ABOUT THE OPPONENT
Clemson improved to 3-1 in the ACC last Saturday with a 42-30 win at Maryland. Quarterback Woodrow Dantzler, starting for an injured Brandon Streeter, had an impressive outing as he rushed for 183 yards and threw for 252 more against the Terps. Against ranked teams this season, the Tigers are 1-1 with a win over Virginia and a loss to Virginia Tech.

CLEMSON QUICK FACTS

THE SERIES
Florida State leads the all-time series 10-2. The Seminoles have won all seven games since joining the ACC in 1992. Clemson's last victory came in 1989 when the Tigers handed FSU its second straight loss of the season, 34-23. FSU is 5-0 against Clemson in Death Valley. The two teams' first meeting in 1970 was a 38-13 Seminole win in Tallahassee.

FSU'S RECORD SUCCESS THIS DECADE
Florida State became the all-time winningest team of any decade in NCAA history with Saturday's win over Wake Forest. The Seminoles are 104-13-1 this decade and have the nation's best winning percentage (.886). Nebraska is second at 102-15-1 with Florida checking in at number three with a record of 99-19-1. Only four others before the current runs of FSU and Nebraska in the 1990's had recorded 100+ wins in a decade in college football history - Nebraska (103-20, 1980-89), Brigham Young (102-26, 1980-89), Oklahoma (102-13-3, 1970-79), Alabama (103-16-1, 1970-79). Only teams to compete at the Div. IA level for the entire decade were considered.

BOBBY BOWDEN AT A GLANCE

1999 CLEMSON STATISTICAL LEADERS

Brandon Streeter    82-120, 802 yds. (2 TD, 4 INT)
Woodrow Dantzler    50-85, 724 yds. (3 TD, 2 INT)

Receiving

Rod Gardner     44-589 yds. (1 TD)
Brian Wofford   34-433 yds. (3 TD)
Mal Lawyer      21-195 yds. (1 TD) 
Travis Zachery  12-127 yds.
Justin Watts    10-111 yds.

Rushing

Travis Zachery     96-383 yds. (7 TD)
Woodrow Dantzler   50-282 yds. (2 TD)
Javis Austin       31-101 yds. (1 TD)

1999 FLORIDA STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS

Chris Weinke    137-224-1981 yds. (15 TD, 8 INT)
Marcus Outzen     8-18-101 yds. (1 INT)

Receiving

Peter Warrick      36-508 yds. (4 TD)
Ron Dugans         23-407 yds. (1 TD)
Germaine Stringer   8-177 yards (1 TD)
Atrews Bell         8-138 yds. (3 TD)
Talman Gardner      7-123 yds.
Marvin Minnis       8-102 yds.
Anquan Boldin       8-93 yds. (2 TD)
Jeff Chaney         4-81 yds.

Rushing

Travis Minor    110-540 yds. (5 TD) 
Nick Maddox      26-96 yds.
Peter Warrick     7-85 yds. (2 TD)
Jeff Chaney      24-79 yds. (1 TD)
Dan Kendra       28-73 yds. (1 TD)
Davy Ford        16-63 yds.

WEINKE SETS NEW CAREER HIGH
Chris Weinke's 354 passing yards against Wake Forest set a new career-best for the junior. Weinke finished 19-of-36 with two touchdowns and one interception. His previous best was a 338-yard outing against UNC last season. He now has five career 300-yard passing games, which puts him in a tie for sixth in the FSU record books for 300-yard games. Weinke could tie the school record for consecutive 300-yard games (three) at Clemson Saturday. Danny Kanell, Peter Tom Willis and Kim Hammond are the only FSU passers to throw for 300 yards in three straight games.

