Tag: Florida State

Mike Norvell Introductory Press Conference

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FSU isn’t great at coaching searches. This is their 4th coach in nearly 40 years! A lot of times after a coach is fired, their replacement is essentially the polar opposite of the person who was just let go. I think the administration did a good job of getting someone who had the best qualities that Taggart embodied while also correcting for his unorganized, players-coach style.

An intro press conference doesn’t tell you a lot other than how good of a salesman the new coach is, but he said all of the things you’d want him to say.

I’m really excited to see what sort of staff Norvell puts together and what the next few years look like. 2020 is gonna be rough, but after that I anticipate a turnaround.

Florida State 2011 predictions

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Last year I predicted FSU would finish in the 11-3 range, and I was close. The big miss was Oklahoma, as I really thought they were ready. They were not. This year is different though. After a few great recruiting classes, the Noles seem poised to step back into the national spotlight. I said this about the team’s future prospects last summer:

So that brings us to 10-2, heading to the ACC title game. FSU should lose to VT in that game, and the Noles are a total Jekyll/Hyde sort of team in bowl games, so we could possibly see the season end on a 3 game losing streak. Still, 10-4 or 11-3 seems attainable to me in what is essentially the dawn of the next era of FSU football. I think that next year FSU re-enters the national picture again, but this year is just a bit of buildup for that. The offense is back, and once the defense gets back to the levels they’re capable of, FSU will be an ACC and national power again.

I stand by that, and feel like this is the year that national attention is given early and often to the rising stars in Tallahassee.

The good

Where to start? FSU is absolutely loaded with talent and depth at every position imaginable. For me, the real standouts are going to be the defensive line and secondary, two areas that were feast or famine last year. Returning are a boatload of blue chippers who have grown up mentally and especially physically and are ready to simply dominate teams. EJ Manuel is the rising Junior QB who is a dark horse Heisman contender, and is flanked by a super deep stable of running backs, wideouts and tight ends. The offensive linemen, especially both tackles, are All-American contenders.

Again, just simply stacked everywhere. Watch out for LaMarcus Joyner on D, and Nick O’Leary on offense.

The bad

The offensive line is having trouble staying healthy. Chris Thompson, last year’s leading rusher, has had some back issues. That’s about it.

September

Louisiana-Monroe Body bag game. ULM, a Sun Belt team that should have some young talent, won’t be any match for FSU. I just can’t imagine how ULM keeps this game very close. Not only are the Noles going to be bigger, faster and stronger than ULM, I fully expect the team to focus of jumping out fast to get some of the younger guys game experience. I’m not sure it’ll be like some of the early games from last year where the final score was nearly 60-3, but I’m going to say FSU rolls. Backups in the 3rd quarter.  FSU wins by 35+.

Charleston Southern Let’s face it, you could copy and paste what I wrote above to this section. The only difference is the game with Oklahoma looming. Maybe they take their eyes off of this game a bit. FSU wins by 24.

Oklahoma I’m still not sure how I feel about this game. Last year I said FSU would win a close one. I was dead wrong, and it was one of the only games I really considered turning off multiple times. Just a brutal showing in every phase of the game. I’m still not sure about this game, although I do feel like it’s going to be much closer than last time. Oklahoma tends to roll early in the season and then blow a night road game late in the year. This is not that game. OU has so many weapons and a fantastic quarterback in Landry Jones, who is a legit Heisman contender. Throw in one of the top WR units in the nation and the stacked FSU defense is going to be tested early and often, and I’m not sure they’ll be able to hang for the entire game.

The pressure will really be on FSU to control tempo early, get first downs, and get points. I feel like this game could go either way, but it’ll be interesting to see which defense does enough to win this game. I’m picking Oklahoma – but if FSU in fact wins this game, they’re going to the national title game. Mark it down.  Oklahoma by 3.

