Noles look to rebound against Buffaloes

By Joe Mayes  |   Thursday, September 25, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Florida State Seminoles
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There are no two ways about it: Last weekend, the Florida State offense looked horrible in the team’s ACC debut and first game against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent. The Seminoles lost to 15th-ranked Wake Forest 12-3 after manhandling Football Championship Subdivision foes Western Carolina and Chattanooga in their first two games by a combined score of 115-7.

Against the Demon Deacons, however, Florida State managed just 3 points, on a 37-yard Graham Gano field goal. The Seminoles were their own worst enemy, racking up more penalty yards (139) than either rushing (102) or passing (118) yards. They had seven turnovers -- five interceptions and two fumbles -- and of the team’s 15 offensive possessions, 14 ended in negative results:

- Five interceptions.
- Four punts.
- Two fumbles.
- One turnover on downs.
- One end of the first half.
- One field goal missed.

In fact, the only real surprise was that it took interceptions on the team’s final three possessions in the fourth quarter before the outcome of the game was decided. The Seminole defense held Wake Forest and highly touted junior quarterback Riley Skinner to just four field goals in the loss.

This Saturday, FSU (2-1) face Colorado (3-0) in Jacksonville, where the Seminoles are 8-1 all time, including a 21-14 victory over Alabama last season. The Noles' lone loss in Jacksonville occurred in 1989, a 30-26 defeat at the hands of Southern Miss and a young gunslinger by the name of Brett Favre.

Colorado sophomore quarterback Cody Hawkins is no Favre, of course; still, he has completed 70 percent of his passes for 654 yards, six touchdowns and just three interceptions on the season, leading the Buffaloes to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2004. True freshman running back Rodney Stewart (5-foot-6, 170 pounds) is averaging 5.9 yards per carry and over 80 yards per game, with 242 yards on 41 rushes.

And unlike Florida State, which began the season with two FBS opponents, Colorado has victories over a pair of FCS schools: Colorado State (38-17) and West Virginia (17-14 in overtime), which was then ranked 21st. It also knocked off FBS program Eastern Washington (31-24).

But against the Noles, Hawkins and Stewart will be running -- and throwing -- right into the strength of the Florida State squad.

FSU is ranked second in the nation in scoring defense; only Southern California, which was giving up 6.3 points per game before its Thursday tilt at Oregon State, has been better. Moreover, the Seminoles have allowed a mere five scores (one touchdown, four field goals) in three games. They are ranked fourth in overall defense, surrendering just over 205 yards per game, and have the fourth-rated rush 'D' (48.3 yards per contest).

And none of this is by accident. Coordinator Mickey Andrews is setting the bar high for his defense.

“Three weeks in a row we have gotten our objective on scoring, holding an opponent under 15 points and under 300 yards,” said Andrews. “We've asked them to go out and improve each week and they have done that.”

The real mystery going into the showdown with the Buffaloes is the state of the Seminoles' offense. Despite a 6-for-18 passing night that included three interceptions against Wake Forest, quarterback Christian Ponder has been tabbed by offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher as the starter this week. Unfortunately, the team’s leading rusher is backup quarterback D’Vontrey Richardson. But look for senior running back Antone Smith and 6-1, 180-pound true freshman Jermaine Thomas to carry the load against a Buffaloes defense that is allowing 4.29 yards per carry and 143 rushing yards a game.

After a fast start this season, Florida State hit a snag in Week 3 against an opponent that was far superior to any it had faced previously. That will not be the case against Colorado. The Noles have been smacked in the mouth, and it’s now up to head coach Bobby Bowden and his staff to get them back on their collective feet.

The mettle of a team is forged not in victory; rather, it is only in defeat that true character is revealed. After last weekend’s embarrassing display versus Wake Forest, this Saturday’s contest against Colorado will reveal much about the character of this Florida State football team.

Prediction: FSU 24, Colorado 17.
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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 ...
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