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Preview and Game Thread: Florida State Seminoles vs Gonzaga Bulldogs, 7:10pm EST

2010-03-19T15:57:29Z

What a start to the tournament? Georgetown and Marquette fall. Multiple overtime games an nail biters galore. Tonight, the Florida State Seminoles take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs and hope to continue the madness. After a 22-9 season, a third place finish in the ACC with an early departure in the ACC tournament, the Seminoles earned a 9-seed in the NCAA Tournament and the opportunity to play the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Tonight, the Seminoles look to avoid another early tournament departure as they take on the 18th ranked Bulldogs.

vs.

Game Time: 7:10pm EST

Opponent's Site: The Slipper Still Fits

Television: CBS

Live Stats: scacchoops.com

Tonight's match up features two teams that are eerily similar but couldn't be more different. The similar features are that both teams feature very young lineups with a great deal of size. Both play primarily man to man defense and both shoot terribly from the free throw line. And that is where the similarities end. This is the first time that Gonzaga and Florida State have played each other.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs finished 26-6 on the year and lost in the second round of the WCC tournament to St. Mary's. The Bulldogs played a brutal out of conference schedule that included the likes of Michigan State, Wisconsin, Cincinnati, Wake Forest, Duke, Illinois and Mephis, with the majority of their out of conference games being played on the road. Their only two conference losses were to San Francisco and Loyola Marymount, both of which were considered 'bad losses' by Ken Pomeroy. The did, however, beat St. Mary's in both of their regular season match-ups.

The Conversation:

To learn a little more about the Bulldogs, we had the opportunity to sit down with the guys at The Slipper Still Fits. Take a minute to check out their site to see our answers to their questions. This was posted as a story earlier in the week and sorry if it is a repeat for you, but it's best to hear it straight from the source:

1. Unfortunately, most ACC fans impression of Gonzaga was their performance against the Blue Devils. That game does not reflect the quality of basketball that was played by Gonzaga this year. What is the 'real' Gonzaga like? How would you describe this team to the casual fan? Should they be an 8 seed, playing across the country?

Your description is spot on. Gonzaga's perception nationally is very unfortunate; probably more unfortunate than I care to admit. As fans of such a irregular program like Gonzaga, you never really know how the world views you. Some think you're a cute mid-major that plays in an awful conference and some think you are a consistently overrated team that the media has fallen in love with. The Zags definitely didn't help themselves this season to sway any naysayers. Their two most "national" games were the Duke game and the WCC Championship against Saint Mary's. Both resulted in laid eggs. For that reason it is really hard to define this team as anything but inconsistent. The good thing, however, is that can make them incredibly dangerous in tournament settings if they get hot. The real Gonzaga is driven around Elias Harris. The Zags are at a whole different level when the offense is working around him because he can score from anywhere on the court and in a variety of ways. If he is active and involved early on, I don't think there is a team in the country Gonzaga can't beat. If he's out of the mix and having to work too much to create on offense, there isn't a team in the country that Gonzaga can't lose to. We've kinda boiled this team down to that fact.

There's not really a doubt in my mind that Gonzaga should be in that seven-eight seed area and away from the West coast. Losing two conference games to teams not even sniffing the tournament really broke this team's back. The nineteen point loss in the tournament championship game was just reassurance that this team was not worthy of being "protected" by the committee.

2. With a 26-6 record, the Bulldogs didn't struggle with many opponents this year. But, against what type of team did Gonzaga have their most success? What kind of teams/style of play caused them to struggle?

Like I said in the previous question, so much of this team's success lies on the shoulders of Elias Harris. At the beginning of the season, Harris was still an unknown German freshman. After the Michigan State game, Maui, and the rest of conference play, the nation woke up and really began gameplanning around him. Since then, Gonzaga has really struggled matching up with physical opposition. What most of the West Coast Conference did against Gonzaga was just hit them. Whenever Matt Bouldin, Steven Gray, or any other guard went to the hoop, they were either fouled or just defended very physically. This tends to throw them, especially Bouldin, off their game. If Matt feels like he's not getting calls early, he really struggles to get himself going. Moving into the post, the same can be said for Gonzaga's center, Robert Sacre. Rob has shown tremendous flashes all season long but he still lacks consistent assertiveness that all great big men have. If he doesn't receive the ball in "scoring position" he will typically turn the ball over because he's still very raw dribbling in the post and controlling his body. The Gonzaga coaching staff has had a hard time knowing how to use Rob throughout the year. Sometime they force feed him early to get him going but, and this is going to sound old, he gets better if Harris is the focal point. Defense is drawn away from Rob and the rest of the team when Elias demands attention and his presence opens up lanes all over the court.

By now, I expect Florida State fans to be salivating because they are exactly the defensive team GU struggles against. Athletic, long, and very physical is what I have gathered regarding the Noles defense. For the Zags to combat this, the game must be played from the inside-out to try and use their size to "out-tough" FSU.

3. Matt Bouldin, Steven Gray and Elias Harris appear to be the three headed monster for the Bulldogs. Out of those three, who do you think will give the Seminoles the most difficulty? Aside from the big three, who should Seminoles' fans be familiar with before this game starts? One shot left, who gets the ball?

With as much as I've talked about Elias Harris, I have to take this opportunity discuss Steven Gray. I think that Gray is the answer to two of your questions (I hope). He should get the ball with the clock winding down and he can present the most issues to Florida State. I say that for one reason and that is because Gonzaga truly needs him to be exceptional. Against a team like FSU where penetration from the outside may be limited, the Zags need Gray to hit shots from the outside and pull their defense out. While Matt Bouldin is sort of the jack-of-all-trades for this team, Steven is the most pure and explosive scorer. If he gets hot from the perimeter, he can put down four before you blink. He's also turned in to the total package and can drive to the rack or pull up for a mid-range jumper. He's also one of the few Zags that has been playing consistently lately and that, hopefully, will carry over to Friday.

In a game where I believe Gonzaga has to hit a certain point total to win, I think instant offense is going to be crucial off the bench. For that reason, the guy you should get to know is Canadian via Sudan transplant Bol Kong. Kong is a redshirt sophomore in his first season since transferring down and getting through his lengthy visa issues. He became the Zags primary bench player early in the season but cooled off during conference play and has since seen a little resurgence. You'll likely see Kong camping out around the three-point line waiting for the kick out pass. If he hits his first shot, watch out. He can bury a couple quick ones and give Gonzaga the lift it needs.

4. Florida State has one of the highest turnover percentages in all of college basketball. Gonzaga doesn't force many turnovers. What impact will turnovers play in this game?

I don't really see turnovers playing a huge role in terms of Gonzaga forcing them. This team really lacks the necessary experience from top to bottom to really take major defensive risks and it is just not really in Mark Few's nature to roll out a team that is going to put serious pressure on a team. The Zags also recently lost key reserve Mangisto Arop to a broken foot. Arop was one of Gonzaga's best situational defenders and was easily their most efficient rebounder. With his loss, the Bulldogs' hope to make a serious defensive impact really goes down. Steven Gray will get a few steals, Matt Bouldin might gather one or two up, and Demetri Goodson will force a few but

5. What does Gonzaga need to do in order to win this game?

I think in games like these, there is never really one blueprint a team has to follow to win. I do think that it is entirely possible for this game to be really decided within the first ten minutes. Tempo and style in this game are going to be so crucial. If it is a knock 'em dead, drag 'em out affair, I have very little hope that the Zags can sustain. If they can get going early and play the inside-out game with Harris and Sacre, I feel like this is a game Gonzaga can dominate. The flip side of the coin is that Gonzaga has been notoriously slow starting this season but it's hard to know whether that is due to lack of motivation or some larger reason. Overall, I can't see them needing any sort of wake-up call for an NCAA Tournament game which makes me very confident.

Thanks again to Zach and Max at Slipper Still Fits for taking the time to answer our questions.

Four Factors:

NCAA Basketball

Gonzaga finished 56th in Pomeroy Rankings with the 46th ranked offensive efficiency and the 65th ranked defensive efficiency. The stat that really jumps out is their ability to shoot the ball. Their eFG% on the year was 54.4% and they shot 54.3% from inside the arc. Surprisingly, Gonzaga does not take a significant amount of three point shots, which may play into the hands of the Seminoles. One of the reasons they didn't need to rely on the three point shot is that they are one of the tallest teams in the nation and are very physical on the inside. When they do shoot from down town, they are making 36.5% of their shots. The fact that they can shoot so well from beyond the arc should be concerning for Semionles fans.

The Stats (From StatSheet.com):

	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
FSU	68.5	45.5	64.6	33.6	38.0	12.7	25.3	13.9	16.8	8.4	6.3	17.8
GONZ	77.6	49.4	66.3	36.2	38.2	10.7	27.5	13.5	13.1	6.7	4.2	18.0
FSU Opponents	60.2	37.4	66.8	32.8	32.5	12.2	20.2	9.7	16.1	8.0	2.4	18.6
GONZ Opponents	67.0	40.5	64.7	32.5	33.2	11.2	22.0	12.0	13.1	6.7	2.9	21.4

	POS	PPG	PPP	FLR%	Eff	eFG%	TS%	FTR	2P%	FTP%	3P%	OR%	DR%	A%	A/T	T%	S%	B%
FSU	2105.0	67.9	1.01	52.7	100.9	50.9	53.5	38.8	54.8	19.7	25.4	38.6	67.4	56.6	0.83	24.7	12.4	11.5
GONZ	2249.0	70.3	1.1	55.6	110.4	54.4	57.3	49.4	55.6	23.1	21.3	32.6	71.1	49.8	1.03	18.6	9.5	7.1
FSU Opponents	2105.0	67.9	0.89	46.1	88.6	43.2	47.0	33.9	47.1	20.8	32.2	32.6	61.4	47.1	0.6	23.7	11.8	4.4
GONZ Opponents	2249.0	70.3	0.95	48.7	95.3	45.8	48.8	33.5	53.2	19.1	27.7	28.9	67.4	50.0	0.92	18.6	9.5	5.2

Lineups (From Seminoles.com):

Florida State Seminoles

F #31 Chris Singleton (10.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg)
F #42 Ryan Reid (6.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
C #32 Solomon Alabi (11.6 ppg, 2.4 bpg)
G #21 Michael Snaer (8.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg)
G #22 Derwin Kitchen (8.2 ppg, 3.9 apg)

Gonzaga Bulldogs

F #00 Robert Sacre 7'0 247lbs Sophomore (10.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg)
F #20 Elias Harris 6'7 215lbs Freshman (14.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg)
G #3 Demetri Goodson 5'11 164lbs Sophomore (6.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg)
G #15 Matt Bouldin 6'5 224lbs Senior (15.8 ppg, 4.1 apg)
G #32 Steven Gray 6'5 208lbs Junior (13.7 ppg, 2.8 spg)

Keys to the Game:

1. Don't let Gonzaga get an early lead. As we all know, Florida State's offense is not able to easily recover from a big deficit. It's possible, particularly if Singleton and Dulkys are shooting well, but but likely. A lot of people are picking the Noles to win this game and are writing the Bulldogs off, that is dangerous. Gonzaga is going to come out swinging and try to get the Noles out of this game early. They will try to get our big men in foul trouble early and try to take away any advantage the Noles have inside.

2. Turnovers, Turnovers, Turnovers. Gonzaga doesn't turn the ball over all that often. Florida State does. But, Gonzaga does not generate many turnovers despite playing a significant amount of man to man defense. If Florida State does get turnover happy, make it the dead ball kind. No easy points for the Bulldogs in transition. Allow the defense to set up. Chris Singleton can only chase so many guys down during a game.

3. Free throws. Take the easy points. Neither team shoots well from the line. This could be one of the major keys to the game. In close games, the free throw line can make a world of difference. We have already seen the impact of free throws in this tournament. Get to the line early and often and make it count.

4. Wear them down. Gonzaga has five freshman on their team. Get them into foul trouble early and never let up any of the defensive pressure. Gonzaga has played some outstanding teams this year and done well, but they haven't seen a defense like the Noles. The big question is whether or not the Noles will slow them down enough to make it a game. Chris Singleton needs to have an outstanding game.

Prediction: Florida State 68 Gonzaga 65

Game Time: 7:10pm EST

Opponent's Site: The Slipper Still Fits

Television: CBS

Live Stats: scacchoops.com

Go NOLES!!! Let's hope this isn't the last preview of the year.

Cheers,

CBS Sports NCAA March Madness Open Thread Watch Live!

2010-03-18T15:40:48Z

The tournament is here! Rise and Fire! Last Chance to Dance! All that stuff. FSU doesn't play until tomorrow night, but thanks to a special deal with CBS, you can watch all the games live right here and comment on them as well! Click here Launch Player To Watch Bigger View! Or, select the game you want to watch below and click to watch a smaller player embedded in the site (great if your work blocks the pop-up player!)

Report: Florida State's Defensive Players Didn't Have Playbooks In 2009

2010-03-19T00:29:25Z

Phil Coale - AP

Florida State defensive coordinator Mark Stoops gave the players playbooks, which apparently the defense had not had in the last two seasons.(AP Photo/Phil Coale)

View full size photo »

Keep in mind that Nick Saban gives his defenders a 400+ page playbook. Florida State's defenders didn't even have one last year. FSU's defense was 92nd in the country last season. The FSU release:

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - No unit on the Florida State football team is facing a steeper learning curve over 15 days of spring practice than the defense, which will be completely different under new coordinator Mark Stoops.

The switch from a predominantly man coverage team for the past quarter century under Mickey Andrews, to one that will play zone as its base will test all the defensive position segments. There's a need to learn both new terminology, as well as new techniques.

Photo Gallery: Spring Practice Day 2 - Offense | Defense

And there's also the matter of some take-home work that is completely foreign to veteran Seminole defenders.

