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The ‘Noles are still smarting from their horrific loss to Wake Forest,
a defeat that set offensive football back at least 50 years. If you
took your time machine back to the 1930’s and showed football
officials our tape, well, you would never have seen Montana hit
Taylor, of Chris Weinke hit Peter Warrick, because the rules committee
would have never approved the forward pass. I reviewed our
performance, . We talked about how the ‘Noles probably can’t play
worse on offense, how upperclassmen leaders need to hold on to the
damn football, and how, through seven turnovers and less than 250
yards of offense, there were a few flickers of hope. Did I throw up in
my mouth when I hit play on the DVR? Yes, but I own a tooth brush and
this is a new week.
Ideally, FSU will look to leave that dreadful offense behind. They
don’t want to leave the entire game behind, though, because, to borrow
a line from a gator blog (egads!), the “‘Noles still have Mickey
Andrews, our sunflower-seed chomping clipboard frog-god and defensive
mafioso sending garnet-and-gold hitmen to kill quarterbacks at a
startling clip.”
In case you missed it, here are the links to everything we said in the
Aftermath of the Wake Game:
Let’s start with some tunes from a Jacksonville native as I let you in
on some info about the River City.
As a general rule, I am never going to pass up the chance to drop a 10
minute Skynyrd clip. I break that rule for the Allman Brothers, live
at Fillmore east.
I’m not from Jacksonville, though I did date a girl from there once.
Let’s let Wikipedia tell you a bit first.
In 2007, Jacksonville ranked as the United States’ twelfth .
(FSUncensored’s Note: That is a heck of a trivia question!)
Since we have some out-of-towners descending upon Jacksonville, they
might be curious about Jacksonville’s selection of ladies. I don’t
post things on this blog that could get you in trouble at work, but if
you are so inclined to see some local talent, I suggest firing up “The
google” (not “the ebay”), and entering “Nichole Van Croft”, “Jennifer
Rovero”, or “Tiffany Selby”. I know we have a female reader now, but I
don’t judge guys, so I can’t offer much guidance in that area.
Did you know that Jacksonville is the , the First Prize is a Dri-Fit
Seminoles Polo! Hopefully those Buffaloes will melt away in the River
City.
Jacksonville is home to former ‘Nole greats Sam Cowart, Edgar Bennet,
Ron “Jingle Joints” Sellers, and Leon Washington
Know what other athlete is from Jacksonville? Gator Gus Scott, whose
lack of awareness allowed this play to happen:
Gus Scott: Fail. Bobby: Win. Sam quiets 88K people and tells Police
dog where to shove it. Rix’s helmet shielding us from his protective
layer of hair gel. Excellence.
Florida State held Colorado to -27 yards rushing in their own
building, en route to a 16-6 win. This game was really, really ugly, a
common theme for the ‘Noles as of late. Mickey’s boys were out for
blood.
Florida State won the game because Nole defensive line absolutely
owned the Colorado front. Mickey called a pretty good game, completely
choking off the run, and dictating where Hawkins would go with the
ball. When Hawkins got out of line and challenged Mickey, he payed
dearly, via bone jarring hits and interceptions (2). Florida State
registered TEN tackles for loss. Colorado ran the ball 23 times, and
on 8 of those hand offs, they lost yards on 8 of those carries. To say
that Florida State owned first down is an understatement. Hawkins
threw for 300 yards, but did so on 53 tosses (less than 6 yards per
attempt, which is horrible). His QB rating? 111, pretty bad in college
(NFL equivalent of 70.11). I guarantee you that Mickey Andrews will
gladly let Hawkins throw 53 passes in this game (especially
considering the new play clock rules, which have caused teams to lose
about 10 to 12 percent of their offensive downs so far this season).
On offense the ‘Noles were extremely boring and ineffective. They
struggled to move the ball under Weatherford (his calling card). They
did not turn the ball over. Not moving the ball and punting is a good
way to beat average or lesser teams. FSU put on one of the worse
offensive displays ever– by a team that would go on to win
comfortably.
FSU won by playing amazing pressure defense, running the ball 35 times
(They had only 57 total plays!), having no turnovers, and living off
of the field position equalizer, Graham Gano. Gano punted 8 times and
averaged 47 yards NET PER PUNT!.
In year two of Jimbo, the former LSU OC decided he had enough of sub
120 QB ratings and immobile offense. He went bold, benching
Weatherford, burying the 5th year senior and assumed 4th year starter
at third on the depth chart.