NO PLACE LIKE DOAK
Florida State already owns the nation's longest home unbeaten streak at 45 games and with Florida's 40-39 overtime loss to Alabama earlier this year in Gainesville, FSU now owns the country's longest home win streak at 28. The Seminoles have won 28 in a row in Doak Campbell Stadium. Miami, ranked No. 2 at the time, defeated top-ranked FSU 17-16 on Nov. 16, 1991. Seminole placekicker Gerry Thomas' 34-yard field goal with less than 30 seconds to play sailed wide right, allowing the 'Canes to win that game. Ironically, Florida placekicker Jeff Chandler's extra point attempt in overtime against Alabama missed wide right, giving FSU the nation's longest home winning streak.

PRESEASON NO. 1 FOR FIFTH TIME
Florida State opened the year at the top of the polls for the fifth time in school history. FSU was voted the AP preseason No. 1 in 1988, 1991, 1993 and 1995. In 1993, FSU became just the eighth team to be ranked No. 1 in the preseason and end up as national champion. Oklahoma (1956, '74, '75, '85), Tennessee (1951), Michigan State (1952) and Alabama (1978) were the others.

AYE, AYE CAPTAIN
Coach Bowden's 1999 captains are WR Ron Dugans and OG Jason Whitaker (offense), DT Jerry Johnson and NG Corey Simon (defense) and LB Bobby Rhodes (special teams). Permanent captains are voted on by the team at the end of the season.

OFF TO A FAST START
For the seventh time in the Bobby Bowden era, Florida State has started the season 7-0. Here's a look at those seasons and FSU's record and ranking at the end of the year:

Year  Start  Final Record/AP Rank
1979  11-0           11-1/6th
1991  10-0           11-2/4th
1993   9-0           12-1/1st
1995   7-0           10-2/4th
1996  11-0           11-1/3rd
1997  10-0           11-1/3rd
1999   7-0             ??/??

'NOLES IN PRESEASON MAGAZINES
In the preseason college football magazines, Florida State was picked No. 1 by Lindy's, Street & Smith's, Athlon's and Football News (FSU was No. 2 in the Sporting News and SI with Penn St. No. 1). Peter Warrick, Corey Simon and Sebastian Janikowski were preseason All-America selections across the board. LB Brian Allen, CB Tay Cody, CB Mario Edwards, S Derrick Gibson, DT Jerry Johnson, RB Travis Minor, LB Tommy Polley, DE Jamal Reynolds, DE Roland Seymour, QB Chris Weinke and OG Jason Whitaker were listed on All-ACC preseason teams in at least one of the publications. Below are players rated nationally by position:

Brian Allen
Lindy's No. 18 ILB

Ross Brannon
Sporting News' No. 7 OT

Tay Cody
Lindy's No. 15 CB

Ron Dugans
Lindy's No. 27 WR

Mario Edwards
Sporting News' No. 1 CB
Lindy's No. 17 CB

S. Janikowski
Lindy's No. 1 K
Sporting News' No. 1 K

Jerry Johnson
Lindy's No. 5 DT
Sporting News' No. 7 DT

Travis Minor
Lindy's No. 7 RB
Sporting News' No. 7 RB

Tommy Polley
Lindy's No. 13 OLB

Jamal Reynolds
Lindy's No. 17 DE

Roland Seymour
Lindy's No. 5 DE
Sporting News' No. 3 DE

Corey Simon
Sporting News' No. 1 DT
Lindy's No. 1 DT

Tarlos Thomas
Lindy's No. 11 OT

Peter Warrick
Lindy's No. 1 WR
Sporting News' No. 1 WR

Chris Weinke
Sporting News' No. 6 QB

Also of note in the unit rankings, FSU's wide receivers were rated no lower than third in the country (Street & Smith's No. 1) and the defensive line was picked as the nation's best by Lindy's and Street & Smith's. The only other unit to receive top billing was the offensive line (Sporting News). The offensive backfield's lowest rating was fourth while the secondary's lowest rating was sixth in the preseason magazines.