"Right now we're focusing on executing; learning the new defense," said rising junior linebacker Nigel Bradham. "We just want to execute every play...

"We've got a playbook to take home now. We didn't have a playbook in the past. The scheme is totally different, but it's exciting. It's set up where you can make a lot more big hits and stuff like that. We're really excited about it and we're going to hit it running."

That's a notion that excites Bradham, who closed the 2009 season as the team's leading tackler with 93 stops. And he's not alone.

FSU's defensive players came off the field at the conclusion of Thursday's practice seemingly giddy with the early results. While Bradham's eyes lit up at the possibility of unleashing his 241 pounds on ball carriers, defensive end Markus White - who is known for his boundless energy - excitedly talked about dropping into pass coverage.

"(Tuesday) was a hesitating day, in my opinion," said White. "I wasn't confused on what to do. I was just confused on how to do it. Today, it felt like it was more on emotion and I could do whatever I wanted to do. As long as I'm having fun with it, then my motor is going to run, and that's how it was today. There was a little less hesitation today and tomorrow there's going to be a little less."

Co-dependency is critical to improving a defensive unit that ranked as one of the most porous in the nation last season. That means everyone must work together - perhaps even more so in the new scheme - to be most effective.

Rising sophomore defensive tackle Jacobbi McDaniel has already seen evidence that the coaches are emphasizing working side by side, especially up front.

"Last season there was very minimum work with defensive ends and defensive tackles together," said McDaniel, the leader in tackles among interior defensive linemen. "Now, we're working together. We're getting off the ball together, we're running plays together. Everybody is on the same page and that's a good thing."

The same is true in the secondary, where the bulk of the players are of the first- or second-year variety. Veteran cornerback Dionte Allen, with one career start under his belt, suddenly finds himself in a leadership role along with a couple of teammates, all of whom are trying to get a grasp on Stoops' coverage schemes. Allen said Stoops has shown great patience with his new charges after two days of practice, but he's anxious to step up and assert himself.

"(Ochuko) Jenije, Terrance (Parks) and me - we're the oldest - we've got to represent and lead by example," said Allen. "I look at it like I'm a senior instead of a redshirt junior. We've got new coaches now, so we're starting over. ...

"I think (the scheme) is a little better now because we're able to read (the receivers). Our position is already hard because we've got to come up and stop the run and defend the bomb. That's the number one thing he's been emphasizing to me and all the corners, to read (the receivers)."

Inexcusable.

#5 Florida State Seminoles Baseball Travels to #24 University of North Carolina Tarheels: Series Preview

2010-03-18T16:28:51Z

The Florida State Seminoles are coming off a weekend series where they lost 2 of 3 to the #1 ranked Virginia Cavaliers and a mid week loss to the Florida Gators where they did not play poorly but just ran into some really good relief pitching. The North Carolina Tarheels look to rebound after a disappointing ACC opening weekend that saw them lose 2 of 3 games to the Duke Blue Devils. UNC is hardly the same team of 2009 that swept through Regionals and Super Regionals en route to Omaha, they lost 4 of their best hitters and 2 of their 3 weekend starters which should give FSU the advantage heading into the weekend.

Pitching Preview:

North Carolina has historically had excellent pitching and as you can see by the numbers below 2009 was no different. (You will notice that FSU's numbers are different than last week's UVA preview due to the fact that I used season totals instead of ACC play)

Fortunately for Florida State a lot of 2009 talent is not back for 2010, let's take a look at the projected starters.

Friday March 19th - 7 PM - Chapel Hill, NC - Radio: 1270 the Team/94.3 FM - GameTracker

Game 1 will feature FSU's lefty Sophomore Sean Gilmartin against UNC's righty Junior Matt Harvey.

Harvey is the Heels only returning weekend starter from last year and as you can see he was not terribly effective as their Sunday starter.

Harvey is off to a solid start in 2010 but Florida State still has the advantage with proven starter Gilmartin.

Saturday March 20th - 2 PM - Chapel Hill, NC - Radio: 100.7 FM - GameTracker

Game 2 will star Junior lefty John Gast against Junior righty Colin Bates.

Bates was North Carolina's horse out of the pen as he made 34 total appearances but like Parker he was not overly impressive.

John Gast has been nothing short of great all year and in his first ACC game against UVA he pitched well despite only going 4 innings. Bates is off to a great campaign which resulted in him being propomoted to the Saturday starter. He had an excellent outing in his 2010 ACC debut against Duke pitching 6 2/3 while only allowing 2 runs on 7 hits, striking out 2 and walking 1.

Sunday March 21st - 1 PM - Chapel Hill, NC - Radio: 100.7 FM - GameTracker

Game 3 will more than likely matchup Junior right Geoff Parker against Junior righty Patrick Johnson.

Patrick Johnson was a reliable weekday starter for UNC in 2009 but was mainly used out of pen in ACC play.

Johnson's first ACC start against Duke was a rough one, 3 2/3 innings pitched where 6 runs were allowed on 6 hits and 2 walks with only 3 strikeouts.

The Seminoles bullpen was doing great until this past series against #1 ranked UVA. Outside of Busch and Everett there really is no one that can be relied on. In 9 2/3 inning of relief against Duke this past weekend the Tarheels bullpen did not fare so well allowing 12 earned runs on 20 hits while striking out 10 and walking 5. It should go without saying the first offense to get into the opponent's bullpen will have the advantage.

Offensive Preview:

The 2009 Tarheels offense wasn't overly impressive as they were a team built on pitching.

As was mentioned earlier North Carolina's offense was really hit hard losing 1 player to graduation and 3 to the draft including the #2 overall pick in Dustin Ackley. Those were 4 of the Tarheels top 5 hitters who accounted for roughly 44% of their total 2009 at bats. Florida State's lineup is much stronger than North Carolina's which is why the ‘Noles should be fare well in this series.

It looks like a gorgeous weekend in Chapel Hill so they should get all games in and on time.

Other Baseball Notes:

Gilmartin, Holt Spikes Watch List - The Seminole duo earns early season recognition from USA Baseball

CWS Legends Team - Fans can cast their votes for these three Seminole greats on the NCAA website now.

Go Noles!

The Conversation: TNation Chats with The Slipper Still Fits about Friday's NCAA Tournament Game

2010-03-18T02:38:47Z

More photos » Chuck Burton - AP

6 days ago: Florida State's Solomon Alabi (32) dunks the ball as North Carolina State's Dennis Horner (31) Farnold Degand (12) and Tracy Smith (23) look on during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Greensboro, N.C., Friday, March 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Browse more photos »

As a part of this week's preview for Florida State's NCAA Tournament game, we had the opportunity to run some questions by the guys at 'The Slipper Still Fits,' SBNations Gonzaga blog. They do really great work at their site, so take a few minutes to check out their work. Our answers to their questions will be posted on their site. Gonzaga is a team that most of the country east of the Mississippi River is not very familiar with. This is a great discussion about what Florida State can expect on Friday.

First, thank you to Zach and Max at 'The Slipper Still Fits.' They provided some really insightful answers to our questions. We appreciate them taking the time to share their thoughts with us. Check out their site to see what we had to say about the game. Here is what we learned about Gonzaga.

Your description is spot on. Gonzaga's perception nationally is very unfortunate; probably more unfortunate than I care to admit. As fans of such a irregular program like Gonzaga, you never really know how the world views you. Some think you're a cute mid-major that plays in an awful conference and some think you are a consistently overrated team that the media has fallen in love with. The Zags definitely didn't help themselves this season to sway any naysayers. Their two most "national" games were the Duke game and the WCC Championship against Saint Mary's. Both resulted in laid eggs. For that reason it is really hard to define this team as anything but inconsistent. The good thing, however, is that can make them incredibly dangerous in tournament settings if they get hot. The real Gonzaga is driven around Elias Harris. The Zags are at a whole different level when the offense is working around him because he can score from anywhere on the court and in a variety of ways. If he is active and involved early on, I don't think there is a team in the country Gonzaga can't beat. If he's out of the mix and having to work too much to create on offense, there isn't a team in the country that Gonzaga can't lose to. We've kinda boiled this team down to that fact.

There's not really a doubt in my mind that Gonzaga should be in that seven-eight seed area and away from the West coast. Losing two conference games to teams not even sniffing the tournament really broke this team's back. The nineteen point loss in the tournament championship game was just reassurance that this team was not worthy of being "protected" by the committee.

Like I said in the previous question, so much of this team's success lies on the shoulders of Elias Harris. At the beginning of the season, Harris was still an unknown German freshman. After the Michigan State game, Maui, and the rest of conference play, the nation woke up and really began gameplanning around him. Since then, Gonzaga has really struggled matching up with physical opposition. What most of the West Coast Conference did against Gonzaga was just hit them. Whenever Matt Bouldin, Steven Gray, or any other guard went to the hoop, they were either fouled or just defended very physically. This tends to throw them, especially Bouldin, off their game. If Matt feels like he's not getting calls early, he really struggles to get himself going. Moving into the post, the same can be said for Gonzaga's center, Robert Sacre. Rob has shown tremendous flashes all season long but he still lacks consistent assertiveness that all great big men have. If he doesn't receive the ball in "scoring position" he will typically turn the ball over because he's still very raw dribbling in the post and controlling his body. The Gonzaga coaching staff has had a hard time knowing how to use Rob throughout the year. Sometime they force feed him early to get him going but, and this is going to sound old, he gets better if Harris is the focal point. Defense is drawn away from Rob and the rest of the team when Elias demands attention and his presence opens up lanes all over the court.

By now, I expect Florida State fans to be salivating because they are exactly the defensive team GU struggles against. Athletic, long, and very physical is what I have gathered regarding the Noles defense. For the Zags to combat this, the game must be played from the inside-out to try and use their size to "out-tough" FSU.

With as much as I've talked about Elias Harris, I have to take this opportunity discuss Steven Gray. I think that Gray is the answer to two of your questions (I hope). He should get the ball with the clock winding down and he can present the most issues to Florida State. I say that for one reason and that is because Gonzaga truly needs him to be exceptional. Against a team like FSU where penetration from the outside may be limited, the Zags need Gray to hit shots from the outside and pull their defense out. While Matt Bouldin is sort of the jack-of-all-trades for this team, Steven is the most pure and explosive scorer. If he gets hot from the perimeter, he can put down four before you blink. He's also turned in to the total package and can drive to the rack or pull up for a mid-range jumper. He's also one of the few Zags that has been playing consistently lately and that, hopefully, will carry over to Friday.

In a game where I believe Gonzaga has to hit a certain point total to win, I think instant offense is going to be crucial off the bench. For that reason, the guy you should get to know is Canadian via Sudan transplant Bol Kong. Kong is a redshirt sophomore in his first season since transferring down and getting through his lengthy visa issues. He became the Zags primary bench player early in the season but cooled off during conference play and has since seen a little resurgence. You'll likely see Kong camping out around the three-point line waiting for the kick out pass. If he hits his first shot, watch out. He can bury a couple quick ones and give Gonzaga the lift it needs.

4. Florida State has one of the highest turnover percentages in all of college basketball. Gonzaga doesn't force many turnovers. What impact will turnovers play in this game?

I don't really see turnovers playing a huge role in terms of Gonzaga forcing them. This team really lacks the necessary experience from top to bottom to really take major defensive risks and it is just not really in Mark Few's nature to roll out a team that is going to put serious pressure on a team. The Zags also recently lost key reserve Mangisto Arop to a broken foot. Arop was one of Gonzaga's best situational defenders and was easily their most efficient rebounder. With his loss, the Bulldogs' hope to make a serious defensive impact really goes down. Steven Gray will get a few steals, Matt Bouldin might gather one or two up, and Demetri Goodson will force a few but

5. What does Gonzaga need to do in order to win this game?

I think in games like these, there is never really one blueprint a team has to follow to win. I do think that it is entirely possible for this game to be really decided within the first ten minutes. Tempo and style in this game are going to be so crucial. If it is a knock 'em dead, drag 'em out affair, I have very little hope that the Zags can sustain. If they can get going early and play the inside-out game with Harris and Sacre, I feel like this is a game Gonzaga can dominate. The flip side of the coin is that Gonzaga has been notoriously slow starting this season but it's hard to know whether that is due to lack of motivation or some larger reason. Overall, I can't see them needing any sort of wake-up call for an NCAA Tournament game which makes me very confident.

Judging Florida State's New Strength, Conditioning & Nutrition Program After 8 Weeks

2010-03-17T18:45:18Z

Practice is cancelled for today due to inclement weather. Let's do something else. Everyone knows Florida State's new Strength & Conditioning coach Vic Viloria is a great S&C coach. We saw what he did at LSU and at SMU. Let's see what he's done in his first 8 weeks at Florida State. Since Seminoles.com will soon update its roster, we have little time left to look at the old rosters. FSU now has a top level strength and conditioning program and the results are definitely showing. The 'Noles have been focusing on leg work to build explosiveness and improve balance. Remember that these numbers are two weeks old and some players have undergone significant changes. I didn't list every player, but did get most. If a player was injured this off-season I left him off or noted the injury in order to be fair to that player. After only 8 weeks, some of these results will blow you away. Keep in mind that the old weights were taken in last August. Let's compare the old to the new:

QB

Incredibly, considering he just underwent shoulder surgery, Christian Ponder gained 11 lbs, going from 217 to 228. And he has only 7% body fat.
Despite having shoulder surgery, E.J. Manuel is up 3 lbs, from 223 to 226. I look for him to really pack on the muscle once his shoulder heals.
QB Will Secord made good use of his redshirt year, gaining 10 lbs from 204 to 214

RB

Debrale Smiley showed up at about 250 and is now down to a rock-solid 235 lbs.
Jermaine Thomas is holding steady at 190 lbs, though I'm told he is more ripped this year.
Lonnie Pryor has gained 11 lbs from 195 to 206.
Chris Thompson has put on 13 lbs, going from 173 to 186 lbs on his 5'8" compact frame.
Ty Jones is up 8 lbs from 203 to 211. He doesn't look fat either, which is good news. Perhaps he can get up to 215-220 by Fall?
Tavares Pressley is up from 203 to 206 lbs. He's always been very well put together.