Jimbo did that because to win in the college game (as opposed to the
pro game), against elite opponents, you can’t just play scared and
punt. Points are important. A good team will wear out any defense if
given enough chances. Fisher knows that. He also knows that this team
isn’t ready to compete for a National Championship. He decided to go
with talent and youth. He decided on Christian Ponder. That worked
great for the first two games, but Ponder and his counterpart,
D’Vontrey Richardson, stunk up the joint for Wake.
People screamed for Drew, while Fisher rebuffed them. He is sticking
with Ponder and will also play D’vo. Their added mobility and talent
will eventually blossom. The offense wasn’t going anywhere else in the
meantime. Did you know that the average age of our offensive line is
NINETEEN!? That is pretty remarkable. Think about that number before
trying to convince yourself that reinstating Drew is the right call.
Ponder’s mobility is going to come in handy throughout the season
behind this young unit.
Jimbo says that the errors are easily correctable. He’s not implying
that they will all be cleared up by this game, or that the offense
will immediately become Texas Tech or Missouri, but he seems confident
that he can turn it around. Did you know that Chris Wienke threw 6
interceptions against NC State? Did you know that Chollie Ward threw
16 in 4 games? Give these kids time. Starting Rix for 4 years didn’t
work because we had a guy who wasn’t even qualified to be a
“playstation all american” as his OC, and Starting Weatherford as a
frosh didn’t work because he had that same guy and isn’t very
talented. Ponder is different. Ponder has a lot of talent and a lot of
smarts. Ponder is an older 20 year old, who is pretty mature. Don’t
pick up your pitchforks just because a kid plays one bad game. We’ve
already seen three years of horrifically inept performances. Let’s
look and hope for hope and improvement.
I talked with earlier this week. I also did a lengthy Q&A for them,
available at their site. Our conversation follows. I really enjoyed
working with these guys.
1. What are your thoughts on Cody Hawkins? His size and arm strength
are both well-below average. Are you high on Hawkins despite these
limitations? How does CU compensate for these shortcomings?
I flip flop a lot on Cody Hawkins but I am usually a supporter. I do
this game with people at work all the time where I do a comparison
like, “would you rather have Jimmy Clausen or Cody Hawkins as your
quarterback.” Most of the time Hawkins gets the ruling over a good
amount of sophomore quarterbacks. He just gets a bad wrap because he
doesn’t have all the measurables and he plays in the Quarterback
“Big” 12. You could probably substitute Ponder and Richardson in the
Jimmy Clausen spot and Hawkins might be your choice. Yes, Hawkins may
have a potential ceiling but right now Hawkins has a better grasp of
the offense and is a much more consistent passer. His confidence and
leadership help him overcome some of his shortcomings. He does throw
usually one interception a game which needs to stop but you can never
really blame Cody for a loss. He has a 70% completion percentage this
year and 6TD’s so he has been pretty productive. Until he starts
personally losing games for the Buffs, I will be supportive.
Hawkins’ arm strength has improved over last year and I think he
is a little more mobile than people give him credit for. He
isn’t afraid to make the big play or lead a team which is
promising for a young kid. Let’s face it, he has no where near
the athletic ability that Ponder and Richardson have but he is much
more consistent and usually isn’t the reason the Buffs lose.
2. I followed the Darrell Scott recruiting saga with interest.
Granted, it’s only three games into the season, but I had anticipated
a bit more out of Scott by this point. Frankly, Scott has a looked a
bit slower than I expected, and he has been outplayed by a relatively
unheralded 5’6″ freshman thus far. Is it true that Scott came to camp
overweight and out of shape? Do you see Scott’s breakout performance
as coming any game now, or does he have more work to do in terms of
learning the playbook/conditioning before this can happen?
I love this question. So I will start by saying Scott did report over
weight because he was in summer school. He is now down to 205 from 220
so he is in his prime playing shape. In the West Virginia game, Scott
had a dinged up knee and Stewart was a better match-up for the speed
oriented defense in West Virginia. They ran a lot of mis-direction and
screen passes that were aimed at catching WVU off balance. No one saw
the runs against EWU where he had two of the most physically gifted
runs I have ever seen. That being said, he is a freshman. A 19 year
old kid in game three of his collegiate career that I guarantee will
be special by the time he is done. He hasn’t got 20 carries in a
game yet. A running back needs to get that groove in a game by getting
a lot of carries. The first two games, the Buffs only ran out of the
shotgun and never let him go outside. Last game they had a situational
match up they exploited and were successful on. It was the first game
that the Buffs went under center and ran in the “I” formation to show
a different look. The Buffs are hiding a lot of the offense still, in
my opinion for this FSU defense and for the Texas defense. Scott is
the power back and FSU is the explosive defense, if the Buffs get some
help up front, you will see all the physical tools Scott has to offer.