PASSING INTO THE RECORD BOOKS
At his current pace, Chris Weinke would finish the year with 3,113 passing yards and 24 touchdowns. Those numbers would rank him third all-time in single season passing yardage and fourth all-time in single season touchdown passes. Adding those projected numbers to his career stats would put the junior fifth on both the career passing yardage list (5,682) and the career TD list (45).

WEINKE SETS ACC MARK
Chris Weinke established a new ACC record for consecutive passes without an interception in the Louisiana Tech game. Weinke's touchdown pass to freshman Anquan Boldin tied Matt Blundin's (Virginia) record of 231. The record was broken when Weinke hit Peter Warrick for five yards with 13:15 remaining in the first half. The streak ended at 237 when Weinke was intercepted just before the half. The streak of eight plus games without a pick ranks as one of the most impressive runs in school history. Since throwing six interceptions at NC State last year, Weinke had completed 126 passes in 237 attempts for 2,140 yards and 18 touchdowns without an interception. Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward put together a similar stretch (110-of-160 for 1,278 yards and 11 TD) during the 1993 season. After an INT in the first series at UNC that year, Ward rolled through the next four games before being picked off at Notre Dame.

WARRICK JOINS 3,000 YARD CLUB
Peter Warrick became just the second Seminole to eclipse 3,000 receiving yards against North Carolina. Warrick's 3,091 career yards are second only to Ron Sellers (3,598). Warrick took second place in career TD catches vs. Duke (28) and only needs one to tie E.G. Green for the school record. Warrick is now third in career receptions with 172 and needs 17 to tie Kez McCorvey for second all-time. He currently stands in second place on the school's career list for 100-yard games with 12. He broke a tie with E.G. Green (1994-97) with his third 100-yard game of the season against UNC. Ron Sellers (1966-68) is FSU's all-time leader in the category with 18.

'NOLES MOVING UP IN THE RECORD BOOK

1. Warrick Dunn   3,959
2. Greg Allen     3,769
3. Larry Key      2,953
4. Sammie Smith   2,539
5. Mark Lyles     2,218
6. Sean Jackson   2,132
7. Amp Lee        2,092
8. Travis Minor   2,020

Career Rushing Touchdowns

1. Greg Allen     44
2. Warrick Dunn   37
3. Amp Lee        30
4. Dayne Williams 24
5. Travis Minor   21

Career Passing Yardage

1. Gary Huff      6,378
2. Danny Kanell   6,372
3. Thad Busby     5,916
4. Charlie Ward   5,747
5. Bill Cappleman 4,904
6. Casey Weldon   4,628
7. Chris Weinke   4,550

Career Touchdown Passes

1. Danny Kanell    57
2. Gary Huff       52
3. Charlie Ward    49
4. Thad Busby      46
5. Casey Weldon    41
6. Jimmy Jordan    39
6. Bill Cappleman  39
8. Chris Weinke    36
8. Chip Ferguson   34

Career Receptions

1. Ron Sellers    212
2. Kez McCorvey   189
3. Peter Warrick  172
4. E.G. Green     166
5. Mike Shuman    134

Career Receiving Yards

1. Ron Sellers      3,598
2. Peter Warrick    3,091
3. E.G. Green       2, 920
4. Kez McCorvey     2,660
5. Barry Smith      2,392

Career Touchdown Catches

1. E.G. Green       29
2. Peter Warrick    28
3. Barry Smith      25
4. Andre Cooper     24
5. Ron Sellers      23

Career Scoring

1. Derek Schmidt    393
2. Scott Bentley    326
3. Warrick Dunn     294
4. S. Janikowski    291
5. Greg Allen       278

STRONGEST FSU SQUAD EVER
The 1999 team's hard work in the weight room is documented by the results of summer testing. A record nine Seminoles bench pressed 500 pounds or more with DT Antoine Mirambeau leading the way at 535. OG Justin Amman, OL Donald Heaven, OG Montrae Holland, DT Jerry Johnson, LB Brian Allen, DE Jamal Reynolds, LB Bobby Rhodes and OT Todd Williams were the other eight to reach the 500-lb. plateau. Forty-four 'Noles benched at least 400 pounds.

