grobe said. "Nobody is getting better recruits. They've got great talent. I think everybody understands that when they put it together, they're going to be really hard to beat.

"They probably get a lot of respect because people know how talented they are. And they get a lot of respect because they've done it before."

The Deacons haven't played since Sept. 6, when Sam Swank kicked a 41-yard field goal to beat Ole Miss. They practiced three times last week, took Sunday off, and then reverted back to a normal week of practice Monday.

Grobe said he can only hope that the Deacons have made strides since they last played.

"I just don't think we can go down to Tallahassee and win if we don't play better," Grobe said. "It's not going to happen. We've got to make some improvements, or we won't play very well."

One pressing area of concern is the rushing attack, which has produced only 237 yards in the first two games. Quarterback Riley Skinner has compensated by completing 59 of 79 passes for 487 yards and five touchdowns. He hasn't thrown an interception.

"I've never been in a position where the (passing) game was better than the run game," Grobe said. "But that's just where we are right now. We're throwing it better than we are running it. And we are beating our head against the wall trying to run it better.

"Hopefully we will (tonight). I don't know."

Ponder, a sophomore, has supplanted senior Drew Weatherford at quarterback. In his first two career starts, he completed 24 of 39 passes for 376 yards and six touchdowns. He, too, has yet to throw an interception.

Although Ponder is more mobile than Weatherford, Grobe said he hasn't noticed a dramatic difference in the Seminoles' offensive scheme.

But he has noticed in his previous trips here just how hard it can be to win in Doak Campbell Stadium. He can only imagine what it will be like for a team returning two years after handing the Seminoles one of their worst losses in years.

"You've got to go in there with a real focus, and you've got to realize it's going to be a tough environment," Grobe said. "But it's still just about blocking and tackling and playing good football. You've got to go in there with that mentality.

"No matter how crazy it gets, you've got to play good football."

■ Dan Collins can be reached at 727-7323 or at dcollins@wsjournal.com.