3. Talk about this statement, if you will: Colorado freshman guard Max
Tuioti-Mariner suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in non-
contact drills in Tuesday’s practice and will miss the remainder of
the season. Tuioti-Mariner played in each of the first three games
this season and recorded 16.5 knockdown blocks, the third most on the
team. Colorado seems to be suffering from lack of depth according to
reports in the Colorado area papers. There are 80 scholarship players
on the current roster while the NCAA allows 85. Eleven of those
scholarships are unable to help the program on game days. Four players
have suffered season-ending injuries, six players are academically
ineligible and one player is suspended indefinitely. That leaves 69
scholarship players and 12 of them are slated to red shirt this fall.
Fact? Inaccurate? How will Colorado deal with this?
Fact, I am sure but I can only name 4 academically ineligible but yes
the depth factor is a little bit of a concern…on paper. Tuioti-
Mariner is by far the biggest causality on the list. He was starting
and really making strides as a freshman. Probably only three of these
other players would have made an impact this year: WR Markques Simas
(grades), CB Ben Burney (injury) and OG Mike Iltis (ACL injury). The
Buffs have had four ACL tears so far this spring which is never an
easy injury to recover from including LB Jon Major, who was a highly
touted recruit that would have red shirted anyway. We also had WR
Kendrick Celestine who left the team this week. He was our 5th string
wide-out but he has had academic problems too and never really found
himself in the good graces of the coaching staff. Yes, the numbers
look bad but the players that we are lining up with and, except for
the offensive line; we have decent depth at each position. But please,
no more injuries or suspensions or we will be in trouble.
4. In the Win against WVU, the Buffs looks good on offense in the
first half, but in the second half, the Mountaineers held Colorado to
No points and 98 yards on 24 plays (4 Yards per Play). What did you
see from West Virginia, defensively, that led to the shutdown? How
will Colorado change things up to make sure this doesn’t happen again?
It was a combination of a few things. I won’t give WVU coaches
any credit on this one because you and I could have coached that team
better. That being said the offensive production was not good.
It’s like what I talked about in the first question. The Buffs
get conservative for some reason. They had a couple of turnovers that
killed drives and it seemed like the play calling was set up to keep
the lead rather than expand on it. The solution is simple…keep
the foot on the gas. We understand that if we don’t play to win
against FSU for the whole game, we will lose as I don’t see CU
surprising FSU as easily as they did WVU. I would like to see a little
more confidence in Darrell Scott and Cody Hawkins. I would also like
to see the Buffs incorporate TE Riar Geer more. One thing I know about
blitzing, aggressive defenses like FSU is that the middle of field has
holes in it. The Buffs have not gotten the tight ends in gear which is
usually a staple of the Buffs offense.
5. FSU recorded tackles for loss on 10 of Wake’s 65 plays, for a total
loss of 52 yards. Will Colorado be able to consistently win the battle
on first down? Last year, Colorado had -27 yards rushing. Is this
offensive line and rushing attack significantly improved, about the
same, or worse than last year?
Biggest concern for the game is this question and I am going to be
honest with you, we don’t know if this line is better. We like
to think so but the Buffs don’t play defenses like FSU that
often. Obviously losing Tuioti-Mariner is huge for the rotation at
guard but right now the Buffs have a great center in Daniel Sanders
and two sophomores at tackle in Nate Solder and former five star
recruit Ryan Miller. But have they seen speed like FSU…some of
them last year and we saw what happened. This is a biggest barometer
game for the offensive line for sure. I will tell you this…if
we go for negative 27 again…it won’t be a good day for
the Buffs. If you wouldn’t mind, I will revisit after the
game!!!!
6. Everette Brown will be hungry on Saturday. Who will be saddled with
the task of getting in front of him? Does Colorado like to double guys
with a back? Does Colorado have a guy who can handle Everette (4
tackles for loss against Wake)? If not, should we expect to see
Colorado use one of the young backs to double him? Are the young backs
a liability in pass-pro?
Man, oh man, all of these descriptions and questions are definitely
making me rethink the Buffs ability to win this weekend. How about
some FSU offensive questions…that will make me feel better? The
question back to you is can anyone stop #99? I had nightmares about
Mr. Brown. I am sure our left tackle Nate Solder is not sleeping well
either. Yes, double teams will be in order with a chip from TE Riar
Geer who is a big boy and a strong blocker. My guess is that you will
see a lot of shot gun two RB sets with RB Demetrius Sumler in for
blocking purposes when needed. He is the preferred blocker to Scott
and Stewart. Solder is a good tackle but he is young and going against
a beast will be a tough task. But I also think the Buffs have plenty
of motivation to come out and play well because all we have been
hearing about is that “they (FSU) are too big, too fast and too strong
on defense.” This is a prideful group. Don’t think they
haven’t heard about the poor rushing effort last you against the
‘Noles last year. I expect Hawkins to have good game plan to at
least maintain Everette from total domination. The match up in the
trenches is why I am excited for this game, either the Buffs step up
and match FSU’s intensity or FSU rolls over us. There is no
middle ground. Either way, Buffs fans find out what this team is made
of. I think that goes for FSU as well.
