Trey Benson scores 80-yard touchdown, outruns Wake Forest defense in first half

Florida State‘s Trey Benson took basic halfback screen and went the distance. Covering 80 yards as he weaved his way around the Wake Forest defense, he outran everybody on his way to the end zone.

The Demon Deacon defense had Benson dead to rights with three defenders surrounding him 30 yards into his touchdown reception. A shifty move to the inside with big, athletic blockers in front helped him get past the opposing secondary.

The play covered 80 yards, and at the time — Wake Forest only had 81 total yards of offense to that point in the game. Benson’s touchdown gave Florida State a 24-7 lead before the end of the first half — but FSU wasn’t done there. A Keon Coleman touchdown reception (his second of the game) gave Jordan Travis his fourth touchdown of the first half.

Jared Verse shaken up in first quarter, returns in second

Florida State‘s preseason All-American EDGE Jared Verse has gone to the locker room with the Seminoles’ training staff vs. Wake Forest. 

Verse was shaken up during the first quarter during a play on second down and the training staff appeared to tend to his eye. He was tended to by training staff while on a knee and walked off the field on his own before the training staff escorted him to the locker room.

Florida State led Wake Forest 10-0 at the end of the first quarter, but Verse exited the game with his ‘Noles up 7-0. Quarterback Jordan Travis took a 13-yard rush into the end zone during FSU’s opening drive of the game to break the opening tie. 

Verse re-emerged from the locker room with his helmet during a second-quarter FSU offensive drive — a good sign that he would return to the game. He was on the field and disrupting the pocket on the ensuing defensive drive.

The ‘Noles were down in numbers in the first place entering Saturday’s matchup. Star receiver Johnny Wilson, Destyn Hill and Hykeem Williams, did not participate in the team’s warmups prior to the Wake Forest game on Saturday morning and appear to be out. The last thing FSU needs is to be down its preseason All-American EDGE rusher.

Wilson has dealt with injuries throughout the season, missing a few games. He missed the team’s second contest against Southern Miss, then missed the Syracuse game two weeks ago with an injury. He returned last weekend against Duke, but then he suffered a leg injury that knocked him out of that contest.

Wilson has been a major receiving threat for quarterback Jordan Travis when healthy. He has logged 25 catches for 415 yards and two touchdowns on the season.