Florida State came into 2007 with a lot of promise, as the Seminoles were ranked in the top 20 heading into the season. But, FSU lost their season opener at Clemson, which knocked them out of the rankings.
They did rebound from that loss with four victories to get back into the rankings, but were then fell 24-21 to Wake Forest. FSU then split their remaining six regular-season games, and finished the season with a 35-28 loss to Kentucky in the Music City Bowl to end the season at 7-6.
This season, FSU has to battle a lot of early-season absences, but with a favorable schedule, the Seminoles could and should be in the mix in the ACC.
Florida State Seminoles
Coach: Bobby Bowden (33rd year at FSU, 300-87-4 at FSU, 373-119-4 overall)
2007 Record: 7-6, 4-4 ACC
Starters Returning: 14 (6 offense, 8 defense)
Top Returnees: QB Drew Weatherford, RB Antone Smith, WR Greg Carr, WR Preston Parker, C Ryan McMahon, LT Rodney Hudson, DE Everette Brown, MLB Derek Nicholson, LB Dekoda Watson, CB Tony Carter, CB Patrick Robinson, SS Myron Rolle
Key Losses: QB Xavier Lee, WR De’Cody Fagg, RG Jacky Claude, DT Andre Fluellen, DT Letroy Guion, LB Geno Hayes, FS Roger Williams
2008 Schedule
Sept. 6 Western Carolina
Sept. 13 Chattanooga
Sept. 20 Wake Forest
Sept. 27 Colorado (Neutral Site: Jacksonville)
Oct. 4 @ Miami, FL
Oct. 16 @ NC State
Oct. 25 Virginia Tech
Nov. 1 @ Georgia Tech
Nov. 8 Clemson
Nov. 15 Boston College
Nov. 22 @ Maryland
Nov. 29 Florida
Key Game: Nov. 8 vs. Clemson. The Seminoles will welcome the ACC title favorites into Doak Campbell Stadium in early November and try to put an end to their three-game losing streak versus the Tigers. Florida State will be chasing Clemson in the Atlantic Division, and a win here could help vault the Seminoles into the driver‘s seat for the ACC title game.
2008 Outlook
Florida State is primed to improve on last year’s 7-6 record, and the talent is there to make it happen. The Seminoles have 14 starters returning from last year’s team, and that numbers was at 15 before starting left guard Evan Bellamy was today ruled out for the season due to a blood clot in his leg.
Coach Bowden will be counting on what could be the top ranked defense in the ACC to get things done. Eight of their returning starters on the defense and add one of the top ranked JUCO DL recruits in DE Markus White.
The front four is almost always a big strength for FSU, and despite losing two NFL draftees in DTs Andre Fluellen and Letroy Guion, that shouldn’t change this season. The Seminoles needed a dominant pass rusher, and Bowden brought in DE Markus White, who racked up 24.5 sacks last season in the junior college ranks.
The line was banged up throughout last season, but that is actually a positive for the Seminoles, as they will benefit from having seven players with starting experience return this year. DE Everette Brown (37 tackles, 6.5 sacks) had the most impressive season last year of the returning group.
The linebacker corps returns the Seminoles’ 2007 leading tackler, MLB Derek Nicholson, along with several of the other top ‘backers from last season. Nicholson led the way with 99 tackles and should be one of the top linebackers in the ACC this season. Slotted next to him will be Dekoda Watson (50 tackles, 3 sacks), and LB Toddrick Verdell looks to be the third man in the starting unit. The loss of Geno Hayes is a hit in the talent department, but freshman Nigel Bradham, the nation’s top-rated 2008 linebacker prospect, has star potential and should contribute immediately.
The secondary loses their top tackler in FS Roger Williams, but looks to be one of the top units in the conference and in the country. CB Tony Carter (45 tackles, 4 interceptions) is the team’s top cover corner, and he will be joined by their unit’s top returning tackler SS Myron Rolle (67 tackles), who is one of the best safeties in the nation. CB Patrick Robinson had 6 interceptions last year despite not being a starter. Florida State has a lot of depth with FS Darius McClure, CB Michael Ray Garvin and FS/CB Jamie Robinson.
While the defense is expected to do well, the offense, as it has been for many of the last several seasons, is a big, talent-laden question mark.
The pressure, once again, is on QB Drew Weatherford, who enters his fourth season as a starter. Weatherford has been in and out of the starting lineup for the last couple of seasons, but he cemented himself as the starter towards the end of last season and finished with 2,049 yards and 9 touchdowns, with only 3 interceptions in 318 attempts. If he stays in the starting lineup all season, Weatherford should become the school’s all-time leader in passing yardage, as he sits 3rd on the charts, 2,428 yards behind leader Chris Weinke.
Weatherford has the experience and the weapons to be a big success as a senior, but if he does struggle, sophomore Christian Ponder could get his chance, and highly-touted freshman E.J. Manuel could see some time right out of the gate.
Senior RB Antone Smith returns to the backfield, along with FB Seddrick Holloway. Smith rushed for 819 yards and 3 touchdowns last season, and he has an excellent chance to become the school‘s first 1,000 yard rusher since Warrick Dunn in 1996. Preston Parker, the team’s leading wide receiver and all-purpose threat, will get some touches out of the backfield, and so will redshirt freshman Brandon Paul, who’s got blazing speed.
Weatherford‘s chances of success are aided by the return of his top two receivers from last year. Preston Parker, last year’s offensive MVP, did it all with 791 yards receiving, 270 yards rushing, 452 return yards and 5 total touchdowns. Greg Carr (45 catches, 795 yards, 4 TD), the team’s top big-play threat, led the team in receiving yards. Carr, who enters his senior season with 25 career touchdowns, was a second-team All-ACC pick in 2005 and 2006, and should contend for all-conference honors this season.
De’Cody Fagg, who was second on the team in receptions (54) and yards (758) and led the team in touchdown receptions (5), is gone, but five-star JC recruit Corey Surrency will be counted on early, and watch out for another speedy redshirt freshman in Bert Reed, who could make a lot of good things happen when he gets the ball in his hands this fall. Senior Richard Goodman, who returns from a fractured fibula, and incoming freshman Jarmon Fortson will provide even more aerial targets for Weatherford.
The offensive line is very young and can only improve. The Line will be led by two Freshman All-Americans in C Ryan McMahon and LT Rodney Hudson, whose roles are magnified even more with the loss of Bellamy. How well the right side of the line performs will be key, as FSU will start two redshirt freshmen on that side, in tackle Antwane Greenlee and guard Will Furlong.
Injuries don’t need to be a common theme for FSU again this year, as the Seminoles will have to start off the season with many key players suspended, including Parker, Watson, and Robinson. However, those suspensions could allow some new names to step up and prove their worth, like White, Surrency, and others.
If the Seminoles can survive those early absences and make it through a relatively favorable opening stretch, and the offense can click like it should, a ten-win season and a serious challenge for the ACC title aren’t out of the question.
