2008 Florida State Seminoles - Rec. Class

Florida State Seminoles 2008 Head Coach: Bobby Bowden

Florida State Seminoles

2008 Recruiting Class

Star of the Class

Nigel Bradham LB 6-2 230 Crawfordville, FL
One of the top recruits in the nation, Bradham is already enrolled at FSU...PARADE All-American...SuperPrep All-American...a five-star rated outside linebacker by Scout.com...Scout's top-rated middle linebacker and Prep Stars No. 1 linebacker...ESPN ranks him as their fourth-best OLB and the 60th-best player in America...Tom Luginbill of Scouts, Inc. considers him an outstanding prospect...a finalist for the 2008 U.S. Army Player of the Year Award...received honorable mention Army All-America honors as the best tackler...led the East team to a 33-23 victory and recorded four tackles in the 2008 U.S. Army All-American Bowl...was the recipient of the EAS Speed and Strength Award...Tallahassee Democrat All-Big Bend Defensive Player of the Year...PrepStar Dream Team member...FSWAA All-State 3A First Team Defense... AJC Super Southern 100...finished his senior season with 147 tackles, 12 sacks and four defensive touchdowns in leading Wakulla to a district championship...as a junior he tallied 145 tackles, eight sacks and four interceptions, two of which he returned for TDs...recorded over 430 tackles and 20 sacks during his three-year career at Wakulla...had one of the five best games in the nation this year according to Rivals when he registered 15 tackles in a 16-0 win over Blountstown...timed at 4.52 in the 40-yard dash, can bench press 440 pounds and clean jerk 310...had over 40 offers and chose the Seminoles over Georgia, Mississippi and Florida.

Potential Instant Impact Players

EJ Manuel 6-4, 201, QB Virginia Beach, VA (Bayside)
One of the top quarterback recruits in the nation in 2008... PARADE All-American...a five-star QB recruit according to Scout...rated the best player in the state of Virginia this year by Rivals...Rivals has Manuel rated second for arm strength and accuracy...Tom Luginbill of Scouts, Inc. considers him an outstanding prospect...PrepStar Dream Team member...AJC Super Southern 100... starting QB in the Under Armour All-American game where he completed 5 of 6 passes for 71 yards in leading Team White to a win...Scouts, Inc. compared Manuel to "a smaller JaMarcus Russell" after watching the QB practice in Orlando...honorable mention "Best Arm" at the Under Armour All-Star game...accounted for almost 7,400 yards and 68 TDs in his high school career...threw for 48 TDs and ran for 12 in his career at Bayside...completed at least 56% of his passes every season of his high school career...passed for nearly 4,000 yards combined in his junior and senior seasons... had at least 1,300 yards passing as a sophomore, junior and senior...nearly threw for 2,000 yards (1,973) as a junior and had 19 TD passes as a senior...also rushed for 541 yards as a senior...earned All-Tidewater district honors...named second-team all-state in Group AAA...participated in Elite 11 camp...runs a 4.6 in the 40...a Dallas Cowboy fan who models his game after New England QB and NFL MVP Tom Brady...chose FSU over LSU, Oregon, Tennessee and Alabama among others.

Corey Surrency WR 6-5 210 Torrance, CA
Five-star recruit according to Scout.com...one of the top junior college players in America...PrepStar Junior College All-American...this past season he had 30 receptions for more than 670 yards...had 23 catches for 432 yards and three touchdowns as a freshman in 2006...had six catches for 125 yards in the state championship game...runs a 4.45 in the 40...chose FSU over LSU, Oregon, West Virginia, Oregon State, Cal, Colorado, Louisville and Arizona.

