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Florida State Avoids Embarrassment, Looks Towards #7 BYU.

admin — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:22:34 +0000

By Daniel Brommer |Florida State Gameday Correspondent

Florida State survived it’s biggest scare in school history, losing to Jacksonville State, an FCS team.. FSU trailed 9-7 late into the fourth quarter until the offense finally avoided a turnover plagued drive.

In the waning moments of a tiresome game, the offense found the will to win and Ty Jones drove in the dagger, but that wasn’t the final blow. On the ensuing offensive drive for Jacksonville State, Jacobi McDaniel sacked quarterback Ryan Perrilloux, yes the same Ryan Perrilloux two years removed from the National Championship LSU team, forcing a fumble only to be returned for a touchdown by defensive end Kevin McNeil.

So is there cause for concern? Absolutely.

No hangover lasts that long, especially when it comes from a hard fought battle and a loss that the ‘Noles suffered to rival Miami just five days prior.

The rust was worn off, the first game jitters were out the window. This was the home opener ladies and gentleman. A home opener against a much lesser opponent.

Sure the three turnovers didn’t help, nor did the poor defensive play by the secondary, but we’re talking about a powerhouse. Admit it or not, Florida State is still considered a powerhouse when it’s matched up against an FCS team.

How does the old saying go? A wins a win. Which is exactly the case in this scenario. The only problem is this was supposed to be a tune up game. Something to get the fans excited about for the cross country trip to BYU this Saturday. The seventh ranked team in the country which happens to be blazing hot at the moment.

Is there cause for concern? Again absolutely. The Florida State secondary still hasn’t gelled. Sophomore cornerback Dionte Allen displayed flashes of shutdown ability Saturday against Jacksonville State, but again that was against Jacksonville State.

The real test comes this weekend against BYU. A pass happy team that still has balance. Max Hall is one of the best pure passers in the country. He gets everyone involved in the offense as well.

The secondary for Florida State will have to find a chemistry and find it quick.

As for the offense, Christian Ponder looks more and more like he’s coming into his own. He didn’t have a touchdown against Jacksonville State, but he did have a career high 324 yards passing.

Richard Goodman is looking like he’s the go to guy for Ponder.

If Florida State is going to upset BYU they will need to have a more balanced attack. The running game was supposed to be ready to go by now, but it’s almost like they have regressed.

Jermaine Thomas will need to get healthy quick.

Turnovers will be the key to the game. If Florida State can avoid them, then an upset could happen. However if they don’t, then it could be a long night for the ‘Noles.

2010 Florida State Seminoles Football Schedule

admin — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:39:34 +0000

2010

FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES

FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Date	Game	Time
Sept. 4	TBA	TBA
Sept. 11	Florida State at Oklahoma Sooners	TBA
Sept. 18	BYU Cougars at Florida State	TBA
Sept. 25	TBA	TBA
Oct. 2	TBA	TBA
Oct. 9	TBA	TBA
Oct. 16	TBA	TBA
Oct. 23	TBA	TBA
Oct. 30	TBA	TBA
Nov. 6	TBA	TBA
Nov. 13	TBA	TBA
Nov. 20	TBA	TBA
Nov. 27	Florida at Florida State	TBA
Dec. 4	ACC Championship	TBA

An Obsessive Auburn Fans Thoughts Week 1 Recap

admin — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 03:33:58 +0000

By Matt Donaldson

Auburn War Eagle Gameday Correspondent

Week one is in the books. There were some great games, some near surprises, and some intriguing storylines. In Auburn, there is now renewed hope and optimism. Hope that last year was truly a one season problem. It’s great to have college football back.

Here’s my thoughts on Auburn’s opening win against Louisiana Tech:

1. The defense can be good. Very good. Louisiana Tech had an explosive running game last year. They struggled to establish any sort of a running game outside of a couple quarterback scrambles. After a terrible pass interference call kept La Tech’s opening drive alive, two facemask penalties aided their only touchdown. All they got after that were two field goals – one of which was from distance.

The defense looked solid. They worked together. They gang tackled extremely well. There was a decent pass rush, and the secondary played very well. Barring injuries, the defense should be just as good as last year’s, which ranked in the top 20 in the nation.

2. Gus Malzahn knows what he’s doing. As a football fan, it was fun to watch Gus Malzahn set up the opposing defense repeatedly. In this offense, there’s always a big play being set up by the smaller plays. He backed up his claim that his first goal is to run the football.

Anytime you can rush for around 300 yards and pass for over 250 yards, you’ve had a good day. He used Ben Tate’s power and Onterio McCalebb’s speed to set up great opportunities for Chris Todd down the field.

