2006 Florida State Seminoles

2006 Florida State Seminole Season, Game Reviews and Recaps

Dec. 27
Emerald Bowl
Florida State 44 ... UCLA 27
Florida State broke open a close game with 21 second half points with a 30-yard jump ball to Greg Carr for a touchdown, a three-yard Lorenzo Booker dash, and closed out with an 86-yard interception return for a score from Tony Carter. UCLA cranked out 434 yards of total offense while seemingly having control of the game with a 78-yard touchdown catch from Brandon Breazell on a perfect strike from Patrick Cowan, and a seven-yard scoring pass to Junior Taylor while Florida State could only manage field goals for a long stretch with Gary Cismesia connecting from 39, 21 and 36. Down 20-16 midway through the third quarter, FSU's Lawrence Timmons took a blocked punt 25 yards for a touchdown after UCLA got flagged for a penalty following a successful fourth and short conversion. The Bruins responded with a quick drive capped off by an eight-yard Chane Moline touchdown run, but they couldn't score over the last twenty minutes.
Player of the game ... Florida State RB Lorenzo Booker ran 22 times for 91 yards and two touchdowns and caught five passes for 117 yards
Stat Leaders: UCLA - Passing: Patrick Cowan, 15-36, 240 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Chris Markey, 19-144  Receiving: Andrew Baumgartner, 2-49
Florida State - Passing: Drew Weatherford, 21-43, 325 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Lorenzo Booker, 22-91, 2 TD  Receiving: DeCody Fagg, 6-68
Thoughts and Notes ... Well hello Lorenzo Booker. It seems like it's taken four years for the coaching staff to discover the future first day NFL pick, but he finally broke out in his final game looking great when he got in space on the outside. He's a do-it-all weapon who should've gotten the ball in his hands 25 times a game. ... UCLA's vaunted pass rush only generated one sack on 43 Drew Weatherford pass attempts. ... In a losing cause, UCLA's offensive interior dominated. Guards Shannon Tevaga and Chris Joseph and center Robert Chai shoved around the FSU tackles all night long. ... Weatherford's final yardage total (325) doesn't show what a lousy night he was having until late. He's still too erratic and he still stares at his receiver for what seems like ten minutes before firing. ... Reports of Florida State's demise have been greatly exaggerated. This game proves Bobby Bowden and his staff can still get the team up for games.

2006 Schedule CFN Prediction: 10-2 2006 Record: 7-6 Preview 2006 predicted wins
9/4	at Miami W 13-10
9/9	Troy W 24-17
9/16	Clemson L 27-20
9/23	Rice W 55-7
10/5	at NC State L 24-20
10/14	at Duke W 51-24
10/21	Boston College L 24-19
10/28	at Maryland L 27-24
11/4	Virginia W 33-0
11/11	Wake Forest L 30-0
11/18	Western Mich W 28-20
11/25	Florida L 21-14
12/27	Emerald Bowl UCLA W 44-27

2005 Schedule CFN Prediction: 8-3 2005 Record: 8-5 Preview 2005 predicted wins
9/5	Miami W 10-7
9/10	The Citadel W 62-10
9/17	at Boston Coll W 28-17
10/1	Syracuse W 38-14
10/8	Wake Forest W 41-24
10/15	at Virginia L 26-21
10/22	at Duke W 55-24
10/29	Maryland W 35-27
11/5	NC State L 20-15
11/12	at Clemson L 35-14
11/26	at Florida L 34-7
12/3	ACC Championship Virginia Tech W 27-22
1/3	Orange Bowl Penn State L 26-23 3OT

Nov. 25
Florida 21 ... Florida State 14
Florida appeared to have the game well in hand with a 14-0 first half lead on a 66-yard Andre Caldwell touchdown catch and a 41-yard Percy Harvin run, but it couldn't put the game away hurt partly by two Chris Hetland missed field goals. FSU came back with a one-yard Joe Surrett touchdown run in the third and a 25-yard Greg Carr scoring grab in the fourth, but the Gators were able to score on a 25-yard Dallas Baker grab for the winning score. FSU had two chances to score but stalled both times.
Player of the game ... Florida DB Reggie Nelson led the team with six tackles and made an interception
Stat Leaders: Florida - Passing: Chris Leak, 21-34, 283 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Percy Harvin, 4-86, 1 TD  Receiving: Andre Caldwell, 8-124, 1 TD
Florida State - Passing: Drew Weatherford, 16-37, 181 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Lorenzo Booker, 10-61  Receiving: Chris Davis, 6-85
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Florida State was its typical, awful self on offense in the loss to Florida, but the team battled hard in the second half and wasn't afraid to start bombing away. Of course, the running game was non-existent, as always, so the entire workload was on Drew Weatherford's shoulders, and as always, at least this year, he struggled. Considering Weatherford was supposed to be the main man throughout the game, Xavier Lee's appearance, while necessary, didn't help. Lee was ineffective, but he didn't make the mistakes like Weatherford made.