7. 3rd and 7, down by 4, 1:30 left in the game. What play do the Buffs
run?
Shovel Pass. It’s four down territory. Get the aggressive ends
to come up field, get a wham block from the receivers on the edge and
flip it to Darrell Scott where Mr. Brown used to be. On fourth down if
we don’t get it. Look for TE Riar Geer to vacate the area where
the blitzing linebackers come from and make the catch.
8. FSU’s best offensive position is wide receiver. Discuss, if you
will, Cornerback depth. Does Colorado have the horses to stick with
these guys? Do you expect Colorado to play a conservative zone in the
hopes of making FSU drive slowly down the field, betting that they
can’t do so without self destructing? The Buff’s Opponent Adjusted
Pass Efficiency Defense is ranked 80th in the Nation (Wake is 2nd),
how will they handle FSU’s depth?
The Buffs defensive backfield has been better than anticipated with
#29 Cha’pelle Brown really stepping up and playing well both
against the pass and supporting the run. But Cha’pelle is only
5’7″. I am very skeptical about our other starting cornerback #6
Gardner McKay. He is taller but lanky and avoids contact too much. I
like our backup’s #21 Anthony Wright and #3 Jimmy Smith better
but both have been a little dinged up. Wright is 6’0″ 195 lbs
and Smith is 6’3″ 200 lbs, both match up better with the size
and strength of FSU’s wide receivers. The best aid to the
cornerbacks will be a consistent pass rush led by LB #40 Brad Jones. I
think both teams are unsure about their offensive lines. I expect CU
to actually play pretty aggressive on the outside because I think CU
will bring the house against these inexperienced quarterbacks. The
last thing we want to do is let the quarterback get comfortable and
gain any confidence.
9. My guess on Colorado’s game plan is this: ball control short
passing on offense, with some misdirection, trying to really avoid 3rd
and long. Safe on defense, not allowing the big play, and hope that
FSU beats themselves.
I am sitting watching USC vs. Oregon State right now and that is what
I expect from the Buffs. Nothing fancy, no misdirection. You
can’t dance against a team with this speed. A lot of controlled
passes, screen passes and a straight at you running attack. Only
throwing the ball deep to keep the defense honest but not making a
habit out of it. The last thing the Buffs want is a speed rush off the
end where FSU can just tee off on Cody Hawkins. You hit the nail on
the head regarding 3rd down. The Buffs have struggled on first down
this year and if the Buffs can get in 2nd and 5 type situations, I
love our offense because we now become a quick hitting team, where the
ball is out of Hawkins’ hand quick and the Buffs keep the
Seminoles honest. If the Buffs stay out of automatic pass situations
on third down greater than 50% of the time, CU wins the game.
Okay, prediction time. What happens at 3:30 on Saturday? Why is this
year different from last year?
First of all, is anyone confused at the 6 point line? I thought it
would be 3 or 4 at the most but 6 seems like a lot of points. With
what looks like a poor crowd turn out for this game, FSU’s
80,000 fan advantage at Doak will be cut in half in Jacksonville. I
like that. A lot of keys to this game. Turnovers, 3rd down success,
pass rush and scoring early will do wonders for either of these
offenses. I look for the Buffs to have a few early wrinkles, get up 10
points and ride out the win, 17 – 13. Going to be a sloppy, ugly
drag out game. I am excited. Thanks for the opportunity to answers
some questions for your members!
Some of these were actually sent in by readers! Andy_Wooster is
responsible for the first two. I will say that I did a rather poor job
of questioning this week. I focused too much on one area (defensive
line for FSU), and really needed to spread out the questions more.
I’ll put the 2 holding penalties against the offensive line here, as
well as the Pass Interference against the defensive back who we
unaffectionately call “Michael Ray Garbage” (his real name is Garvin).
These guys were trying to get lucky after prom six months ago, and
were being asked to block a bunch of 22 or 23 year old men (Redshirt
Senior defensive linemen from Wake). I don’t think this is a coaching
issue. The defensive back who was called for PI will not be seeing the
field much more now that the remaining suspended ‘Noles are returning.