Rest of the Class

A.J.  Alexander	ATH	6-0	180	Altoona, PA
Travis Arnold	DB	5-10	184	Madison, FL
Nigel Carr	LB	6-3	220	Jacksonville, FL
Avis Commack	WR	6-4	182	Jacksonville, FL
Andrew Datko	OL	6-5	285	Fort Lauderdale, FL
Everett Dawkins	DE	6-2	242	Duncan, SC
Garrett Faircloth	OL	6-6	260	Jacksonville, FL
Jarmon Fortson	ATH	6-3	220	Columbus, GA
Josh Gehres	WR	6-3	190	Tallahassee, FL
Anthony Hill	DT	6-4	301	Pensacola, FL
Ed Imeokparia	ATH	6-0	188	Blairstown, NJ
Carlton Jones	RB	5-11	215	Tampa, FL
Jabaris Little	TE	6-4	240	Tallahassee, FL
E.J. Manuel	QB	6-5	215	Virginia Beach, VA
Anthony McCloud	DT	6-3	295	Thomasville, GA
Moses McCray	DT	6-2	268	Tampa, FL
Nick Moody	LB	6-1	218	Philadelphia, PA
Terrance Parks	DB	6-1	200	Fairburn, GA
Tavares Pressley	RB	6-1	215	Torrance, CA
Zebrie Sanders	OL	6-5	273	Clayton, OH
Rhonne Sanderson	OL	6-4	280	Tampa, FL
Debrale Smiley	RB	6-0	235	Thomasville, GA
Blake Snider	OL	6-4	282	Heflin, AL
David Spurlock	OL	6-4	280	Murfreesboro, TN
Toshmon Stevens	DE	6-5	198	Crescent City, FL
Jermaine Thomas	RB	6-1	190	Jacksonville, FL
Markus White	DE	6-4	245	El Dorado, KS
Vincent Williams	LB	6-0	210	Davenport, FL

- 2007 FSU Season
- 2007 FSU Preview
- 2006 FSU Season

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 8-4
2006 Record: 7-6

Sept. 3 at Clemson L 24-17
Sept. 8 UAB W 34-24
Sept. 15 at Colorado W 16-6
Sept. 29 Alabama W 21-14
Oct. 6 NC State W 27-10
Oct. 11 at Wake Forest  L 24-21
Oct. 20 Miami L 37-29
Oct. 27 Duke W 25-6
Nov. 3 at Boston Coll W 27-17
Nov. 10 at Virginia Tech L 40-21
Nov. 17 Maryland W 24-16
Nov. 24 at Florida L 45-12
Music City Bowl
Dec. 31 Kentucky L 35-28

Recap: All of those offseason coaching changes made by Bobby Bowden did little to ignite Florida State, which lost six games for a second straight year, and struggled to excel in Jimbo Fisher’s offense.  The Seminoles opened with a loss to Clemson, closed with an academic scandal that robbed the team of two dozen players for the Music City Bowl, and was out of contention in the ACC by mid-October.  The highlights of the season were wins over Alabama in September and an upset of Boston College in November that ended the Eagles national title dreams.

Offensive Player of the Year: WR Preston Parker

Defensive Player of the Year: LB Geno Hayes

Biggest Surprise: Parker.  One of the few bright spots on offense, Parker came out of relative obscurity to lead the team in receptions, shift seamlessly to running back when Antone Smith went down, and provide a threat on returns.  Just a sophomore in 2007, he’ll play a huge role in the offense in 2008. 

Biggest Disappointment: The offense.  Fisher wasn’t going to be a miracle worker in his first year, but much more was expected from a unit that’s underachieved the past few seasons.  The ‘Noles were never able to get the running game cranking, scoring fewer than 30 points in all but the visit from UAB.

Looking Ahead: Hey, it’s Florida State, so no one would be floored if next year was the season that the program finally gets back to double-digit wins for the first time since 2003.  Mickey Andrews’ defense will be fine, but to get over the hump, the Noles need an offensive wake-up call and a breakthrough final year from QB Drew Weatherford.      