WR

This is an NFL-sized WR corps.

Jarmon Fortson is down 3 lbs from 226 to 223. Anyone who has seen Fortson with his shirt off knows that there is no reason to worry with this guy. He's still plenty big.
Bert Reed gained 2 lbs, up to 167 from 165 on his 5'10" frame.
Willie Haulstead is up 5 lbs from 210 to 215 on his 6'3" frame.
Rodney Smith is up 12 lbs from 208 to 220 on his 6'6" frame.
A.J. Alexander is up 4 lbs from 180 to 184 and looks quite solid at 5'11"

TE

Very impressed with the tight end group! That was FSU's goal line issue if you believe it had one (and it had the best RZ offense in the last half decade of the ACC so I would suggest it did not and that it was a very rare failure). Now that should be fixed.

Beau Reliford is up 12 lbs from 241 to 253 lbs. That's seriously impressive work.
H-Back Jabarris Little is up 13 lbs from 226 lbs to 238 lbs.
Matt Dunham is reportedly up 3 lbs, but I believe FSU fudged his weight last year to spare the young man some embarrassment. He's in exponentially better shape this year than last.

Inside, check out the rest of the positions including the crazy defensive back unit.

OL

Some of the older guys don't need to get much bigger, but the improvements made by some are quite encouraging. Many of these guys had off-season work and couldn't work out for a while. Additionally, the running component often gets these guys slimmed up for Spring then they gain more over the summer.

Jr OT Andrew Datko has added 20 lbs to his 6'6 frame, going from 283 to 303! It's amazing what happens with a healthy shoulder and proper nutrition.
RsFr Henry Orelus is up 2 lbs from 292 to 294, but has dropped his body fat by some incredible number. Gaining weight while dropping body fat means gaining muscle.
RsSo OT Antwane Greenlee is up 14 lbs from 293 to 307. Really look forward to his continued progress as he could get really strong as he rehabs his knee.
RsJr Center A.J. Ganguzza is down 3 lbs, from 268 to 265. He's always been a bit soft and will likely add weight now that he is trimmed up.
RsSr Center Ryan McMahon is up 2 lbs from 282 to 284 lbs.
SO Guard/Center Blake Snider is up 1 lb from 282 to 283 lbs, but he's dropped bad weight.
Jr Guard David Spurlock, despite some off-season surgery is up from 285 to 286 lbs. I expect him to blow up this summer.
RsFR Bryan Stork has added 24 lbs to his 6'4" frame, going from 260 lbs to 284 lbs. That's not a typo. I talked about him in the offensive line preview, but he has a bright future.

Defensive Line

Everette Dawkins is up 11 lbs from 258 last August to 269.
Jamar Jackson is up 8 lbs from 240 to 248 lbs.
Brandon Jenkins is down 7 lbs from 241 to 234. I wonder if he got sick?
Amp McCloud is down 25 lbs after showing up around 328.
Jacobbi McDaniel is up 9 lbs from 283 to 292 lbs. He's definitely dropped some bad weight he had at the end of the season.
Markus White is now at 262 lbs, which is impressive and he is really doing a nice job in the weight room.

Linebacker

Nigel Bradham is up 6 lbs from 235 to 241 and he looks ridiculously cut.
Nigel Carr is up 1 lb from 230 to 231, but you'll remember that he came in out of shape last year. Definitely more progress than a 1 lb gain.
Jeff Luc is a freak and weighs 249 lbs.
Vince Williams has bounced back from his back injury and checks in at a solid 252 lbs, up 7 from his 245 list last season.

Defensive Back

These guys bulked up a ton. Should help in the zone scheme.

Dionte Allen is up 11 lbs from 172 to 183. He's always been hampered by injuries and this gain is encouraging.
Gerald Demps is up 16 lbs! from 190 to 206. Extremely impressive for the redshirt freshman.
JaJuan Harley is up 20 lbs from 190 to 210 lbs.
Ochuko Jenije is up 7 lbs from 187 to 195.
Nick Moody is officially down 2 lbs from 228 to 226 but I'm told he was heavier than 228 last year.
Terrance Parks is up 18 lbs from 196 to 212. Wow.
Xavier Rhodes is up 14 lbs from 195 to 209! Damn.
Greg Reid is the same size (175 lbs)

The Jimbo Fisher Era At FSU Finally Begins: The First Day of Spring Practice Report

2010-03-17T01:27:23Z

More photos » Phil Coale - AP

Florida State defensive coordinator Mark Stoops instructs Ochuko Jenije, right, during the first day of spring NCAA college football practice. At left: #13 Nigel Bradham, looking every bit of 241 lbs.(AP Photo/Phil Coale)

Browse more photos »

The day many die-hard Seminoles had been waiting for finally arrived today, when the Jimbo Fisher era at Florida State officially began with the first day of spring practice.

For the first time in 35 years there was a new coach running the show and according to sources, the tempo was definitely different and at a much faster pace than had been run previously. Reports indicate that as soon as Fisher walked onto the field the players all "jumped to attention," and everyone knew, and there was no doubt, who was in charge.

Jimbo and his coaching staff pushed and prodded the players hard during the 4 hour session, and the players apparently responded in a positive manner. Fisher was very happy with the players attitude, with the tempo, and said many good things about how his first practice as the Florida State Head Coach went.

"It was great," Fisher said. "The effort was good. The tempo was good and the attitude was good."

When asked if Fisher had changed since last year, Christian Ponder replied that Jimbo "hasn't changed. He is still the intense guy he is...and didn't seem any different." Ponder also went on to say that there simply wasn't enough time to digest the idea that for the first time in 35 years, Bobby Bowden wasn't watching over practice from his usual perch atop the tower in the middle of the fields.

"We didn't have time to think about it," Christian Ponder said. "It's non-stop. You don't have time to think."

One of the biggest differences is that the team was divided up, with the first and third-teams working together, and the second and fourth-teams doing likewise. That lead to double the repetitions and twice the amount of work.

"You can't say you don't get a chance," Ponder added.

Ponder, who underwent shoulder surgery last November, was back comfortably under center and he went the distance in practice while directing the first-team offense after just 4 months of rehabilitation.

Ponder came away relatively pleased with his effort, fully understanding that he will continue to get stronger over the next 14 days of spring ball. Fisher also liked what he saw.

"I was pleased," Fisher said of Ponder. "You could see he was tired at times, but he got the whole day under his maximum number of throws."

Ponder is also at his highest weight ever, up to 228 pounds. However, his body fat is just 7 percent, which is very impressive. When asked how long he might be rehabbing his shoulder, Ponder replied that is is something he might always be doing.

Here is the video of a short interview Fisher gave after practice, courtesy of Andrew Carter at the Orlando Sentinel's Chopping Block.

Also, click here to see the Christian Ponder interview posted by AC at the Chopping Block.

As expected, Fisher, spent most of his time working with the offense and the quarterbacks. However, he was very hands-on and very involved with every aspect of the team, and his presence around the defensive side of the ball was specifically mentioned by some of the players.

Fisher also jotted down notes as he looked over the work of the five new members of his coaching staff, and he didn't have to look too hard to find them. Defensive coordinator/secondary coach Mark Stoops, linebackers coach Greg Hudson and defensive ends coach D.J. Eliot, were all finally on the field with their defensive players for the first time, and at one point were lined up end-to-end working with the defensive front seven.

"I liked them out of the field; their presence and command," Fisher said.

So did the players.

"I feel like I'm starting all over," said senior middle linebacker Kendall Smith. "With a new defense, I feel like a rookie."

Smith also talked up freshman LB Jeff Luc, referring to him as a "beast."

One comment I found very telling was Ponder's reply when asked how different the defense looked with the new coaches and the different schemes. His reply, "Very different...things we haven't seen before...It's good work for us obviously. We need to see these different schemes and some things we need to get used to. They're going to throw a lot of things at us and it will only make us better."

I know we can all agree that something different (and better) on defense, is past due.

Click here to see the 39 picture photo gallery at Seminoles.com. (Thanks to tricknole for his contribution)

And from NoleSports.com, a nice 20 photo gallery.

Also, from Facebook, check out this tremendous photo of new running back Debrale Smiley.

Tomahawk Nation March Madness Bracket Challenge

2010-03-17T00:41:30Z

Tomahawk Nation March Madness Bracket Challenge

Are you up to the challenge? How far will you have the Seminoles go in the tournament? Sign up. It's free.

If you win, you'll be crowned the TNation March Madness Bracket Challenge Winner.

Make your SBNation ID your bracket name.

The password is: seminoles

#5 Florida State Seminoles Travel to #6 Florida Gators: Live Game Thread

2010-03-16T21:30:25Z

The Florida State Seminoles baseball team travels to Gainesville to take on the Gators for the 2nd time this season and are doing so after losing a weekend series to #1 Virginia Cavaliers. We didn’t do a series recap this week because a lot of our thoughts, frustrations and opinions were expressed in this thread, Mike Martin, Micromanager: Why FSU's baseball coach prevents his team from scoring runs.

Most casual followers with think that the major issue with that game was blowing a large lead in the 9^th inning and while that is disheartening it is also something that does happen at all levels of baseball to teams of all caliber. Coach Martin has a propensity to get tight in situations regarding his bullpen and this early in the season he is still unsure of whom he can trust. As the season progresses he will identify his go to guys and as long as bullpen meltdowns don’t happen on a frequent basis it is something that is tolerable. Something that is intolerable and inexcusable is the way Head Coach Mike Martin squanders scoring opportunities by sacrificing precious outs. It is an eerily similar to the situation that we had with regards to football and to expect a coach to change his philosophies after 30 plus years is not logical. My hope this year is that our talent level is elite enough to overcome the shortcomings of a manager who is past his prime.

Taking the hill tonight for the ‘Noles is Freshman Robert Benincasa who will be making is 3^rd start of the season. He is coming off a solid start last week against North Florida pitching 6 innings where only 1 run was allowed while striking out and walking 3. While the UF lineup is young and inexperienced it is much more formidable than UNF. So far this season the freshman has showed that while he has been able to pitch out of jams he still has not been able to consistently throw strikes, expect the kid to get knocked around tonight.

The Gators counter with freshman righty Hudson Randall who will be making his 3^rd start of the season. Randall’s stat line in his two starts looks impressive, 10 IP, 7H, 1ER, 6K, 3BB with a 66.6 GB%. His numbers look less impressive when you consider his opponents (UCF, Illinois State) and remember that in his 3 innings of relief in the first game against the ‘Noles he was touched up for 3 runs in 3 innings. Again sample sizes are extremely small but expect Randall to struggle as much as Benincasa.

Much like the first matchup this will be a game determined by who can outslug who, this obviously favors Florida State and despite the game being on the road I think they have a good change of pulling out a win before heading on their first road trip of the season.

Be here at 6:30 PM for the live game thread. You can catch the game on Fox Sports Florida, listen on 1270 The Team or follow via GameTracker

Go Noles

Florida State Spring Football Position Preview: Secondary

2010-03-16T17:00:17Z

This is the 9th and final in a multi-part series covering the various position groups as Florida State begins Spring practice today. So far we've looked at Quarterback, Running Back, Wide Receiver, Offensive Line, Tight End/ H-Back, Defensive End, Defensive Tackle, and linebacker. There is no way to sugarcoat how bad FSU's defense was last season. Straight by the raw numbers, FSU was 108th out of 120 teams nationally. Common sense, however, says that to go solely by aggregate yardage allowed is silly as it doesn't adjust for competition level. The advanced metrics account for opponent quality and they say FSU's defense was somewhere between 80th to 92nd out of 120. Of the 66 major conference teams, FSU was on the level (or worse than) only Louisville, Kansas, Indiana, Duke, Stanford, Kansas State, Iowa State, Illinois, and of course, Washington State. The last defenses to be this bad in ACC play were some of the mid-decade Duke teams. If you want more comparisons and perspective, check out Closing The Book On The 2009 FSU Defense.

To me, there were two groups on FSU's defense that played at or around an average level: cornerbacks and defensive tackles. Defensive Ends, Linebackers, and Safeties played horribly. But both corners and safeties are coached by the same man and I'll address them together. Everyone knows about Mickey Andrews' tragic family issues and that his focus was obviously not on the team. Enter Mark Stoops, the decorated defensive coordinator from Arizona. He will coach defensive backs and coordinate the defense. Stoops comes highly recommended from multiple Jimbo Fisher contacts, most notably Will Muschamp of Texas.

Defensive Coordinator and Secondary Coach Mark Stoops

Stoops recently met with the media. He's quite a bit different than Mickey Andrews. Andrews was very southern. Stoops is extremely midwestern. But like Andrews in his prime, Stoops consistently has his defense performing at a very high level. Expect articles this off-season on Stoops schematic concepts, but for now just know that FSU is going to be playing a lot more zone. That is a needed change as FSU's schemes were stale and were quite vulnerable even if FSU had the most elite of talent, which it did not. The talent is quite good, though young, and Stoops is excited to again work with elite athletes like he had at Miami in the early part of the last decade.

The most important changes will be stressing assignment football and attention to detail. Teams exploited FSU's lack of attention to detail and lack of discipline. It is not about making plays. It is about executing your assignment with championship discipline and technique. It's good to force turnovers by putting the offense into a negative leverage down, pressuring the quarterback, and forcing him into a bad throw. It's not good to attempt to force turnovers by gambling and playing recklessly. While FSU forced a lot of turnovers last year, the turnovers were often a result of poor process. And that poor process was exposed on a mind-boggling number of big plays given up. Stoops will not tell his guys to go make plays. He will tell them to go play their assignment and let the turnovers come to them. That change, along with the new zone schemes, will present a major adjustment for FSU's defensive backs. FSU's defensive backs are going to have to leverage the hash, pattern read, squeeze routes, pass off receivers, etc. Importantly, Stoops will fit this system to the players better than we saw over the past few years. It will not be easy and the whole process will probably not show until 2011. Before proficiency comes competency and competency is the goal for the 2010 defense.

FSU loses its best defender in cornerback Patrick Robinson. Robinson played very well last season but was exposed a few times as the scheme put him in an untenable position. Can FSU's secondary get better despite losing one of the top corners in the country? Definitely, and part of that is because of other losses. Florida State thankfully is rid of #22 Korey Mangum, a safety who was terrible. The 'Noles also lose Jamie Robinson, the free safety who played somewhere between average and below average. Losing Mangum is a huge gain for the 'Noles. FSU was effectively playing 10-on-11 with him on the field. Please note that both Robinson and Mangum were great 'Noles who didn't slack. My evaluation of their play is not a reflection of their person. Who will step up?

Cornerback

I said above that I think the corners played a lot better than the safeties. There's a lot of room for improvement but FSU doesn't need miracles here.

Ochuko Jenije is likely to have one corner spot locked up. The 5'11" 195 lb Redshirt Senior from Tallahassee (4* recruit) played well at times last year and received some unwarranted criticism that should have rightfully been strewn upon Mangum. Jenijie can be a tremendous zone corner. His skill-set was not all that well suited for Andrews' man-heavy coverage schemes. Jenijie is smart, strong, and a good tackler. He started most of the games last year and had a few interceptions. I am fairly sure Jenijie will be a draft pick next April based solely on his physical skills. He's my bet for surprise player of the year (if I can pick a returning senior starter, haha) as I think he'll quickly grasp Stoops' scheme. Jenijie had graduated and is now in grad school.

Inside, you'll find breakdowns of the other 10 DBs.

Next is the much-heralded Greg Reid. I like the 5'8" 174 lb sophomore a lot-- as a kick and punt returner. Reid is the best return man in the country. His vision in the open field is incredible. But as a corner Greg did not play well last year. He did make some highlight interceptions, but those interceptions and interception attempts highlighted what I talked about above. Greg didn't make his interceptions as a result of playing his assignment. He got them by freelancing. And as a result of that freelancing, he was burnt a ton. He either didn't know or refused to play his assignment and hurt the defense. Additionally, Greg didn't tackle well. Everyone is assuming that Reid will start, and every FSU fan wants to see his natural playmaking skills on display, but he has a ton of work to do. Reid must know his assignments and pay attention to the details. He absolutely cannot freelance. And he must tackle. He must avoid the sophomore slump. If he doesn't, we'll be left to watch Greg on special teams and spot duty as the 3rd corner.

I'm excited about Redshirt Freshman Xavier Rhodes. The 6'1" 209 lb Miami native had people buzzing last year. He has a great skill set to play in this new zone-heavy scheme. While we haven't seen much of his ball skills, but Rhodes is very physical and loves to compete. Someone told me that if he could have one DB in a street fight, it would be Rhodes. Rhodes is tough. If he can understand what he is asked to do in the new scheme, he could really excel. I am excited to see him re-route receivers and squeeze them down. His height and considerable size should also help him. Rhodes was hampered by thumb surgery last year and I'm glad he was redshirted. It would not surprise me if Rhodes played a lot and maybe even start.

Dionte Allen is quite the unknown. Rated the 40th best overall player in the country in 2007, Allen definitely has ability. But injuries have hampered the 5'11" 183 lb Michigan native. He redshirted in 2007 while battling injuries, battled injuries again in 2008, and played sparingly last season. Foot and ankle injuries are a tricky thing and there's a big question as to how much those injuries have robbed of his ability. He also had surgery on his hand or thumb (can't remember). Allen is likely playing for his scholarship this year as FSU could take up to 6 defensive back recruits and there won't be much room for many bench-warming seniors in 2011. I don't want to say that Allen can or can't play, because he just hasn't played very much. Let's see what he does. New schemes have a way of re-energizing players and highlighting previously unseen skills.

Avis Commack was moved to defensive back and I've heard conflicting reports as to where he would line up. I'm not going to address him, however, because he broke his femur and is trying to make it back in time for Fall camp.

There are some impressive freshmen coming in but I would be shocked if any of them start. JUCO corner Mike Harris will immediately be in the mix for a starting job, but like the freshmen, he doesn't arrive until June. This is a Spring preview.

Safety

The safeties are a great concern to me, but Stoops has been a miracle worker with safeties at previous stops and if he can get two guys to play at an average level this season it will be a huge coup. Nobody knows what to expect from this group. Whatever safety best demonstrates his grasp of the new scheme will play, regardless of play-making ability. Under no circumstances can FSU have it's centerfielder playing a guessing game. Stoops will ask these guys not to get burnt deep and to know their assignment on each play. Safeties will almost always be asked to play pass first, run second.

The most known commodity here is Nick Moody. The 6'2" 226 lb sophomore from Pennsylvania has de-bulked in the 4th-quarter program as FSU wants him to gain more flexibility, losing about 4 lbs of muscle. Moody should have played over Korey Mangum last season at the strong safety position, and Andrews refusal to play him illustrated the problem of having lame-duck coaches. The proper move would be to play the young kid, provided he was about as good as the older player, particularly when both have a similar amount of experience. But the interests of a lame duck coach are adverse to the interests of the program. There is no incentive for that outgoing coach to act in the best interest of the program and develop the younger player! Moody is a big hitter and a solid tackler. There was some thought that Moody would move to linebacker, but his weight loss probably signals that he will stay at safety. He could be a nice fit in the cover-3 sky:

via smartfootball.com

But Moody has some serious work to do in the football classroom. I'm told he performed poorly on the coverage tests last season. That won't fly under Stoops. The defense needs to be solid, and it can be solid by having lesser athletes execute their assignments. Nick has a long way to go, but he is a really nice fit at Strong Safety provided he is willing to put in the work to understand his role within the scheme.

Teamwork is very important while playing zone defense. Zone defense where everyone simply goes to their zone is not good zone defense. Zone defense where everyone is using their step advantage (positioning off tendencies, motion, etc), leveraging percentages to the hilt, passing off receivers, etc. That is good zone defense. And that can't happen until everyone first knows and perfects their individual assignment.

Next up is Terrance Parks. The 6'2" 212 lb Junior safety is very talented. But he is lazy in practice. That's not acceptable and the coaches are loathe to play someone who is willing to work hard in a game and not in practice. There's some thought that Parks may have faked injuries in the past in order to get out of difficult drills, then acted healthy when it came time to scrimmage. Everyone gets a clean slate under the new staff and this is his opportunity to start off on the right foot. Parks has great range and good size. In a perfect world, he would start at free safety and patrol the deep third of the field. Parks needs to make sure his career doesn't go up in smoke. If it does, he could be out after this season, under the "senior non-starters who aren't team leaders or serious contributors won't be welcome" idea. Oh, and he also has some of the Nick Moody know the play problems. Stoops needs to be able to trust Parks if Parks is to be the free safety. He'll have to earn that trust. But if he does, look out, because he has a ton of ability.

I am impressed with Redshirt Freshman Gerald Demps. The 5'11" 206 lb Demps was Greg Reid's secondary mate for Lowndes Co. HS (Valdosta, GA). He is unquestionably the lesser known of the two. Demps has a fair amount of ability and has really embraced the new strength and conditioning program, bulking up to 206 lbs. Demps plays smart on his high school film. I think he needs a dose of confidence, as he really got down on himself last year, but his work in the off-season program is encouraging. It would not surprise me if he starts.

Jajuan Harley is a bit of an enigma. He's easily the most athletic safety and checks in at 6'2" 210 lbs. The former 4* recruit played mostly on special teams last season, and I'm eager to see what he can do as a sophomore. But there are concerns here. Harley had a concussion last season and sometimes those injuries are funny. He never really came back right from the concussion, and on top of that he lost some weight with what I seem to remember being a viral infection. He also had a head injury in high school. Every FSU fan hopes that Harley can get right in the head. Because if he can get right, his Athleticism is head and shoulders above all the other DBs. I think he's a bit overrated, though, more of the "great athlete not great football player" mold, at least from his high school film.

I don't think Redshirt Sophomore Ed Imeokparia or Redshirt Freshman Justin Bright will figure into the equation. It's unlikely either player would have been recruited by the new staff had they had the chance. Imeokparia is 6'0" 196 lbs and isn't profiled in the Spring guide, nor listed in the Secondary section. He tore his ACL prior to the 2008 season and redshirted while recovering. I'd bet money that he's not on the 2011 roster. Bright was recruited to lure the 2010 Byrnes high school kids to Florida State (which did not happen). He's not very athletic and looks like a womens soccer player in his recent photo with the pony tail. He's bulked up to 6'0" 185 from 180 lbs. Bright has a very outside chance to start at safety if (and really only if due to his lack of ability) the other safeties screw around and don't take their football studying seriously. If that happens FSU has a serious problem. FSU is bringing in some serious stud recruits at safety this year and Bright could (should) be part of the attrition crunch after this season or next unless he makes huge strides.

Expect a lot of mistakes from this group and potentially an ugly Spring game. By Fall though, they should make enough strides to have FSU's defense in the top half of BCS conference teams.

Jimbo Fisher Press Conference News & Notes

2010-03-15T16:24:44Z

I picked through Coach Jimbo Fisher's presser to find interesting notes. Spring practice starts tomorrow. There was a lot of fluff and coachspeak.

* Air Force begged out of its contract with FSU for the 2011 and 2012 games. That's great news because FSU was going to drop them anyhow. This is great news. Now FSU can schedule a home game that will make money for the program. I suggest North Texas. FSU's 2011 home schedule looks like this Home - Oklahoma, Maryland, NC State, Miami, Virginia, easy win at home allowing program to make some money like every other major program does. Away - Clemson, Florida, Wake Forest, Duke, Boston College. Even adding 2 cupcakes, that is one of the nation's toughest schedules.

* Fisher is going to throw the entire playbook at the defense. They will not be holding anything back and will roll with the players who are willing to put in the time to study and work hard.

* Ponder is throwing 130 balls per day and is his rehab is going very well. He will participate significantly.

* Demonte McAllister will see time at both defensive end and tackle. Fisher said he needs to get bigger no matter the position he plays. Inexcusable not to maximize that frame. McAllister in the 260s, he's a guy that is going to play inside and outside. We're going to get guys in different spots. Football is a situational game, it really has become that.

* Said Hicks was in the 250-260 range, a guy that can do multiple things, take his hand off the ground if he has to. But he is inconsistent right now with his effort, but he's getting there. Says he will be a good player off the edge as a DE with his hand on the ground, great lower body explosion.

* Said Brandon Jenkins was definitely that guy who can do a lot of stuff versatility wise, can definitely take his hand off the ground if he needs to (alluding to multiple fronts, and his future after college). Says he's going to be a great player but he needs to get bigger.

* Said that we are going to play with bigger DEs (duh!) "when you got a TE out there maybe 250, and you put a guy on top of him thats 270-280 and he can't block him and that guy can set the edge you know thats something that is really helpful." That should end speculation over what coach Eliot said last week.

* JUCOs Debrale Smiley and Anthony "Amp" McCloud have both come in and got their body right. Guys are learning to eat, its nutrition, these guys don't eat and they are just learning that and getting in the weight room and learning to lift right too.

* When asked about using Bobby Bowden's tower, Fisher said no and that he would be coaching, on the field. Seems to me like he thought the idea of standing in a tower and not coaching was ridiculous.

* The defense is getting the mental conditioning now just as the offense has the last two seasons, and the defense will now practice at a tempo equal to that of the offense. And the tempo for both will increase from where it was last year.

* CJF is pleased that the guys are buying in to the 4th-quarter program.

* The coaches will be working much longer hours, specifically the defensive coaches.

* As always, Fisher loves Rodney Smith and Willie Haulstead and expects them to have big off-seasons.

Florida State Spring Football Position Preview: Linebacker

2010-03-15T08:04:56Z

This is the eighth in a multi-part series covering the various position groups as Florida State begins Spring practice on Tuesday. So far we've looked at Quarterback, Running Back, Wide Receiver, Offensive Line, Tight End/ H-Back, Defensive End, and Defensive Tackle. There is no way to sugarcoat how bad FSU's defense was last season. Straight by the raw numbers, FSU was 108th out of 120 teams nationally. Common sense, however, says that to go solely by aggregate yardage allowed is silly as it doesn't adjust for competition level. The advanced metrics account for opponent quality and they say FSU's defense was somewhere between 80th to 92nd out of 120. Of the 66 major conference teams, FSU was on the level (or worse than) only Louisville, Kansas, Indiana, Duke, Stanford, Kansas State, Iowa State, Illinois, and of course, Washington State. The last defenses to be this bad in ACC play were some of the mid-decade Duke teams. If you want more comparisons and perspective, check out Closing The Book On The 2009 FSU Defense.

[Editor's Note: I know a lot of you asked about this last week, so here's an update. Everette Dawkins expressed a desire to return to defensive end in the Fall, but I have confirmed that he will stay at Tackle during Spring ball due to the lack of depth present at the position until McCray is healed up and the two freshmen recruits arrive. Even then, that situation is up in the air.]

