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X Marks The Crossroads

Just maybe we're seeing the birth of a new offense, thanks to X. Lee. Just maybe it's the rebirth of a Charlie Ward-style fastbreak attack. And just maybe the rest of the season is a test drive to shift gears and see what this baby will do.

As much as we like and respect Drew (the best role model FSU football has had in forever), there's no denying what we all saw: The Noles have a much more potent, even dangerous offense with Xavier Lee at the helm.

X is a playmarker with Michael Vick-like qualities. Not the blazing speed, but ability to move in the pocket and either a) with the flick of a wrist throw a frozen rope on-target, or b) scramble for good yardage. Unlike Vick, he's big and can dish out a hit as well as take one.

Another nice surprise was the O-line. If they can open holes like they did several times Saturday night, add another dimension to the offensive arsenal.

With X and an improved run game, just maybe we win three of the last four and go to a bowl that doesn't have Weedeater in its name. With several injured players back, just maybe we scorch somebody in our non-BCS bowl, serving notice that next season will mean some serious payback. And signalling to blue chip offensive skill players that FSU is once again a great place to show off their talent.

Before we get too giddy, remember that un-written law. The one about a starter not losing his job because of injury. And that brings us to the crossroads. Choose the safe route? Or take the fast-lane with all its potential risks and rewards? 

Just maybe our Coaches take the road less traveled, turning heads with the new X-press Offense.

Friedgen on Saturday's game with FSU: "I think I'm getting them at the worst time ever"

Is it Coach Speak? Or does "The Fridge" believe FSU is a threat to hand the 5 and 2 Terps their third loss of the year? Listen to audio highlights of Friedgen's ACC media conference call and get his take on FSU's defense, the progess of Drew Weatherford, and how a team can quickly slip from the top of the ACC.

Maryland game preview from a long-time Terp

Matt from the Turtle Waxing site is a long-time observer of the Terps. He gave us these insights on Maryland's season to date and how they'll match up against FSU Saturday night.

Q: Earlier in the season you said Maryland had a bad team. Since then they almost upset Georgia Tech and beat N.C. State. What happened?

A: I think the Georgia Tech game was close due to the fact that they had just come off an emotional win over Virginia Tech the week before and were due for a let down against Maryland. In any given game Reggie Ball can play poorly enough to keep a team close and that is what happened with the Maryland game. Maryland won close games against NC State and Virginia mostly due to the fact that their opponents self-destructed. In both games the opponent had costly turnovers that Maryland converted into points at the other end. Add that up and Maryland has two wins by a total of 8 points. Maryland has played better the last two games but it isn't all that different from the team that was pummeled by West Virginia. Perhaps it just means that at the moment Maryland is better than two bad teams like Virginia
and North Carolina State.

Q: What's worked best this year for the Terps offense?

A: Running the ball. Quarterback Sam Hollenbach had 9 passing attempts versus the Wolfpack and none in the final quarter. That was by design. Runningbacks Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore share the load on the ground. Ball is slightly more effective and doesn't dance around as much as Lattimore. Hollenbach showed the ability to run a little more in last week's game versus NC State but is mostly a pocket passer. Screens and swing passes to the backs also worked well on the aggressive Wolfpack defense.

Q: What kind of coverage does your secondary play and can they outjump Carr on the fade route?

A: Josh Wilson is a legitimate All-ACC level corner but I'm not sure he can out jump Carr. You may have to get someone from Gary Williams' team for that. Isaiah Gardner is a physical corner but often gives up a large cushion to speedy wideouts and has struggled covering down the field. Neither safety is particularly good in coverage. The defense likes to zone blitz and is susceptible to big plays down the field.

Q: We hear Ralph Friedgen is his own offensive coordinator this year. How do you think he'll attack FSU?

A: I think Friedgen will be very conservative and run the ball. He'll try some misdirection and perhaps a reverse. Mostly it will be a steady diet of screen passes and off tackle runs. He seems
to lack confidence in his young wide outs and has gotten very vanilla on his playcalling. I don't think his gameplan against
NC State will work this weekend. I think the vulnerability of the defense will require Friedgen to open things up if they get down early. Wide out Darrius Heyward-Bey has emerged as a big play threat and I think Friedgen will try to get him the ball and hope he can break something with his speed. I'm not convinced he is confident enough in his offense to really pull the kind of trickery he would like.

Bobby on upset FSU fans: "Name one"

Bowden doesn't sound like a coach under fire during his weekly ACC media conference call. Check out his answer to one tough question, and his update on injured players, going to the spread, and how that dadgum Tommy is able to show up his Dad by developing a devestating running game. Then be sure to drop
by tomorrow for highlights of Maryland Coach Ralph Friedgen's conference call.