Dec. 31
2007 Music City Bowl
Kentucky 35 ... Florida State 28
Florida State was without 36 players due to academic suspension and/or injury, but it still battled down to the final play. UK QB Andre Woodson threw four touchdown passes with throws of 13 and 38 yards to Steve Johnson, a two-yard pass to Rafael Little, and a 14-yarder to Jacob Tamme early on, capitalizing off a blocked punt, to start the scoring. The Seminoles were helped by the defense with Tony Carter taking a Woodson pass 24 yards for a second quarter touchdown to tie it at 14, but it was all UK in the third quarter with the Little score and a four-yard Tony Dixon touchdown run. FSU's Drew Weatherford ran for two short scores and threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Greg Carr to stay alive, but was never able to get the lead. The Wildcats couldn't run out the clock after the Carr score, and Weatherford got a second chance after throwing an interception to Micah Johnson, who fumbled it back to FSU with 29 seconds to play. On their own 17, the Seminoles got a 24-yard catch from Carr and a ten-yard pass to Preston Parker to get to the UK 44 with a shot at a desperation pass with three seconds to play, but UK broke up the final desperation pass in the end zone.
Offensive Player of the Game: Kentucky QB Andre Woodson completed 32 of 50 passes for 358 yards and four touchdowns with an interception
Defensive Player of the Game: Kentucky LB Wesley Woodyard made 15 tackles
Stat Leaders: Florida State - Passing: Drew Weatherford, 22-48, 276 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Antone Smith, 17-156. Receiving: Preston Parker, 8-105
Kentucky - Passing: Andre Woodson, 32-50, 358 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Rafael Little, 28-152. Receiving: Rafael Little, 8-50, 1 TD
Thoughts & Notes ... Florida State played its guts out. With no depth and missing a slew of starters, the Noles hung tough for a full sixty minutes rarely playing like a short-handed team. ... Kentucky will obviously be happy about getting a second straight Music City Bowl win, but considering the circumstances, this wasn't exactly an impressive performance. The Wildcats should've been able to pound the ball and worn down the FSU defensive front, but couldn't do it. The Noles held on to the ball for almost 11 minutes in the third quarter. ... What is it about Florida State and running the ball in bowl games? After having no ground game last year, it ripped up UCLA in the Emerald Bowl, and this year it struggled all year long on the ground but got 156 yards out of Antone Smith against the Wildcats. ... FSU QB Drew Weatherford needed to be perfect, and he wasn't. To be fair, he didn't get a whole bunch of help on several key plays that could've changed the game. ... Andre Woodson became UK's all-time leader in touchdown passes with 40 for his career after tossing four against the Seminoles. ... Penalties killed Florida State with ten for 102 yards. Kentucky committed seven, but for just 45 yards.

Nov. 24
Florida 45 ... Florida State 12
Florida rolled up 541 yards of total offense with Tim Tebow running for scores from 23 and five yards out and throwing for three scores with two to Louis Murphy. Percy Harvin ran for 157 yards with a 24-yard touchdown dash putting a cap on the scoring. Florida State only managed four Gary Cismesia field goals, but he nailed a 60-yard bomb at the end fo the first half.
Player of the game: Florida RB Tim Tebow completed 19 of 28 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns, and ran 13 times for 89 yards and two scores
Stat Leaders: Florida State - Passing: Drew Weatherford, 20-37, 188 yds
Rushing: Preston Parker, 12-48. Receiving: Preston Parker, 6-55
Florida - Passing: Tim Tebow, 19-28, 262 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Percy Harvin, 16-157, 1 TD. Receiving: Cornelius Ingram, 5-75
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... If you needed an indication of how wide the talent gap is between Florida State and the rest of the nation, witness the Florida debacle. The Seminoles weren't just beaten by a better team, they weren't even close the Gators did whatever they wanted to. Not getting any offense is one thing, that's been a continual issue for FSU, but for the defense to be gouged like it was against Tim Tebow and company means the program needs to go back to the drawing board.

