No. 5 Florida St. hosts Virginia Tech seeking first 5-0 start since 2015

Thu, Oct 5, 2023
NCAAF News (AP)

Virginia Tech (2-3, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) at Florida State (4-0, 2-0), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)

Line: Florida State by 23 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Series record: Florida State leads 23-13-1.

WHAT'S AT STAKE

Other news Purdue visits Iowa for key Big Ten West game;.QB Deacon Hill to make his first start for Hawkeyes Ohio St at Oregon, Penn St at USC highlight Big Ten's first football season as bicoastal conference Horned Frogs begin stretch with 3 of 4 games on the road when they visit Iowa State

No. 5 Florida State looks to extend its winning streak to 11 games and improve to 5-0 for the first time since 2015. The Seminoles are coming off a bye, which follows a pair of nail-biting wins on the road ( Boston College and Clemson ). Virginia Tech snapped a three-game slide with a home victory over Pittsburgh and is seeking its first win over a top-10 opponent in two decades (they knocked off No. 2 Miami 31-7 in 2003).

KEY MATCHUP

Kyron Drones completed 12 of 19 passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns in his first college start, a 38-21 victory over Pittsburgh. But the 6-foot-2, 234-pound Drones also is a threat to run, picking up 41 yards and two rushing TDs. Drones is the likely starter as Grant Wells recovers from injury. Florida State has struggled to contain mobile quarterbacks: LSU's Jayden Daniels (15 carries, 64 yards) and Boston College's Thomas Castellanos (16 carries, 95 yards, 1 TD)

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Virginia Tech: RB Bhayshul Tuten. The North Carolina A&T transfer seems to be finding his footing after a slow start. He picked up 109 yards on 22 carries and, perhaps more importantly, caught four passes for 37 yards, including a 12-yard TD against Pitt.

Florida State: QB Jordan Travis. The redshirt senior was banged up in a win at Boston College on Sept. 16 and then took some hits at Clemson. Following a bye week, Travis has impressed with his arm and legs in practices and appears refreshed while looking to add to his 82 career touchdowns (a school record he set against Clemson).

FACTS & FIGURES

The Seminoles have scored 30 or more points in 10 straight games, the longest active ACC streak ... Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Chris Marve spent two years on Florida State's coaching staff (2020-21). ... Florida State's starting right tackle, Jeremiah Byers, is Drones' half-brother. ... Pitt ran just 46 offensive plays, the fewest allowed by the Hokies in an ACC game since Wake Forest ran 42 in 2010. ... Virginia Tech has scored in 362 consecutive games, the third-longest streak in the nation.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll