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Unabashedly Random and Undoubtedly Meaningless Thought

1.  It was Mrs. BFT’s favorite kind of game; one where Florida State scores lots and lots of points in comparison to the opponent who doesn’t. In other words, an out and out rout.

2.  And speaking of routs, it was the perfect gift on the anniversary of Bobby’s first win as a head coach 50 years ago AT Howard not AGAINST Howard as the Versus network indicated in a graphic. Good research department and/or editing there, Versus.

3.  Earlier in the week Bobby stated that this game against BYU would indicate where the team is. Yesterday FSU got their answer. Primarily they were in the endzone of the Cougars. A lot.

4.  FSU supposedly had problems with the running game? What problems? If you meant getting winded from all that running up and down the field, then yeah, maybe that’s a problem. I think we can all live with that.

5.  At the half with FSU up 30-14, why did I have the feeling that the first team to punt loses? Turns out I was right.

6.  Memo to Lee Corso who on ESPN’s Gameday show picked BYU by to win three touchdowns: PLEASE continue picking those kinds of scores against FSU.

7.  Maybe it’s a good thing there is no Sun Sports replay of the game. If you are a Cougars fan that is.

8.  Dustin Hoffman (well that’s what Gene Deckerhoff called him, who knew “The Graduate” had any eligibility left much less that strong of a leg, but I digress) missed yet another PAT. Reports during the week indicated that he was punching the ball and the problem had been fixed. Apparently not. But yesterday a solution appeared. After sailing a kickoff dead through the middle of the uprights from 70 yards out, have Dustin and the holder line up at the FSU 30 yard line and kick it from there. It definitely would remove any chance of a blocked kick. Now if we can only find a long snapper, a REALLY loooooooooong snapper to handle that.

9.  BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall said all week that the high mountain air would have an effect on the visitors from the Sunshine state. He was right. I’m guessing that was not the effect he had in mind though.

10.  Monk Bonasorte during the pregame radio show made the prediction that 34 points would be needed to win the game. Perhaps what he actually meant was that that many points were needed to win the first half?

Bonus Unabashedly Random and Undoubtedly Meaningless Thoughts

"Did You Notice?": The post-BYU edition

Did 'ya notice Jimbo emptied the bench of running backs? Jones, Thomas, Pryor, Pressley and Thompson all contributed. Hope Marcus Sims enjoyed playing to 10,000 as North Alabama beat West Georgia.

Did 'ya notice Lonnie Pryor is the new go-to guy in the red zone? Pryor doesn't look like a bruising fullback, but his combination of size and hard-to-tackle style should pay dividends for a team that's had its problems in paydirt country.

Did 'ya notice Mister Alexander's patience paid off at last (after working through injury and learning a new position)? His sack of Max Hall on fourth down ended any hope of BYU coming back.

Did 'ya notice Ponder still hasn't learned to slide? Love the linebacker mentality, but don't take needless chances, C.P. It's a long season and there are plenty of headhunters on opposing team who'd love to send you to la-la land.

Did 'ya notice the long-awaited moment when E.J. Manuel finally got his first action as a Nole? Who knew it would be in a rout against a top ten team.

Did 'ya notice Jimbo called one helluva game? Probably his best job of game planning and play calling during his two-plus years at FSU.

Did 'ya notice the Tight End is now officially a weapon? Piurowski had what would've been a season's worth of catches before this year.

Did 'ya notice Three Hundred and Thirteen rushing yards? That oughta push the Noles way up the rankings in team rushing stats.

Did 'ya notice the O-Line went back to the future, replicating last year's ability to spring running backs for consistent yardage?

Did 'ya notice this team showed they can play with attitude and confidence bordering on swagger? The challenge now is to bring that mindset every week.

Did 'ya notice Greg Reid got a coveted helmet sticker from Reece Davis on ESPN's College Football Final?

Did 'ya notice Matt Grothe is on crutches? Suddenly the USF game doesn't look like such a Sunshine State Shootout.

