FSU couldn’t get off the field.

Because of that defensive failure – plus a key fumble, a missed chip-shot field-goal attempt and a season-high 11 penalties – the Florida State Seminoles lost at home 31-21 to the No. 22 Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Saturday afternoon in Tallahassee.

FSU – which had been off to its best start since 2015 – fell to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the ACC. The Seminoles also are expected to tumble from the No. 23 national ranking they held entering the week.

Here are 5 takeaways on the current state of FSU football:

1. Defense is lacking

Wake Forest went 10-for-18 on 3rd downs and 3-for-3 on 4th to earn the victory.

Because of their ability to move the chains on FSU’s defense, the Deacons (4-1, 1-1) controlled the clock for 34:32. FSU had the ball for just 25:28.

Wake Forest had an impressive 28 1st downs – 16 through the air, 10 on the ground and 2 by penalty.

“You look at the 3rd-down situations,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said. “They did a really good job, and we did a lot of uncharacteristic things.”

2. Can’t beat Hartman

Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman now has won 3rd straight games against FSU.

He’s no scrub. Hartman, with his performance Saturday, moved into 5th place on the ACC’s career list with 10,462 passing yards.

On Saturday, Hartman completed 22 of 34 passes for 234 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions.

He was especially efficient during the 1st half, helping Wake Forest convert on 7-of-11 chances on 3rd down and 2-for-2 on 4th. That explains how Wake Forest built that 21-7 lead at intermission.

“We take pride in staying on schedule,” Hartman said of the Deacons’ ability to move the sticks. “That was huge.”

Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson called it a “great, gutsy, incredible team win.”

3. Other FSU issues

Seminoles QB Jordan Travis played well overall, but his 2rd-quarter fumble at his own 39 set up Wake Forest for a short-field touchdown to give the Deacons that 21-7 lead.

Later in the quarter, FSU got to Wake Forest’s 9, but a Travis incompletion stalled the drive. Worse, Ryan Fitzgerald missed a 29-yard field-goal try, and the Seminoles completely wasted a red-zone chance.

Fitzgerald now is just 4-of-9 on field-goal attempts this year, and that’s a massive concern.

“Disappointed,” Norvell said. “Way too many penalties, a turnover, balls were in jeopardy.

“I thought our guys, especially in the first half, started almost pressing when we had a bit of adversity, and that showed up in a lot of uncharacteristic plays.”

4. Some positives, too

Travis completed 23 of 35 passes for 281 yards, 3 TDs and no picks.

With 8 TD passes and just 1 interception this year, there’s no question Travis has moved into the upper echelon of ACC quarterbacks for 2022. He ranks 4th in the league in completion percentage (65.9) and 5th in passing yards per game (245.2).

Similarly, Treshaun Ward continues to prove he is among the best running backs in the league. He had 13 carries for 87 yards Saturday.

For the season, Ward has 67 carries for 437 yards. He ranks 5th in the league with 87.4 rushing yards per game. Among starters, he leads the league in average per rush (6.5).

FSU also continues to have 2 of the league’s top-10 wide receivers in Johnny Wilson and Ontaria Wilson. Johnny is 5th with 71.4 yards per game. Ontaria is ninth with 60.3

In addition, FSU wide receiver Mycah Pittman blew up against Wake Forest, catching a career-high 5 passes for 85 yards and 2 touchdowns. The 85 yards also were a career high for Pittman, an Oregon transfer.

5. Next challenge

The Seminoles now will travel to play the 10th-ranked North Carolina State Wolfpack on Saturday.

The Wolfpack (4-1, 0-1) is set to tumble in the rankings after Saturday night’s 30-20 road loss to 5th-rated Clemson.

Ironically, it will be the 2nd straight week FSU will face a team coming off a tough loss to Clemson.

In fact, Wolfpack QB Devin Leary said his team is “heartbroken and a little pissed off” following the loss.

Leary is every bit as good as Hartman. Against Clemson, he completed 28 of 47 passes for 245 yards and a touchdown. He also had an interception.

For the season, Leary has 10 TD passes, good for a tie for 4th in the league, a spot ahead of Travis.

Leary passed for 314 yards and 4 TDs last year as the Wolfpack won at FSU 28-14.

NC State and FSU have split their past 10 matchups, but the Wolfpack has won 2 straight in the series.