NCAAF Game Preview - Florida State at Clemson
Sat Oct 12, 2019 3:30 PM EDT

Bama
47
TxAM
28
F
FlaSt
14
Clem
45
F
SCar
20
UGA
17
F(1OT)
Fla
28
LSU
42
F
Okla
34
Tex
27
F
MSU
0
Wisc
38
F
USC
27
ND
30
F
PSU
17
Iowa
12
F
Colo
3
Oreg
45
F
Hawaii
37
Boise
59
F
Utah
52
OreSt
7
F
Mich
42
Ill
25
F
WaSt
34
AzSt
38
F
Lou
62
Wake
59
F
UVA
9
MiaFL
17
F
TxTch
30
Bayl
33
F(1OT)
Mem
28
Temp
30
F
Cin
38
Hou
23
F
App
17
ULLaf
7
F
Syr
10
NCSt
16
F
ULMon
24
TxSt
14
F
ColSt
35
NM
21
F
MiaOH
16
WestMI
38
F
Toled
7
BGSU
20
F
MissSt
10
Tenn
20
F
MD
14
Purd
40
F
Rut
0
Ind
35
F
GATec
23
Duke
41
F
JacSt
28
E Il
20
F
Vill
24
JMU
38
F
Ball
29
E Mi
23
F
OD
17
Marsh
31
F
Lamar
20
SamHu
17
F(2OT)
NMS
28
C Mi
42
F
NIU
39
Ohio
36
F
Kent
26
Akr
3
F
BYU
23
SoFL
27
F
UConn
7
Tul
49
F
SJSU
38
NEV
41
F
UNLV
34
Vand
10
F
IASt
38
WVU
14
F
URI
17
VaTec
34
F
MidTN
13
FlAtl
28
F
GASt
31
CoCar
21
F
UAB
33
UTSA
14
F
Fres
24
AF
43
F
Army
8
W Ky
17
F
NorTx
27
SMiss
45
F
Miss
27
MIZ
38
F
UMass
21
LT
69
F
UNCC
23
FLInt
48
F
Navy
45
Tuls
17
F
Neb
7
MIN
34
F
Ark
20
KY
24
F
Wyo
22
SDSU
26
F
Wash
51
Ariz
27
F
Florida St.-Clemson Preview
Fri Oct 11, 2019 10:22 AM

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) Cam Akers doesn't plan to leave any crumbs on his plate this season.

Florida State's dynamic tailback is second in Atlantic Coast Conference rushing and leads the league with seven touchdowns on the ground this season. Akers and the Seminoles (3-2, 2-1 ACC) hope to keep that going Saturday against No. 2 Clemson (5-0, 3-0), a team they haven't beaten since 2014.

Akers, a junior, has also struggled against the defending national champions. He's run for just 47 yards on 23 carries in two games, both losses, to the Tigers the previous two seasons.

The Seminoles hope that will be different this time around. Akers believes he's put in the work to ensure success against any opponent.

"Just knowing, will and determination, trying to get every crumb," Akers said. "Every play trying to get every crumb."

He's left very few scraps for anyone else this season. Akers ran for three touchdowns (one shy of the school record) in a victory over Louisville three weeks ago, then capped a 31-13 win against North Carolina State with a 41-yard TD run to lock things up in the final quarter.

Akers is seeing things turn around for Florida State under second-year coach Willie Taggart.

"I think it's something that's been a collective effort and a collective thing that we've been doing over time," Akers said. "It hasn't been something just happened and it's starting to show now."

Clemson is seeking to extend its program record 20-game winning streak and beat the Seminoles for a fifth straight season, something it has never done.

The Tigers dropped a spot in the rankings after their last game on Sept. 28, needing a dramatic stop on a two-point conversion to escape North Carolina with a 21-20.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney was proud of his players for the win, but has spent the team's bye week, tightening up execution and correcting mistakes. He knows that Akers will be gunning for the Tigers.

"He's a physical guy so you better match that mindset or he's going to bloody your nose," Swinney said.

Some other things to know when Florida State plays No. 2 Clemson:

"ROY" BUS BACK

The Clemson coach dusted off his "ROY" bus metaphor where "ROY" stands for "Rest Of Y'all." He used it last season, saying there was one college football bus for top-ranked Alabama and one for everyone else, or the "Rest of Y'all." But the defending national champs fell from No. 1 two weeks ago with the Crimson Tide taking their place. "We're back on the `ROY' bus, man," he said. "Here we go."

DUAL QUARTERBACKS

Florida State coach Willie Taggart said both James Blackman and Alex Hornibrook will play quarterback against Clemson. Blackman is start, back after missing the North Carolina State win with injury.

FAST STARTERS

Both Clemson and Florida State have gotten off to fast starts this season. The Tigers are outscoring opponents 119-26 in the first half. The Seminoles are almost as strong with a 107-49 advantage over opponents in the first 30 minutes.

STREAKY TEAMS

Clemson has not lost since falling in the 2017 College Football Playoff semifinals, a run of 20 straight. Florida State's win over North Carolina State two weeks ago gave the Seminoles back-to-back ACC victories for the first time since 2016.

OFF WEEK

Clemson's Swinney joked about football coaches spending their downtime immersed in football. "Dentists who get a weekend off and sit around and work on somebody's teeth," he said. "But football coach is a weird job. You get a weekend off and what do you do? You watch football."

---

Associated Press writer Bob Ferrante contributed to this report from Tallahassee, Florida.

---

More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25

Team Record Comparison

Florida State Clemson
Standings
Rec
Away/Home
Streak
--%>