Did 'ya notice FSU's next two games now appear easier than they seemed a few weeks ago? Besides Grothe's injury Boston College's offense is MIA. The Eagles had 59 yards total offense Saturday against the paw clan from Clem's son.

Beware, BYU: Florida State has a history of upsets on the road

Admittedly, you have to flashback to the Reagan Administration for the days when Bobby Bowden was known as "The King of the Road." But over the past 50 years, few teams have knocked the powerful off their perch like the Noles. Here are ten of our favorite road upsets, in chronological order, including nine from that coach who was once called "The Riverboat Gambler."

1962 - FSU 18, Georgia 0
Georgia was ranked in the top 10 both offensively and defensively, but Florida State stopped the Dawgs on the one-yard line in the first series and held tough, surprising UGA in Athens, 18 - 0.

1976 - FSU 28, Boston College 9
In Bobby Bowden's debut season, FSU came from behind to beat nationally ranked Boston College, 28-9. The Seminoles, who recovered four B. C. fumbles, got fourth quarter TDs from Mark Lyles' one yard plunge and Rudy Maloy's 65 yard fumble return.

1977 - FSU 25, Oklahoma State 17
Florida State came from behind to upset Big Eight defending co-champion Oklahoma State, 25-17, at Stillwater.

1979 - FSU 24, LSU 19
The Seminoles were down 13 - 7 before halftime, but Jimmy Jordan hit Hardis Johnson with a 53-yd. score as FSU got the upper hand and edged SEC power LSU on the Bayou Bengals' home field.

1980 - FSU 18, Nebraska 14
Florida State shocked Nebraska's famous "Sea of Red," as the Noles beat a Husker team with national championship aspirations, 18 - 14.

1981 - FSU 36, Ohio St. 27
Rick Stockstill passed for 299 yards to lead FSU over seventh-ranked Ohio State in another stunning road win for Bowden's Seminoles.

1981 - FSU 19, Notre Dame 13
"It was the biggest win I'll ever have," said Bobby Bowden as FSU became only the second team in history to beat Notre Dame on its first trip to South Bend.

1984 - FSU 38, Miami 3
The defending national champs and Bernie Kosar took it on the chin from Florida State as the Noles ran for 327 yards to surprise Miami in the Orange Bowl, 38 - 3.

1991 - FSU 51, Michigan 31
FSU went to The Big House and handed Michigan its only loss of the season, using speed to run circles around the Wolverines in a 51 - 31 rout.

2007 - FSU 27, Boston College 17
Geno Hayes returned Matt Ryan's third interception for a 38-yard touchdown with 1:10 to play to help Florida State beat second-ranked Boston College 27-17, ending the Eagles' run at an unbeaten season and shaking up the BCS standings.

BYU's Coach Mendenhall hoping to take advantage of FSU's "disruptive defense"

If you'd tuned into Coach Bronco Mendenhall's Wedneday night radio show (and we did so you wouldn't have to), you'd have caught some interesting hints of what the Cougars might have planned for FSU. Here are the highlights from Bronco's broadcast.

Q: FSU's defensive scheme is a lot of man with pressure on the QB. What kind of opportunities does that offer you?
Coach Mendenhall.: "They're very good at disruption, because they're very fast and very active, and they use multiple looks, especially if they can get you into critical moments like third down and long... then they prefer pressure. In between those situations there are relatively conservative looks, but still with quite a bit of man and man-free coverage...When a team is a disruptive defense, seldom can they be truly assignment-sound all the way across the board. And so if you're able to find those moments, and test just the concentration and discipline of a disruptive team, there could be issues. When you're a disruptive team there are risks. And it's been very good for Florida State for a long, long time. And they know what the risks are and they take chances accordingly. "

Q: How many plays do you expect Harvey Unga (6 ft., 237) to play Saturday if he's healthy, or will there be more of a three-back system and try to work Harvey in?
Coach Mendenhall: "It'll be more of the second. Harvey is still our number one running back and will get a lot of snaps. How many, though, will be based on how he holds up, and how well his hamstring does. It's becoming a good situation for our program with Brian Karlya (6 ft., 214) playing as effectively as he is and J.J. Di Luigi (5-9, 198) playing as effectively as he is. If that continues, all three could be used and give you a pressure player at that spot for the entire game. And that might wind up being even more impactful than Harvey getting the majority of snaps."

Q: Scotty Johnson (5-ll, 188 Senior who makes defensive calls), how is he doing?
Coach M.: "Scotty Johnson is still working on passing the concussion protocol that has to be in place for him to be cleared to play. Most likely we won't make that decision until all the way up to game day. But our number one goal is for him to be healthy and not put at risk, so he wants to play very badly, we want him. But if the protocol isn't passed we'll hold him out until next week or even the week after. "

Q: Anybody else (injured) with any players you're tracking?
Coach M.: "Not that I know of. Nobody that I think would be of any significance to this point."

Q: If you play another guy in place of Scotty Johnson, Shiloah Te'o (5-10, 206 Soph.) did pretty well in the Tulane game.
Coach M: "Shiloah Te'o played well and also he's been trained well at that position. And if we chose to put Shiloah on the field then Andrew Rich (strong safety: 6-3, 223 Jr.) will move to free safety. So this decision won't be replacing one player, it'll be putting the best tandem out there in terms of knowledge of assignment, etc."

Q: What are you doing differently to practice for FSU than you did against Oklahoma?

BYU licking a few wounds while Cougar fans liking their chances against FSU

Somehow BYU is winning games with a mostly green offensive line. It lost four linemen to graduation, then saw three go down in pre-season. Saturday against Tulane another bit the dust -- at least for a few weeks. Starter Braden Hansen will miss at least the FSU game, though the Cougars were glad to hear it wasn't an ACL. Marco Thorson (6-3, 321 Soph.) will fill-in for him at left guard.

To add more depth, nose tackle Jordan Richardson has been moved over to the O-Line. BYU Coach Bronco Mendenhall said Richardson "is starting from ground zero" at the position.

A potentially major loss on the defensive side. A concussion to BYU free safety Scott Johnson, his second in three weeks, may keep him sidelined. Johnson, a senior and former walk-on, makes the calls for the defense. Mendenhall said Johnson is "possible" for  the FSU game. Should Johnson sit out, strong safety Andrew Rich (6-3, 223 Jr.) will move to free and Shiloah Te'o (5-10, 206 Soph.) starts at strong.

Dustin Hopkins can relate. BYU placekicker Mitch Payne missed a PAT last Saturday, though he made two field goals. The Cougars also had troubles kicking off, shanking two out of bounds.

BYU Defensive Captain a Nole fan. "I'm excited. I grew up a Florida State fan," confessed senior D-End Jan Jorgensen. "I loved Florida State as a kid. I grew up watching Bobby Bowden, Warrick Dunn and Charlie Ward. It's exciting to me to be able to go out and play against them."

Don't expect any mercy. Jorgensen leads a blue collar bunch that's #17 in Total Defense and #15 in Pass Defense. "Our defense may not be as quick as some of the other defenses," says Jorgensen, "but we play physical and we're gonna hit you. I think that's what we make up for is our physicality and how hard we play."

They proved it last weekend by handcuffing Tulane's offense. The Green Wave eeked out 162 total yards (37 on the ground) and gave up four turnovers.

Nosebleed game? BYU's LaVell Edwards Stadium is 4,549 feet above sea level, a factor that Cougar fans believe will be an advantage. But the Noles played at 5,430 feet above sea level a few years back and appeared to have no problem -- at least not with altitude -- beating Colorado in Boulder.

Cougar fans overconfident? Just a few comments and predictions from BYU message boards:

"FSU is no faster than OU, similar type of team, but FSU definitely has issues. FSU will come in...believing they should and must win this game, and will be tough."

"The altitude, BYU's conditioning, and BYU's team play will overpower FSU and they will leave Provo 1-2, with doubts and issues, and Bowden will contemplate retirement this year."

Ambiguously Random and Abundantly Meaningless Thoughts

1. Payback!!! Finally, for that 7-0 loss to Jacksonville State in 1947 that I’m sure every FSU fan was just chomping at the bit to even the score on.

2. Show of hands please. With around five minutes to play, Florida State down 9-7, and the Gamecocks driving the ball deep in Seminole territory were you wondering to yourself was this the South Carolina Gamecocks instead of Jacksonville State?

3. And just where is Jacksonville State anyway? I can’t find it on my map of 57 states. Settle down, settle down. It was just a joke.

4. Now let me get this straight (and you know who you are). There are just minutes left in the game. FSU is trailing by just two points. The Gamecocks are pinned back deep with the ball. FSU needs a defensive stop to get the ball maybe one last time to hopefully pull out the game. It’s a tense moment. It’s not even raining anymore. And you get up and leave?????? What, the mad rush to the parking lot by a half full stadium was just too much to take? You had to hurry home to find out the results of the Sweet Pea Pageant in Crystal River? Why in heck did you even buy the ticket in the first place?? It could not have possibly been past your bedtime.

5. By the way, kudos to the Gamecock band (who sounded very good) for that tableau (now just how many times do you see the word tableau in a sports related column?) of the flag raising at Iwo Jima.

6. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PRETTY PLEASE can we never ever never again have a game five days after the previous game??? Or at least play against a team that played five days earlier as well? Some of us are not getting any younger you know (not mentioning any names here) and would like to avoid the stress on the old ticker by these close games against …. shall we say non Division I teams.

7. Signs seen not at ESPN’s Gameday but somewhere along US 19/27 while on the way to Tallahassee. In bright neon green, Shrimp Shrimp Shrimp Shrimp Shrimp Shrimp Shrimp Shrimp Shrimp Shrimp Shrimp Shrimp Shrimp Shrimp Shrimp. I got the distinct impression shrimp was being sold which sounded far better than the fried bologna sandwich we saw advertised at an establishment elsewhere along the highway.

8. A tip of the hat to the gentleman we saw walking along US19/27 carrying a surfboard. Obviously a well prepared person considering the rain we were about to encounter.

FSU's Top 8 Ugliest Wins of the Bowden Era

Few teams choke on cupcakes like Florida State. It's become a tradition to sleep walk through games that are virtually impossible to lose, making weak and undermanned teams look like absolute world beaters until, finally, a Deus ex Machina miracle allows the Noles to avoid scorn and humiliation. Here are the eight ugliest wins of the Bowden years.

8. 1979 - FSU 26 Cincinnati 21
No. 6 FSU, favored by 21 points or more, scored on Michael Whiting's six-yard run with 1:29 left in the game to edge the Bearcats.

7. 1988 - FSU 28, Georgia Southern 10
FSU woke up midway through the fourth quarter, scoring 21 points in eight and a half minutes to beat scrappy Georgia Southern.

6. 2002 - FSU 38 Iowa State 31
Kendyll Pope and Jerel Hudson stopped Iowa State's Seneca Wallace at the goal line on the final play giving No. 3 Florida State a wild 38-31 victory.

5. 2004 - FSU, 17 Syracuse 13
Leon Washington rushed for a career-high 164 yards and scored on runs of 21 and 45 yards in the second half as No. 8 Florida State survived a major scare, rallying past Syracuse 17-13.

4. 2006 - FSU 24, Troy 17
Buster Davis' interception set up a 4-yard touchdown run by Joe Surratt with 1:56 left, and No. 9 Florida State rallied late to escape with a 24-17 victory over Troy.

3. 2006 - FSU 28 Western Michigan 21
Xavier Lee's fourth quarter TD pass to Greg Carr was the margin of victory as FSU struggled to beat Western Michigan 28-20.