The False Start on the freshman OT and the 12 men on the field calls
go here. I think 1 false start in the game from a group with an
average age of 19 years old is acceptable. The 12 men on the field
call aren’t, and the coaches and players must share in the blame for
this. Since Mickey (Our DC) was yelling at an upperclassman defensive
back, however, I think that DB needs most of the blame.
Corey Surrency threw a really egregious chop block, way down field.
This is his first year playing college football, and I have to believe
that the former flag football star didn’t know any better. This is a
coaching issue, but it’s not one that I would expect to occur again.
They will definitely instruct Surrency as to what is and is not a
legal block.
The unsportsmanlike and unnecessary roughness calls go here. This
includes the offsetting shoving match that the kickoff team engaged
in, the personal foul on Everette Brown, the personal foul on Preston
Parker, and the Personal Foul late hit on Myron Rolle. These ARE a
point of concern. My guess is that these were a result of 3 things: 1)
a desire to get back at Wake. FSU heard about how important revenging
the loss against Wake was all week and they were too hyped up for this
game. 2) The hyped up angle again. If the two D1-AA games hurt FSU, it
definitely showed here. They watched as teams across the nation played
2 or 3 games, yet the ‘Noles had yet to play a meaningful game. These
guys came out hyper aggressive, to their detriment. 3) Wake is a very
smart team, and they effectively baited Brown and Parker into these
penalties. As upperclassmen leaders, these guys need to set the
example and not fall for the bait.
Will this situation improve? Yes, because of situation and coaching,
but only to an extent. The ‘Noles have always played with an attitude.
FSU didn’t have an outrageous amount of personal fouls last year
though, and I think they can keep the number to two or less per game
from here on out. This team is much more talented than the squads from
the past few seasons, and selfish mental errors will land a player on
the bench, with a similarly talented player filling his spot on the
field.
The refs had two really costly and blatantly wrong personal foul calls
in this game against FSU (and at least one against Wake, as the
Zebra’s were a bit flag happy, calling 20 penalties). First, Surrency
was flagged for an illegal block after being pushed into a Wake player
and falling down. Second, Markus White (awesome newcomer and National
JUCO Defensive POY) sacked Skinner by the front of the jersey. The
referee was behind skinner and didn’t see the play very well, yet
called an extremely costly face mask penalty against White. Sometimes
these things do happen, and the refs are adjusting to the new rules as
well, but it is very questionable if White even touched Skinner’s
mask, much less pulled on it.
Mickey Andrews is okay with a limited amount of “aggression
penalties”, which he defines as guys attempting to make a play. The
FSU defensive line has always been ridiculously quick off the ball,
and in addition to having great athletes on the edge, anticipating the
snap count is another reason why.
I am combining the Rubric with my my predictions this week. If it goes
well, I will do it this way from now on.
The ‘Nole offense was pitiful against Wake last week, and really
didn’t have much success against Colorado last year. Why then, do I
look for change? Famialiarity and adjustments. Every game that goes by
is another where Christian becomes more familiar with the offense.
Every game that goes by is another where Jimbo becomes more in tune
with Christian’s game. Look to the Clemson game last year, where guys
couldn’t line up correctly, we couldn’t block anyone, and Drew
couldn’t hit receivers more than 10 yards downfield. Heck, Frosh AA
guard Rodney Hudson was pulled in this game and cussed on National
Television. Things got better after the Clemson game, for most
players.
This week I look for improvement. This is in part because it would be
hard for FSU to have that many unforced errors again, in part because
Wake Forest’s defense is a heck of a lot better than the defenders
Colorado will bring (Wake is 2nd in the nation in , Colorado is 80th,
Wake has several first round types on defense, and Colorado has only
one with a legit shot of being drafted any time soon), in part because
the players will be slightly less out of control emotionally for this
game than they were the wake game, and in part because of the
continued maturation and understanding of Ponder, Fisher, and the
OLine. Run on sentence, anyone?
Even the worst offenses in football don’t commit 7 turnovers in a
game. Let’s face it, there was an element of bad luck with those
turnovers. I broke it down all week (see links above), and I don’t
think we see anything close to approaching that total. Antone has
never been a fumbler. Parker has, but he’s not going to be playing
much running back anymore. I don’t think we will see anything that
will make me say anything like this:
Ponder didn’t make a good read here, but he didn’t have much to work
with.The ball was late and should not have been thrown, but this was
GARBAGE on the part of Fisher.I thought he called an average game,
balancing good with bad. This was the bad.To put a first-year starting
QB in a position where he has to make an 18 yard throw, with 2:38 on
the clock, from his own 21, with a horrendously young OLine, against
an ultra veteran defense, is just not acceptable!