RICHT FAMILY ADDS TWO
Offensive coordinator Mark Richt and his wife Kathryn had a busy summer as they adopted two orphaned children from the Ukraine. Zach (3) and Anya (2) join Jonathan (9) and David (4) as the two newest members of the Richt family. Richt and the offensive coaches moved their pregame plans up a month so he could join his wife in the Ukraine and complete the adoption process.

DEFENSE CONSISTENTLY AT THE TOP
The Seminoles have ranked among the nation's top 10 in total defense in six of the last eight years, including a No. 1 national ranking last year. FSU has been in the nation's top 10 in rushing defense in seven of the last eight years (No. 1 in 1996, 1997 and No. 2 in 1998). In pass efficiency, the Tribe ranked first nationally last season and has been among the 10 best in five of the last six years. FSU has also ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring defense in four of the last six seasons.

FSU LEADS THE NATION IN 'OTHER' TDS
Florida State's defense and special teams have accounted for five touchdowns in 1999. Sean Key returned an interception 25 yards against UNC for a score for the Seminole defense's fourth touchdown of the season. Peter Warrick followed up with a 75-yard punt return for the special teams' first score of 1999. FSU's five TD's by the defense and special teams leads the country. In 1998, the Florida State defense did not score a touchdown and it had five in 1997.

POLISH POWER
Florida State junior placekicker Sebastian Janikowski, the 1998 Lou Groza Award winner, had hit nine straight field goals before missing from 49 and 52 yards at UNC. He tied an FSU mark with five field goals in the win over NC State and also saved two points by making a tackle on a botched extra point in that game. Against Wake Forest, Janikowski hit four-of-six, missing from 51 and 55 yards, but connecting on a season-long of 52. He has made 29 of his last 35 attempts. Here is a breakdown of his attempts during that span:

Distance      Results
20-29 yards    6-of-6
30-39 yards   11-of-11
40-49 yards   11-of-14 
50+ yards      1-of-4 

WEINKE'S NUMBERS UP OVER LAST YEAR
After seven games, quarterback Chris Weinke has improved his completion percentage, and has thrown more for more yards and touchdown passes, as compared to his stats a year ago after seven games. Here's a look at Weinke after seven games in 1998 & 1999:

Year    Comp.  Att  Pct  Yds   TD  
1998    105    217  48%  1798  14
1999    137    224  61%  1981  15

40-30 CLUB
Florida State has scored 40 points and won by at least 30 points at least once against every ACC team in its eight seasons in the league. Thirty of the Seminoles' 59 wins as league members have come by at least 30 points and they have scored at least 40 points in 37 of 61 ACC games. Here is a breakdown of 40-point games and 30-point plus wins against each ACC school:

              40-Point Games  30-Point Wins
Clemson       3 (in 7 gms.)   3 (in 7 gms.)
Duke          8 (8)           5 (8)
Ga. Tech      5 (8)           5 (8)
Maryland      6 (7)           5 (7)
No. Carolina  1 (8)           1 (8)
NC State      5 (8)           5 (8)
Virginia      4 (7)           1 (7)
Wake Forest   5 (8)           5 (8)

ACC LEADS NATIONAL TV RATINGS
Over the last two years, the Atlantic Coast Conference has reached a new level of popularity among college football television viewers across the country. In 1997, the ACC had the highest rated game on ESPN (FSU vs. UNC), CBS (FSU vs. Florida) and NBC (Ga. Tech vs. Notre Dame). In 1998, the ACC had the two highest rated games on ABC (FSU vs. Florida and FSU vs. Texas A&M), the highest rated ESPN Thursday night telecast (Virginia vs. Auburn) and the highest rated ESPN Saturday prime time telecast (Ga. Tech vs. FSU).

