By Fitzgerald Cecilio

Tallahassee, FL

Running back Chris Thompson collected a career-high 197 rushing yards and scored two touchdowns in the first half as No. 5 Florida State opened its ACC campaign with a 52-0 beating of Wake Forest Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium.

It was the worst defeat for Wake Forest against a conference foe since suffering a 72-13 setback at the hands of the Seminoles in 1995.

Thompson scored back-to-back touchdowns to open the second quarter to give the Seminoles (3-0, 1-0 ACC) a commanding 28-0 lead. He completed a 74-yard run for a score in the 13th minute mark before adding another touchdown after an 80-yard rush three minutes later.

Thompson's 197 first-half rushing yards, which he accomplished on just nine carries, sits as the most rushing yards in a first half in Seminoles' history and 10th highest single-game rushing total in school history .

It was Thompson's fourth career 100-yard rushing game and his first 100-yard rushing game since the December 31, 2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl when he rushed for 147 yards in a 26-17 victory over South Carolina.

Quarterback EJ Manuel threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns behind a 15-of-24 accuracy and showed his rushing prowess with 48 yards and a rushing touchdown for the Seminoles, who beat Murray State and Savannah State to start the year.

Kenny Shaw and Rodney Smith caught a touchdown apiece as Florida State accumulated 612 yards of total offense compared to just 126 by the Demon Deacons.

Playmaker Tanner Price was limited to 82 passing yards on just 8-of-22 completions for the Demon Deacons (2-1, 1-1 ACC), who posted narrow wins over Liberty and North Carolina to kick off the season.

After catching 13 passes last week, wide receiver Michael Campanaro only had two catches for eight yards as he was bothered by the Seminoles' defense.

Florida State improved to 2-1 in ACC openers under head coach Jimbo Fisher and 3-0 in ACC home openers, outscoring opponents, 124-16.

The Seminoles improved to 15-6 all-time in ACC openers as the 52 points sits as the third most scored to open league play in 21 all-time games. The 52 points are the most in an ACC opener since 2001 when FSU defeated Duke, 55-13.

 

Thompson Powers Florida State Past Wake Forest in 52-0 Rout