September 18, 2005

Noles Crash Eagles' Bash

In a game that many college football observers had pointed to as a coming-out party for the new-look Atlantic Coast Conference, an old-school bully broke up the party with a sometimes familiar, sometimes new formula. Playing as only a one-point favorite against a new division opponent, eleven-time conference champion Florida State used a surprisingly potent offensive attack led by two freshmen and a suffocatingly fast second half defense to win on the road at Boston College.

BC came out of the gate unshaken by two early interceptions thrown to AJ Nicholson (who added 17 tackles in a monster game) that led directly to FSU touchdowns. BC took a 17-14 lead into halftime but offense was much harder to come by after the break. FSU redshirt freshman Drew Weatherford (playing a full game for the first time, with no appearances by Xavier Lee) connected with 6'6" true freshman Greg Carr for two TDs, one in the first quarter and the game-winner in the fourth, showing that he may be able to handle the starter's job all by himself. FSU clamped down even harder defensively in the second half, and Weatherford led two scoring drives to close out the game. FSU’s defensive mastery was capped by a 7 play stretch late in the fourth quarter, where with the ball inside the Seminoles' five-yard line, BC was unable to come away with any points, ending the Eagles last chance to score.

BC played well in their first in-conference game against an ACC opponent. With the eyes of the nation upon them it would have been easy for the Eagles to cave after the brutal start to the game. BC continued to fight even when starting quarterback Quinton Porter went down in the second half. It seemed to be a turning point though, as if BC was deflated by the loss of their senior signal-caller. Going into the fourth quarter the Eagles had lost a little of their enthusiasm for the hard-hitting style of play that the FSU defense seemed to relish. Also, the Eagle defense began to give Weatherford time to read and react which they had not done previously. This may have been due more to FSU’s picking up blitzes better in the second half, but Weatherford was given much too long, particularly on some of his passes to extend drives. Speaking again about the fatigue of BC’s players, particularly telling was the last BC possession; the gigantic Eagle offensive line, the focus of so much media discussion for most of the week, was unable to open a large enough hole to allow the Eagles to score on 7 consecutive plays from inside the Seminoles' five-yard line. For all the talk of superior size and strength, it looked like FSU's depth and speed wore BC out late in the game. Some columnists in Boston are opining that BC learned a hard lesson last night: life in the new ACC, and in big-time college football may not be as much fun as everyone predicted.

For FSU the big positive in this game was Drew Weatherford's play in the second half. The touchdown to Carr in the first quarter was no work of quarterbacking genius; rather it was the result of a nine inch height advantage between the defensive back and receiver. However, Weatherford's body of work in the last quarter of the game, particularly his ability to read coverages and make safe throws must have been a welcome sight for Bobby Bowden's squad. The relationship that Carr and Weatherford now seem to be establishing can't be underestimated, as Carr is a force to be reckoned with in the red zone. If the offense’s ability to pass opens up the ground game, look for FSU to continue to improve on that side of the ball.

Also of note was the sheer supremacy the Seminole defense continues to display in the second half of every ballgame. Using their indisputable speed advantageMickey Andrews' bunch came out of the locker room with a fire in their eyes and maintained their season-long shutout of opponents in the third and fourth quarters. The gang-tackling Noles are playing intensely so far, led by a group of linebackers as good as any in the country. While Ernie Sims’ health continues to be a cause for concern, Sims, Nicholson, and Buster Davis are playing their best in important games. If FSU can get their offense to mirror the energy that their defense has played with for the last three weeks, the Noles may yet return to the top of the ACC heap. Saturday night certainly indicates that it’s hard to ignore the facts of FSU's production so far this year.