@ Clemson Let down alert! IF the Noles were to win the game the week before, it’ll be a huge test to go on the road to one of the tougher stadiums to play in. It’ll be a huge test regardless of course, but the ACC scheduling gods were frowning on the boys from Tallahassee when they put together this one-two punch. On to the Tigers, though. Ex-Tulsa coach Chad Morris heads up the Clemson offense, and Tulsa was absolutely insane to watch last year. The 2010 squad ranted in the top 10 scoring, and the top 5 in yards – and folks expect that to translate to Clemson’s offense this year. Tajh Boyd is the new starting quarterback, and he’s a dual threat guy who could give fits to less athletic teams. With that said, I’m pretty confident that FSU will be able to dominate in the trenches on both sides of the ball, and that should be the difference in the ball game. Despite the potential for a let down, I think the Noles will win fairly comfortably.  FSU wins by 13.

October

@ Wake Forest And now, cruise control. Wake Forest is coming off of their second consecutive losing season, and the cupboard is starting to look bare for the Deacons. This matchup will be a good opportunity to get into a rhythm for a few easy games before some key ACC games.  FSU wins by 21.

@ Duke Copy, paste.  FSU wins by 21+.

Maryland Big game here. Danny O’Brien is a talented QB and FSU could easily have lost the game to the Terps last year. Both teams have improved since last year, FSU with their talent maturing and Maryland with a new coaching staff who will demand sound fundamentals on every single play. I think this game will be a scary one, with FSU winning late – maybe a field goal deciding the contest.  FSU wins by 3.

NC State Revenge for a game FSU really should have won last year. Driving at the end of the contest, Ponder fumbled a play-action at the end of the game to blow it. NCSt has a lot of veteran starters and are well coached – I’ve always been a fan of Tom O’Brien teams. However, they’re not super talented on defense and their special teams appear to be a weakness. FSU will be too much.  FSU wins by 10.

November

@ Boston College Thursday night with no week off before the game … the ACC scheduling gods are back at it. It’ll come down to which team is ready to play. BC is no slouch but they just don’t have the talent to hang for 4 quarters.  FSU wins by 13.

Miami If UM still has a a team to field, this game would be less than a TD between the teams. Lots of senior talent on this team, and if they are all out there, it could be a lot closer than my prediction. However, I’m not counting on it.  FSU wins by 13.

Virginia This is the last home game of the year for what could be an undefeated FSU team. UVA is getting some great recruits and slowly rebuilding their team, but this isn’t the year for them. This is possibly the easiest home game of the year other than the first 2 patsies. FSU wins by 21.

@ Florida Yeah, Florida is down. Guess what, they still are absolutely loaded with blue chippers at every position. If this game were earlier in the year, I could see FSU winning by a few TDs – but this is both team’s final game of the regular season and I think they’ll have figured out the new offensive and defensive schemes that coaches Muschamp and Weis are adding. A lot will be on the line for this game, and FSU will have a ton to play for on the road against a very tough opponent. FSU in a squeaker.  FSU wins by less than 3.

Summary

The ACC schedule looks like a cakewalk, and I realistically can see FSU winning the ACC with 1 loss to a non conference opponent and going to a BCS bowl game. This team is for real, and they’re still very young everywhere except the offensive line. Expect great things this year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw the Noles in the national championship conversation this year, next year, and for years to come.

2010 FSU Football Forecast

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So, if you’ve followed FSU football or college football, the fortunes of the Noles kind of went like this:  The 70s were a building decade, the 80s saw the Noles come into their own as a national power, and the 90s were a decade dominated by FSU.  By 2000, the team began to lose it’s mojo, and the late 00s Noles were an afterthought.  Enter Jimbo Fisher & Mark Stoops. Both men are highly respected and have a history of success everywhere they’ve coached.  I expect the first year to be a bit of up and down, but ultimately building to the 2010-2020 decade to be a decade full of FSU dominance.  And away we go…

09/04/10 Samford (Win)

Well, looks like I basically called this one (FSU won 59-6, I had said 56-3).  A fairly dominant effort in every phase of the game by the Noles – they blocked a kick, ran one back for a TD, Ponder threw 4 TDs in a half, and the running game was able to rip off yards by the bunch.  A good start to the season.

09/11/10 @ Oklahoma (Win)

I feel like FSU’s got a shot here.  I’m going to say they win, but I’m the least sure about this game of any all year.  Noles win by less than a TD.  If, and this is a huge if, the Noles can stop the Oklahoma running game, I think they do enough in the other phases to win the game.  Oklahoma has a potent offense but has lost a lot of talent in the past 2 years.  They keep on reloading, but I feel like the Noles can do enough to win on the road.

