 |
|
|
General Info (Coming Soon) Boards & Admin  use policy(Meetings/Club reports) (Buy, Sell & Trade) Jacket Football (Coming Soon) 2001 Kickoff Classic Hoops Jacket Links |
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
 |
|||||||||||
|
Game Previews Brought to you by Army Jacket
|
|||||||||||
|
Head Coach- Bobby Bowden (242-55-4 @ FSU, 25 seasons/315-87-4 overall, 35 seasons) Don't you just feel terrible for the 'Noles. Afterall, 2000 was on of the worst seasons they've had since 1987. At that time, most of this year's signees were in pre-school. They lost to Miami *AND* finished outside the Top 4 (well...in the AP anyway- the streak is still intact according to the coaches) for the first time in 14 years. I don't know how much more those 'Nole fans can take ;-) Every team should off years like them. There were a few highlights. Florida State captured a 9th consecutive ACC title. That earned them yet another trip to a major bowl. They ripped Florida apart in their traditional season ending showdown. And even the aforementioned loss to the 'Canes couldn't keep them from playing for the MNC. Then there was that trophy thing All-Everything QB Chris Weinke brought back from NYC. All in all, just another eventful year in what is arguably the strongest program in the entire country. The strength of that program is going to be put to the test in 2001. Georgia Tech, for the 2nd time in 3 years, is a heavy preseason favorite to challenge FSU. Furthermore, a home game against Miami and a trip to the Swamp fill out the OOC schedule. Neither game is a sure thing- both teams are getting favorable press as teams that could win it all. Bowden's team must also contend with rising programs directed by two of his protege's- son Tommy at Clemson and former assistant Chuck Amato at NCSU. They'll tackle this schedule with only 4 returning starters on each side of the ball, a shaky kicking game, and a brand new OC. Rush Off.- 165 ypg/33rd...Pass Off.- 384 ypg/ 1st...Total Off.- 549 ypg/ 1st Returning Starters OFFENSE- OC Jeff Bowden (8th season @ FSU, 1st year as OC) Quarterbacks Chris Rix - 6-4, 215 lb. R-Fr., Anquan Boldin - 6-2, 205 lb. Jr. I never thought I'd see the day when FSU was so unsettled at QB. The staff operated last season under the assumption that the battle to replace Weinke (and long time backup Marcus Outzen) would come down to Rix, would be junior Jared Jones, and possibly one or two recruits. But Jones was dismissed from the team before spring drills began. That forced the staff to move Boldin, a former QB who made the move to WR in order to get playing time, back under center. Rix and Boldin battled it out in spring with Rix emerging with a slight edge. Since highly regarded FSU signee Joe Mauer has announced his intentions to play baseball, it would appear that those two will be the primary QB's throughout the '01 season. Both Rix and Boldin will return a facet of the FSU offense missing since Weinke took over- the mobile QB. Both players have been timed in the 40 at a flanker-like 4.5 seconds. Based on spring drills, it would appear that Rix has the better arm, both in accuracy and strength. What really set Rix apart though was better decision making. If he keeps that up in the summer, there is every reason to expect him to be the #1 QB on September 15th. OTOH, unless Boldin just falls apart, which isn't likely, we'll probably see him for a series or more as well. In the Gold/Garnet game back in April, Rix completed 13 of 23 passes with 2 TD's and 0 INT's. Boldin was 8 of 17 with an INT. Should FSU be forced to go deeper than these two, they would have to turn to a pair of 2001 recruits. Adrian McPherson (6-3, 178 lb.) was Florida's Mr Football, passing for 3,727 yards as a high school senior. Matt Henshaw (6-4, 208 lb.), son of Tennessee Titans assistant coach George Henshaw, would be their other option. Running Backs In the wake of Weinke's departure, Bowden has (again!) promised to emphasize the running game. With Travis Minor also gone, a stable full of versatile running backs will attempt to keep that promise. The only returning starter in the group is fullback William McCray. He's not a particularly strong offensive threat though. With 45 carries for only 131 yards (+ 4 receptions for 22 more) but a team high 8 TD's rushing, I suspect we'll see Mr. McCray doing the lead blocking and short yardage thing. Golightly is similar. He only had 50 yards rushing on 16 attempts in 2000, but took 4 of those over for scores. That will leave the tailbacks to carry the bulk of the rushing attack. Despite two reconstuctive surgeries for a torn ACL in 1998 and missing part of last season with a broken collarbone, Davey Ford emerged from spring drills as the #1 guy to replace Minor. Much of that is due to outstanding speed. In 2000, he reportedly ran a sub 4.3 40. Before missing the last 3 games of last season, Ford had amassed 239 yards on just 38 carries; a stellar 6.3 yards/attempt. The highlight of his season was an 83 yard sprint against Clemson. Contrasting with Ford is Greg Jones. It appears to me this guy is a fullback w/ tailback speed. As a true freshman, he was able to break into FSU's backfield rotation and pick up 266 yards on 41 carries. That was good enough to rank 3rd in Seminole rushing behind veterans Minor and Jeff Chaney. Finally, there's Maddox. While possessing neither Ford's speed, nor Jones brute strength, Maddox figures to be heavily involved in the Seminole ground attack. He brings an athletic, slashing type of style to the table. While this highly regarded recruit out of North Carolina hasn't lived up to the hype surrounding his recruitment 3 years ago, he quietly contributed 70 yards rushing on just 7 carries, and added another 135 yards on 7 receptions while playing in every game. Wide Receivers Considering some of the question marks at other positions, you could say that WR is fairly well set for FSU. The 4 players listed above represent the 2 deep at the flanker and split end positions. While only Bell is considered a returning starter, all 4 played in at least 9 games and had more than 12 receptions apiece. The coaches are hoping that Bell will step forward in much the same way Marvin Minnis did a year ago in replacing Peter Warrick. That shouldn't be too difficult since he'll be the primary receiver. In last year's pass happy offense, he grabbed 37 receptions for 675 yards, and made 10 count for touchdowns. Joining him at flanker will be Walker. A JUCO transfer in 2000, Walker managed to pull down 20 passes for 313 yards and a pair of TD's. On the other side, Robert Morgan returns to harrass GT again. He caught 4 passes for 71 yards against the Jackets, including what turned out to be the game winner. Over the course of the season, Morgan totaled 19 receptions for 366 yards and 3 TD's. The other split end is Gardner. In 2000, he had 12 receptions for 198 yards in spot duty. It should be noted that Morgan and Gardner have effectively moved up one spot on the depth chart due to Boldin's move to QB. Bowden insist that move is permanent because he can't afford to risk going into the season with only one QB, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Anquan show up on the field at the WR position a couple of times. Although a QB in high school, Boldin made the move to WR easily picking up 41 receptions for 664 yards and a half dozen TD's as a sophomore last season. Tight Ends With a young QB, plus a new commitment to the running game, combined with two rarely used TE's, this position's offensive threat will almost certainly be diminished. Only 16 passes were completed to TE's in 2000. The departed Ryan Sprague had 12 of them; Nick Franklin added 3 more before a knee injury cut his senior campaign short. Donaldson caught the other pass, for 9 yards against NCSU. That raised his career total to 4 for 67 yards. And it's not like he's just been sitting on the bench either. Donaldson played in 7 games as a freshman, 12 as a sophomore, and 8 more in 2000. Likewise for Hughes who has only 2 career receptions despite playing in 17 total games in 1998 and 1999 before redshirting in 2000. (due to injury) Offensive Line After you get done figuring out exactly how HUGE that OL is (6-4, 301 lbs.) we can get on with discussing the OL. (Jeez that's big!!!) Brett Williams is the anchor. He earned his way into the starting lineup as a redshirt freshman and hasn't looked back. Although he was slowed somewhat by an ankle injury in 2000, he still enters this season as a prospective All-American and a consensus All-ACC pick. He'll be counted on heavily by the coaching staff to provide some leadership to a young and somewhat inexperienced OL. Backing up Williams will be R-Fr. Alex Barron (6-6, 290 lb.). I'm sure everyone remembers the recruiting battle Tech and FSU waged over his services. He injured his knee in summer practice last year missing the regular season and spring practice, so the Duke game will be his first opportunity to get some real playing time. The split guard position is up for grabs. Coming out of spring drills, JUCO transfer Milfred Brown was listed as #1, but Ron Boldin (6-5, 290 lb. Sr; he's a cousin to Anquan) will try and change that in August. Unless one or the other really steps forward, I expect we'll see plenty of both on 9/15. Despite being a first year starter, Mirambeau brings plenty of experience to the center position. He was moved over from the DL in his freshman season and has been backing up the departed Jared Moon ever since. In 2000, he saw time in every game, including the Orange Bowl. The same can't be said for his relief. Josh Baggs (6-1, 305 lb. R-Jr.) made the two-deep coming out of spring practice, but his limited playing time in real game situations has to be a concern to the coaches. Montrae Holland finally put aside some questions about his physical health to hold down the starting job over the last 7 games of the season. If he can stay healthy, FSU will have a solid tandem at this position with him and backup Otis Duhart (6-4, 290 lb. R-Jr.). Duhart was actually the starter through 6 