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Experience, Offseason Changes Return Seminoles to Favored Spot
By Al Featherston for theACC.com
In the relentlessly changing world of college football, Bobby Bowden remains a constant - an "aw-shucks" icon who just happens to be the winningest college coach of all time.
Senior Nose Tackle
Andre Fluellen
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"I'm being coached by a legend every day," Florida State nose tackle Andre Fluellen said not long ago.
Bowden will begin his 42nd season as a head coach on Monday night, Sept. 3. It says something about his longevity that his 2007 opener will come against a Clemson team coached by his son, Tommy. The FSU "legend" will be seeking his 367th career victory against the Tigers. At the rate he's going, who knows how long Bowden will continue to coach - long enough for 400 wins?
"That's in range, but I'm not losing any sleep over it," the 77-year-old coach said last month at the ACC Football Kickoff. "I'd rather coach than retire. But I also understand that I have an obligation to win."
Bowden has won at a spectacular level during his 31-year tenure at FSU, especially in the years since the Seminoles joined the ACC as the league's ninth member in 1992. His first 14 ACC seasons produced 10 outright ACC titles, two shared titles and two second-place finishes.
That's what made last season so hard to take for the FSU faithful. The 'Noles lost five times in ACC play and finished fifth in the Atlantic Division.
"You never see anybody reach the top and stay there forever," Bowden said. "We stayed 14 years. Has anybody else lasted that long?"
No one was more disappointed by last season's performance than Bowden himself. He responded by shaking up his coaching staff. He added five new assistant coaches, including new "Executive Head Coach" Chuck Amato, who returns to Tallahassee after seven seasons as head coach at NC State. Amato helped build the Bowden dynasty as an FSU assistant from 1982 to 1999.
If nothing else, Amato's return removes an opposing head coach who had Florida State's number - the former FSU assistant beat the 'Noles four times in seven meetings while he was at NC State.
An even more significant addition to the staff could be new offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher. He comes to Florida State after a brilliant seven-year stint at LSU that made him one of the hottest offensive coaches in the country.
"His ability to put in an offense and adjust as the season goes along is second to none," Bowden said when he hired Fisher. "He brings the experience and attitude that I was looking for in a coordinator."
Florida State needs a spark for an offense hoping to regain the explosiveness exhibited during the glory days of Charlie Ward, Warrick Dunn, Peter Warrick and Chris Weinke. The Seminoles averaged just 330 yards a game last season - the 70th best offense in college football. They ranked last in the ACC on the ground, averaging just 96.5 yards a game.
Bowden is convinced that junior tailback Antone Smith, who averaged 5.2 yards a carry last season as a backup to Lorenzo Booker, will solve the problems in the running game this season.
Junior Tailback
Antone Smith
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"If Antone can stay healthy, I predict he'll run more than 1,000 yards this season," Bowden said.
Smith, voted the team's outstanding offensive player in spring practice, likes what he's seen of Fisher's new offense.
"Coach Fisher is talking about getting me the ball as many times as he can," Smith said. "He's not going to beat me up as far as running the ball up the middle a lot, but at the same time, he's going to give me the ball and let me do what I do best. I'm doing a lot of catching out of the backfield; motion out to the outside; the quarterback is checking down to the running back and things like that just to get me the ball as much as possible."
Fisher's greatest challenge is going to be sorting out the situation at quarterback, where Drew Weatherford and Xavier Lee are vying for the job. Weatherford, who has started 23 of FSU's last 26 games, has put up some good passing numbers in his first two seasons - his total of 5,362 yards is the best freshman-sophomore total in school history.
But Lee, who started three times last season, owns some unique physical tools. At 6-foot-4, 234-pounds, he brings a size and an athleticism that few quarterbacks can match. A survey of pro scouts published by The Sporting News rated his arm as the strongest in the ACC.
The only trouble is that so far in his career, Lee has not been able to match Weatherford's decision-making skills. That problem, according to Bowden, could be due to the demands of playing too early.
"Most of our other quarterbacks started for the first time as redshirt juniors," Bowden said. "At that point, players aren't as mistake-prone."
With both Weatherford and Lee about to enter their redshirt junior seasons, one or both should be ready to play to Bowden's standard. But which one?
"I imagine by our first game, it will be obvious who the starting quarterback will be," Bowden said.
Fisher has been stingy in his praise for the two quarterback candidates. He wants to see results before he hands out any accolades.
"You always expect more," Fisher told reporters after a preseason practice. "And you never stop expecting more. And once you get there, you're never going to stop expecting more and more and more. This is the way it's supposed to be. If you're going to play tough on Saturday, you've got to practice tough. You've got to live tough, and you've got to think tough."
Florida State's prospects this season don't rest entirely on the quarterback play. The rebuilt offensive line could include as many as four new starters. New offensive line coach Rick Trickett has opted for quickness over bulk and to that end, the FSU line has lost a collective 180 pounds in the off-season.
There will be less change on defense, where veteran coordinator Mickey Andrews will renew his working relationship with Amato, who takes over the linebackers. The two old friends have a solid core to work with as eight starters return off a defense that ranked 18th nationally in total defense last season.
It's enough to make Florida State a contender for ACC honors - if not quite the overwhelming favorite that the 'Noles used to be.
"I think that once Florida State was perceived as it was going to win the ACC every year," Fluellen said. "Now, Florida State is in the hunt, but you never know. We are trying to get back to the point where we will be in the ACC Championship every year. That's our goal - to win the ACC Championship. That's what we have worked for throughout the while summer and the entire off season."
STRENGTHS: A veteran defense, especially an experienced, talented secondary ... a gifted pair of wide receivers in senior De'Cody Fagg and junior Greg Carr ... a solid pair of kickers in punter Graham Gano and placekicker Gary Cismesia.
CONCERNS: The rebuilt offensive line ... consistency at quarterback.
EARLY BELLWEATHER GAME: The rivalry game with Miami has been moved back to later in the season, but the Seminoles will still play on Monday night to open the season. This time, the showcase ESPN game on Sept. 3 will feature FSU at Clemson in a game that should demonstrate just how much of a challenge the Seminoles will mount in the ACC this season.
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