Wake Forest
Demon Deacons

? Wake Forest has three consecutive winning seasons, so that string is at stake as well with a 4-6 overall record. The Deacons have lost their last three games by a total of seven points, with one of those in overtime.

? "Our guys are beyond pats on the back," coach Jim Grobe said. "Having people pat you on the back for playing good teams close doesn't cut it much anymore."

? ?The game against Florida State comes a week before an open date on the schedule. It would be a difficult period to have to wait an extra week before the finale if the Demon Deacons lose to Florida State and then must come to grips with a mostly meaningless game at Duke after a bye.

? "We really don't have as much of a want to win as a need to win," Grobe said. "It puts a lot of pressure on our players, a lot of pressure on our coaches."

--Wake Forest's seniors need one more victory to become the winningest class in school history. They have 32 victories at this point. Saturday's game against Florida State is Senior Day for 22 players in their final season with the program.

SERIES HISTORY: Florida State leads 21-5-1, but Wake Forest has won the last three meetings. Those three victories have come by a combined score of 66-24. Wake Forest is aiming to become the first ACC team to defeat Florida State in four consecutive seasons. The Demon Deacons own only one home victory against Florida State since the Seminoles joined the ACC.

SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: The Demon Deacons have suggested they've put in a game plan with some wrinkles against Florida State. The Demon Deacons don't want to miss out on a chance to take advantage of holes in Florida State's vulnerable defense. The running game hasn't done much in some games for the Demon Deacons, and they might look to improve that part of the offense. But when it comes down to it, the Demon Deacons will want to stick to a high degree with their passing game. Wake Forest has quite a few seniors on the offensive side playing their final home game. Don't be surprised if the Demon Deacons pull out a few of their gadget plays in this one because they usually have quite a few tricks on the list of plays.

SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: This is an evolving assignment because of Florida State's changing situation at quarterback with QB Christian Ponder out of the game with an injury. Wake Forest has gone back and forth in recent weeks in having to defend run-oriented teams and pass-oriented teams. Now, the Demon Deacons will face a backup quarterback. They've lost games against Boston College and Navy using new quarterbacks, so there's no automatic benefit from this arrangement.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "This is something new to me. Having our back against the wall hopefully is going to bring out the best in us." -- C Russell Nenon, whose team must win its final two games or else the program's school-record streak of bowl appearances will end at three years.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

LB Dominique Midgett -- He brings all sorts of emotion to the field, and that could be heightened for the senior's final home game. He has averaged more than eight tackles per outing in the last four games.

QB Riley Skinner -- He's within striking distance of holding the best completion percentage in ACC history. He's at .6687 compared to former Virginia QB Matt Schaub's mark of .6697. He's never lost to Florida State in three previous starts. This is his last appearance in a home game -- a far cry from a late-game emergency fill-in at the end of a victory against visiting Syracuse in the 2006 season opener, followed the next week by his first career start against visiting Duke.

WR Marshall Williams -- He had a bit of a midseason slide after a few strong games. He has picked that up again the past two games with 13 total catches and 192 receiving yards. But he has gone four games without a touchdown, making him overdue in that category.

ROSTER REPORT:

--OT Jeff Griffin will make his 40th career start in the home finale against Florida State. He said the senior class helped set the tone a few years ago for the program's turnaround. "The legacy is going to live on," Griffin said.

--TE Cameron Ford has a high-ankle sprain that could keep him out the rest of the season. He's out for the home finale against Florida State. Ford had played some solid football prior to the injury, coach Jim Grobe said.

--DT Boo Robinson suffered a back injury at Georgia Tech. He has missed practice at the beginning of the week, and his status for Senior Day against Florida State is uncertain. He was good against Georgia Tech, participating in a season-high nine tackles.