Source – FSU drops Robert Scott Jr. and Akiem Dent against Clemson

No. 4 Florida State is down two starters for Clemson on Saturday, as safety Robert Scott Jr. and safety Akeem Dent will both miss the game with injuries, a source told ESPN.

FSU has secured one key player to return to the offensive line, where starting center Maurice Smith will start, a source said. Smith missed games against Southern Mississippi and Boston College with a lower-body injury.

Florida State has lost seven straight games to Clemson and will try to break that streak on Saturday without key players.

Scott is in his fourth season as FSU’s starting tackle, and earned second-team All-ACC honors last year as a left tackle. He is once again expected to be replaced by Bless Harris, a Lamar transfer who is expected to make his fourth career start with FSU.

Dent is a star safety who has missed 32 games in his career. He missed last week’s game at Boston College, which saw FSU gain 305 receiving yards to BC’s Thomas Castellanos. Dent suffered a left leg injury against Southern Miss in Week 2.

Smith is expected to make his 31st career start for the FSU, with the vast majority of those coming at center. He earned honorable mention All-ACC in 2022 and was twice named ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week. He hasn’t played since the opening win over LSU.

FSU’s offensive line is one of the most experienced in the country, returning starters with more than 200 combined starts. That helped FSU (3-0) weather some early injury issues, winning at Boston College without both Scott and Smith on the offensive line and Dent in the secondary.

Clemson (2-1) hasn’t lost a home game in ACC play since 2016, when it lost to Pitt 43-42 before going on to win the national title. Clemson’s loss at home to South Carolina last year snapped a 40-game winning streak at home.