Florida State Sets Up Game at Miami With Easy Victory Over Wake Forest

Florida State freshman Tamarick Vanover finds himself in fast company--really fast.

Vanover, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound wide receiver with 4.3-second speed in the 40-yard dash, returned his first collegiate kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown that ignited the third-ranked Seminoles’ 35-7 Atlantic Coast Conference victory over Wake Forest on Saturday.

Though the Seminoles (4-0) missed several scoring opportunities, they had no trouble in their tuneup for next week’s game at top-ranked Miami, where the schools meet for the second consecutive year with undefeated records.

“I expect Miami to be as good as anybody in the nation next week,” said Bobby Bowden, Florida State’s coach. “I’m sure they’ll play us like the No. 1 team in the country.”

The last two Seminole freshmen to run back kickoffs for touchdowns--Deion Sanders in 1985 and Dexter Carter in 1986--became first-round picks in the NFL. Another Seminole first rounder, Terrell Buckley, returned a punt for a touchdown as a freshman.

“That Vanover is just a great athlete,” said Bowden, who won his 220th game. “He has great speed and he’s big.”

Vanover also caught eight passes for 94 yards, including an 18-yard scoring throw from Charlie Ward for the game’s first touchdown.

“His catches in the first half really took the momentum of the game away from Wake Forest,” Bowden said.

Sean Jackson scored on an 88-yard run--the third longest from scrimmage in Florida State history--as the Seminoles completed their first month in league play having outscored their new league opponents, 141-61.

Vanover’s 96-yard touchdown sprint came after Wake Forest’s lone touchdown and put the Seminoles ahead for good, 14-7, late in the first quarter.

“When I touched the ball and broke the line I knew I was gone,” said Vanover, who scored his first collegiate touchdown a week ago on a 60-yard reception from Ward that put Florida State ahead of North Carolina State.

“I’ve always thought of myself as a big-play person,” Vanover said.

Said John Henry Mills, a tight end for Wake Forest: “FSU’s speed was a problem for us. We couldn’t contain them.”

The Demon Deacons, 1-2 overall and 0-2 in the ACC, scored on an 18-yard pass from Keith West to Roger Pettus, completing a 74-yard drive.

Florida State capitalized on Corey Sawyer’s fourth interception of the season to take a 7-0 lead on Ward’s 10th touchdown pass of the year--to Vanover--coming only two minutes and 41 seconds into the game.

Ward, the ACC leader in total offense, enjoyed his first game without an interception and threw for 240 yards in less than three quarters.

“I can’t say enough about Charlie Ward,” said Wake Forest Coach Bill Dooley. “He just gets better and better.”