And how about Chris Todd. He didn’t make the big mistakes, and made two big time throws for touchdowns. He ran the offense with pace. He ran it making the correct reads most of the time. The offensive line looks big and physical. The receivers showed signs of having some confidence. It will be fun to watch how this offense does as the defenses improve.

3. Wes Byrum is back. He went 3 for 3, and made a HUGE 50-yarder going into halftime to steal some momentum back after Louisiana Tech had tied it up. In the SEC, you have to take advantage of your scoring opportunities. Wes looks like he is back to the form of his freshman year, a welcome sight to an offense that moved the ball consistently in the opener.

4. There are some talented freshmen. It was exciting to see so many new players play and have success last night. On offense, Onterio McCalebb stole the show, gaining more yards than any freshman in Auburn history has in his first game. Newcomers DeAngelo Benton, Emory Blake, and Anthony Gulley found their way on the field either as recievers or in special teams.

Dee Ford, Nick Fairley, and Daren Bates made their presence felt. Bates started at safety, came away with an interception, and looked totally comfortable against the run and pass. Eltoro Freeman didn’t play, but will bolster the linebacking core when he returns in the next couple weeks from injury.

All of these new players will be counted on to provide depth and quality play as the season rolls on. Most of them had a great start to their careers on Saturday night.

5. Confidence. Even when the score didn’t show how well they were playing, Auburn didn’t look nervous or tentative. The offense moved the ball on nearly every drive. The defense settled down incredibly well after three penalties on the first drive. They played loose, pumping up the crowd and each other with each good play.

It’s crucial that they believe not only in themselves, but in the systems they are running. And it’s important that they truly believe that this program is still talented and has great potential. They took a big step towards that end on Saturday.

Thoughts from Around the Country:

1. BYU beats OU – I had a feeling about this game, but obviously wasn’t expecting Bradford to go down so early in the season. But give BYU credit, they were still down until late in the fourth quarter. They had to go take the game and win it. Oklahoma obviously still has a chance to have a big season.

They can win the Big 12, and in all likelihood a one-loss team will make it to the title game. But it’s a crushing blow to take so early. Sam Bradford needs to be ready by the time they meet Texas; if not, their season will end in a disappointing fashion.

2. Surprisingly close games – Northern Iowa had a field goal attempt to beat Iowa, Navy had a two point attempt to tie Ohio State, and Washington hung with LSU for quite a while. Those games are what makes college football fun. There’s so much parity around the country; every game has the potential to be like that.

3. Shaking hands before football games is a bad idea. I’m all for sportsmanship. I appreciate the programs that emphasize character and run a tight ship. But shaking hands before a big college football game is dumb.

The players have had all week to get pumped up about being physical with the other team…is it really a good idea to put them together right before kickoff? We’ve seen issues throughout the years with pregame altercations when they’re not brought together, so why is this idea on the table? I totally disagree with it.

4. Outside of Georgia, the SEC looked good. Alabama played well late to beat Virginia Tech. The lower teams of the SEC looked impressive, including Tennessee, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Auburn, and Mississippi State scoring big wins. Georgia went up against a very good Oklahoma State team and was a bit outmatched by Dez Bryant. But then again who can guard him? Looks like it will be another wild ride in the SEC.

5. Notre Dame impresses. I wasn’t on the Notre Dame bandwagon, but a 35-0 showing against the potent offense of Nevada is impressive. The schedule leaves nothing to fear outside of USC. As much as it pains me to say it, they might end up in the BCS. All they have to do is probably win 10 games, which means they can even lose a game they’re not supposed to and still get in.

Comment if you want! I’ll have a week two preview up sometime on Thursday. Thanks for reading. War Eagle!

2009 FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES FOOTBALL SCHEDULE with TV and Kickoff Times updated August 31st

admin — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:45:41 +0000

2009

FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES

FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Date	Game	Time (EST)
Sept. 7	Miami at Florida State	8 pm EST (ESPN)
Sept. 12	Jacksonville State at Florida State	6 pm EST
Sept. 19	Florida State at BYU	7 pm EST (Versus)
Sept. 26	USF at Florida State	TBA
Oct. 3	Florida State at Boston College	TBA
Oct. 10	Georgia Tech at Florida State	TBA
Oct. 22	Florida State at North Carolina	8 pm EST (ESPN)
Oct. 31	North Carolina State at Florida State	TBA
Nov. 7	Florida State at Clemson	TBA
Nov. 14	Florida State at Wake Forest	TBA
Nov. 21	Maryland at Florida State	TBA
Nov. 28	Florida State at Florida	TBA
Dec 5	ACC Championship	7 PM