FLORIDA STATE AND THE NFL
Over the last five years, FSU has had nine players selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. During that time, 34 Seminoles have been drafted. With just four players drafted last year, the 1999 squad is loaded with players who will likely fill NFL rosters for years to come. NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr., rated seven FSU seniors among the top 15 at their respective positions with Peter Warrick leading the way as the No. 1 ranked wide receiver. Eight juniors were rated among the top 10 at their positions for the 2001 NFL Draft. Chris Weinke and Sebastian Janikowski were the top rated QB and K in the country among the underclassmen.

FSU IN THE WEEKLY AP POLL
Since the middle of the 1989 season, Florida State has been ranked in the Associated Press Top 10 in 162 of the 167 weekly polls. Of the last 147 polls (11/12/90), the Seminoles have been out of the AP Top 10 just twice. Additionally, FSU has been at No. 1 for a total of 50 weeks.

POLLEY NAMED TO BUTKUS WATCH LIST
Junior weakside linebacker Tommy Polley was one of 65 players on the preliminary Butkus Award list. Polley was fifth on the team with 59 total tackles in 1998, had five tackles for loss and an interception. In the Butkus Award's 14-year history, FSU has had two winners (Paul McGowan - 1987 and Marvin Jones - 1992).

SEMINOLE CLOTHING POPULAR
Listed below are results from the ESPN Chilton Sports Poll, that surveyed kids ages 12-17 from June 1998 to July 1999 and asked them which college team's logo clothing they owned.

1. North Carolina  9.5%
2. Michigan        6.2%
3. Notre Dame      4.8%
4. Florida State   3.1%  
5. Duke            3.0%

COLLEGES PRODUCING THE MOST FIRST-ROUND NFL PICKS SINCE 1989

1. Florida State 15
2. Miami         14
2. Ohio State    14
2. Tennessee     14
5. Florida       13
6. Notre Dame    12
7. USC           11

IN THE RANKINGS

Team            USA Today/ESPN  AP
Florida State          1         1
Penn State             2         2
Nebraska               3         3
Virginia Tech          4         4
Tennessee              5         5
Florida                6         6
Kansas State           7         7
Georgia Tech           8         8
Michigan               9         9   
Texas A&M             10        13
Mississippi State     11        12
Alabama               12        10
Michigan State        13        11
Georgia               14        14
Marshall              15        15
Wisconsin             16        17
Purdue                17        16
Texas                 18        18
Brigham Young         19        19  
East Carolina         20        20
Southern Mississippi  21        21
Ohio State            22        22
Miami (Fla.)          23        23
Syracuse              24        NR
Minnesota             25        24
Mississippi           NR        25

WEINKE FOR 200
With his 16th career 200-yard passing game vs. Wake Forest, Chris Weinke needs just one more 200-yard game to tie Charlie Ward's record of 17.

CODY, EDWARDS & THORPE
Cornerbacks Tay Cody and Mario Edwards are two of the 37 defensive backs on the Jim Thorpe Award 'watch list.' FSU is one of just three schools to have two players mentioned (Nebraska and Tennessee). Two 'Noles have won the Thorpe Award - Deion Sanders (1988) and Terrell Buckley (1991).

MINOR, SIMON AND WHITAKER MENTIONED
There are several other Seminoles on the preliminary national award lists. RB Travis Minor (Doak Walker), NG Corey Simon (Bronko Nagurski & Outland) and OG Jason Whitaker (Outland) have been recognized on the preseason award releases. Coach Bowden is the keynote speaker at the Bronko Nagurski Award in December.

SEMINOLES 34-4 AT AP NUMBER ONE
FSU holds a 34-4 record when ranked the No. 1 team in the AP Poll. The first loss, which came in FSU's first game as the nation's top team, was a 31-0 season-opening defeat at Miami in 1988. The Seminoles also lost to Miami (1991), Notre Dame (1993) and Florida (1996) while in the top spot.