09/18/10 BYU (Win)

FSU is just too fast for BYU.  Watch the pass rush for the Noles to absolutely overwhelm BYU.  FSU wins by 28.

9/25/10 Wake Forest (Win)

This game could get ugly, fast.  FSU should just run by Wake, running up the score and getting the backups in.  FSU by 5 touchdowns.

10/2/10 @ UVA (Win)

UVA is a team being rebuilt and I think they just don’t have the horses on defense to slow down FSU’s attack.   FSU should be able to spread the field, throw tons of screens and just abuse the corners, getting huge yards after the catch.  FSU doesn’t win as big as you’d think, as they have backups in after the half, focusing on Miami.  FSU still scores 50+ for the 3rd time of the season.

10/9/10 @ Miami (Win)

This game is the beginning of the tough mid stretch for the Noles.  Other than Oklahoma, there really hasn’t been any real competition yet.  But the next few games feature Miami, BC, Clemson and UNC.  Going on the road to Miami is never an easy task, but I think that FSU is due to finally contain the big game passing of Jacory Harris.  This is the first game in 4 or 5 years that both teams will really be competitive top 25 teams, so this could be a great one.  FSU wins late, in a close one.  They’re always close.

10/16/10 Boston College (Win)

This one really could go either way.  In my mind, the winner of this game should go to the ACC title game assuming neither slip up anywhere else.

BC is stout on defense, with two of the best linebackers in the nation.  They should play well enough to really slow down the FSU attack and keep the game very close.  BC’s running game is nothing to sneeze at, and I see them attacking FSU’s tackles head on, and wearing the smaller guys down.  FSU by less than 10.

10/28/10 @ NC State (Win)

I look for a repeat of last year’s game, where neither defense seemed interested in stopping the other.  FSU scores 50+, but gives up 4 or 5 TDs of their own.

11/06/10 UNC (Win)

I fully expect UNC to give FSU a run for their money, but ultimately the forthcoming suspensions will be too much for the Heels to handle.  FSU wins by 14, setting up a huge game with Clemson.

11/13/10 Clemson (Loss)

FSU’s going to be riding high and I feel like Clemson has this rare ability to ruin FSU’s season almost every year.  Watch them to do it again.  By now, both teams will know who they are and what they’re good at, and I think Clemson’s offense will be a very potent attack that will be hard for the Noles to stop.  FSU loses by 10 on a late big play by Clemson dashing any hopes for a comeback.  Close, but just not enough.

11/20/10 @ Maryland (Win)

Maryland is a team in freefall, and FSU will put them out of their misery – and clenching a berth in the ACC championship game in the process.  FSU by 17.

11/27/10 UF (Loss)

This should be the game that makes this a rivalry again.  The past few years have been an utter embarasment for the Seminoles, with UF just blowing them out.  The tide is beginning to turn though, with FSU finally recruiting like it’s the 90s, they have some continuity on offense and defense, and UF realizes they don’t really have a QB that’s perfectly suited to their offense like Tebow was.  That doesn’t mean UF is going to stink, mind you.  This is still one of the best, if not the best, programs in the nation over the past 10 years.  However, I think that the pendulum is beginning to swing back.

FSU’s defense should be able to contain the spread option by this time of the year, and that alone will keep the game competitive.  UF’s defense will also stifle the running game of FSU, turning this game into essentially a showdown between Ponder and Brantley.  I think you know who I think should win that contest.

However, Florida is still Florida, and FSU is just a program that’s back on the rise.  Championship teams find ways to win big games like this, and UF is a championship team.  FSU isn’t (yet).  With that said, I see UF winning a close game that renews the rivalry and makes next year’s game that much bigger.

So that brings us to 10-2, heading to the ACC title game.  FSU should lose to VT in that game, and the Noles are a total Jekyll/Hyde sort of team in bowl games, so we could possibly see the season end on a 3 game losing streak.  Still, 10-4 or 11-3 seems attainable to me in what is essentially the dawn of the next era of FSU football.  I think that next year FSU re-enters the national picture again, but this year is just a bit of buildup for that.  The offense is back, and once the defense gets back to the levels they’re capable of, FSU will be an ACC and national power again.