Nov. 18
Florida State 28 ... Western Michigan 20
Xavier Lee stepped in for an ineffective Drew Weatherford and threw two touchdown passes and Lawrence Timmons picked off a pass for a 22-yard touchdown as Florida State survived. Western Michigan got a 23-yard Jamarko Simmons touchdown catch and a ten-yard Herb Martin scoring run, but couldn't get closer than the FSU 30 over the final nine minutes. Western Michigan only gained 33 rushing yards, but FSU only got 12 first downs and ran for 73 yards.
Player of the game ... Florida State QB Xavier Lee went 9-of-13 for 144 yards and two touchdown passes.
Stat Leaders: Western Michigan - Passing: Ryan Cubit, 27-49, 229 yds, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
Rushing: Mark Bonds, 19-41  Receiving: Jamarko Simmons, 9-123, 1 TD
Florida State - Passing: Xavier Lee, 9-13, 144 yds, 2 TDs
Rushing: Lorenzo Booker, 21-80  Receiving: De’Cody Fagg, 3-46
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Must … keep … pressing … on. All the controversy this week and all the hubbub over the firing/resignation of offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden might have meant things were going to be a little off against Western Michigan, but to only gain 251 yards is a major concern. The quarterback situation will be an issue for the rest of the year after Drew Weatherford did absolutely nothing and Xavier Lee threw two touchdown passes. Lee appears to have more upside and might end up being the wiser choice against Florida and in a possible bowl game.

Nov. 11
Wake Forest 30 ... Florida State 0
Wake Forest held Florida State to 139 yards of total offense and won easily with Sam Swank field goals from 20, 25 and 51 yards out, a 18-yard touchdown catch from John Tereshinski on the first play after an interception, and a 33-yard touchdown run from Richard Belton to turn it into a laugher. Kevin Patterson ended any and all Seminole hope with a 48-yard interception return for a score. The Seminole quarterbacks combined to complete nine of 28 pass with both Drew Weatherford and Xavier Lee throwing two picks.
Player of the game ... Wake Forest QB Riley Skinner completed 13 of 19 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Wake Forest - Passing: Xavier Lee, 5-13, 61 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Antone Smith, 6-39  Receiving: Chris Davis, 2-29
Wake Forest - Passing: Riley Skinner, 13-19, 138 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Kenneth Moore, 24-80  Receiving: Kenneth Moore, 5-35
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Wake Forest might be playing well at the moment, but the 30-0 loss represents the lowest point in the Bobby Bowden era, at least since the program became a monster, because of the horrific offensive performance. Xavier Lee and Drew Weatherford were equally awful partially because the offensive line was miserable. Wake Forest was getting pressure all game long, while the Seminole defense couldn't pick up the slack. It's gut-check time. Oh sure, the Noles will beat Western Michigan next week to become bowl eligible, but there had better be a sign of life on offense or it really will be time to make some big changes in the coaching staff. 139 yards against Wake Forest will be the straw the breaks the Bowden's back.

Nov. 4
Florida State 33 ... Virginia 0
Florida State got up 7-0 in the first few minutes on a 35-yard Tony Carter interception return for a touchdown and rolled from there. Lorenzo Booker capitalized on a blocked punt with a one-yard touchdown run, and the rout was on. Chris Davis caught a 37-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter and Antone Smith ran for a two-yard score in the fourth. Virginia was held to 183 yards of total offense.
Player of the game ... Florida State QB Xavier Lee completed 12 of 25 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown and ran four times for 49 yards.
Stat Leaders: Florida State - Passing: Xavier Lee, 12-25, 185 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Xavier Lee, 4-49  Receiving: Chris Davis, 4-77, 1 TD
Virginia - Passing: Jameel Sewell, 17-32, 125 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Jason Snelling, 13-60. Receiving: Jason Snelling, 5-48
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Florida State can breathe a little sigh of relief getting back on track with a dominant win over Virginia. Xavier Lee might not be the most efficient quarterback around, but he moved the ball well in his first start of the season and didn't make many mistakes. Accuracy was an issue, and it will be for a while, but his mobility makes him a far more dangerous option than the struggling Drew Weatherford. The defense did a great job of swarming all over the Cavaliers early and not let it become much of a game; the back seven was all over the place.