Which scoreboard means more to Bobby?

Is it the one that displays the final score of each game, or this one (updated to reflect FSU's loss and Penn State's win)? We know Coach Bowden is proud to be The Winningest Coach in College Football history, but we hope he realizes that race isn't over. Not until both he and JoPa both hang up the whistle. Until then, all bets are off.

Next week, JoPa has a chance to gain a game on Bobby.
The Nittany Lions travel to Purdue, and both teams are 5 - 3 on the year. Meanwhile, FSU battles Maryland, a team with a better record in the ACC and overall.

Bobby Meets the Press To Talk B.C. and Injuries

In his weekly ACC media conference call, Coach Bowden tackled questions about facing a physical team like B.C., the Noles injury-riddled defense and more. We'd like to have heard his comments on the Miami - F.I.U. donnybrook, but apparently none of the reporters did.

Website urges "Fire Meyer" (and you thought Seminole fans were quick to turn?)

He's won 15 of 18 since becoming the croc coach, but some obstreperous Florida fans already want to make Meyer a memory. In fact, this site calling for his head apparently went on-line last year. There's even a message board if you want to join the fun, and a line of T-shirts you can order.
Meyer's response? Upon hearing about his on-line critics, the always upbeat Urban had the following comments.

Drew's Comments Reveal Offensive Revamp?

Little has been said about these telling comments by Drew Weatherford in an interview after the Duke win:

"Our game plan was to spread it out.
We'd been in more compact formations and we wanted to spread it out and kinda get back to what we did at the beginning of the season, checking at the line of scrimmage
and getting into the best play we possibly can at that opportunity... Earlier in the season we didn't execute it as well
as we would have liked, so we kinda got away from it. But our coaches had faith in us and they re-installed a lot of things that we had, and we executed them very well."

We interpret that as flipping the script to use the passing game to set up the run, instead of the other way around as the coaches were determined to do earlier in the season. That strategy capitalizes on two undeniable strengths

First, a stable of able receivers, including two true freshmen — McDaniels and Parker — who came of age on Saturday. Sure, some WRs still have the dropsies, but it's finding the ones who have the hot hand any given day. Like Carr, who caught three TDs against Duke.

Second, it recognizes that the OL is still better at pass protection than consistently creating huge holes for running backs. Never was that more true than Saturday when Duke blitzed their brains out, yet never got to Weatherford.

Ironically, the OL often didn't have to blast wide running lanes. Spreading the offense and catching Duke in a blitz enabled some nice runs — Antone Smith's 80-yard TD being the best example.

We only hope this is a true mid-season course correction. With all the injuries on defense, the Noles will need a high octane offense to outscore teams like B.C., Wake and the Urban Meyer hot dogs who come to town November 25th.

Final update before Noles Duke it out in Durham

Noles aren't the only ones hurting on the D-Line. Duke's fifth-year DL Eli Nichols is out for the season. Nichols led Duke in sacks the last two seasons.

Five hosses at running back. Duke may rotate a stable of five backs on Saturday. "We're not satisfied," running back Re'quan Boyette said after Duke racked up 201 net yards at Tuscaloosa. "We came out and gave them a hell of a game, but we didn't win. So we need to carry that motivation into Florida State on Saturday."

And if that wasn't enough to give Mickey heartburn. "We have guys healthy and made some yardage after contact," said Duke Coach Ted Roof after the Bama game. "The offensive line is developing and has to continue to get better. We have to have some success running the ball to win games, and this was first time we had sustained success."

Which Duke defense will show up? The one that limited Alabama to 17 rushing yards in the first half? Or its evil twin that gave up 117 yards in the second half, including two long scoring drives that led to touchdowns.

"I don't think the defense let up at all," nose guard Vince Oghobaase said. "It wasn't a matter of them wearing us down or getting tired. It was a matter of busted assignments, and people not being in the right spot when the play was called."

Disaster in Durham? Remember the upset FSU's basketball team pulled off against Duke earlier this year? One Tobacco Road sports writer wonders if it can happen in reverse and on the football field. Read it here while you give you worry beads a good workout.

And if you're going to the game:  Careful what messages you display on your car. While an FSU bumper sticker or license plate might get your car keyed on other ACC campuses, a subtle "W" could result in your ride being totally trashed at Duke. Best  insurance: "Free Tibet" or "Bush Lied" bumper stickers. Also, no cracks about Duke's Lacrosse team while on campus.

Bobby Bowden: Coaching Not As Much Fun Today

Hear Bobby's take on the difference between coaching today and in his earlier years at FSU. It's one of the highlights from his Wednesday media conference call. He also lets us in on a post-game conversation he had with Chuck Amato, and his feelings about the team dropping out of the Top 25.