The No. 17 team will march into the Carrier Dome for the second time this season when Florida State (7-3, 4-3 Atlantic Coast) comes to town Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

On Oct. 15, the Orange (4-6, 2-4) upset then-No.17 Virginia Tech in SU’s first win over a ranked team since 2012, which sparked fans to storm the field and Dino Babers to make a passionate postgame speech that went viral.

The No. 17 team in the country has lost six times this season.

Syracuse needs to win its last two games of the year to secure a bowl berth, but SU could reach a bowl with just one win in the final two weeks if 5-7 teams are needed to fill bowls.

Here’s what you need to know about the matchup.

All-time series: Florida State leads 8-1 and has won the last eight meetings. Syracuse’s only win came in the first matchup between the teams in 1966 before the Carrier Dome was even built.

Last time they played: Syracuse lost to then-No. 17 FSU in Tallahassee, 45-21, on Oct. 31, 2015. The Seminoles’ backup quarterback Sean Maguire compiled 348 yards and three passing touchdowns. Meanwhile Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey ran in both of SU’s offensive touchdowns, but also completed only 11-of-24 passes for 120 yards and lost a fumble.

The Orange pulled within seven with the score at 21-14 with a touchdown with less than a minute left in the first half. Florida State responded with 24 straights points. Syracuse’s Brisly Estime capped the scoring for the day with a punt return for a touchdown in garbage time with a minute and 20 seconds left in the blowout.

The Florida State report: Syracuse head coach Dino Babers said Florida State is the “second best group of football players” the Orange will face behind only Clemson, which Babers called a flawless team. FSU’s best player is running back Dalvin Cook. He is rank second among Power 5 players in average yards from scrimmage (164.2) and third in total rush yards (1,242).

“I didn’t know how fast he was until I saw the Clemson game,” Syracuse head coach Dino Babers said, “and I saw him run away from the Clemson secondary people. We couldn’t run away from Clemson’s secondary people. So he’s probably one of the fastest or the fastest back that we have in the conference. The guy’s just an exceptional, exceptional football player.”

Cook’s ability opens up room in the passing game for freshman quarterback Deondre Francois, who’s thrown for 15 touchdowns this year and averages 267.5 yards through the air each game.

Courtesy of FSU Athletics

FSU’s best area of offense comes in the red zone where it is successful 95.7 percent of the time — second-best in the country.

Florida State’s defense boasts cornerback Tarvarus McFadden and defensive end DeMarcus Walker. McFadden’s seven interceptions put him at the top of that category nationally and Walker’s 11 sacks are third in the country. With a defensive line packed with four future NFL players, the Seminoles average 3.3 sacks per game — eighth best in the FBS.

How Syracuse beats Florida State: Aside from Dungey making a miraculous recovery and playing in the game, there isn’t much hope for SU to win. A tattered Orange offensive line would need herculean performance to give Zack Mahoney enough time to find receivers down field. Even if Mahoney has time, there’s no guarantee on his ability to throw the ball consistently downfield. FSU averages nearly 35 points per game and even if the defense plays well the offense will still need to keep up.

Stat to know: 1966 — The last and only time Syracuse beat Florida State was on Nov. 12, 1966. SU won 37-21 at Archbold Stadium. Floyd Little rushed for 193 yards and three touchdowns. Syracuse will be giving out bobbleheads of Little at the game on Saturday.

Player to watch: Dalvin Cook, running back, No. 4

Cook is an electrifying back with game-changing abilities. The junior needs just 19 yards to break Florida State’s career rushing record and 59 yards to become the first junior to top 4,000 career yards in ACC history. Syracuse’s defensive line is down its starting nose tackle so FSU’s offensive line and Cook could combine for a big day.

Published on November 17, 2016 at 9:32 pm

Contact Jon: jrmettus@syr.edu | @jmettus