Oct. 28
Maryland 27 ... Florida State 24
Florida State outgained Maryland 458 yards to 223, but the Terps took advantage of good field position to get up to a 27-14 lead with Darrius Heyward-Bey catching two touchdown passes, including one on a 30-yard play after putting a great move on the Seminole secondary,  two Dan Ennis field goals and a two-yard touchdown pass to Dan Gronkowski, but the Noles fought back. Xavier Lee, who played in place of an injured Drew Weatherford, connected with Chris Davis for a 17-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter and got the offense in a position to tie it late, but Gary Cismisia's 46-yard field goal attempt was blocked. The two teams combined for 23 penalties.
Player of the game ... Maryland QB Sam Hollenbach completed 12 of 20 passes for 131 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Florida State - Passing: Xavier Lee, 22-36, 286 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Antone Smith, 14-83, 1 TD  Receiving: Chris Davis, 8-132, 1 TD
Maryland - Passing: Sam Hollenbach, 12-20, 131 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Keon Lattimore, 10-43. Receiving: Darrius Heyward-Bey, 3-57, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Obviously things are bad at the moment for the last place Seminoles, but there are some positives out of the recent slide. For one, the possible emergence of Xavier Lee as the new quarterback should provide more of a spark for the running game. While Drew Weatherford was out with tendonitis, it really more of chance for Lee to show what he could do. No one seems to want to give Bobby Bowden and his staff a break considering all the injuries on defense. Even with so many top players out, FSU held Maryland to 223 total yards of offense. On the plus side, several young players are seeing time. As bad as things might be, the team is roughly four plays away from being unbeaten, or close to it.

Oct. 21
Boston College 24 ... Florida State 19
Scored twice in the final 51 seconds of the first half with a six-yard L.V. Whitworth touchdown run followed up by a 36-yard interception return for a score from DeJuan Tribble. A 26-yard Steve Aponavicius field goal gave the Eagles a 24-10 lead into the fourth quarter, and then the Noles started bombing with Drew Weatherford finishing with 326 yards with a one-yard rushing touchdown, but the offense couldn't manage any more points. A last-second Florida State Hail Mary was picked off by Larry Anam.
Player of the game ... Boston College DB DeJuan Tribble made four tackles and an interception for a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Florida State - Passing: Drew Weatherford, 32-48, 326 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Drew Weatherford, 13-12, 1 TD  Receiving: Chris Davis, 10-100
Boston College - Passing: Matt Ryan, 16-26, 262 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: L.V. Whitworth, 18-53, 1 TD. Receiving: Kevin Challenger, 4-41
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... (Heavy sigh). Florida State abandoned the running game yet again completely ignoring Lorenzo Booker and Antone Smith getting them the ball six times for 12 yards against Boston College. Granted, getting down in the first half forced Drew Weatherford to bomb away, but the Noles don't win when they're not at least attempting to be balanced. Now that the ACC title shot is all but history, it's time to focus on experimenting a bit. The defense is playing well enough to hold Maryland to under 24 points next week, so the coaching staff has to finally figure out how to get all the weapons in its offense working.

Oct. 14
Florida State 51 ... Duke 24
Florida State jumped out to a 21-0 first quarter lead on two Drew Weatherford touchdown passes and a 37-yard Lawrence Timmons fumble return for a score. Duke got a pick six of its own with John Talley taking a Weatherford pass 46 yards for a touchdown, but the fun wouldn't last as FSU returned the extra point attempt for two points. Greg Carr caught two of his three touchdown passes in the second half and Antone Smith ripped off an 80-yard touchdown run on the way to a 51-17 FSU lead before Duke scored with seven second to play on a 41-yard pass to Eron Riley.
Player of the game ... Florida State WR Greg Carr caught four passes for 100 yards and three touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Florida State - Passing: Drew Weatherford, 16-24, 231 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Antone Smith, 4-81, 1 TD   Receiving: Decody Fagg, 7-80, 1 TD
Duke - Passing: Thaddeus Lewis, 19-41, 255 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Re'quan Boyette, 8-25. Receiving: Eron Riley, 6-110, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Florida State got to stretch its legs out against Duke in the expected blowout win, but it was still good to get several big plays from both sides of the ball and get Greg Carr going as one of the team's top weapons, To nitpick, there's still not enough of a running game with an 80-yard Antone Smith touchdown run making the stats make up for the lack of a consistent ground attack. Now comes a game against a rock-solid Boston College team; FSU can't win that game if it has the turnovers, penalties, and shaky play from the ground game like it got against Duke.

