Well-rested after its bye week, Duke football welcomes Florida State to Wallace Wade Stadium, hoping for its first ever win against the Seminoles. The Blue Zone provides an overview, stats to watch, X-factors and keys to the game:

Overview 

Overall record: 1-5

Head coach: Mike Norvell

Series history: Florida State leads 22-0

Last meeting: 38-20 Florida State, Oct. 21, 2023

Florida State comes into this meeting with Duke off a bye week following a definitive 29-13 home defeat to Clemson Oct. 5. Ranked inside the top 10 in the nation before the year, expectations were through the roof for the Seminoles entering the 2024 college football season. However, Florida State’s season was quickly derailed in a 24-21 season-opening loss due to a 44-yard field goal from Georgia Tech’s Aidan Birr as time expired, beginning a downturn for the Seminoles. After back-to-back losses to Boston College and Memphis, the team bounced back with a home victory against California, only to stumble again with shattering 42-16 and 29-13 defeats to SMU and Clemson, respectively. Florida State will certainly look to bounce back and pick up a crucial win on the road at Wallace Wade Stadium.

After starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei suffered a finger injury during the Seminoles’ loss to the Mustangs, backup Brock Glenn stepped in as the new first-string signal-caller. In Glenn’s first full game as quarterback this season, the redshirt freshman went 23-of-41 for 228 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. The Covington, Tenn., native will certainly be a player to watch as he leads his offense against the 24th-ranked Blue Devil defense.

Defensively, Florida State relies heavily on junior defensive back Shyheim Brown. The Lake City, Fla., native leads the team this season with 23 solo tackles and has done well to slow down opposing teams’ passing games. Additionally, junior Joshua Farmer has solidified the defensive line by racking up 18 tackles and 2.5 sacks this season. The 6-foot-3, 318-pound lineman will be a formidable force for Duke’s offensive line to contend with. -Ryan Kazerani

Key stat

In general, when playing football, having the ball more helps your chances of winning.

The Blue Devils have been careful with the ball so far this season on offense and ballhawks on defense, a great combination. Quarterback Maalik Murphy has only thrown five interceptions this season, and the team on the whole has lost two fumbles. On the other side of the ball, The Duke defense has ten takeaways, picking five balls up off the turf and five more out of the air.

On the other hand, the Seminoles have turned the ball over a lot, and still been relatively fortunate; having fumbled the football a whopping 11 times and only lost it twice.

Even with good fumble luck, the team has thrown seven interceptions, although erstwhile starter DJ Uiagalelei accounted for six of them. Florida State’s new signal caller, Brock Glenn, has thrown an interception once every 32 attempts of his young career until now, not far off from Uiagalelei’s 1-per-26 mark this season.

However, in the case that Glenn does a good job keeping the ball away from the Blue Devils' defensive backs, the team’s fumbles are still a worry that won’t have been fixed by the quarterback change.

With Florida State’s propensity for giving the ball away and Duke’s penchant for taking it, all signs point to the Blue Devils having the ball more.

And remember — if you have the ball more, you have a better chance of winning. - Myles Powicki

X-Factor

Duke: Sahmir Hagans

Coming out of a bye week, the Blue Devils look to bounce back from a 24-14 loss to Georgia Tech, well-rested and hopefully rejuvenated. Sahmir Hagans, who made an impressive showing in Atlanta, could be someone to keep an eye on as Duke takes on Florida State. The redshirt junior wide receiver’s key 65-yard touchdown in the third quarter against Georgia Tech gave the Blue Devils the lead and looked as though it might initiate the second-half momentum shift Duke had relied on to earn a 5-0 record. Despite the loss, Hagans’ performance proved he could play an important role in both small and explosive drives for the Blue Devil offense. 

The Philadelphia native had three receptions apiece against North Carolina and Middle Tennessee, for 13 and 21 respective total yards. His speed and ability to create separation from defenders contribute to his versatility in short and long plays alike. With Jordan Moore consistently drawing double coverage from opposing defenses, Malik Murphy could increasingly look to Hagans. This could be the shift Duke needs to energize what has been a relatively weak offense, especially compared to the team’s dominant defensive outings. Though the Seminoles have had an abysmal start to the season, they pose a greater threat than most of the opponents the Blue Devils have taken on so far. A dynamic Blue Devil offense will be crucial in securing victory at Wallace Wade Stadium this week.