Fisher’s commentabout this sequence was “And I take blame for that a
little bit myself because I put him in a situation probably on third-
and-18, we were trying to make some thing happen. Probably should have
just ran the ball and went on. That’s partly my fault too. That’s one
I wish I would have had back.”Puh-lease.A little bit on yourself?This
is solely on your shoulders.Jimbo, I’m a huge fan, but when you skirt
your responsibilities, you sound like the delusional Bowden during the
nepotism years.A coach shouldn’t blame a player when the coach put the
player in a bad spot.
Look for Jimbo to give Ponder some easier stuff to start this game
with. Look for dumps to Antone, and the return of the bubble screen.
Ponder is good friends with Caz Piurowski, so look for a safety valve
buddy type connection early. Once they establish a bit of a rhythm,
expect the deep balls to fly. I don’t think Colorado can play their
corners on an island.
BH: What concerns you about Colorado’s defense after studying
it?CP: “We’re going to have to be very patient. They play pretty
soft in that cover 2 and everything, so they’re really going to
force us to be disciplined and take what they give us. It’s
really going to be a challenge to me as a quarterback. And I got to
stay patient and take check downs and not force anything.”
The chat above reveals their concern over the secondary. Ponder is
going to need to hit his hot reads, find his underneath stuff (which
should be available early), and tuck the ball when necessary, to keep
the chains moving. The pass protection was about what I expected going
into the game last week. If Colorado does blitz, and many think they
will, Ponder must hit his hot routes. If Ponder consistently gets the
ball in the hands of his hot guys, Colorado will stop blitzing. The
single coverage stuff down the field should open up at some point, and
when it does, FSU will fire. FSU’s passing attack will think safety
first, comfort second, and bombs third. Colorado’s pass defense isn’t
anywhere near as good as Wake’s, and I take comfort in that. The “A”
Line for the Seminole QB’s: 8.0 YARDS/ ATTEMPT and a 2-1 TD/ Int
ratio.
The “A” line for the Seminole Receivers: No more than 2 drops, zero
fumbles, two plays with 15+ YAC, and no more than 1 penalty (I do not
count offensive pass interference here, for grading purposes). In film
review, I reserve the right to deduct points for horrible route
running or for general laziness.
Florida State should also see some improvement in the running game.
Why? Increased cohesiveness from the offensive line, a greater
commitment to the run, less flukish fumbles, the return of TE Caz
Piurowski, and a lesser quality opponent. Colorado has an excellent DT
in Hyppolite (projected 4th to 6th round draft choice), but not a
whole lot else. You know that Trickett coached these guys hard this
week, and they should be more used to the speed of the college game
(D1 game here, folks). I would prefer to see a good interior lineman
as opposed to a good edge lineman, because FSU is better equipped to
handle the interior guy with the likes of Hudsona and McMahon. Look
for FSU to run the stretch play more in this game, as out tackles
shouldn’t struggle quite as much with the Buff’s ends as they did with
Wake’s veteran ends. Caz should also help to get a good seal on the
edge, as he is a good blocker and fits very nicely into the scheme. Do
not expect FSU to dominate the middle of the line of scrimmage as
their DT is a legit player. Look for FSU to go low on him, early and
often. Ooh, and one more thing; we very well could have a new starter
at one of the tackle spots. I’ve hidden the answer in this preview.
Antone should have a decent day running and a really good day
catching. He had a nice run against Colorado last year, caught on
still film here:
Freshman Jermaine Thomas is from Jacksonville, runs with a really
natural feel, and will get the ball this week. Let’s hope he balls out
for the home crowd.
The other aspect of the ‘Nole running game, and pay attention because
this is new this year, is the running quarterback. Pat White ripped
Colorado, as he does everyone. Hey crazy West Virginia fans, DO NOT
EMAIL ME. I AM NOT SAYING OUR QB’S CAN RUN LIKE PAT WHITE. (They can
play baseball without making racist accusations, and can um, actually
throw though.) The added dimension of the QB run could give Colorado
some trouble in this game. FSU is a load to prepare for because
they’ve shown a lot of different looks: Five Wide spread, bunch,
double tight, a lot of twins-I, option, designed QB off tackles, the
screen game, etc. The element of the QB as a playmaker is always tough
to account for. The “A” line for the running game (including sacks,
but not including kneeldowns): 80% of carries gain 2 or more yards, no
more than BAD blitz pickup miss and no more than 1 fumble
The “A” line for the offensive line: No more than 3 penalties, no more
than 1 bad snap (let’s see what that AA status really means, McMahon),
and no horrible missed blocks (subjective).