Linebaker Coach Greg Hudson

To me, there were two groups on FSU's defense that played at or around an average level: cornerbacks and defensive tackles. Defensive Ends, Linebackers, and Safeties played horribly. Out with the divisive, egotistical Chuck Amato, who seemed more concerned with subverting Fisher's efforts to change the program than he was with coaching his linebackers. News leaked that Amato is battling cancer and I wish him a speedy recovery. But discussing linebackers requires an honest look at many of his failures and it would be wrong to blame the players for shortcomings that should rightfully be attributed to Amato.

Enter Greg Hudson (info at link). Hudson recently spoke about what he likes in his linebackers (very big, fast, intelligent, instinctive). Hudson produced numerous All-Conference defenders at East Carolina and I think he's a bright defensive mind. Here's more Hudson video.

FSU fans hope Hudson is the anti-Amato in terms of production. Boosters were initially fired up about about Amato acting as the locker police as they were led to believe that would translate into a better disciplined team. But fans were quickly disappointed as it became apparent that there was a de-emphasis in understanding the defense, understanding the opposing offense, taking proper angles to the football, discipline, gap control, etc. Instead, what FSU got was the "freedom system" in which Amato's linebackers were told to just go make plays. That is an extremely effective strategy in Pop Warner ball when a coach has one kid with a late-July birthday who is physically superior to everyone else on the field. It's absolutely not acceptable for a college coach. Simplification is one thing, but what happened with FSU's linebackers was something altogether different. That's to say nothing of the atrocious tackling, complete inability to neutralize and fight off blockers, the poor job in pass coverage and the apparent complete lack of coordination between DE & LB.

The LB position is unique and probably the toughest on the field to play because of having both run and pass responsibilities on every play and coverage call. Players have to be smart, disciplined in reading keys, and with enough size to tackle big backs and handle linemen blockers, and still cover smaller RBs and TEs in man/zone coverage. STS.

Also, Amato was a terrible recruiter in his return trip to Tallahassee. We've profiled here that the idea of Amato dominating South Florida recruiting was complete nonsense. He recruited one South Florida player in his most recent Tallahassee stint: Maurice Harriss, who was subsequently "medically disqualified." In fact, FSU damaged it's cause with several schools solely by hiring Amato due to some Chuck's dealings at North Carolina State. I only mention recruiting because FSU has 6 linebackers available this Spring, primarily because it did not have a competent linebackers coach for whom recruits would want to play. Not to worry, as the 'Noles will have 10 linebackers this fall as 4 more recruits join the group.

This linebacker group (and likely Hudson) is in for a major culture shock similar to what I profiled in the defensive end position preview. I don't think Hudson will be a miracle worker, but I don't think he needs to be. There is good amount of talent here. He simply needs to re-emphasize understanding of the defensive scheme, understanding the opposing offense, taking proper angles to the football, discipline, gap control, tackling, fighting blocks with proper technique, pass drops, keys, etc. And he should have time to do most of that provided he doesn't waste his time worrying about locker cleanliness, chatting with the head coach, primping, and generally involving himself in matters that do not concern him. He has a lot of talent at his disposal and simply needs to avoid being Chuck Amato. The real limitation is of course time. FSU fans should expect competency from this group in 2010 before expecting proficiency in 2011. With that, let's get to the players.

6'2" 241 lb Outsider 'Backer Nigel Bradham

The Known Commodity

Nigel Bradham. 6'2" 241 lbs. 5* recruit. Fast. Powerful. Nigel Bradham is the only backer who should feel comfortable knowing he has a job entering Spring ball. Bradham started 12 games on the weak side last season, notching 95 tackles. He played at about 235 lbs as it became apparent that if he were to stay on the outside he would need to break down some of the high school muscle he had too swiftly packed on to his prototype frame and add it back slowly in order to increase his hip flexibility.

Of course some believe that Bradham was miscast on the weak side and should have been playing the MIKE (Middle backer) or SAM (strong side) position. That's an argument for another day and one that has been argued on every 'Nole message board over the last two years. I don't think anyone will debate that Bradham was stiff and does run a bit bow-legged. The Spring guide indicated that Bradham is at 241 lbs and I would expect him to weigh in at around 245 lbs. Perhaps more importantly than his starting weight is the new nutrition program's ability to help him maintain that functional size throughout the 20 week season.

We know from past interviews that Hudson will likely line up his least experienced (read: guy who has the least understanding of the defense but who is physically capable of making plays) player in the WILL (weak side backer) position. Bradham's experience at the WILL might be of some help to him or it might not, depending on the similarities between the WILL's responsibilities and alignment in the new scheme and those same characteristics in the old scheme. There are valid arguments for Bradham to line up in every spot and valid arguments as to why he shouldn't line up in those spots. If I had to guess right now I would say that Bradham will play the SAM (strong) backer position because of his size and strength. While he's just as fast as the other backers, he has the strength to take on blockers and set the edge, an essential task of the SAM. It helps to establish the flow.

Bradham is a natural tackler with good balance. He's good in pass coverage. He needs to improve his recognition, but that is a constant throughout this preview with every linebacker having that need.

Bradham is a Junior this year and many speculate that he will go pro with a good 2010 campaign. Given his physical gifts, he would probably be foolish not to get paid. That process starts by taking advantage of the competent coaching now available to him.

Inside, I'll discuss the remaining 'backers.

Men In The Middle

Perhaps the best argument against Bradham playing middle backer is that FSU has two very large backers who are most likely limited to the MIKE as their primary position. The first is redshirt Sophomore Vince Williams, who missed the 2009 season after undergoing back surgery. Williams checks in at 6'0" 252 lbs and projects to play between 250-255 lbs. He was actually practicing in pads in the latter part of the season but smartly rejected overtures to waste a year of eligibility by playing in just a few games. Williams was ranked the 40th LB in the 2008 recruiting class by ESPN.com and the 10th overall LB by Rivals.com and was only one of three early enrollees in the 2008 class. Williams looked good in limited duty as a freshman, including work on special teams.

*Last season Kendal Smith played the MIKE. I don't expect to see him in the middle any longer because he is 15 lbs smaller than these two and looked horrible last season trying to pick his way through all the traffic.

The other is the true freshman phenom, Jeff Luc, who stands 6'0" and weighs 249 lbs. Luc was the consensus #1 Middle Linebacker in this class. Luc enrolled early so that he could play Spring ball. People around the program have raved about just how physically advanced Luc is.

Both Williams and Luc are extremely strong, thick MIKE types. Both will be limited by not having good lateral agility and quickness. Both will have an acclimation period this Spring; Williams to getting back into full-speed hitting drills, and Luc into college ball. I believe both Luc and Williams will excel at getting off blocks and tackling. This battle will most likely be decided by who can show the best mastery of the defensive scheme, who can play good zone pass coverage, and who can be more disciplined. I believe one of these two will start at the MIKE and the other will get serious time as well provided that one doesn't just obliterate the other.

Long and Athletic

The other subtitles made a lot of sense. Nigel Carr and Mister Alexander were the two left over guys. In my mind, these are two very similar players. Carr is 6'2" 231 lbs while Alexander is 6'3" 227 lbs. Carr is closer to 6'3" than 6'2" in my opinion. Both have long frames. Both are good natural pass rushers and both play with a lot of energy. Carr in particular is a guy who really loves to play the game. #12 is always going nuts on the sidelines.

Nigel Carr was a 4* recruit coming out of high school. ESPN had him as the 4th best outside linebacker while Rivals.com had him 6th. The Junior is one of the few players who has a birth date befitting his grade level (born February 1990). Carr has a larger lower body and a smaller upper body. I'm pretty high on the Jacksonville First Coast product, but I believe he was a victim of Amato. Carr looked clueless last season, but played with great effort and showed good instincts a few times (or perhaps he was guessing). He played out of control and without regard to any assignment, lane, gap responsibility, etc. With a defense as screwed up as last year's unit it is tough to apportion fault, but Carr clearly has ability. Because he doesn't seem as sharp or experienced as Bradham, and is one of three smaller backers, it would not surprise me to see Carr end up on the weak side.

RsSr Mister Alexander is another candidate to see some playing time on the weak side. Alexander is raw as a senior but had tremendous athletic ability. Alexander played safety for the 'Noles in 2007/2008, but only saw action in one game due to a knee injury. Last year he stayed fairly healthy and saw action primarily on obvious passing downs as a pass-rushing outside backer. It's all about staying healthy and mastering the mental game for Alexander. The athleticism is there, but are the football and more importantly linebacker skills?

Both need a good bit of coaching and I'll be pulling for Carr to line up along with Bradham and the winner of the Williams/Luc battle. Of course, it's possible neither Carr nor Alexander start.... Because there's still one more player on this list...

The Senior

Kendall Smith is coming off a year he would probably like to forget. After having nice stints as a backup up 2007 and 2008, the 6'0" 235 (225 last year) Smith looked terrible at middle linebacker. #29 is a former 4* recruit and surprised everyone by how poorly he played. In truth, he was likely out of position. Smith needs to play in space. Taking on bigger blockers and fighting through all the traffic in the middle is simply not his game. He looked extremely hesitant and at times I was able to audibly count "one Mississippi" after the ball was snapped before he moved from his stance.

I am not ready to say Smith lacks instincts, he just lacked them in the middle. I think he can probably play outside backer. This is his Senior year and while Smith is not an NFL player he still has the potential to be a good college starter or an excellent backup. Seeing him gain 11 lbs since last August is encouraging.

I expect a ton of improvement from the linebackers this year. Expect practice reports detailing growing pains at first. The only thing we know right now is that Bradham is a virtual lock to start, Williams/ Luc can't play the outside, and at least one Spring starter will come from the Carr/ Alexander/ Smith group.

Florida State Enters NCAA Tournament as a 9 seed...

2010-03-14T23:01:45Z

Florida State Enters NCAA Tournament as a 9 seed...

and head to Buffalo to take on the #8 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Duke, Maryland, Clemson, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech all join the Seminoles in the NCAA Tournament. Virginia Tech, who finished 4th in the ACC was left out.

Mike Martin, Micromanager: Why FSU's baseball coach prevents his team from scoring runs

2009-05-12T09:33:58Z

Editor's note: This story was originally posted on May 12, 2009. Rather re-writing a new article every time Mike Martin makes the same stupid mistake and has his team bunt in the first inning, we decided to just repost this one. Expect to have this story memorized by the end of the season.

Last Saturday, FSU baseball took on Georgia Tech in Atlanta. The 'Noles won the game, 8-6. Even though we won, I was saddened by the Noles performance. Why? With the first two hitters of the game reaching base for the 'Noles, FSU's #3 hitter, Mike McGee stepped to the plate. 1st & 2nd, no outs, tie score, top of the first. Florida State coach Mike Martin had him sacrifice bunt. In the first inning of a tie game, Mike Martin had his best hitter sacrifice bunt. Mike Martin has won a lot of games in his illustrious career, but many believe his poor managing cost the Noles a shot at numerous championships over the years. Martin has never won a championship, forever the bridesmaid.

via www.fsu.com

I knew that bunting in that situation was absolutely the wrong move. I knew it's been proven time and again and that it's not a matter of preference or a mere judgment call. I just didn't know how wrong. For that, I turned to Beyond the Box Score, the award winning baseball analysis site. These guys do the same kind of work that professional baseball teams pay a lot of money for. For instance, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays are now run by a bunch of Ivy League Graduates who embraced advanced measures of defense, eschewing fielding percentage for a better measure that actually gauged how much ground a fielder covered. The point is, these guys know what they are talking about. Teams who don't embrace new baseball thinking are falling behind. We saw it with the 2008 Mariners (who jumped on board for this season after losing a ton of games in 2008), and now see it with the entire Houston Astros organization. Unfortunately, we now see it with Florida State.

I went to Beyond The Box Score and asked for their help:

Greetings from TomahawkNation, the FSU wing of SBNation.

We have a problem. On Saturday, against Georgia Tech, the 'Noles had men on 1st and 2nd with no outs, in the first inning of a tie game. Our #3 hitter, Mike McGee, an elite hitter, is at the plate. Our manager had him sacrifice bunt.

Our stats are here: http://www.seminoles.com/sports/m-basebl/stats/2008-2009/teamcume.html

I understand bunting here is wrong, that it slightly increases the chance to score 1 and only 1 run, and really decreases the chance to score more than 1 run. What I am looking for is someone to tell our readership just how stupid this move is. How much does it decrease your chance of winning? How much worse is it to do this in the college game than the pro game?

Any help would be really appreciated. Our readership is very intelligent and they'd love to see something like this.

TusconRoyal, one of their authors, quickly responded to our cry for help. In fact, he tailored his analysis specifically to the Seminoles, using the 2009 season's performance to date.

1. Go to this results generator and enter in your team data and/or league. Here is a link with discussion on performing this analysis for a High School Team
2. The results will be calculated and the table you want is labeled: "Run Expectancy Matrix" and "Run Frequency Matrix"
3. Using FSU’s team stats I get:

1st and 2nd, 0 outs: 2.246 runs scored on average
2nd and 3rd, 1 out: 1.723 runs scored on average

Mike Martin's move cost the Seminoles 0.5 runs on average.

Ouch. Half a run on average hurts there! (That's very significant). He wasn't done, however, as I quickly found out I had made an incorrect assumption...

If you go down to the Run Frequency Matrix, you will find this pretty disheartening:

1st and 2nd, 0 outs: 0.728 chance of scoring
2nd and 3rd, 1 out: : 0.705 chance of scoring

So by bunting, the team will score less runs (~0.5) and has less chance of scoring (~2%)!

Here's a link to the exact math breakdown.

There is no reason to bunt in that situation. It hurts the Seminoles chances of scoring as many runs as they can.