2. 2007 - FSU 34, UAB 24
Drew Weatherford threw for three touchdowns as Florida State rallied from an early two-touchdown deficit and held off UAB 34-24

#1 And the new all-time ultimate undeniably ugliest win is...
2009 FSU 19 Jacksonville State 9
Florida State needed two scores in the final 35 seconds Saturday night to dodge arguably the most embarrassing upset in school history.

Getting the 4-1-1 on Jacksonville State with the Voice of the Gamecocks, Mike Parris

We caught Mike Parris as he was packing his microphones for the trip to Tallahassee, and fresh off the team's final practice before Saturday's game with the Noles.

Mike, will Jacksonville State's attack be any different this week with Ryan Perrilloux back at the controls?
"I think they'll be able to do a few more things and open it up more than we did last week."

After seeing Monday night's game, it's obvious JSU will try to take advantage of FSU's secondary.
"I know they were commenting on that and I think Perrilloux is probably as good a talent as the Harris kid from Miami. But I also know Florida State is very fast on defense and I don't think we've been able to simulate that speed in practice."

Perrilloux had some impressive stats last year. Did his yards on the ground come from designed running plays or because he had to scramble?
"We started the year running some options, but he got beat-up -- especially at Georgia Tech where we opened 2008 also. So we got away from running the option til the latter part of the season. But he got some of that yardage on designed plays like QB draws and running the option, and got some on scrambles, though he didn't tuck it and run as much after he got injured."

Perrilloux didn't get beat up at Tech this year. Since he's fresh and healthy, will Coach Crowe turn him loose against FSU?
"Yeah, I do believe so. We ran a couple of gadget plays last week against Tech and you might see one of those if we get the opportunity. But Ryan's had a year in this offense and he's a very smart kid football-wise. I just hope he doesn't try to put too much on his shoulders and try to win the game by himself. He will match up physically to what he'll see from FSU. But this will probably be the most athletes he's lined up against since he was at LSU."

Since Perrilloux won't play any other D-1 opponents this season, Saturday must be his money game with NFL scouts watching closely.
"He said during the press conference this week that this game was maybe like playing Southeast Missouri State, an opponent in our league. But I know the competitor he is and deep down what he'd like to do and accomplish against Florida State. And he knows that people will be watching, in particular the NFL to see what he does against the kind of speed and caliber of defense that Mickey Andrews runs."

Tell us about the one-two punch JSU has at running back. 
"Calvin Middleton (5-11, 220) is a guy who can play tailback and also line up at fullback. He averaged about five and half yards per carry against Tech on Saturday. And then we can bring in the little guy, Jamal Young (5-7, 175). Coach Crowe was at Auburn for a long time and calls him a Lionel James-type back. He's a little bitty guy who can return punts and kickoffs and is a scatback type who gives you kind of a change of pace back there. Where Middleton may not have that breakaway speed, but between the tackles is very good."

For Perrilloux to make big bucks in the NFL he has to make FSU pay

"He has been walking on the sidelines over there like he's caged for the last few days." That's how Jacksonville State Coach Jack Crowe described his star QB Ryan Perrilloux who re-entered public life this week.

Perrilloux, who missed the Ga. Tech opener because of a violation of team rules in the spring, was allowed his first media appearance Tuesday and he sounds like he didn't miss a beat.

Perrilloux said he doesn't believe he's behind in any facet of the game because of the suspension. In fact, said his coach, "he's a lot better right now than any stage he stepped on the field last year." (Ouch, better than his '08 stats of 2,300 yards passing and the 26 TDs accounted for?)

Perrilloux added, "I think the only thing I've lost in not playing that game is basically a game...Coach still prepared me to be ready for Florida State this week in the conditioning and throws I had to do. I was with the team all the way up to the end (before the Tech game), I just didn't play in the game and came right back on Sunday and picked it right back up."

Crowe said having Perrilloux back this week against the Seminoles gives the Gamecocks a chance to "maybe get to the style of play that we have been planning and working on."