General Offensive Goals: 6YPP, no personal foul late hits or
unnecessary roughness, 60+% TD’s in the red zone, 100% scoring in the
red zone.
Colorado need to think safety first on offense, as their offensive
line was absolutely embarrassed last year. 10 tackles for loss guys?
Really? Colorado does not have the personnel on offense to threaten
the ‘Noles deep. They haven’t been able to consistently run the ball
between the tackles.
The Buffs do run an efficient offense, incorporating a lot of high
percentage throws in the short and intermediate range. Colorado also
has had great success running to the outside with their little guy,
Stewart. Humor me for a second and assume that, for the purposes of
this preview, the ‘Noles won’t turn the ball over on half of their
possessions again. With that assumption out of the way, allow me to
guess at something: outside runs without the threat of the inside
game, and short passing without the threat of the deep ball, will not
be enough to score winning points on this defense. Do you think
Colorado can get the corner consistently, if FSU doesn’t have to
respect the inside game? We know that this FSU team tackles really
really well, perhaps the best since the Ernie Sims years Because of
that, Colorado is unlikely to go crazy with the yards after the catch
on the short stuff.
Colorado’s offensive line is still a huge question mark. They’re not
like FSU, in that they don’t average 19 years of age, but they are
still a question mark. An obvious key in this game will be winning
first down. If Colorado is at 2nd and 8 or less, that is a win for the
Buffs. If they aren’t, that is a win for the ‘Noles. I do think
Colorado will struggle against this FSU front. Bob from the Ralphie
report discussed this in the huge interview above. If you have to use
your TE’s and LB’s to constantly pass protect, throwing options are
limited. With that said, I’ll be very happy if FSU can achieve WINS
(defined as 2nd and 9 or worse) on 40% or more of Colorado’s first
downs, and I will be well on my way to giving the front 7 an A. Budd
Thacker and new returnee, fresh from appreciating music Justin Mincey,
need to have a big game from the tackle spots. I think Colorado has
two young tackles who I would rate as “average to above average”, two
guards who are a bigtime question mark, and a very good, experienced
center. Thacker, Mincey, and Stewart must dominate Colorado’s guards.
If they do, FSU can rack this team. I don’t think Colorado realizes
how good these guys are in the middle. If FSU lays an egg in the
middle, highly touted RB Dorrell Scott might run wild. The kid is an
obvious talent, and is waiting to have his breakout game. The
interview indicated that they will come right at us, and I think
Mincey, Thacker, and Derek Nicholson say bring it on.
Additionally, FSU returns three key starters to an already stout unit.
LB Dakota Watson is the clear freak athlete of the team, DT Justin
Mincey has the chance to make a Ricky Jean- Francois splash (LSU), and
Patrick Robinson is the best player we have in the back 4. Getting
back 3 starters on an already sick defense? I don’t see Colorado
scoring a whole lot here.
Chantrant points out, in their that D1-AA Eastern Washington more than
held their own against Colorado, without blitzing. I think we should
try that as well. I bet FSU can wreak havoc without too much blitzing.
Why is not blitzing too much important in this game? Because of the
SCREEN GAME. Colorado has the ability to be an excellent screen team.
I am going to be really pissed off if we get caught in an unnecessary
monster blitz and are burned by a screen. I do think FSU can handle
Colorado’s wideouts (their best threat failed a summer course and
can’t play this year). Our backers can probably cover their backs well
enough. We’re a very sound tackling team. The one way I see us getting
seriously burned is the screen and delay game.
Extra goals for the defense (To Earn the A): No more than two plays
allowed of 30+ yards, an Opponent QB rating of less than 135, ZERO
late hit-out of bounds penalties (roughing the QB is fine by me), an
opponent red-zone TD % of less than 40%, Less than 6 yards per play
allowed, no more than 10 missed tackles, no scores off of a sudden
change, and at least two forced turnovers.
Bonus points if you can elicit a reaction from Cody Hawkins that is
anywhere close to this:
I think FSU has one excellent long scoring drive, one big play
touchdown, one field goal off of a moderate length drive, one
touchdown either on Defense, Special teams, or as a direct result of a
short field created by a turnover, and one field goal off of a short
field created by a turnover or special teams play, for a total or 27
points. That’s an offensive explosion compared to the Wake showing,
I think FSU will have two or fewer turnovers (down from 7). From
those, Colorado can probably get 10 points. I’ll also say that they
can put together one long Touchdown drive. Colorado needs to be able
to run the ball between the tackles, catch FSU in poorly times blitzes
with draws and screens, and work the play-action game to have a
legitimate shot to win. If FSU can limit them to the short and
intermediate passing game, while funneling everything outside, it will
be a long day for Hawkins.
