Preview: Syracuse at Florida State

Syracuse (4-4, 2-2 ACC) at Florida State (2-5, 2-4 ACC)
Game Details: Saturday, Nov. 4 | 12:20 p.m.
Location: Tallahassee, Fla. | Doak Campbell Stadium
Game Links: Tickets | Listen | Watch | Live Stats
Television: ACC Network (Affiliates)
Radio: Syracuse IMG Radio Network
Twitter: @CuseFootball | @Cuse
Syracuse Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Notes
Florida State Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Notes

SYRACUSE N.Y. – Syracuse (4-4, 2-2 ACC) seeks to pick up its first road win and third conference victory of the season when it visits the Sunshine State to take on Florida State (2-5, 2-4, ACC) Saturday, Nov. 4. Kickoff is slated for 12:20 p.m. at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee. The game will be televised on the ACC Network. Syracuse alum Tom Werme (play-by-play), Dave Archer (analyst) and D.J. Shockley (sideline) are on the call.

In their last outing, the Orange came up short in their upset bid at Miami, 27-19. Senior place kicker Cole Murphy converted four field goals, tying his career high. Junior running back Dontae Strickland (105 yards) and junior quarterback Eric Dungey (100 yards) led an Orange ground attack that 264 yards. It marked the first time since the 2014 Maryland game that two Syracuse players ran for 100 yards in the same game.

Florida State is 1-3 over its last four outings, including a 35-3 loss at Boston College last Friday. Florida State only managed 213 yards and 10 first downs in the setback.

REVERSING A TREND
Syracuse has not won a road game yet this season (0-3) and Florida State has not successfully defended its home turf (0-3). This weekend one of those trends will be reversed. The Orange's three road losses have been by an average of 8.3 points a game and have come against teams ranked in this week's AP Top 25 (No. 9 Miami, No. 19 LSU, No. 20 NC State). Those three teams boast a combined record of 19-4.

A RARE DOUBLE
Syracuse can become the first team since North Carolina in 2010 to defeat Clemson and Florida State in the same season with a win this weekend. The Orange have already banked a victory over the Tigers, knocking off Clemson 27-24 at the Carrier Dome on Oct. 13.

When the Tar Heels turned the trick seven years ago, they topped the Tigers 21-16 and beat the Seminoles 37-35. Of note, 2010 was the first year of Jimbo Fisher's tenure at Florida State, while Dabo Swinney was in his second full season at the Clemson helm.

PERFECT 10
Senior wide receiver Steve Ishmael is fourth in the country in receptions of at least 10 yards. Ishmael has 34 grabs of 10+ yards in length this season. By percentage, 51.5 percent (34-66) of his catches in 2017 have covered a minimum of 10 yards.

All four of Ishmael's receiving touchdowns have come from at least 10 yards out. In fact, the average length of his touchdown receptions this season is 24.3 yards, including TD grabs of 35 yards (vs. Pittsburgh) and 30 yards (vs. Clemson).

ABOUT FLORIDA STATE
Florida State is in its eighth season under Fisher. He touts an 80-22 overall record and guided his team to 34-31 victory against Auburn in the 2014 Vizio BCS National Championship Game.

The Seminoles have the ability to influence a game with their special teams. They have blocked two punts on the year, ranking first in conference and fourth nationally. FSU also ranks second in the ACC and seventh in the country with a 26.6 kickoff return average.

Defensively, the Seminoles have been solid against the pass, allowing just 189.1 yards through the air per game. Turnover, however, have severely hampered Florida State's chances for success. FSU has a -10 turnover margin through its first seven games, turning over the ball over 15 times thus far (9 interceptions, 6 fumbles lost) and have taken the ball away from opponents just five times (3 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered). FSU's -1.4 turnover margin per game ranks last in the ACC and 126th nationally.

Freshman quarterback James Blackman has replaced injured starter Deondre Francois, who was lost for the year in Florida State's opener against Alabama. Blackman is 95-of-162 passing for 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns.

Junior defensive end Josh Sweat ranks fifth in the ACC and 28th nationally with 1.4 tackles for loss per game. Twenty-six percent of Sweat's tackles on the year have been behind the line of scrimmage. He leads the Seminoles with 3.5 sacks.

Sophomore kicker Ricky Aguayo ranks second in the ACC and 15th nationally at 1.7 field goals per game. His 80 percent conversion rate also ranks fifth in the conference.

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's matchup is the 11th meeting between Syracuse and Florida State. The Seminoles own a 9-1 advantage in the all-time series and have won the past nine contests. Syracuse faces an unranked Florida State team for just the second time in the series and the first time since the inaugural 1966 pairing.

In last season's meeting, FSU garnered a 45-14 victory. Zack Mahoney threw for 196 yards and two touchdowns for the Orange, while Ervin Philips was the team's top receiver with seven receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown.

UP NEXT
The Orange return home to host Wake Forest on Saturday Nov. 11. It's Military Appreciation Day at the Dome and active service members and veterans are eligible to receive free tickets by signing up at Cuse.com/military prior to Monday, Nov. 6. Tickets for military personnel are $10 the day of the game.

For the general public, tickets to watch the Orange and Demon Deacons start at $30. They are available online (Cuse.com/tickets), by phone (888-DOME-TIX) and at the Carrier Dome Box Office (Gate B).

For complete coverage of Syracuse football, follow us on Twitter (@CuseFootball), Instagram (@CuseFootball) and like us on Facebook (Syracuse Football).

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Players Mentioned

Eric Dungey

Steve Ishmael

Zack Mahoney

Cole Murphy

Ervin Philips

Dontae Strickland

Syracuse University Athletics