Florida State: Brock Glenn

Florida State’s redshirt freshman quarterback got his first start of the season last week against Clemson following DJ Uiagalelei’s potentially season-ending hand injury. No one expected the Seminoles to win — and they didn’t — but Glenn’s performance in the 29-13 loss against the then-No.15 Tigers precipitated a glimmer of hope in an otherwise jaded Florida State fanbase.

Glenn holds the title of the first true freshman quarterback to have had his first start in a Power 5 conference championship game in over 20 years, starting in the 2023 ACC Championship game against Louisville. Last week, in his third-ever collegiate start against Clemson, Glenn completed 23-of-41 passes for 228 yards with two touchdowns. In a disastrous season for the once-projected-No.10 program in the nation, Glenn’s performance Friday could set the tone for the rest of what has been dubbed an irredeemable season for Florida State. - Maya Knauf

Three Keys for Duke

Dominate through the run: This Florida State run defense is average, at best. While the Seminoles are not truly awful against the run — allowing a mediocre 4.4 yards per rushing attempt — opposing teams have utilized rushing attacks at a much, much higher rate. In Florida State’s five losses, opponents averaged 197.4 rushing yards on 42.2 attempts and 202.6 passing yards on only 25.6 attempts. Put simply, the way to beat this already-battered Seminoles squad is through controlling offensive possessions with the run. 

This style of play should only take a slight adjustment for the Blue Devils, as Maalik Murphy’s unit has recorded 32.0 rushing attempts per game to 34.8 passing attempts. While the offensive squad as a whole did take a step back against a stout Georgia Tech defense, Duke should look to get its rushing attack back on track. Should the running game see success early, it will also open up the passing game for Murphy and create chances to catch the Seminoles’ defense off-guard.

Prolong drives, take small wins: Although the Blue Devils displayed several areas for improvement against the Yellow Jackets last week, their most costly was the inability to finish drives. While the team was able to move the ball down the field on several occasions, the Duke offense scored on a drive of more than a single play only once; explosive plays, even at the college level, are not sustainable forms of offense. Whether it was a turnover on downs, a missed field goal or a regular three-and-out, the Blue Devils lacked consistency and firepower.

Against Florida State, Murphy and the offensive unit will simply need to execute at a higher level. To do so, they must be productive in early-down situations. Too often against Georgia Tech, early-down penalties or negative plays put the team in unnecessarily difficult scenarios. Unless the uninspiring Seminoles’ offense transforms overnight, this game should not be a shootout by any means. The small wins — field goals, clock-eating drives and punts inside the 20-yard line — may be all Duke needs.

Force freshman mistakes: After fifth-year senior quarterback DJ Uiagalelei went down with a broken finger against SMU, redshirt freshman quarterback Brock Glenn was once again thrust into the spotlight. In 2023, Glenn started his first collegiate game against Louisville in the ACC Championship after current New York Jets quarterback Jordan Travis suffered a gruesome leg fracture. Although Florida State squeaked by with a 16-6 win, the Seminoles were famously left out of the College Football Playoff and proceeded to be blown out by the Georgia Bulldogs in the Orange Bowl.

After failing to complete a pass on four attempts against SMU, Glenn started against the then-No. 15 Clemson Tigers. Despite losing by a 16-point margin, the Covington, Tenn., native turned in the best performance of his young career — throwing for 228 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Amazingly, the Blue Devils will be Glenn’s first start against a non-ranked opponent, and the signal-caller will undoubtedly be looking to make a statement. Consequently, Manny Diaz and the Duke defense should look to capitalize on the redshirt freshman’s inexperience and perhaps eagerness to make plays. Turnovers will be key to winning — especially against a quarterback with only three career starts under his belt. This weekend, the Blue Devils will have ample opportunity to capitalize on Florida State’s mistakes while keeping their own offensive game plan relatively straightforward. – Alex Min