FIRST BLOCK IN OVER A YEAR
Florida State blocked its first kick of any kind in over a year last Saturday against Miami when Tommy Polley blocked a field goal. It was the 20th blcoked kick in the Bowden era (since 1976) and the sixth blocked kick of the 1990s. The Seminoles blocked a field goal against Maryland last year.

SIMON ONE OF 12 LOMBARDI SEMIFINALISTS
All-American noseguard Corey Simon is one of 12 semifinalists for the 1999 Rotary Lombardi Award - given annually to the nation's top lineman. Through six games this season, Simon is third on the team with 50 tackles (27 solo) and leads the team with nine tackles for loss. He also has three pass break-ups and two sacks. The only Seminole to win the Lombardi was linebacker Marvin Jones in 1992.

1998 STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE (IN TERMS OF OPP. WINNING PERCENTAGE*)

   Team      Opp. Rec.   Pct.
1. Auburn    74-34       .685
2. Missouri  66-36       .647
3. FSU       74-43       .632
4. USC       76-46       .623
5. LSU       65-41       .613

RECORDS IN THE 1990s (PERCENTAGE*)

   Team        W-L-T   Pct.
1. FSU       104-13-1  .886
2. Nebraska  102-15-1  .869
3. Florida    99-19-1  .836
4. Tennessee  94-20-2  .819
5. Marshall  107-25-0  .811

BLOCKED KICKS IN THE BOWDEN ERA

1999  10/9   Miami        Blocked FG
1998  10/3   Maryland     Blocked FG
1997  11/8   UNC          Blocked Punt
      11/1   NC State     Blocked Punt
1996  11/30  Florida      Blocked Punt
       9/28  UNC          2 Blocked Punts
                          Blocked FG
       9/19  NC State     Blocked Punt
1995  11/25  Florida      Blocked Punt
      11/11  UNC          2 Blocked Punts
                          Blocked Extra Pt.
      11/23  UCF          Blocked FG
      11/9   Clemson      Blocked Punt
1994   9/10  Maryland     Blocked Punt
1992   9/5   Duke         Blocked Punt
1991  10/19  Mid Tenn St  Blocked Punt
1990  12/29  Penn State   Blocked FG
      10/27  LSU          Blocked Punt
       9/15  Ga. South.   Blocked Punt

TOTAL BLOCKED KICKS

1976-1999  67 Blocked Punts, 20 Blocked Kicks
1976-1989  52 Blocked Punts, 14 Blocked Kicks
1990-1999  15 Blocked Punts, 6 Blocked Kicks

CLEMSON TIES
In addition to the Bowden connections, there are several other ties between Florida State and Clemson. Former South Carolina head coach Brad Scott is Clemson's new assistant head coach (tight ends). Scott was FSU's offensive coordinator from 1990-93, helping the Tribe win it all in 1993. Reggie Herring, who lettered at linebacker at FSU from 1978-80, is in his sixth season coaching the linebackers for the Tigers. Rick Stockstill, Clemson's recruiting coordinator/wide receivers coach was Bobby Bowden's team captain in 1981 and teamed with Herring to help FSU to the first two top-10 rankings of the Bowden era. Lastly, Clemson secondary coach Jack Hines played for his future father-in-law, Bobby Bowden, at West Virginia.

REGULAR SEASON WIN STREAK AT 17
Florida State has won 17 consecutive regular season games entering the Wake Forest contest. The Seminoles' last regular season loss was at North Carolina State on Sept. 12 last year. The 17-game regular season run is the third longest mark in school history. FSU won 21 in a row during the regular season from the start of the 1996 campaign to the final game of the 1997 season. Florida State had an 18-game winning streak from Oct. 28, 1978 through Sept. 27, 1980. That streak was stopped at Miami.

DEATH VALLEY LIVES UP TO BILLING
The scores have been closer for Florida State in Death Valley than at any other opponent's stadium in the ACC. Since joining the league in 1992, FSU has won three games at Clemson by an average margin of 10.0 points. The next closest road margin is Virginia (10.3 points), which includes a 1995 victory over the Tribe. The widest margin of victory on the road for FSU comes against Duke. FSU has beaten the Blue Devils in Durham twice by an average score of 31 points.