I was wrong! Bunting didn't help a team to score one but only one run, it hurt the chance to score any runs at all! Why? The metal bats, smaller ballparks, and poor pitching. In the college game, every out is that much more precious than it is in the pro game.

In pro baseball, a sacrifice bunt will typically increase a team's chance to score one run and only one run, while significantly decreasing a team's chance of scoring more than one run. Practically, this means that bunting in professional baseball before the 9th inning, when a team knows exactly how many runs it needs to tie or take the lead, is foolish. Until the point of certainty is reached, teams should play to score as many runs as possible. In college baseball, however, it's unforgivable.

Martin's bunting is handcuffing the 'Noles, and it has for years. In fact, the 'Noles have sacrifice bunted 25 times this year-- almost an entire game of outs given away through poor decision making by Mike Martin! FSU hasn't been unlucky in the post season. Martin has set up his teams fo failure and heartbreak. Games that should have been won by a small margin turned into heartbreaking close losses. Games that should have been blowout wins were turned into close wins, needlessly taxing the bullpen by creating unnecessarily close situations. That's a result of Mike Martin now allowing his team to score runs at their full potential. He's essentially the restrictor plate on Seminole baseball.

That's not all. Even though I didn't ask, the experts opined on another area where Martin is holding FSU back...

Another point looking at Florida State is that they don’t steal successfully enough considering the extremely high run environment that is college baseball.

By "run environment", he means the likely outcomes of FSU's hitters hitting and the typical high scoring nature of college baseball. Since college baseball is so high scoring, anything that makes less than judicious use of outs must be questioned. FSU is such a good hitting team that any unnecessary out is magnified-- more than it would be with a lesser offensive club, and much less than it would be in pro baseball (where fewer runs are scored).

The team is currently stealing bases at 76% clip (70 for 92)

If a person goes from 1st to 2nd with 0 outs, they increase the amount of runs scored by 0.116 (1.634-1.518).

If the the person gets caught, the amount of runs scored drops by .995 runs (1.518 – .523).

So for the team to at least break even running the bases, the need to have a .90% or better success rate.

For FSU this year, they have gained 8.352 runs stealing bases (.116 x 70), but lost 21.89 runs ((92-70).995), because they have gotten caught stealing.

Ugh. So, we've cost ourselves a full game of outs via the the sacrifice bunt (25), and have lost 13.5 runs as a result of foolish basestealing!

You might think that a 90% success rate just to break even in stolen bases is extreme, but it's a direct reflection of the high scoring nature of the college game and the proficiency of FSU's hitters. Again, we want hitters to hit. Creating outs via bunting or stealing bases takes away opportunities for our excellent hitters to hit the ball off a non major-league pitcher, in a small ballpark, with an aluminum bat. Good things happen when metal strikes leather.

As the more detailed explanation shows, and as major league baseball teams paid millions of dollars to find out over the last decade, anything that unnecessarily risks an out in an inherently high run environment is to the detriment of the team.

Maybe Mike Martin didn't know the damage he was doing. Maybe he didn't realize just how good his offense could be without wasting outs. After reading this article though, he will be on notice. He hurts the Seminoles scoring chances each and every time he sacrifice bunts or calls for a steal.

[Editor's Note: last year we encouraged everyone to E-Mail this article to the coaches. With these instructions:]

If you do E-Mail, make sure to discourage the team from doing anything which unnecessarily risks an out. We want to stress that scoring runs is very important, and that we want our Seminole batters to have the opportunity to hit the ball with an aluminum bat as many times as possible each game. Cut out the bunting and stealing! Remove the handcuffs and let this team score like we know they can!

[But we know they have received the E-Mails and that Martin will continue to hurt the team's chances of scoring the most possible runs. It's no longer necessary to e-mail and is a waste of time.]

A huge thanks to BeyondTheBoxScore.com for assisting us with this project. Please visit them and check out all they have to offer.

GO NOLES!!

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Preview and Game Thread: NC State Wolfpack vs Florida State Seminoles, 9pm EST

2010-03-13T00:34:40Z

Editor's Note: Sorry for the short preview, work has been consuming and this is all I have time for. Sorry it's up so late as well.

Mirroring the ACC regular season, the ACC tournament has already featured a number of upsets: NC State over Clemson, Miami getting two wins and Virginia snapping its losing streak. Tonight, the Seminoles have the opportunity to make up for a serious black mark on their conference schedule. NC State is 4-1 in their last five games including wins over Wake and Clemson. They are playing much better than they had in the middle of conference play. They are happy to play a down temp style of game and play great defense. Like the Seminoles, the Wolfpack's defense is their strength.

Four Factors:

NCAA Basketball

Stats (From Satsheet.com):

	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
NCSU	68.0	44.1	68.7	33.6	35.2	11.6	23.6	13.8	13.2	6.4	4.6	17.9
FSU	69.0	45.7	64.9	34.2	37.9	12.5	25.4	14.1	16.7	8.4	6.3	17.8
NCSU Opponents	65.1	42.1	66.2	31.9	35.3	12.7	22.6	11.5	13.0	7.2	3.7	18.4
FSU Opponents	60.2	37.2	66.9	32.5	32.7	12.4	20.3	9.6	16.1	8.0	2.4	18.7

	POS	PPG	PPP	FLR%	Eff	eFG%	TS%	FTR	2P%	FTP%	3P%	OR%	DR%	A%	A/T	T%	S%	B%
NCSU	2117.0	66.2	1.03	52.6	102.8	49.0	52.5	37.1	55.5	20.6	23.9	34.0	65.0	56.8	1.04	20.0	9.7	8.1
FSU	2043.0	68.1	1.01	52.7	101.4	51.2	53.9	39.0	54.6	19.8	25.6	38.2	67.1	57.0	0.85	24.5	12.3	11.3
NCSU Opponents	2117.0	66.2	0.98	52.5	98.4	46.3	49.6	34.4	58.3	19.7	22.0	35.0	66.0	48.6	0.88	19.7	10.9	6.8
FSU Opponents	2043.0	68.1	0.88	46.2	88.4	43.0	46.8	33.5	47.3	20.7	32.0	32.9	61.8	46.6	0.6	23.6	11.7	4.4

Lineups (From Seminoles.com)

NC State

F #15 Scott Wood (7.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg; 31 pts and 7 rebs vs. Florida State, Jan. 12, 2010)
F #23 Tracy Smith (17.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg; 7 pts and 8 rebs vs. Florida State, Jan. 12, 2010)
F #31 Dennis Horner (11.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg; 8 pts and 1 ast vs. Florida State, Jan. 12, 2010)
G #10 Javier Gonzalez (10.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg; 5 pts and 3 asts vs. Florida State, Jan. 12, 2010)
G #12 Farnold Degand (5.7 ppg, 2.5 apg; 13 pts and 2 asts vs. Florida State, Jan. 12, 2010)

Florida State

F #31 Chris Singleton (10.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg; Averaged 9.0 ppg and 5.0 rpg in 2009 ACC Tourn)
F #42 Ryan Reid (6.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg; Averaged 4.0 pts and 2.7 rpg in the 2009 ACC Tourn)
C #32 Solomon Alabi (11.6 ppg, 2.3 bpg; Averaged 11.6 ppg and 5.3 rpg in 2009 ACC Tourn)
G #21 Michael Snaer (8.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg; First career ACC Tournament)
G #22 Derwin Kitchen (8.3 ppg, 3.9 apg; Averaged 6.3 ppg and 6.0 rpg in the 2009 ACC Tourn)

Keys to the Game:

1. Get out to a good start. Duke came out slow. VTech came out slow. Do not give NC State any confidence.

2. Work the shot clock to get good shots early. Get good looks and make them count. This is going to be possession basketball. Do not waste any opportunities. Wear NC State down; they played late last night, take advantage of fresh legs.

3. No surprises. Don't let Scott Wood put up 31 points on you. No surprise heroes on the night.

4. Play to their weakness. The don't rebound well on the defensive glass. They allow a lot of steals. Hopefully the Noles will turn those steals into easy points in transition.

5. Great guard play. NC State is one of the bigger teams in the conference. Snaer, Dulkys, Kitchen and Loucks need to have a good game. Javier Gonzalez, NC State's point guard, is only 5'11. Don't make silly mistakes. NC State does not generate a lot of turnovers, so don't give them any advantage.

6. Do what you do well. If NC State doesn't shoot the ball well, they're in trouble. Florida State is one of the best teams in the country at defending shots, particularly in the paint. Focus on your strengths and play your game plan, not theirs.

Prediction: Seminoles 67 NC State 60

Game Time: 9pm EST

Television: ESPN2

Random Fact From Seminoles.com:

2009-10 FLORIDA STATE MEN'S BASKETBALL HONORS
Solomon Alabi      All-ACC Third Team
                   ACC All-Defensive Team (ACSMA)
                   ACC All-Defensive team (Coaches / ACC Handbook)
Chris Singleton    ACC Defensive Player of the Year
                   All-ACC Third Team
                   ACC All-Defensive Team (Coaches / ACC Handbook)
                   MVP Old Spice Classic (Florida State won team championship)
Michael Snaer      ACC All-Rookie Team
                   ACC Rookie of the Week (Feb. 15)

Go NOLES!!!

Florida State Receivers Coach Lawrence Dawsey Discusses The Issues

2010-03-12T17:24:13Z

Florida State Receivers Coach Lawrence Dawsey Discusses The Issues

In a interview posted on AC's Chopping Block, Lawrence Dawsey, FSU's receivers coach and passing game coordinator gives us confirmation of some of the changes we predicted and have been discussing here at Tomahawk Nation for some time, and his views on what is occurring within the football program.

Some of the topics Dawsey discussed include his role as the new passing game coordinator, the lack of misconduct by the players, the improved academic support structure already in place and the academic standing of this years recruiting class, the new strength and conditioning program, the priority on getting back to concentrating our recruiting efforts in Florida, some results of the new fourth quarter drills, how defenses have changed since his playing days, existing players and some new recruits expected to make an impact, new wrinkles on offense, and what we can expect to learn from the upcoming Spring Game.

Some of my favorites quotes from this interview include:
Jimbo’s playbook "hasn’t even been scratched yet,"
"National Championships were won recruiting and playing kids from the state of Florida,"
and how during the Spring Game
"The defense is going to get lit up" (with a big smile),
which may or may not be a good thing.

Florida State Spring Football Position Preview: Defensive Tackle

2010-03-12T14:00:49Z

This is eighth in a multi-part series covering the various position groups as Florida State begins Spring practice. So far we've looked at Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Wide Receivers, Offensive Line, Tight Ends/ H-Backs, and Defensive Ends. There is no way to sugarcoat how bad FSU's defense was last season. Straight by the raw numbers, FSU was 108th out of 120 teams nationally. Common sense, however, says that to go solely by aggregate yardage allowed is silly as it doesn't adjust for competition level. The advanced metrics account for opponent quality and they say FSU's defense was somewhere between 80th to 92nd out of 120. Of the 66 major conference teams, FSU was on the level (or worse than) only Louisville, Kansas, Indiana, Duke, Stanford, Kansas State, Iowa State, Illinois, and of course, Washington State. The last defenses to be this bad in ACC play were some of the mid-decade Duke teams. If you want more comparisons and perspective, check out Closing The Book On The 2009 FSU Defense.

Defensive Tackle Coach Odell Haggins

If asked to select which defensive position unit played the best last season, I would say either cornerback or defensive tackle. But being the best unit on a really bad defense really isn't anything to brag about. The defensive tackles played about average in my opinion. They are coached by Odell Haggins. A lot of people didn't expect Coach Jimbo Fisher to retain Haggins, but he did. I think that says something about the former 'Nole great. Someone I trust told me that Haggins is a very good cook, but between 2005-2008, he wasn't the best grocery shopper. I think that's a good analysis. His recruiting in 2005-2007 absolutely left something to be desired. And he has also suffered a good bit of bad luck at the position with guys like Letroy Guion leaving early to be a late-round draft choice, Callahan Bright failing to qualify and then getting arrested before he could make it out of junior college, Justin Mincey's academic safari, Paul Griffin's torn ACL (never recovered), Emmanuel Dunbar's broken back, Budd Thacker's high drama/ low production career, the signing day switcharoo by Marvin Austin, and Moses McCray's elbow problem.

But things look to be getting significantly better. Under a new staff with clear direction and renewed energy, I'm told Odell is the fun, vivacious Odell Haggins again. And that is really good news for the 'Noles. The recruiting has really stepped up. FSU has qualified all 5 of its last 5 defensive tackle commitments. And those guys are not scrubs. Among them are a 5*, a 4*, and 3 3*'s (including a JUCO). In 2008 FSU signed and placed Anthony "Amp" McCloud of Thomas Co. Central HS (Thomasville, GA). Many believed he was a better player than current Clemson NG Brandon Thompson (4*). Of course, McCloud had no chance to qualify and was not reviewed by the recruiting services. But he went to JUCO and is now back. The chance that a defensive line JUCO sign-and-place recruit ever makes it to his original college of choice is very poor, and it is an encouraging sign that FSU identified the talented prospect, found a home for him, laid out a plan to get him back, and got the kid back. More on him later. FSU already has two elite defensive tackle commitments for the upcoming recruiting class, and while they might not have come from Haggins' geographically designated recruiting area, there is no doubt that the interaction between potential future position coach and recruit plays a big part in the decision. Some believe that Haggins is being given this year to prove that he can still get it done. Judging by the current recruits and the young talent at the position, he'll be back in 2011 when the 'Noles defensive interior could be one of the best in the nation.