games in 2000, and is trying to be again. Playing in all 13 games, he did not allow a sack. However, should Holland again fall to the injury bug, a problem throughout his career so far, depth would be serious concern here. Finally, Todd Williams and Ray Willis (6-6, 256 lb. R-Fr.) will continue to battle for playing time at the Tight Tackle position. Williams found playing time in all 13 games in 2000, mostly due to injuries to other players. That had him moving from split guard to split tackle to tight tackle. For the first time that I can recall, FSU seems to be vulnerable along the OL- especially at the SG and TT. They also have a problem with experienced depth behind both of the Williams'. This alone is reason enough to think the 'Noles are vulnerable. Combine it with the question marks at every other position along the offensive unit and you understand why many folks think FSU might finally stumble (more than once) along the way in 2001. DEFENSE DC Mickey Andrews (17th season @ FSU and as DC) Defensive Line What a pleasant surprise Dockett was for FSU in 2000. Listed as a backup DE heading into the season, Dockett moved inside after the GT game and ended up a 2nd team All-ACC selection. Starting the last 11 games of the season, Dockett recorded 66 tackles and had a team high 19 TFL, 7 of them sacks. He'll team with Womble to plug up the middle. Womble had 49 stops, 10 of them behind the line of scrimmage himself. Essentially trading positions with Dockett is Kevin Emanuel. Heading into 2000, he was expected to figure into the DT rotation, but has now moved outside to replace Jamal Reynolds, a first round pick in the NFL draft. As a backup, he was effective playing in 12 games and recording 43 tackles, 9 TFL. His counterpart on the other side brings plenty of experience to the table as a first year starter. Jackson has appeared in every single game the last two seasons. He has 50 tackles (37 in 2000) over that span. Like the OL, any potential problems don't lie with the starters, but the backups. Eric Powell (6-4, 270 lb. Sr.) played in 11 games last fall, his first w/ FSU after transferring in from SW Mississippi JC. He had 21 tackles. He'll backup Emanuel. Charles Howard (6-3, 230 lb. So.) has one season of spot duty under his belt as well. He was credited with 17 tackles in 2000. Most of his time was spent on special teams. That's the good part. At DT, R-Fr. Travis Johnson (6-5, 240 lb.) will relieve Dockett. At NG, Tony Benford (6-4, 270 lb. R-Jr.) has much more playing time than Johnson but that's not necessarily a good thing. This time last year, Benford was pencilled in as one of the starters at NG but failed to step up his level of play and was moved back down the depth chart. He did see time in 9 games, notching 24 tackles. Linebackers 2 out of 3 ain't bad. FSU seems to be set at WLB with Pope, a true sophomore who left 'Nole fans anxious for more after his freshman campaign, and MLB where 2000 starter Bradley Jennings returns to patrol the center. SLB is another story. Pope showed why he was one of the most highly sought after recruits in 2000 quickly. Backing up All-ACC LB Tommy Polley, Pope still managed 52 tackles and an interception while playing in every game. His backup is no slouch either. Michael Boulware (6-3, 200 lb. So.) recorded 21 tackles in 9 games last year. The Seminoles are equally strong over the middle where Jennings looks to improve on his team high 102 tackles. While not quite as strong as the Pope-Boulware tandem, Jennings will be backed up by Jerel Hudson (6-3, 240 lb. R-Jr.) for the 3rd year in a row. Hudson had 36 tackles and an INT against BYU last fall. The SLB position could be a real problem though. Coming out of spring drills, early enrollee Ray Piquion earned the starting spot almost by default. That's because Lee Weaver (6-2, 216 lb. R-Jr.) had to sit out spring practice recovering from a knee injury. However, even when healthy, Weaver has only been a minor contributor totaling 6 tackles over 13 games the last two years. Even if Piquion is able to come in and contribute immediately, depth is going to be a problem here. Defensive Backs The Seminoles had to be happy that Chris Hope decided to forgo the NFL draft and return for his senior season. It would've been difficult trying to replace his 83 tackles and 2 INT's but it also would have left the secondary void of any veteran leadership. That's at least one less worry Mickey Andrews has entering 2001. Now he just has to hope that Howard can step up and replace All-ACC performer Derrick Gibson. He had 33 tackles backing up Gibson in 2000. The questions are even more numerous at corner. Tay Cody put years of inconsistency behind him and became an All-American in 2000. Now he and his 6 INT's are gone. The job of replacing him falls to Stanford Samuels. Actually, Samuels got an early start on that job when Cody was injured in the Orange Bowl. However, it's not like Samuels was a stranger to playing time though. As the 5th DB in the nickel package, plus frequent mop up duty in "FSU-RUTS" wins, Samuels