Everyone has written this team off and left them for dead. Well I
remember when everyone thought the Undertaker was dead, and Kane
thought he could waltz over the dead man.
“Oh My God! Kane was wrong, J.R. He’s not dead! Kane thought he was
dead!! My God!, what an experience, sitting here in the Garden, at
Wrestlemania XX! And just experiencing the arrival, the return of the
dead man, and Kane is obviously beside himself! This is not what Kane
wanted to see! No, the dead man lives! He lives, J.R. The dead man,
and Paul Bearer live, and remember, the Undertaker has never lost at
Wrestlemania! He’s eleven, and 0! Kane still can’t believe it. Kane
thought they buried that man!
Now, take out The King and Jim Ross (J.R.), and insert Ron Franklin
and Bob Davie. Substitute “Colorado”, for “Kane”. Plug in “Alltell
Stadium” for “The Garden” (horrible trade, I know). Sawp “River City
Showdown” for “Wrestlemania”. Scratch “dead man”, and fill in
“Seminoles.” White out “Paul Bearer” and edit in “Jimbo Fisher.”,
bookend “he” with a “t” and a “y”, respectively, and change the other
grammar stuff, so that it reads:
“”Oh My God! Colorado was wrong, Ron!. They’re not dead! Colorado
thought they were dead!! My God!, what an experience, sitting here in
Alltell Stadium, at The River City Showdown!! And just experiencing
the arrival, the return of the Seminoles. And Colorado is obviously
beside itself! This is not what Coloradowanted to see! No, the
Seminoleslive! They live,Ron!. The Seminoles, and Bobby Bowden live,
and remember, the Seminoles are 10-1 alltime in Jacksonville! They’re
Ten and one!! Colorado still can’t believe it. Colorado thought they
buried the ‘Noles!
There, much better. 27-17, NOLES. Now try to get in a half days work
on a Friday. GO NOLES!
Late Add: I’m not sure where to put this, but (whose name sounds
familiar, maybe to that deceased USC kicker?) Anyways, it’s a funny
post.
Well laid out and thoughtful approach. I especially like the Q&A
section as it helps give me insight into what to watch out for on the
CU side of the ball.
Question: Do you think we’ll open up our play to more playakers
and spread the ball around more than last week? We’ve got a ton
of talent sitting at WR that was underutilized in place of Parker.
I’m not really sure. I’m not believer i allowing the
defense to dictate exactly what you do, but you do have to adjust
based on how the offense is playing.
I really like to stick to what I see and what I can quantify. It helps
to avoid stuff like “the ’Noles want this one bad”,
and the “they’re super hungry for a win” type stuff.
That type of writing drives me nuts. You’re seriously going to
imply that 85 ultra competitive guys are going out there with the
intention to give less than their all?
With Parker though, some subjective thought is probably needed. Did he
play a bad game because he was simply trying too hard? You can make an
argument for that. He he definitely looked to be playing out of
control at times.
I don’t think the talent behind Parker is as good as Parker at
this point. If it were, why not cut Parker after the gun and green
incident ?(the LAST incident FSU has had with the law, over 150 days
ago.)
Utilizing a bunch of talent is very important, especially in this
developmental year. If Gregg Carr hadn’t improved from last
year, you would see me consistently calling for him to grab some pine.
On the other hand, what about continuity and timing? Splitting QB reps
in practice is tough enough. To mix around WR’s and QB’s
all the time? I don’t know if they can ever fully click without
the amount of reps that other offenses get to go through with their
top personnel.
I love the WM XX clip. That was a pretty good card, with Cena FUing
the Big Show, the Rock’s last match, and the two tragic/surreal
moments of the night, Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit winning
championships.
As for the game, I’m going to say FSU 21-CU 13. I think the boys
will come out and be ready to roll, and I can’t see Colorado
getting long drives on the D. I think there are some FSU jitters, but
they will settle down, and to repeat a cliche, “play their
game.”
I might not be able to get the game in Chicago unless I go to a bar,
so I’ll probably be here liveblogging.
One more thing. If you are a big wrestling fan, I occassionally write
for a site called letswrestle.blogspot.com. I’d check it out.
I wrote this last night while pulling an all-nighter, and now that I
review it, I realize it is a bit rambling.
I also thought about the match where they buried Stone Cold, but
couldn’t totally remember what happened. I have almost no time
to watch TV anymore, but I watched in high school and occasionally in
college.
I am waiting for someone to predict a score in the 50’s. I have
not see that yet.
I will check it out. How would you like to be the official wrestling
correspondent for Tomahawk Nation?
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