Florida State Seminoles vs. Duke Blue Devils Pick & Prediction OCTOBER 18th 2024

Preview and Prediction

Throughout the majority of the first half of the season, Florida State has been attempting to rebound from defeats.

Now, Duke enters the scene fresh off their first loss.

The two teams will face off in a Friday night game in the Atlantic Coast Conference at Durham, N.C.

Duke (5-1, 1-1 ACC) has not played since their 24-14 defeat against Georgia Tech on October 5th. The Blue Devils have yet to secure a win against Florida State in their 22 meetings.

Head coach Manny Diaz of Duke stated that the break in their schedule came at an opportune time for his team to regroup.

"Our players were able to rejuvenate themselves as much as possible in the middle of October," Diaz said.

Florida State (1-5, 1-4), who have lost their last two games, have had the same amount of time between games as Duke. This will be the Seminoles' second true away game, after their 42-16 loss to SMU on September 28th.

"It's always beneficial to have a fresh start," said Seminoles safety K.J. Kirkland. "It also gave us the opportunity to better scout our opponent."

Kirkland and his teammates have taken a close look at Duke's quarterback, Maalik Murphy, who has thrown for 1,431 yards and 14 touchdowns with only five interceptions this season.

"That quarterback is quite impressive," Kirkland commented. "He has a strong arm. They also have a strong running game. They are a well-rounded team."

Florida State's offense is in need of a boost. They have not scored more than 16 points in a game since their season opener, a 24-21 loss to Georgia Tech in Dublin.

Head coach Mike Norvell is attempting to change things up, so the Seminoles have decided to forgo playing music during practice leading up to the Duke game.

"We cannot control the atmosphere, but we can control ourselves," Norvell stated. "We control our actions. We wanted to mix things up a bit. We want to make sure we bring the necessary energy on every single play."

The Seminoles will have a young offense, with redshirt freshman quarterback Brock Glenn leading the way. There may be four other freshmen or redshirt freshmen in the starting lineup on offense.

Diaz noted that Florida State seems to have found inspiration in Glenn, who became the starter in their game against Clemson on October 5th. In that game, he threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns, with only one interception.

"More than anything, it seems like the team has rallied behind him with fire and energy," Diaz said.

Last October, Florida State defeated Duke 38-20 in Tallahassee, Florida, scoring 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.

PREDICTION

Florida State Seminoles

Duke Blue Devils