Oct. 5
NC State 24 ... Florida State 20
NC State's Daniel Evans connected with John Dunlap for a 12-yard score early in the fourth quarter and the defense held on forcing a late turnover and running out the clock taking three knees. Florida State had control of the game late up until late in the third quarter thanks to two Drew Weatherford touchdown passes highlighted by an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brandon Warren after a 99-yard, 16-play drive, but the Wolfpack offense fought back to score the final 14 points of the game.
Player of the game ... NC State QB Daniel Evans completed 13 of 22 passes for 191 yards and three touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Florida State - Passing: Drew Weatherford, 16-29, 249 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Lorenzo Booker, 14-57   Receiving: Brandon Warren, 5-48, 1 TD
NC State - Passing: Daniel Evans, 13-22, 190 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Andre Brown, 18-113. Receiving: Gerron James, 4-91, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... A team with a strong running game would've closed out the NC State game without a problem. Drew Weatherford is playing like a quarterback who knows he has to make every big play and has all the pressure of the team on his shoulders. He did a decent job against the Wolfpack, but once the momentum turned State's way and the defensive pressure stepped up, there were problems. The injury problems keep piling up proving to be as demoralizing as the losses with LB Derek Nicholson getting knocked out for the year with a torn up knee. Fortunately, Duke's up next to heal some of the mental wounds after this loss.

Sept. 23
Florida State 55 ... Rice 7
Florida State found a running game rumbling for 287 yards on the ground with two touchdown runs from Joe Surratt and two from Antone Smith. Rice answered the first Surratt score with a 32-yard touchdown catch from Jarrett Dillard, and the the Noles went on a run scoring 48 unanswered points highlighted by touchdown catches from 18 and 57 yards out from Greg Carr.
Player of the game ... Florida State RB Antone Smith ran 12 times for 137 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Rice - Passing: Joel Armstrong, 9-24, 128 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Quinton Smith, 16-104. Receiving: Jarett Dillard, 7-113, 1 TD
Florida State - Passing: Xavier Lee, 5-11, 111 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Antone Smith, 12-137, 2 TD. Receiving: Greg Carr, 5-107, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Don't just dismiss the big rushing day against Rice because it was against Rice. Florida State needed to run over someone just to show it could, and now this newfound power has to be used against NC State next week. Antone Smith and Lorenzo Booker showed they could each run for over 100 yards and showed how dangerous they can be in the open field. Now the coaching staff has to figure out how to get them in space on a more regular basis. Xavier Lee might have bombed away, but there's no quarterback controversy; Drew Weatherford was much sharper.

Sept. 16
Clemson 27 ... Florida State 20
Clemson's James Davis ripped off a 47-yard run on the game's final drive to set up his one-yard touchdown run with eight seconds left to shock the Noles. Florida State's offense was anemic cranking out a mere 204 total yards, but the game stayed close thanks to special teams with Tony Carter returning a blocked extra point for two points and a blocked field goal for a touchdown in the first half. Will Proctor threw a touchdown pass and ran for another to put the Tigers up 20-9 early in the fourth quarter, but FSU came back on a 25- yard Gary Cismesia field goal and a one-yard Joe Surratt touchdown run.
Player of the game ... Clemson QB Will Proctor completed 16 of 30 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown and ran 15 yards for a score.
Stat Leaders: Clemson - Passing: Will Proctor, 16-30, 194 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: James Davis, 19-87, 2 TD. Receiving: Aaron Kelly, 5-51
Florida State - Passing: Drew Weatherford, 11-19, 102 yds
Rushing: Lorenzo Booker, 10-45. Receiving: DeCody Fagg, 4-34
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Uh oh. Florida State really is that bad. That it was tied at 20 against Clemson so late in the game was a miracle considering the offense abysmally balanced rushing and passing for 102 yards. Drew Weatherford got nothing going downfield and, once again, Lorenzo Booker was a non-factor. At the moment, this isn't a top-25 caliber team, but it gets three weeks off against Rice, NC State and Duke to clean things up. If there isn't a drastic improvement, coaching changes need to be made to get the offense going.