HOLDING DOWN THE YARDS
Wake Forest's 178 yards of total offense were the fewest for an FSU opponent since the Tribe held Clemson to 129 yards of total offense in 1998.

PILING UP THE POINTS
Under Bobby Bowden, the Seminoles are 103-1 in games in which they score 40 or more points. FSU scored 40 or more points in its first five games before scoring 31 against Miami and 33 against Wake Forest. The Seminoles rank fourth in the country this season in scoring (40.1 points per game). FSU scored 40+ points eight times in the 1993 and 1995 seasons. In the 104 games (dating back to 1976), FSU has:

MINOR BIG AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
Junior tailback Travis Minor has played his best against ranked opponents. In 12 games as a starter against AP Top 25 teams, Minor is averaging 102.6 yards per game. He has a total of six touchdowns in those games and 170 receiving yards on 30 catches. Included in those figures is a 1998 game against USC in which Minor played less than a half after injuring an ankle and rushed for just 19 yards. In six games as a starter against AP Top 10 opponents, Minor is averaging 109.2 yards (6-655) with two scores. Listed below are Minor's numbers in games vs. ranked opponents:

Date      AP Rank/Opponent    Rushing Yds.
11/8/97   #5 North Carolina   30-128
11/22/97  #10 Florida         21-142(1 TD)
1/1/98    #9 Ohio State       12-53
8/28/98   #15 Texas A&M       34-146 (1 TD)
9/26/98   #18 So. California   7-19
10/24/98  #20 Georgia Tech    13-72
11/7/98   #12 Virginia        28-130 (1 TD)
11/21/98  #4 Florida          30-127
1/4/99    #1 Tennessee        15-83
9/11/99   #10 Georgia Tech    22-122 (1 TD)
9/18/99   #20 NC State        16-64 (1 TD)
10/9/99   #19 Miami           25-146 (1 TD)
Totals                       253-1,232 (6 TD)

DEFENSE OUTSCORES NC STATE
The Seminole defense scored its second touchdown of the season when David Warren stripped Jamie Barnette in the endzone and Jamal Reynolds recovered for the score, and their third when Abdual Howard returned an interception 47 yards for a TD against NC State. The last time FSU scored two defensive touchdowns was 1991 against Michigan. In the season opener vs. La. Tech, Theon Rackley returned an interception 10 yards for a TD. Last season, the FSU defense did not record a touchdown. The last time FSU scored off a fumble was Sam Cowart's return at Florida in 1997.

AGAINST THE TOP 25
The Seminoles have been tough on Associated Press Top 25 teams since joing the ACC in 1992. Over that span, FSU is 35-8-1 against ranked foes. Against ACC teams that are ranked, Florida State has posted a 20-1 mark with the only loss coming at No. 24 Virginia, 33-28, in 1995. The Seminoles have won 16 of their last 17 regular season games against ranked teams.

PICKING OFF THE COMPETITION
Florida State leads the ACC and is tied for fourth in the nation with 13 interceptions this season. FSU has had eight different players intercept a pass this year. Safety Derrick Gibson leads the way with three and three others (Sean Key, Tay Cody and Chris Hope) have two apiece. Last season, eight different Seminoles picked off a pass for a total of 18 interceptions. With four games to play this year, FSU is five off of that pace. In 1998, however, FSU was unable to return any of those picks for a touchdown. This year FSU has already returned three for scores.

WAKE FOREST POST-GAME INJURY REPORT

HEAD COACH BOBBY BOWDEN
"The thing last night (against Wake Forest) if there is any frustration it is centered around penalties. Without penalties we probably would have been all right. Too many big plays called back. Too many times putting yourself in a bad situation.

"During the week of practice last week I didn't see the concentration that I did the week before against Miami. I'm sure we know what we're in for this week. Clemson has always played us tough up there.