Nov. 17
Florida State 24 ... Maryland 16
Florida State jumped out to a 21-3 first half lead with Drew Weatherford running for a one-yard score and throwing a ten-yard touchdown pass to DeCody Fagg, but the star of the show was Preston Parker, who ran for an 18-yard score in the first half and finished with 133 yards. Maryland pulled within eight on a 14-yard Darrius Heyward-Bey catch late in the third quarter, but the Noles got a 30-yard Gary Cismesia field goal to get comfortably ahead. The two teams combined to convert just five of 27 third down chances.
Player of the game: Florida State RB Preston Parker ran 20 times for 133 yards and a touchdown and caught a pass for 21 yards
Stat Leaders: Florida State - Passing: Drew Weatherford, 16-26, 204 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Preston Parker, 20-133, 1 TD. Receiving: DeCody Fagg, 4-68, 1 TD
Maryland - Passing: Chris Turner, 16-32, 242 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Keon Lattimore, 13-46. Receiving: Darrius Heyward-Bey, 5-82, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The Noles might not be anything special, but they've done a good job of pulling out of the midseason tailspin by winning three of four games before dealing with Florida. It's possible the quarterback situation is finally settled a bit with Drew Weatherford back and solid, but the real key has been the running of Preston Parker, who unlike Antone Smith, has been able to make things happen. The defense kept Maryland's offense under wraps, especially the running game, but to have a shot at Florida, Weatherford has to be more effective on third downs.

Nov. 10
Virginia Tech 40 ... Florida State 21
Virginia Tech was down one going into the fourth quarter thanks to a an FSU run sparked by a 40-yard Dekoda Watson interception return for a score and an eight-yard DeCody Fagg catch, and then came 20 unanswered points. Tyrod Taylor ran for a three-yard score and Chris Ellis picked off a pass for a five-yard touchdown. Taylor threw two first half touchdown passes and Branden Ore ran for a two-yard score on the way to a 20-yard Hokie lead before the Noles made their midgame run.
Player of the game: Virginia Tech QB Tyrod Taylor completed ten of 15 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns with an interception, and ran 17 times for 92 yards and a score
Stat Leaders: Florida State - Passing: Christian Ponder, 8-18, 105 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Christian Ponder, 5-51. Receiving: DeCody Fagg, 4-63, 1 TD
Virginia Tech - Passing: Tyrod Taylor, 10-15, 204 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Tyrod Taylor, 17-92, 1 TD. Receiving: Justin Harper, 5-167, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Considering Drew Weatherford got knocked out of the game and Xavier Lee wasn't around to rely on, the Seminoles did a great job of staying alive against Virginia Tech for three quarters. When the wheels started to come off, it would've been nice if the offensive line could've taken over and Antone Smith could've been the man, but that didn't happen. Erased from the gameplan early, it was all Christian Ponder, and this wasn't the time to get his feet wet. With Maryland and Florida to close out, this might not be a pretty few games to close things out unless the quarterback play is steadier.

Nov. 3
Florida State 27 ... Boston College 17
Boston College couldn't pull out a second straight close game with Matt Ryan getting picked off three times, with the last one a by Geno Hayes for a 38-yard score with 1:10 to play. Drew Weatherford bombed away for 354 yards for the Noles with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Preston Parker and a 42-yard pass play to Decody Fagg, but the Eagles stayed in the game with a 30-yard Brandon Robinson touchdown catch and a one-yard Ryan Purvis catch. Jamie Silva made 16.5 tackles with a forced fumble and a sack for BC. The two teams combined for 786 passing yards and 18 penalties
Player of the game: Florida State QB Drew Weatherford completed 29 of 45 passes for 354 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Boston College - Passing: Matt Ryan, 26-53, 415 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Matt Ryan, 9-30. Receiving: Brandon Robinson, 7-163, 1 TD
Florida State - Passing: Drew Weatherford, 29-45, 354 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Antone Smith, 22-63. Receiving: Preston Parker, 9-93, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... After the loss to Miami a few weeks ago, and with the switch to Drew Weatherford, the passing game has finally found some consistency, helped by an offensive line that's doing a good job of keeping him upright. While Weatherford was tremendous in outplaying Matt Ryan this week, punter Graham Gano might have been the MVP of the game highlighted by a brilliant 64-yard kick that pinned the Eagles deep, and averaging 49.5 yards on four kicks. Will this win over BC give the team the confidence to win road games at Virginia Tech and Florida in the final three weeks? A good season could turn into a fantastic one if the team continues to play this well.