Sept. 9
Florida State 24 ... Troy 17
It took an interception from Buster Davis to set up the game-winning four-yard touchdown run from Joe Surrat in the final two minutes fro Florida State to escape a shocker. Troy was up 17-10 late in the fourth thanks to a one-yard Omar Haugabook touchdown run along with an earlier three-yard scoring pass to Toris Rutledge, but the Seminoles picked a perfect time to go on their best drive of the night going 81 yards in 11 plays finishing with a 15-yard touchdown catch from Chris Davis to tie it at 15. The FSU D allowed 295 yards of Troy offense, but it picked off Haugabook three times. The Noles fumbled it seven times and lost three.
Player of the game ... Florida State QB Drew Weatherford completed 30 of 43 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns with an interception
Stat Leaders: Troy - Passing: Omar Haugabook, 29-46, 219 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Omar Haugabook, 7-12, 1 TD. Receiving: Toris Rutledge, 8-105, 1 TD
Florida State - Passing: Drew Weatherford, 30-43, 336 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Antone Smith, 6-25. Receiving: DeCody Fagg, 7-93
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Ooops. Call it a letdown from playing Miami five days earlier, or call it looking ahead to the showdown with Clemson, but this was hardly a focused Florida State team against Troy. Give credit to QB Omar Haugabook and the Trojans for playing their hearts out and having a chance to pull it out late, but FSU turned it up a notch on both sides of the ball when it had to. The lack of a running game is galling with only 45 yards on the ground against Troy. If Lorenzo Booker is supposedly a high round draft pick, he's certainly not playing like it.

Sept. 4
Florida State 13 ... Miami 10
In a defensive slugfest, FSU's Gary Cismesia hit two field goals including a 33-yard boot with just over eight minutes to play to break a 10-10 tie. Miami had one final shot, but QB Kyle Wright was intercepted by Michael Ray Garvin. Neither offense did much of anything with FSU gaining one rushing yards and Miami doubling the output netting two. Cismesia started off the scoring with a 37-yard field goal in the first quarter, but Miami came back scoring on a four-yard Charlie Jones run and a 20-yard Jon Peattie kick in the second. FSU's best drive of the night tied the score with a Joe Surratt touchdown run on the first play of the fourth. The two teams combined for 17 first downs.
Player of the game ... For succeeding where past Nole kickers blew it, Gary Cismesia gets the honor for hitting field goals from 37 and 33 yards out.
Stat Leaders: Miami - Passing: Kyle Wright, 18-27, 132 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Charlie Jones, 13-27, 1 TD. Receiving: Darnell Jenkins, 4-54
Florida State - Passing: Drew Weatherford, 16-32, 175 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Antone Smith, 9-5. Receiving: DeCody Fagg, 3-60
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Many will look at the win over Miami as yet another ugly performance from the FSU offense, but this was a war that wasn't indicative of how good the two attacks will be. Even so, it would've been nice to see Drew Weatherford take a few more shots down the field. The Seminole defense was swarming with big play after big play made to snuff out any shot of Miami generating much offense in the second half. This was a game that required mental toughness, and FSU showed more. Being the smarter, stronger team wasn't necessarily a strong suit last year. With it's remaining schedule, this is a true national title contender.

2006 Florida State Preview

Florida State Preview | Offense | Defense | Depth Chart | Further Analysis

Reports of Florida State's demise may have been greatly exaggerated.

Depending on who you want to believe, the program is either 1) on the verge of completely imploding and is in for a Tennessee-2005 style disappointment, 2) good enough to win the ACC title again, but with holes to fill, or 3) back to its national title status if a few things break the right way.

2005 might not have been pretty from start to finish, but the Noles won yet another ACC championship in a year when it had no business being among the contenders after an ugly November. The offensive line was patchwork at best, the coaching staff ignored its NFL caliber running backs and allowed a true freshman quarterback to bomb away, and the defense started to crash as the year wore on. And then a funny thing happened; Florida State lost its head case status and became the smart, poised team.

This team of 114 penalties and sideline meltdowns by petulant young wide receivers became a focused, mentally tough team that appeared to get tired of being pushed around and shocked the college football world by letting a heavily favored Virginia Tech do the melting down in the ACC championship game.  