The Departed

FSU loses three players at the defensive tackle position in Budd Thacker, Justin Mincey, and Kendrick Stewart. Each had their moments in their FSU careers and each probably had their worst year as seniors for a variety of reasons into which I don't need to delve too deeply. All three struggled with injuries and all three were ill-fitting pieces to a rather disorganized defensive puzzle. While not completely downplaying their losses, I will say that if they were theoretically allowed to come back this season, they would be second teamers at best. None were considered starters. This year, FSU doesn't have a single Senior starter on the defensive interior. If FSU can get through 2010 it should have a dominant defensive interior in 2011.

Out For Spring/ Not Yet On Campus

Because this is a Spring preview, I am not going too in-depth into guys who are either not yet on campus, such as 6'5" 290 lb DT recruit Cam Erving and 6'3" 300 lb DT recruit Damien Jacobs. I'm also not going to discuss players who are out for Spring due to injury, such as the 6'2" 302 lb Moses McCray. The Junior from Tampa Hillsborough started 9 games despite wearing a huge elbow brace after having what I think was Tommy John surgery. McCray is incredibly athletic and strong. He's a former wrestler from his high school days. And he is nasty.

But to be able to show his skills he needs to be healthy and have functional use of his arm. McCray recently had some more work done on his elbow and will miss Spring while healing. I am not worried about McCray missing time. He is incredibly strong and adds weight easily. That's not to say that he doesn't need work on his technique, but I am worried that his elbow is becoming a chronic issue. FSU needs him in the Fall and no game that counts has ever been played in April. Aside from Ponder's continued rehab from his shoulder operation, McCray's elbow is Florida State's most important body part.

Young Stud

Jacobbi McDaniel

From the moment he stepped on the field at Madison County HS (FL), people knew Jacobbi McDaniel was a stud. He crushed the scouting camps before his senior year in high school, dominated as a senior, destroyed the all-star games, earned his 5* rating as the top defensive tackle in the country and played about as well as one could ask of a true freshman defensive tackle. He would have played even better if not for sustaining a knee sprain thanks to a cheap shot from USF's scumbag offensive lineman Chaz Hermann. On a side note, Hermann is an extremely dirty player who tries to injure people to make up for his own lack of talent.

The 6'0" 292 lb Sophomore will now be asked to take the next step. I went back and watched every snap McDaniel played last year. He was FSU's best defensive lineman. And that was in spite of some of the things the defense asked him to do, including a ridiciulously excessive amount of stunting and twisting. Running McDaniel to the outside and bringing Craig Yarborough to the inside isn't an effective way to stop anything other than the 'Noles' chance of winning.

Defensive Tackle is probably the 2nd or 3rd toughest position to play as a freshman, behing quarterback and arguably offensive tackle. McDaniel needs to continue to get better at everything, but his low center of gravity and powerful base paired with his amazing quickness is something that few people on the planet possess. He arrived to FSU carrying a fairly large amount of bad weight and has been steadily trading the baby fat for muscle. I'm not aware of any lingering knee issues and provided there aren't any, McDaniel need only to stay healthy, continue to get stronger, gain more experience, improve his recognition, and work on being more consistent with his technique to have a chance at an All-Conference selection. That might sound like a lot but it really boils down to "stay healthy and progres at a reasonable rate."

Inside, I'll profile the other three defensive tackles available for Spring ball.

The New Guy

Welcome Anthony "Amp" McCloud to the picture. As discussed above, McCloud was one of the best players in Georgia in 2008 but had no chance of getting into college, so he went the JUCO route. If he had the grades he would have been a high 4* type recruit. Thankfully, he graduated with his AA in 3 semesters and enrolled in FSU this Spring. He showed up at around 315 lbs but is now down to 6'2" 300 lbs.

The fanbase's expectations for McCloud are way too high at this point. While the kid is undeniably a talent, he has not played a down of football since November 2008. McCloud sat out the 2009 season to focus solely on his academics so that he could graduate early and enroll at FSU this January. It was expected that he would show up out of shape considering that he wasn't playing ball and didn't have a college-level weight facility available to him.

So what to do with a rusty, out of shape, very athlethic, raw, promising player? Work him hard and coach him up, of course. McCloud has already lost 20 lbs of bad weight since arriving on campus and is focusing on getting stronger as he becomes re-acclimated to working out in a college weight program. It should be noted that McCloud is a redshirt Sophomore and not a Junior, by virtue of his academics-only year in 2009. We've seen some of his film from high school and it was undoubtedly impresive. McCloud really needs to work on everything from adjusting to major college life, to film study, to workouts, to technique, and probably to strapping up his pads. He is rusty and raw at this point, but guys with his frame and athleticism do not grow on trees. 'Nole fans should be very pleased if McCloud can play 20 quality snaps per game this year at a solid 300-305 lbs. My guess is that he makes his transformative leap next off-season. As a final note, Amp had an unspecified blood pressure issue in 2008 that was monitored but did not cause him to miss any games.

Mr. Inside & Mr. Outside ?

As a Nick Saban disciple, Fisher places a huge emphasis on versatility. That means having guys who can play inside at the quick 3-technique tackle position and also outside at the Strong-side defensive end spot. That's where the next two guys come in. Redshirt Sophomore Everette Dawkins checks in at 6'2" 271 lbs and Redshirt Freshman Demonte McAllister stands in at 6'2" 260. Yes, I am aware that the FSU Spring Guide lists the players at slightly lighter weights, but I heard those figures are slightly stale (by a few weeks). Both were highly regarded 4* recruits and there has been a large amount of speculation about one or both players moving to defensive end.

A move could happen. But it is not guaranteed. And if a move does happen, it would be one player and not both. And if it does happen it won't occur until after Spring because FSU is thin at the position until McCray heals up and the two freshmen get on campus in June. Additionally, some have discussed moving one outside and allowing either of the freshmen defensive ends (Cummings or Werner) to play inside. But it is important to remember that playing defensive tackle is much harder for a young player than playing defensive end, due to the need to fend off blockers coming from all directions. Werner/Cummings could much more easily produce at a Dawkins-like level at End than they could trying to replicate his work at Tackle.

What I think will happen is that FSU will continue to develop both players as defensive tackles, possibly cross-training one of them at end, most likely Dawkins. Then after this year, when FSU projects to have seven- 300 lb'ers at DT in 2011, one of Dawkins or McAllister might be moved outside. The conspiracy theorist in me wonders "Could it be that Fisher wanted to keep McAllister away from Allen and let him learn under Haggins, regardless of future plans?"

Here's a photo of Dawkins and McAllister, taken 2 weeks ago. [Click to see]

Dawkins played very well considering he was a RsFr last season. He has a nice first step, plays with good leverage most of the time, and you can tell he is well coached. With continued physical development, he won't be too outmatched as a 6'2" 280 lb 3-technique this season.

McAllister is a very polarizing player and his case is especially interesting considering that he has yet to play a snap for Florida State. A lot of people are concerned that Demonte hasn't put on much weight, if any, since he arrived on campus. He did get injured (leg) and I have to believe that hurt his progress some. There are also rumors that he is trying to purposefully force a move to end by staying small because he doesn't want to become a big guy as he is very image conscious. I really hope that is just bored off-season message board talk. If that is true he will find out very soon that he doesn't get to decide what position he plays. Demonte is a phenonemal athlete and has the frame to be an excellent 3-technique tackle in time. He needs to continue to put in work in the off-season program and soak up as much coaching as possible. I don't expect him to make a major impact this season but I do expect him to make a contribution.

Finally, I want to address the issue of substituions. There seems to be this idea that Haggins substitutes too often and that starters should play the overwhelming majority of the snaps. I disagree with that as substitutions along the defensive line are an integral part of the game. Alabama substitutes all the time along its defensive line and Florida routinely rotates its interior defensive linemen. We can debate whether the substitutions need to be in predetermined intervals or moreso by feel and observation, but there seems to be this idea out there that the starting defensive linemen need to be playing 60 of the 70 available plays. Even with a supremely conditioned group, that just does not, and will not happen. I do think FSU fans will see less subbing this season on along the defensive line, but that is because FSU had a bunch of guys last year who were average at best and it didn't really matter who was in-- fresh legs were the best weapon FSU had. This season it seems likely that there will be more clearly defined roles for the defensive linemen, and the top talent will likely separate itself from the new young guys and career backups. As that point, you have to ask if your "10" at 70% is better than your "7.5" at 100%?

Official Florida State Spring Football Guide

2010-03-12T06:31:39Z

Lots of fluff and some inconsistencies, but a good first look from the University Office. They list Dawkins as a DE on the roster but as a DT in his Bio. And they omit bios for Luc, McCallister, and a few others while profiling guys who will never play a meaningful snap like Cam Wade. It appears that they are listing accurate heights now as well. Don't think we will see any more "Everette Brown 6'4" " type listings.

#5 Florida State Seminoles Baseball Team to Host #1 Ranked Virginia Cavaliers: Series Preview

2010-03-11T20:00:30Z

The Florida State Seminoles look to exact some revenge on a Virginia Cavaliers team that defeated them in the 2009 ACC Championship game en route to their first conference title since 1996. The 2010 Virginia squad comes into Tallahassee ranked #1 overall in the Baseball America rankings and 3rd overall in the CBI Composite Poll right behind a Seminoles team that is ranked 2nd.

UVA is an experienced squad that returns a ton of talent from last year's Omaha bound team and this weekend series will be Florida State's first true test of the year as they will see a combination of elite pitching and stellar hitting that rivals their own. This is the marquee matchup of the weekend if not the entire year so lets take a look and see what those on the national scene are saying.

Baseball America's Aaron Fitt

Question: With the opening weekend of the ACC coming up and a huge matchup of top 5 teams, Virginia @ FSU. Which team has more to prove here and who do you see winning the series?

Aaron Fitt: Virginia has more to prove - just look at all the detractors every week on this chat. People somehow don't think the Cavaliers are for real, even after their incredibly impressive run to Omaha last year (beating Strasburg, Irvine twice, Ole Miss in Oxford...) and the fact that they have nearly all the key pieces back from that team. Florida State is Florida State - that program is as rock-solid and established as it could possibly be. As good as I think Virginia is, you probably have to give FSU the edge at home this weekend - that's a really good team on any field, but at Dick Howser the Seminoles are incredibly difficult to beat. But I wouldn't be at all surprised to see the Cavs go down there and hit a bunch of home runs to that short porch in right field and win that series. Virginia has lots of power, even though their home run numbers are depressed by their home field.

Yahoo Sports! Kendall Rogers

Question: I'm an LSU fan and I can understand why LSU isn't in the top spot based on their weak schedule so far, but I don't believe that Virginia is deserving. Why not some one like FSU who is also undefeated and has some better wins than UVA?
Kendall Rogers: Florida State has been extremely impressive so far this season, but a weekend series win over East Carolina on the road, which is in the top ten, is much more impressive to me than a home weekend series win over Georgia. Just my two cents.... would not have an issue with someone putting FSU ahead of Virginia. Just think Virginia is the more balanced team. The good news is we will have our answer after this weekend.

Question: FSU-UVA prediction?

Kendall Rogers: Giving me the nasty curveball on the outside corner already... I applaud you, sir. Give me Virginia two of three in a phenomenal three-game set.

Rogers also wrote a recent article on FSU Senior shortstop Stephen Cardullo - Florida State's Cardullo a perfect example

Inside we will breakdown pitching and hitting and give you insight into key matchups.

Pitching Preview:
There are many teams in college baseball that can hit but the teams that excel and usually make it deep into the playoffs are ones that can also pitch. Of the 8 teams that made it to Omaha in 2009, 6 of them ranked in the top 10 in ERA (ERA is an awful stat I know). To nobody's surprise last years FSU staff was bad while Virginia's was tops in the ACC and the nation as the stats below depict.

So what can we expect from these pitching staffs in 2010, lets look at the projected series starters.

Friday March 12th - 6 PM - Tallahassee, Fla - Radio: 1270 the Team/94.3 FM - GameTracker

Friday's matchup will feature two of the top pitchers in college baseball. FSU will send out 2009 Freshman Pitcher of the Year Sean Gilmartin while UVA combats that with 2009 Freshman Utility Player of the Year Danny Hultzen. Gilmartin had a great 2009 but as you can see below Hultzen absolutely dominated.

Game 1 should be a pitchers duel as both Sophomores have had stellar 2010 campaigns.

Both lefties will undoubtedly face the best lineups they have all year and perhaps their careers so that makes your guess as good as mine to the outcome of this game.

Saturday March 13th - 6 PM - Tallahassee, Fla - Radio: 100.7 FM - GameTracker

Saturday should feature Junior lefty John Gast versus Junior righty Robert Morey. It is hard to put much stock into Gast's 2009 stats has he was very limited in action and was coming off of Tommy John surgery.

Morey on the other hand had an excellent sophomore season giving UVA one of the most potent staffs in all of college baseball. 2010 has been much better for Gast while Morey has had command issues resulting in decreased strikeouts and increased walks, hopefully something a very disciplined FSU offense can take advantage of.

It is important to keep sample size in mind when looking at this years stats and both pitcher could easily revert back to the way they pitched in 2009 giving UVA an obvious advantage. If this matchup turns into a pitching duel I would give Florida State a slight advantage.

Sunday March 14th - 1 PM - Tallahassee, Fla - Radio: 1270 the Team/94.3 FM - TV - Sun Sports - GameTracker

While there is potential for games 1 and 2 to provide very little offensive output Sunday could turn into a slugfest. Both teams are in search of a number 3 starter, UVA due to the loss of Andrew Carraway to graduation and FSU due to the loss of Brian Busch from the starting rotation due to arm issues. The Seminoles send out Geoff Parker while the Cavaliers match him with JUCO transfer Cody Winarski. We don't have 2009 numbers for Winarski and let's try and forget what Parker did last year and look to what both pitchers have done in 2010.

