Florida State Preview
December 31, 2009 10:45 AM | General
December 31, 2009
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The 2010 Konica Minolta Gator Bowl will serve as Bobby Bowden’s final game as college football coach. Bowden’s place in college football history is firmly established.
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| Bobby Bowden talks to reporters before one of Florida State's practices in Jacksonville leading up to Friday's Konica Minolta Gator Bowl.
Gator Bowl photo |
On Friday against West Virginia it will end for Bowden in Jacksonville, a city where he has enjoyed a considerable amount of success during his coaching career. Bowden is 4-0 in Gator Bowls with victories over West Virginia in 1982 and 2005, against Oklahoma State in 1985, and against Virginia Tech in 2002.
In fact, in 10 career games in Jacksonville, Bowden has lost only once in 1989 to Southern Mississippi.
“This is the third time we have caught them in the Gator Bowl,” said Bowden of facing his old school. “I always enjoy it because you look up in the stands and you see all of that garnet and gold up there from Florida State and then you look across the field and see that blue and gold of West Virginia and hear that, ‘Let’s go Mountaineers!’ and you feel at home with either group. I like it.”
Bowden’s final game has received top billing in the area for weeks. On Thursday, the legendary coach will be the grand marshal of the Winn-Dixie Hometown Gator Bowl Parade.
“I don’t want to get sentimental about it,” said Bowden. “I just want to take it as another ballgame. I just want to go out there and coach, play the game, and then when the game is over go back home to Tallahassee and start looking for a job. I never had a job.”
“I have no problem being in the background to this great icon of college football,” added West Virginia coach Bill Stewart. “He should get all of the limelight. He deserves all of the acclaim and he deserves everything that comes to him. I just hope he doesn’t deserve to win anymore than us.”
The 6-6 Seminoles finished third in the ACC Atlantic Division and jumped Clemson, Boston College and Miami to get into the Gator Bowl. In a matter of hours all tickets were sold and with additional seats added underneath the scoreboard, the largest crowd in the 65-year history of the Gator Bowl is expected on Friday.
Those lucky enough to get into Jacksonville Municipal Stadium are anticipating an exciting contest.
Florida State has the second best offense in the ACC, averaging 420.9 yards per game. FSU has produced more than 400 yards nine times this year, including three 500-yard performances against BYU, Georgia Tech and North Carolina State.
However, the Seminoles have taken on somewhat of a different look with redshirt freshman E.J. Manuel now under center. Manuel has taken over the offense from ACC total offensive leader Christian Ponder, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Florida State’s loss at Clemson. Before he was hurt, Ponder was on pace for a record-setting season by passing for 2,717 yards and 14 touchdowns in nine games.
Manuel, a Virginia Beach, Va., resident, has led the Seminoles to wins over Wake Forest and Maryland to get them bowl-eligible for the 28th straight season.
Manuel completed 15 of 20 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown against Wake Forest to earn ACC rookie of the week honors.
Against Maryland, Manuel completed 17 of 27 passes for 206 yards and directed FSU to a game-winning touchdown with 1:14 remaining to knock off the Terps 29-26 in College Park.
In six games, Manuel has completed 63.4 percent of his passes for 628 yards and two touchdowns. Manuel has also thrown six interceptions.
Stewart is hopeful that West Virginia’s unorthodox odd-stack defense will give the young quarterback problems.
“If we can rotate our safeties down and back and not show man, not show cover two and cover three, it will really give a young quarterback fits,” Stewart said. “That being said, it didn’t hurt (USF quarterback) B.J. Daniels one bit. When he got confused he just took the ball and ran. Maybe that is what E.J. Manuel will do.”
Bert Reed and Rod Owens each show 58 catches, while Jarmon Fortson has been the Seminoles’ big-play guy through the air with four of his 41 catches going for touchdowns. Fortson’s best game was a seven-catch, 77-yard performance against Georgia Tech.
Sophomore Jermaine Thomas is the first Florida State runner since 2002 to have three straight 100-yard games, including a career-high 186 yards in a 45-42 victory over N.C. State. Thomas is averaging 5.2 yards per carry and leads the team with seven rushing touchdowns. Ty Jones has scored five rushing TDs in only six games this year and had a 108-yard performance in the BYU win.
“I’ve been out to Provo and I never won there,” said Stewart. “It’s a tough, tough place to win and they went out there and totally dismantled a very good BYU team. If that Florida State team shows up on the 1st we are going to be hanging by our coattails.”
Perhaps Florida State’s biggest offensive weapon is freshman Greg Reid, who leads the nation with an average of 18.4 yards per punt return. Reid had a 68-yard punt return for a touchdown against Wake Forest while also returning one kickoff 51 yards. He was named ACC specialist of the week twice this year.
Another big concern of West Virginia’s is Bobby Bowden’s long history of using trick plays.
“I think they will do everything they need to do to move the ball,” said Stewart. “We can’t play hesitant. We have to play our brand of ball. Reverse, reverse passes – I’m sure (offensive coordinator) Jimbo Fisher will let it all go and he should. It’s Coach Bowden’s last game. They will probably use every trick in the book to try and confuse our guys.”
Defensively, Florida State has struggled at times stopping people despite having outstanding personnel across the board.
The Seminole defense has been burned by the big play, giving up 10 touchdown passes of 37 yards or longer and at least one long scoring play in eight of 12 games this year. FSU is allowing 203.2 yards per game on the ground and 443.5 yards in all. Georgia Tech, N.C. State and Florida each had more than 500 yards against Florida State.
“If you could take one play out of about four games, in other words, don’t let them have this play here or give us this play then we’d be 10-2,” said Bowden. “We were that close. It’s not like people wore us out.”
The West Virginia coaches really like linebacker Dekoda Watson, who earned second-team all-ACC honors after finishing fourth on the team in tackles with 60. Watson also had 10 tackles for losses and 4 ½ sacks.
Nigel Bradham is the team’s top tackler with 88 stops. FSU middle linebacker Kendall Smith shows 82 tackles and seven tackles for losses.
“What really worries me is the way their backers run,” said Stewart. “These guys are very much like South Florida to us. If we try and go East-West they’ll run us down.”
Corner Ochuko Jenjie leads the Seminoles with four interceptions and is one of only three players on defense to start all 12 games at the same position. Two of his four interceptions came in the South Florida loss.
“Their secondary does a great job in man coverage,” said Stewart. “I think they’ll blitz and they’re going to get after us.”
The Florida State defense has produced four touchdowns this year, three coming on interception returns. The Seminoles have returned nine interceptions for touchdowns since the beginning of the 2005 season.
West Virginia and Florida State have met twice previously in Gator Bowls, with the Seminoles winning 31-12 in 1982 and 30-18 in 2005.
“I can’t imagine anyone not watching this football game and our players know it,” said Stewart. “That’s why they come to West Virginia University to play in games like these.”
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on CBS.