Oct. 27
Florida State 25 ... Duke 6
Preston Parker caught a nine-yard touchdown pass and scored on a 14-yard end around in the third quarter, and Gary Cismesia hit four field goals, as Florida State dominated Duke. The Blue Devils gained nine yards rushing and only got nine first downs, with the only score coming on a three-yard Brandon King catch midway through the fourth. Florida State held on to the ball for 39:38 and outgained the Blue Devils 534 yards to 222.
Player of the game: Florida State QB Drew Weatherford completed 35 of 47 passes for 339 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Duke - Passing: Thaddeus Lewis, 16-30, 198 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Thaddeus Lewis, 8-18. Receiving: Jomar Wright, 7-141
Florida State - Passing: Drew Weatherford, 35-47, 339 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Antone Smith, 23-146. Receiving: Richard Goodman, 11-73
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The Noles might have only come up with 25 points in the win over Duke, but it was as dominant a game as the team has had all season long. Drew Weatherford was accurate and decisive in his throws, and Antone Smith finally, finally started to run like he's expected to. No, beating Duke isn't like coming up with a win over Boston College or Virginia Tech, but after a confidence builder like this week, anything might be possible in a brutal final month (at Boston College, at Virginia Tech, Maryland, at Florida).

Oct. 20
Miami 37 ... Florida State 29
And the rivalry just keeps getting more bizarre. Florida State got five Gary Cismesia field goals, including two 45-yarders in the second half, a 45-yard Toddrick Verdell interception return for a touchdown, and a six-yard Xavier Lee touchdown run on the way to a 29-24 lead late in the fourth quarter. The game appeared to be all but over when Miami's Kirby Freeman was stuffed on fourth and one on the FSU two, but the Canes got another chance and went 83 yards in 1:30 with Freeman hitting Dedrick Epps for a 13-yard touchdown pass with 1:15 to play. The two point conversion failed, leaving the door open for the Noles, but 11 seconds later, Colin McCarthy scooped up a Lee fumble for a 27-yard score to seal the win. FSU turned it over five times, Miami four times.
Player of the game: Miami LB Colin McCarthy made ten tackles, a tackle for loss and recovered a fumble for a 27-yard touchdown
Stat Leaders: Miami - Passing: Kyle Wright, 6-10, 88 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Graig Cooper, 10-80, 1 TD. Receiving: Darnell Jenkins, 4-106
Florida State - Passing: Xavier Lee, 14-32, 208 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Antone Smith, 22-114. Receiving: Preston Parker, 5-83
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... What kind of head and heart does Florida State have? To lose in painful fashion to Wake Forest is one thing, but to lose in heartbreaking fashion in the final minute at home to Miami is another. The turnovers were a major issue, but the big problem was a defense that couldn't come up with a key stop late for the second week in a row. Xavier Lee continues to make mistakes, and has problems at times being on the same page with his receivers, but he's still moving the offense relatively well, and he's adding a rushing element that Antone Smith isn't providing. Lose to Duke next week, and things then get truly ugly.

Oct. 11
Wake Forest 24 ... Florida State 21
Kenneth Moore caught a 35-yard touchdown pass to put Wake Forest up 21-14 late in the fourth quarter, and Sam Swank put it away with a 48-yard field goal. Florida State made it interesting with a 17-yard Xavier Lee touchdown run with 17 seconds to play, but the Demon Deacons recovered the onside kick. Josh Adams started off the scoring with an 83-yard run, and tied it for Wake with a six-yard scoring grab in the third, while Lee threw two touchdown passes, highlighted by a four-yard jump ball to Greg Carr. The two teams combined for seven turnovers and 18 penalties.
Player of the game: Wake Forest QB Riley Skinner completed 19 of 27 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions
Stat Leaders: Wake Forest - Passing: Riley Skinner, 19-27, 215 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Josh Adams, 18-140, 1 TD. Receiving: Josh Adams, 6-29, 1 TD
Florida State - Passing: Xavier Lee, 24-45, 283 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Antone Smith, 14-32. Receiving: Greg Carr, 8-108, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... This is one maddening team. It shows flashes of dominance with breathtaking athleticism and skill, and then it can't get anything working. Against Wake Forest, crushing penalties, four costly turnovers, and no running game opened up a shot for the upset, and it happened. If nothing else, Xavier Lee showed again that he deserves to be the main man, sink or swim. The offense had way too many down drives, but Lee also showed off the speed and mobility to throw a mega-scare into defenses. Now there's no margin for error; the Noles have to win out in ACC play.