Good thing for Winarski and Parker that their respective offenses score 11.6 and 13.6 runs per game every time they start. Neither pitcher has gone further than 5 1/3 innings this season and neither has faced lineups as strong as they will which could leave the results of this game in the hands of the bullpen.

Bullpen issues have plagued Seminole teams in years past but in 2010 it is one of the many bright spots and could be a decisive factor in determining who wins this series.

With roughly the same amount of innings pitched FSU has the clear advantage on UVA. The Cavalier bullpen is giving up almost 3 more hits per 9 and walking a full batter more. If starters get in trouble look for the Seminoles to utilize relievers Brian Busch and Tyler Everett who have allowed 1 earned run in 17 1/3 combined innings with a strikeout to walk ratio of 20:4. If the Cavaliers make it to the 9^th inning with a lead FSU will have to deal with closer Kevin Arico who has been nothing short of lights out, he has recorded 10 strikeouts and 0 walks in 7 innings pitched and is a perfect 4 for 4 in save opportunities.

Offense Preview:

It was said above that Virginia has probably the most balanced team in the nation. We will start off by comparing Florida State and Virginia's offense in ACC play last year.

As you can see UVA ranks at the top or near the top of every offensive category which is a major reason they were so successful last year. Why should FSU be so concerned with what Virginia did last year? Easy, they return all 10 starters from last year College World Series lineups, an astonishing 88.5% of the team's total 2009 at bats is back for 2010. As mentioned in a previous article the UF team we faced had only 40.5% and the UGA team had only 30%.

Here is what that UVA lineup has done so far in 2010 as compared with FSU and the rest of the Top 10.

The Florida State pitching staff is off to a great start but has come nowhere close to facing a lineup full of this much talent and experience. This early in the season it is extremely hard to predict how each pitcher and hitter will react to the elite competition and to predict who will win this series would be a complete shot in the dark. That being said whoever does win this series should be considered the best team in the nation.

GO NOLES

Florida State Spring Football Position Preview: Defensive End

2010-03-11T14:00:40Z

This is sixth in a multi-part series covering the position groups as Florida State begins Spring practice. Halfway through the Florida State Spring Position Preview Series! So far we've looked at Quarterbacks and Running Backs, Wide Receivers, Offensive Line, and Tight Ends/ H-Backs. Now we turn our eye towards the defense. There is no way to sugarcoat how bad FSU's defense was last season. Going straight by the numbers, FSU was 108th out of 120 teams nationally. Common sense, however, says that to go solely by aggregate yardage allowed is silly as it doesn't adjust for competition level. The advanced metrics account for opponent quality and they say FSU's defense was somewhere between 80th to 92nd out of 120. Of the 66 major conference teams, FSU was on the level (or worse than) only Louisville, Kansas, Indiana, Duke, Stanford, Kansas State, Iowa State, Illinois, and of course, Washington State. The last defenses to be this bad in ACC play were some of the mid-decade Duke teams. If you want more comparisons and perspective, check out Closing The Book On The 2009 FSU Defense.

Defensive Ends Coach Darin D.J. Eliot

Don't take this analysis as a slam of the former staff or players. But to understand a fix for something, we must first realize that it is broken and understand why it is broken. And to be clear, there were many causes for the poor defensive play. One of the main causes, however, was the play of the defensive ends under the direction of former defensive ends coach Jody Allen. I've covered this at length, but suffice to say that Allen was inexperienced and under qualified to coach defensive ends at the major college level. That he's now working at West Georgia should tell you something. Additionally, there were behind the scenes issues that made players not like him, or at the least struggle to trust him.

Enter coach Darin D.J. Eliot (at right). He's 33 and as we profiled in this story, came to FSU via Rice University. He came recommended by Texas DC (and former Saban DC) Will Muschamp and FSU DC Mark Stoops. He crushed his interview and was hired on the spot.

Additionally, Eliot has produced at least one All-Conference defender at every school where he has worked. Notably at his last stop:

At Rice, Eliot had oversight of the recruiting process; a challenge given the schools' stringent academic standards. He identified and developed two true freshmen defensive ends - Scott Solomon (63 tackles) and Cheta Ozougwu (61) - who led all CUSA linemen with 124 combined tackles in 2009. They teamed for 21 tackles for loss and 11 sacks.

As I profiled in the linked article, it is incredibly tough to get quality players to Rice. I normally would not call a relatively young coach like Eliot an upgrade, but Eliot brings much more experience coaching defense than Allen had in his entire career prior to arriving in Tallahassee.

In a recent interview, Eliot gave some of his philosophies. You can tell he is pumped to be coaching the elite athletes that roam the practice fields in Tallahassee.

Chief amongst those philosophies is to get bigger at the position. As I profiled in the 2009 off-season (Size Matters on Defense (Don't go small to beat the spread): Part 1 | Part 2), FSU's front-7 (DE/ DT/ LB) was woefully small. This directive to the defense came directly from Coach Fisher as he saw this problem and sought to address it via recruiting. For the first time in quite a while, FSU projects to have a front-7 of more than 1830 combined lbs. That is a huge deal as 1830 was the number identified as a commonality among most of the elite defenses. A large part of the improved size will come from the defensive end position- not only this year but increasingly so in the coming years. I know this because FSU recruited larger ends this time (275 lb guys), and projects to have seven 300 lb defensive tackles by 2011, meaning the larger tweener players recruited this year will be playing on the outside.

That increased size will go great with the increased emphasis on leverage. Leverage in this context means engaging a blocker, controlling him, and then shedding him. It is in direct contrast to what FSU's defensive ends did under Allen, which was to try to get around the blocker. Their acts actually made them incredibly easy to block as they frequently ran themselves out of the play. Playing with leverage requires a plan and requires good technique, with angles, footwork, and handwork. It difficult to play with leverage when the only thing a player is ever taught is a speed rush. Maintaining gap and lane discipline will be a huge step int he right direction from Florida State's defensive ends. Nole fans haven't seen that in a long time. The defensive ends are in for a huge culture shock. The culture shock of being actually coached by a defensive coach.

Part of FSU's problem was that the ends focused so much on speed speed speed that they abandoned all technique and leverage principles. And this bled into other areas. While the run defense was abysmal, the pass defense was terrible as well. FSU registered a sack on only 3.96% of pass plays it faced in conference! The 'Noles were the only team that didn't sack the quarterback at least once out of every 25 dropbacks. That was a historically bad performance. The 'Noles ends were predictable and while it was dumb to not use specific plays that would take advantage of FSU's defensive ends in 2008, it was downright reckless in 2009. And for the most part, teams did just that; taking advantage of the defensive ends with plays they knew would capitalize on their undisciplined, sloppy, ill-planned, poorly coached style. Because they were so focused on rushing the passer as if they had a 20 point lead, the defense didn't win the crucial battles on first and second down that set up the negative leverage offensive situation: an obvious passing down!

I have been unable to watch any Rice football, but given the size of Eliot's ends at Rice (large), their accomplishments, and the unlikelihood that they are amazing athletes, I am going to assume that they played their keys, focused on pad level, leverage, hand technique, footwork, gap/lane discipline, and didn't try to do things of which they were not asked to do, thus not opening up huge gaps for through which an opposing offense could run through. I expect him to have FSU's defensive ends do the same. And under no circumstances would I expect Fisher to tolerate playing a no-talent walk on for the sole purpose of spiting the other coaches from whom a coach feels alienated. So let's talk about those ends.

FSU's lone loss at the defensive end position is Kevin McNeil. McNieil had a bunch of talent but often struggled in the areas of work ethic, effort, and academics. Many did not expect him to be eligible for the season, but he surprised and made the grade. But he couldn't hang during the Fall semester and was ineligible for the bowl game. If McNeil had played to his potential he would have been a considerable loss. He didn't, however, and I do not expect that FSU will miss him.

Markus White

The Lone Senior

I really feel like Markus White (#98) was robbed of the opportunity to be great at Florida State by the lack of coaching provided to him in his first two seasons in Tallahassee. The JUCO transfer stands in at 6'4" 260 (per last season). He was a 5* recruit coming out of Butler CC (JUCO). White works hard and is a leader on the team. He's a mature guy who is just dying to be coached. The likely starter at strong-side end, White will likely continue to bulk up this off-season. He can reasonably get to 270 lbs and be the fulcrum for the 'Noles defense. While I don't think he will ever be a great pass rusher, but he could be a good rusher if he was taught some technique. If he has any shot to make the NFL, he must become a lot better against the run. As the strongside end he'll have the opportunity to do just that. I've given up on some of the defenders because I don't think they have talent, but I have not yet given up on Markus White. In addition to all the areas in which he must improve, it will also be on Markus to be a senior leader for the young defensive end group.

Brandon Jenkins

The Up & Comer

#49 Brandon Jenkins is a prospect for whom I have a lot of hope. He was a 4* defensive end recruit and enrolled early, meaning this will be Jenkins' second Spring practice as a 'Nole. Jenkins played some last season in limited duty and looked like a freshman. That is so say he has some moments in which he clearly showed his athleticism and some moments in which he looked lost. The 6'2" 245 lb Jenkins has very long arms which make him play like a taller guy.

With a new coaching staff and closed practices all predictions as to who will start are educated guess at this point, but Jenkins is my pick to start at the Weak-Side End position. It suits his frame better as he doesn't have to take on as many blockers and allows him to use his speed. Jenkins looks like a natural pass rusher and could be a Dwight Freeney type with his long arms and low center of gravity.

But before he can get out and rush the passer he will have to prove that he can play within the system and play the run. This analysis applies to all of the defensive players, but this Spring he needs to focus on adding good weight. 245 lbs for a defensive end is simply too small. Jenkins needs to try to be at about 255 lbs this year. That added bulk will help him against the offensive tackles who will likely outweigh him by 50-60 lbs. As with any young player, this sophomore will need to improve his recognition skills and achieve a greater understanding of the nuances of the defensive end position.

The Unknown Legacy

FSU fans will likely remember Dan Footman who played 6 seasons in the NFL and was a very good pro before blowing his knees. Now meet his son. Dan Hicks was a very unheralded recruit out of Mississippi for a number of factors, including playing for a low-profile school and breaking his foot during his senior year. But the 6'4" 250 lb Hicks is a very good athlete with the frame to add a ton of good weight. Did I mention he was a good athlete? How about winning the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.19? And he had a great ACT score if I remember correctly. Hicks was very raw coming in and has a late birthday (2 current FSU 2011 commitments are older than him). Because he was physically and a bit emotionally immature he redshirted last season. That's not a bad thing. Hicks was just young. At least he didn't waste a year of eligibility under coach Allen.

People who have seen Hicks workout rave about the progress he's made. I have no idea if he can play ball, but he is that piece of fine clay just waiting to be molded. If everything goes according to plan, Hicks turns into a multi-year starter as a 280 lb strongside defensive end. if he can be 260 lbs of mostly good weight this year that would be a major accomplishment considering how young his body was when he arrives last year. I don't expect much from Hicks this season, but if he makes good progress this Spring learning how to play the game and continuing to bulk up, he could give 10-20 meaningful snaps per game come fall. Who knows, maybe this quiet kid can make a lot of noise come Fall. It wouldn't shock me, but it would surprise me given how raw Hicks was both as a player and as an athlete just 7 months ago.

Working His Way Back From An Injury (Still?)

Up next is Jamar Jackson. Jackson is a member of the abysmal 2007 recruiting class. Rivals had him as a four star weakside defensive end (6th best WDE in the country). Jackson tore his ACL in 2007 and missed the entire season. By all accounts, he has not regained the quickness that he had coming out of high school. At 6'4" 245 lbs, he doesn't have the same wide-potential frame of a Dan Hicks or incoming freshmen like Bjoern Werner and Darious Cummings.

I'm not questioning Jackson's work ethic and have never heard anything to make me believe he gives less than 100%. But if he's not quick enough to play on the weak side and not strong/ bulky enough to play on the strong side, what role does he have on the team? There is little to no place on a team for upperclassmen who don't make significant contributions. And as a 4th year Junior that is exactly what Jackson is. Jackson's continued progress (or lack thereof) will be a major point of interest for myself. While Jackson probably has three years of eligibility left given the overwhelming likelihood that he would win his medical redshirt request, I'm not sure the final year or two will be spent at Florida State. Here's hoping he proves me wrong and shows that he is just a very slow healer.

Unrealized Potential

If you're sensing that FSU has a lot of young, raw talent at the defensive end position, you're correct. Redshirt Sophomore Toshmon Stevens is no exception. The 6'5" 230 lb weak side end is incredibly skinny but is also a natural pass rusher. Stevens redshirted as a freshman and then played some last season while battling injury. The major issue for Stevens is that he is incredible scrawny. His lengthy frame is just begging for some added muscle. At his weight he is a liability against the run and is useless except on obvious passing downs.

He needs to work on all of the things I previously listed for Brandon Jenkins. But because he is about 15 lbs behind Jenkins, I see him as more of a situational player this fall. If he can improve his run defense enough to not be a complete liability, he could find himself in on a few passing downs. Stevens needs to improve his consistency and most of that should come with increased reps (experience) and added strength. As it stands right now, his game is all speed and guessing. He is still pretty raw and if it becomes clear that he won't win the starting job, I would like to see the coaches come up with a specific situational plan for him to see how he handles it. If he does, maybe he can work his way into a major role by the 2011 season and really help Florida State. Stevens is not regarded as a bad apple and will be given every opportunity to give his meaningful contribution to the team.

This Spring will be a time of enormous learning and culture shock for the entire defensive end unit. Perhaps no position was as poorly coached as the defensive ends were. Getting rid of Allen was one of the most important steps that needed to be taken; not only from a X&O's standpoint, but also for team chemistry. I'm excited to see what a real defensive end coach can do with this crop of players.

*Keep in mind that both of the incoming defensive end recruits are expected to see action come this Fall.