Noles endure stormy weather in 2008 kickoff

By Joe Mayes  |   Friday, September 12, 2008  |  Comments( 2 )

Florida State Seminoles
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There was much uncertainty last Saturday, with the kickoff delayed by more than an hour due to stormy weather. The sky finally cleared and after Chief Osceola spiked the flaming spear at midfield, the Florida State Seminoles shone brightly, holding Western Carolina to a three-and-out on the game’s first series. Senior Tony Carter fielded Western Carolina punter Blake Cain’s kick at the FSU 32-yard line and returned it, virtually untouched, 68 yards for the Noles’ first touchdown of 2008.

And then, with 13:11 remaining in the first quarter, the bottom fell out. The game was delayed for another hour before the teams returned, with FSU cruising to a 69-0 win against the overmatched Catamounts.

Florida State fans are hoping the ominous start to the 2008 campaign isn’t a metaphor for what the rest of the season will hold. Stormy weather before the season started, a flashy beginning, then more unexpected stormy weather immediately thereafter.

Head coach Bobby Bowden certainly has to be pleased to get a win under his team’s belt -- to build confidence and to get a lot of players game experience (the Seminoles played 28 freshman in the rout). However, given that Western Carolina finished 2007 with just one win, the first game can hardly be considered a true test.

The Noles are not likely to be challenged this weekend, when they face University of Tennessee-Chattanooga (an FCS team). However, given the ease with which the Noles dispatched last week’s Southern Conference foe, the coaching staff has to be on high alert for a letdown against Chattanooga.

Chattanooga has faced at least one FBS team each year since 1998, having won none of those games. The closest they have come to a victory over a FBS team was in 2000, when they lost 20-15 to University of Alabama at Birmingham. In the other 10 contests, the Mocs have lost by an average of 35.5 points.

It is too early in the season to gauge how far back the Noles have climbed after consecutive 7-6 finishes in 2006 and '07, and facing back-to-back Southern Conference opponents will serve as little more than scrimmages in which to give the young team real experience.

Because of that, these games will do little to prepare FSU for the start of its ACC season against Wake Forest on Sept. 20. That is where the real test begins for the Seminoles; then, fans will begin to find out if the Seminole mystique is back or if there will be more stormy weather on the horizon this season.

(A special thanks to FSU Sports Information Director Tina Dechausay and Associate SID for Football Elliott Finebloom for their hospitality in Tallahassee last weekend. Under extremely trying circumstances -- continually changing schedules, weather delays, last-minute pre-game show adjustments -- they showed poise and professionalism that would make Bobby Bowden proud. Thanks, Tina and Elliott; I’ll see you Nov. 19 at Doak Campbell.)
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About Joe Mayes

Joe Mayes is an award-winning writer with credits ranging from national sports columns to local newspapers and commercial and technical writing. Joe is the host of "The Morning Wrap," a morning drive-time sports talk radio show on WTKE-FM in Northwest Florida.
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