Oct. 6
Florida State 27 ... NC State 10
The Seminoles got a two-yard touchdown run from Xavier Lee and a 40-yard scoring pass to Greg Carr, but the game turned around early in the second half on a Michael Ray Garvin interception for a touchdown. The Wolfpack held a 10-7 lead at the end of the first quarter with a 23-yard field goal and a two-yard John Dunlap touchdown catch, and then FSU scored the final 20 points. NC State turned it over four times and gave up six sacks.
Player of the game: Florida State QB Xavier Lee threw for 257 yards and a touchdown on 16-of-28 passing, while rushing 12 times for 14 yards and a score.
Stat Leaders: NC State - Passing: Daniel Evans, 19-32, 172 yds, 1 TD, 3 INTs
Rushing: Jamelle Eugene, 14-101. Receiving: Jamelle Eugene, 5-30
Florida State - Passing: Xavier Lee, 16-28, 257 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Antone Smith, 17-55. Receiving: Preston Parker, 6-61
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The defense mostly gets the credit for the win over NC State, getting into the backfield early and often, and coming up with four turnovers. However, the real story was Xavier Lee, who had a nice, efficient game throwing the ball, even though he didn't run much. There wasn't enough of a running game overall, as the offense still can't seem to find a way to get Antone Smith rolling. Even so, the Noles are winning, and are right in the thick of the ACC race with winnable games against Wake Forest, Miami and Duke ahead before the big battles on the road at BC and Virginia Tech.

Sept. 29
Florida State 21 ... Alabama 14
After a 0-0 defensive slugfest at halftime, the two offenses woke up in the second half with Xavier Lee taking over at quarterback for Florida State and working with DeCody Fagg for touchdown passes from seven and 70 yards. Antone Smith ran for a five-yard score for a 14-0 Seminole lead held late in the game, but the Tide got a seven-yard D.J. Hall touchdown catch with just over five minutes to play, and Keith Brown caught a 17-yard touchdown pass with just over a minute left to pull within seven. The Tide recovered the onside kick, but it was ruled FSU ball since the ball bounced off a Tide player.
Player of the game: Florida State QB Xavier Lee completed 12 of 19 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns with an interception, and ran 11 times for a team-leading 59 yards
Stat Leaders: Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson, 28-53, 240 yds, 2 TDs
Rushing: Terry Grant, 9-36. Receiving: D.J. Hall, 7-83, 1 TD
Florida State - Passing: Xavier Lee, 12-19, 224 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Xavier Lee, 11-59. Receiving: Greg Carr, 5-107
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... It's not like Xavier Lee hadn't gotten his shot in the past, but against Alabama, things started to click, and the talented receivers made the most of the switch. Lee not only threw well, but he finally showed off his mobility that makes him such a dangerous option in place of Drew Weatherford. Now the coaching staff has to pick him for next week's game against NC State, and stick with him. Lee can't be looking over his shoulder. Can there be a running game at some point? Alabama's defense might be nasty, but the ground game simply didn't work.