2005 would've had a nice cherry on top had kicker Gary Cismesia been able to connect on either of his two field goal attempts in overtime against Penn State in the Orange Bowl, but losing that game was immaterial; Florida State hung tough with a national-title caliber team and almost pulled it out.

Now the key will be to act, and play, like defending ACC champions week in and week out. As always, this is one of the fastest, most athletic, most talented teams in the country, but there are major concerns, major questions to be answered, and many issues to be ironed out.

First of all, can the offense be more consistent and balanced? Injuries killed the line and hindered the overall production of the attack. That the Noles were able to average 29 points and 377 yards per game was a minor miracle considering the running game was an afterthought. It might be tempting to throw, throw, and throw some more with an elite receiving corps and quarterback Drew Weatherford appearing to be night-and-day more comfortable this spring. However, there's an NFL back in Lorenzo Booker there to be used.

Only four starters return on a defense that gave way too many of its players to the big league this last year. Yeah, Florida State reloads as well as anyone, but it's still asking a lot to replace so many top-notch performers. Sometimes when you're expecting players to take the next step up and go from being good backups to all-star starters, it doesn't happen right away. Depth will be an issue with big problems at end and corner if injuries strike early on.

Forget about all the problems. At this point in the 31 years under Bobby Bowden, the Noles have seen and done it all while finding a way to come through with conference championships. Of course, they're seen by some as a disappointment since the program is used to playing for national titles, but winning the ACC is nothing dismiss.

Yes, this team will be in the hunt for the ACC title again, and yes, it has a fringe chance of being in the national championship hunt. However, this is a young team that might be the 2007 preseason number one, or at least top three. That doesn't mean the Noles can't be in the BCS to start off the new year.

The Schedule: The brutal opening day game at Miami is exactly what the team doesn't need with seven new starters on defense, but the offense should be ready to roll. Getting an interdivisional road game at Duke is a colossal break, while playing the last road game on October 28th is an even bigger coup. Clemson, Virginia, and Boston College all come to Tallahassee, which means even an opening day loss to Miami should still mean a berth in the ACC title game. A win over the Canes, and FSU will be in the national title hunt.

Best Offensive Player: Sophomore QB Drew Weatherford. Yeah, RB Lorenzo Booker is an early round draft pick, and the scouts are drooling all over receivers Greg Carr and De'Cody Fagg, but Weatherford will be the one to make the attack go. He should've been named the ACC Player of the Year for carrying the Nole offense, interceptions and all. Expect him to grow into a superstar this season.

Best Defensive Player: Senior LB Buster Davis. Everyone knew about Ernie Sims and A.J. Nicholson, while Davis was lost in the shuffle. Opposing coaches knew all about him, and running backs who feared for their lives certainly knew all about him. As the only returning starter to the linebacking corps, he'll be a key leader on either the weakside or the middle.

Key player to a successful season: Junior OT David Overmyer and senior OT Mario Henderson. The offensive line must remain healthy to prevent a repeat of last year's inconsistencies. Overmyer and Henderson not only have to be durable, they have to be productive. With the progression of Drew Weatherford, the more time he gets and the more time the speedy receivers have to get downfield, the most explosive the offense will be.

The season will be a success if ... Florida State is playing for the national title. If the Noles can win the opener at Miami, the toughest games left are all at home, except for the road trip against thorn-in-the-side NC State. Another ACC title makes the season a success no matter what.

Key game: Sept. 4 at Miami. Getting the Miami monkey off the back last year, even in a horrifically ugly game, did wonders for the team's confidence. Imagine what a win in the Orange Bowl would do?

2005 Fun Stats: 
- Sacks: Florida State 44 for 273 yards - Opponents 32 for 186
- Fourth quarter scoring: Florida State 120 - Opponents 65
- Penalties: Florida State 114 for 1,018 yards - Opponents 93 for 736 yards

The Last Time Florida State…
…played in a bowl game…2005 (Orange Bowl vs. Penn State)
…missed a bowl game…1981
…pitched a shutout…2003 (Notre Dame)
…was shutout…1988 (Miami)
…scored 50 points…2005 (Duke)
…went undefeated…1999
…won a conference title…2005 (ACC)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…2005 (Drew Weatherford)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…1996 (Warrick Dunn)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2002 (Anquan Boldin)
…had a first-round draft choice…2006 (LB Ernie Sims, DE Kamerion Wimbley, DT Brodrick Bunkley and CB Antonio Cromartie)