FSU is Perrilloux's money game. The Anniston Star Sports Editor Joe Medley calls it Perrilloux's "last chance to get it done against guys who still do it on college football's highest level. Here's your chance to give NFL types some on-field eye candy against other NFL eye candy...Making plays against the school that brought us playmakers like Deion Sanders and your personal favorite, Charlie Ward, couldn't hurt either.

"So, paging, Mr. Ryan Perrilloux...This is your career calling.

"It's a very important message regarding Saturday's game at Florida State."

The name is the same? Perrilloux, the name, is an almost exact match with the French word for perilous -- périlleux. Expect nothing less than peril for FSU's defense when this mobile multi-threat with something to prove hits the Doak Campbell turf.

Cheap film study. Jacksonville State coaches and players did some intensive study on the Noles -- just like millions of others who watched Monday night's game with Miami.  "We get a chance to see them live and, to me, that's a better ready than just film," JSU coach Jack Crowe said. "I always thought watching somebody, even on TV, gives you a better sense of who they are."

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: UM game edition

by Mobius

The Good
- Christian Ponder looks like a whole new man. Poised, confident, and accurate with his arm, this was the Ponder we all hoped – but few expected – to see on Monday night. If he keeps up the level of play he displayed against Miami the ‘Noles will have their first true weapon under center since the days of Chris Wienke.

- Play-calling and offensive execution were great for the most part.  Who saw 34 points and several great drives coming in week one?  Most were expecting another 10-7 suck-fest and instead we saw offensive fireworks all night. FSU threw the ball all over the field, kept Miami’s defense off-balance, and got the running game going in the second half. We even got the TEs involved! I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Jimbo Fisher really is better than Daryl Dickey and Jeff Bowden.

- Special teams looked pretty solid.  Outside of Dustin Hopkins’ mystifying struggles on PATs he was very impressive for a freshman, hitting two big FGs and doing well on kickoffs. Punt coverage was strong and the kick return game looks extremely dangerous. The lone sore spot was kickoff coverage, but Miami has some very talented kick returners of their own. All in all I was pleased with the execution on special teams, especially with all the new players involved.

- Rushing defense improved as the game wore on. I was deeply concerned with FSU’s rush defense coming into the game and the first half didn’t settle my fears at all. Fortunately FSU’s defensive tackles rose to the occasion in the second half, holding the ‘Canes to 35 hard-earned yards on the ground and forcing Harris to win the game with his arm. Really that’s all you could ask from a unit that’s been decimated by injuries so far.

- The young guys are really, really good. Greg Reid was a revelation, both for his kick return skills and his toughness on defense. Jacobbi McDaniel stood out among the DTs in his first game as a Seminole. Brandon Jenkins made some nice plays from his defensive end spot. The 2008 class proved to be one of the best recruiting classes in recent memory; could the 2009 class be even better?

The Bad
- FSU couldn’t get pressure on Jacory Harris without blitzing. The secondary has been skewered by fans, but to me this was the real failure of the defense on Monday night. On way too many plays Harris had all day to sit back, scan the field, and find the open man. You can’t ask a secondary to cover good receivers for more than five seconds, but time and time again FSU’s defensive backs were put in that position by a toothless pass rush. If the ‘Noles can’t find a way to put some heat on Max Hall in two weeks they could be looking at a 1-2 start.

- Poor coverage in the secondary. Despite the struggles of the defensive line, when an opposing QB goes for almost 400 yards through the air the secondary has to take some blame. Korey Mangum’s coverage on Miami’s first TD was inexcusable, and the long pass to Travis Benjamin in the 4th quarter turned out to be the killer blow.

- The rushing game was underwhelming.  Even though FSU out-gained Miami on the ground 110-90 the running game didn’t come close to matching 2008’s numbers. Nobody was expecting another 300+ yard effort, but certainly much more was expected from Jermaine Thomas than 7 rushes for 10 yards. The running game did open up a little in the 2nd half behind the tough running of Ty Jones, but the ‘Noles must find a little more balance in the offense moving forward.