"I'm so offensive minded. We didn't play well on offense so I thought it (the Wake game) was awful right afterward. But the defense played pretty good. They played well the whole game - if they could eliminate penalities it would have been even better.

"It will be according to what I see when I watch the films as to whether I'm excited about the match-up (father/son). If they look good it will ruin my week.

"They (Clemson's offense) are producing better than I thought they would. Consider that he lost every offensive lineman and now his starting quarterback. They lost 4 or 5 defensive players to the NFL.

"There are so many FSU poeple up there. Brad Scott, Rick Stockstill, Reggie Herring. They've been in my coaches meetings. They've heard what I say to the team. They know what I'm going to say. I've even got a son-in-law up there. Of course he's coaching on the wrong side of the ball for a Bowden, that's why he's a Hines.

"Dantzler is a great athlete. They have a great offensive scheme. We must do something to interrupt it.

"Right now I don't think I'll have a much different feeling (coaching against his son). I'll go watch the film and get scared like always. I'll wonder how in the world we are going to beat them. As the week progresses, you'll find things that might work. The advantage he (Tommy) will have is that he can predict what I'm doing. I've watched Terry's team when he was at Auburn and Tommy at Tulane on television and I could predict a lot of the plays. I'd say 'here comes the reverse.

"We might line up in the same formations, but there is a lot of difference between us and Clemson. We both run the no huddle, but they run it a lot faster. Our defense must be ready for that. Their schemes are a lot different.

"We've got to be careful, Tommy and I both, that it does not become too much of a distraction (father/son match-up). It's really the fact that everybody wants to talk to you. My coaches and players don't care about a family feud.

"No. 300 (wins) sneaks up on you and I bet Joe (Paterno) will tell you the same thing. When you're young, you would never make that (300 wins) a goal. It's too far off, you'd think that 'I'll never reach that.' But it really does sneak up on you."

FSU IN THE ACC & NCAA RANKINGS

INDIVIDUAL 

                                        Per  
                                        Game ACC  NCAA 
Category           Player               Avg. Rank Rank 
Rushing            Travis Minor         77.1  4   -- 
Receiving Yds P/G  Ron Dugans           67.8  6   -- 
Receptions P/G     Ron Dugans           3.8   T5  -- 
Passing Efficiency Chris Weinke         150.4 2    6 
Total Offense      Chris Weinke         272.7 2   19 
                   Travis Minor         83.0  15  -- 
Scoring            Sebastian Janikowski 11.9  1    6 
                   Travis Minor         5.0   16  -- 
All-Purpose Yds.   Travis Minor         83.0  11  -- 
Field Goals        Sebastian Janikowski 2.4   1    2 
Interceptions      Derrick Gibson       0.4   T4  T45 
                   Tay Cody             0.3   T13 -- 
                   Chris Hope           0.3   T13 -- 
                   Sean Key             0.3   T13 -- 
Per Return Avg. 
Punt Returns       Reggie Durden        13.5  1   15 

TEAM 
                           Per  
                           Game  ACC  NCAA 
Category                   Avg.  Rank Rank 
Total Offense              445.6  2   13 
Rushing Offense            140.9  6   63 
Passing Offense            304.7  1   17 
Scoring Offense             40.1  2    4 
Total Defense              308.3  1   23 
Rushing Defense             80.3  1    9 
Passing Efficiency Defense 115.4  4   48 
Scoring Defense             16.7  1   15 
Kickoff Returns             21.1  3   51 
Punt Returns                14.7  1    8 
Net Punting                 38.6  3   26 
1st Downs Per Game(Off.)    24.3  2   -- 
1st Downs Per Game (Def.)   17.3  1   -- 
3rd Down Conversion %(Off.) 42.1  2   -- 
3rd Down Conversion %(Def.) 33.0  3   -- 
Turnover Margin              .71  2   T15 
Sacks Per Game (Def.)        2.8  T3  --