recorded 22 tackles. At left corner, Malcolm Tatum hopes to come back from a dismal campaign when he was bothered by a back injury and only had two tackles all year. Gennaro Jackson (6-0, 185 lb. Jr.) and Rufus Brown (5-9, 175 lb. R-So.) bring some experienced depth to the FS and RC positions respectively. Jackson had 28 tackles playing in all 13 games last season after making the transition from WR to DB. Brown chipped in w/ 17 tackles, also playing in every game. However, the SS and LC positions will both be backed up by redshirt freshman. Bryant McFadden will help out Tatum, while Claudius Osei releives Howard. Special Teams Talk about missing Sebastian Janikowski. FSU went from automatic on anything inside 40 yards to everything beyond a PAT being an adventure. Cimorelli, Gwaltney and Matt Munyon (5-10, 185 lb. Jr.) all attempted FG's in an effort to replace the hard partying Janikowski. It didn't work out so well. Combined they were 14 of 24 on FG's and missed 7 extra points. By the time spring drills rolled around, it looked as if the staff had settled on Cimroelli handling FG's and PAT's, Gwaltney focusing on punting, and Munyon doing the kickoffs. However, Munyon was arrested during the offseason and that through a monkey into that wrench. To be perfectly honest, I was under the impression he was kicked off the team, but several preseason mags still list him on the roster. Maybe some lurking 'Nole can expand on that situation a little. Until then, the pertinent numbers for Cimorelli are 6 of 9 FG's with a long of 38. He was 23 of 24 on PAT's. Gwaltney is the heir apparent to Keith Cottrell. He has 3 punts over his first two seasons, with a 39.0 average. Kickoff returns should be handled by WR Talman Gardner and TB Nick Maddox. Gardner was the primary KOR man, fielding 8 for a 21.9 average. Maddox worked behind the departed duo of Travis Minor and Jeff Chaney, handling 3 kickoffs for a respectable 20.3 yards/return. Maddox also handled the majority of punt returns (18 for a 10.6 yard average) last season and there's no reason to expect anything different heading into 2001. Coaching Helping him out have been some great assistants, but some chinks are beginning to show in that armor. Not taking anything away from Joe Kines or Jeff Bowden, but the losses of Chuck Amato and Mark Richt the last two seasons are bound to hurt somewhat. Fortunately for FSU, Mickey Andrews decided to turn down an offer to go to the NFL and remain in Tallahassee. Still, this remains one of the best staffs in the country and is arguably the best one GT will face this season. What this all means... And yet I still think Georgia Tech can do what no team has done in Tallahassee since November 16, 1991 - win. (Miami 17-16) Here's why. As good as FSU's starting 22 has been, is, and will be for the foreseeable future, the way the 'Noles really win the big games is wearing you down. More often than not, Florida State would throw a 2nd string and even parts of a 3rd that were as a good as the starters. Their opponents were either beat when their own 2nd teamers were in the game, or when the 1st team just finally wore out. Think about the GT-FSU game in 1998 when we trailed 10-7 and had the ball w/ 13 minutes to play. FSU won 34-7. That's been their pattern for the better part of a decade. If they couldn't beat you with the starters, just wait awhile and beat you down. Then go for the jugular. But in the last two games, just as it looked like FSU was ready to stomp GT into oblivion, we've gotten off the mat and made a game of it. We've hung in there until the end. Now we finally get a Florida State team that is still immensely talented, especially on the 1st team, but doesn't look quite so threatening behind that. On the flip side, Tech's experienced depth has been growing since that 1998 game and it now appears we have the horses to stay with FSU the whole way. Offensively, we need to attack the flanks. Florida state returns (good) players at DT, MLB, and FS - right up the gut. However, new DE's, some questions at SLB, and both corners indicate we might have some success outside. The main thing is to just take what they give us and move the ball. I suspect they'll focus on KC, so it's imperative that the other WR's step up, especially Watkins and Curry. Defensively, FSU is stil going to be tough. Rix (and Boldin) bring that additional mobility that Weinke didn't. The running backs look good and on paper they're fairly well stacked at WR. While I'm not trying to compare our defense to Oklahoma's 2000 team, I am encouraged that they seriously misfired in the Orange Bowl. They can be slowed down. If Albert Poree is as good as they say, he could be a huge factor in this game. I think Young and Muyres will also be instrumental to our chances of winning. I think Tech holds a clear advantage in the kicking game. So there it is. I think I just set a new standard for length. I hope the quality is there as well. We'll have a test on this Monday at 10:30 just to make sure you read it all ;-) |
|||||||||||