Sept. 15
Florida State 16 ... Colorado 6
Gary Cismesia hit thee field goals and Antone Smith tore off a 36-yard touchdown run as Florida State battled its way past Colorado. The Seminole offense sputtered and coughed all game long, but it appeared unstoppable compared to a Colorado attack that was stuffed for -27 rushing yards and could only manage an 11-yard Tyson DeVree touchdown catch in the final minutes. The two teams combined for a mere 500 yards of total offense.
Player of the game: Florida State DB Tony Carter made seven tackles, picked off two passes and made a tackle for loss
Stat Leaders: Florida State - Passing: Drew Weatherford, 8-18, 126 yds
Rushing: Antone Smith, 19-66, 1 TD. Receiving: Greg Carr, 3-61
Colorado - Passing: Cody Hawkins, 34-53, 306 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Demetrius Sumler, 8-14. Receiving: Scott McKnight, 6-62
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... For all the excitement and all the hubbub over Jimbo Fisher taking over the offensive reins, the Noles aren't exactly lighting anyone up. 221 yards against Colorado? 126 yards passing?! This isn't what the program was hoping for, and there needs to be more explosion and more pop, especially from the passing game, to make any noise in the ACC. Third down conversions continue to be a big problem, converting just one of 13 chances. On the plus side, the defensive line was dominant. CU had nowhere to run all game long.

Sept. 8
Florida State 34 ... UAB 24
It took a while, but Florida State eventually put UAB away. Tied at 24 late in the third quarter, the Noles finally pulled ahead for good on a 50-yard touchdown pass to Richard Goodman. Gary Cismesia added a 40-yard field goal for a little breathing room, and FSU escaped. Weatherford threw three touchdown passes, but UAB hunt tough thanks to a 21-yard Will Dunbar interception return for a touchdown, a four-yard Sam Hunt scoring run, and a 16-yard pass from Hunt to Joseph Webb. The Noles outgained UAB 520 yards to 345, but turned it over three times.
Player of the game: Florida State QB Drew Weatherford went 22-of-35 for 332 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
Stat Leaders: UAB - Passing: Sam Hunt, 17-35, 226 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Sam Hunt, 11-56, 1 TD. Receiving: Joseph Webb, 6-89, 1 TD
Florida State - Passing: Drew Weatherford, 22-35, 332 yds, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Antone Smith, 19-62. Receiving: Preston Parker, 4-89
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Florida State has hardly looked like a world-beater to start the year, but it's not quite time to completely panic. Chalk up the struggles against UAB to the short week. Remember, the Noles had an emotional opener just four days before facing the Blazers and were hardly focused. Even so, a good team blows out a bad Blazer squad, and the Noles couldn't do it. The secondary was a bit off, the running game didn't show up, and the offense reverted to its old ways with Drew Weatherford bombing away. Three turnovers, 12 penalties for 131 yards; the team needs to quickly come up with a good game to finally kick its season off the right way.

Sept. 1
Clemson 24 ... Florida 18
Clemson roared out to a 21-0 lead on two Cullen Harper touchdown passes and a 29-yard James Davis run, and seemingly had the game well in hand late in the third quarter up 24-3. And then everything changed as Jimmy Maners took an errant punt snap out of the end zone for a Florida State safety, and then it got interesting as Antone Smith ran for a one-yard score and Richard Goodman caught a 15-yard touchdown pass to pull the Noles to within six. But Clemson would hang on as time ran out on a final Seminole drive.
Player of the game ... Clemson LB Nick Watkins made 11 tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, and recovered a fumble
Stat Leaders: Florida State - Passing: Drew Weatherford, 17-34, 142 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Antone Smith, 14-90, 1 TD  Receiving: Antone Smith, 5-57
Clemson - Passing: Cullen Harper, 14-24, 160 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: James Davis, 18-102, 1 TD   Receiving: Aaron Kelly, 5-98, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... New coaches, same problems. FSU couldn't find any consistency in the running game against Clemson, and it had a nightmare of a time protecting Drew Weatherford. While the team did a good job of pouncing on the momentum swing, it only finished with eight first downs, did nothing on third downs in the first half, and only converted three of 17 chances. Weatherford was sacked five times, and he'll need far more time to get the passing attack moving. Working on the ground game against UAB next week is vital.