That came when FSU's Tommy Henry was blocked by the Broncos' Marty McNair into the ball during a Western Michigan punt. The Broncos recovered the
football on FSU's 21, just one of three times Western Michigan was in the Seminoles' territory during the first half. But when Jay Barresi's 32-yard field goal went wide left after the drive
failed, the Broncos' only opportunity to be the first team to lead FSU this season was squandered.
From there, it was all FSU.
And that included a Seminole defense that had but one big play
against Tulane last week. By halftime, FSU had matched its season total of four quarterback sacks.
One of those belonged to Sterling Palmer. Sidelined last week for disciplinary reasons, the junior
showed he could dish out punishment as well as take it when he and fellow outside linebacker Chris Cowart sandwiched Bronco quarterback Brad Tayles. The subsequent fumble was recovered at the Broncos'
1-yard line by Kirk Carruthers, and FSU's offense was in business.
Amp Lee ran to his right to score the only touchdown FSU needed, and with 7:38 remaining in the first quarter the Seminoles led
7-0.
Less than two minutes later, Weldon concluded a three-play drive when he found Eric Turral in the end zone for a 3-yard score. The drive was set up by Terrell Buckley's 14-yard punt return
that gave FSU the ball on Western Michigan's 36-yard line.
FSU used its next drive to give Michigan yet another weapon to worry about. After featuring backs Amp Lee and Edgar Bennett in the season
opener, and then highlighting tight ends last week over Tulane, Weldon went deep to receiver Kez McCorvey. The 42-yard pass play was FSU's longest of the season, and set up Weldon's 12-yard pass to
Bennett.
All that gave FSU a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, and apparently motivation to keep it going.
The Seminoles' first drive in the second quarter resulted in yet another
touchdown when William Floyd sprung through a crowded middle to score his first touchdown as a Seminole.
By the time FSU went ahead 28-0 on its very next drive with seven minutes remaining in the
first half, Weldon was on the bench.
His replacement, Brad Johnson took the Seminoles to the Broncos' 20-yard line before freshman Dan Mowrey licked a 36-yard field goal. Then Johnson directed
another scoring drive that culminated with Tiger McMillon scoring his first touchdown, a splendid 24-yard run around the left side.
Halftime did nothing to cool the Seminoles as FSU's younger and
lesser-known talent took advantage of their best opportunity to play this season.
Felix Harris, for example, who had no carries prior to the game scored from three yards out on FSU's opening drive
in the third quarter.
And Paul Moore, limited to just one carry this season despite being the No. 3 fullback, scored on a 19-yard screen pass from quarterback Kenny Felder.
FSU led 51-0, but was
not through as Marquette Smith, the game's leading rusher, scored on the first play of the fourth quarter to give the Seminoles' their final touchdown.
Smith rushed 12 times for 51 yards. Amp Lee
added 49 yards on 7 carries and Tiger McMillon rushed for 36 yards.
The Seminoles' leading receiver was McCorvey who had three catches for 65 yards.
Complementing FSU's offensive play was a
defense that produced the Seminoles' first shutout since 1988 when they defeated South Carolina 59-0.
Western Michigan was held to just 142 total yards, as Bronco quarterback Brad Tayles found
himself pressured by FSU's defensive front throughout the game.
On a night in which everything went FSU's way, there weren't even any serious injuries.
| |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Total |
| Western Michigan |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Florida State |
21 |
17 |
13 |
7 |
58 |
1st 0- 0 Opp, 32, field goal failed, 11:43
7- 0 Amp Lee, 1, run (Dan Mowrey, kick), 7:38
14- 0 Eric Turral, 3, pass from Casey Weldon (Dan Mowrey, kick), 5:36
21- 0 Edgar Bennett, 12, pass from Casey Weldon (Dan Mowrey, kick), 0:33
2nd 28- 0 William Floyd, 11, run (Dan Mowrey, kick), 12:49
31- 0 Dan Mowrey, 36, field goal, 7:05
38- 0 Tiger McMillon, 24, run (Dan Mowrey, kick), 0:54
3rd 45- 0 Felix Harris, 3, run (Dan Mowrey, kick), 9:52
45- 0 Opp, 32, field goal failed, 6:26
51- 0 Paul Moore, 19, pass from Kenny Felder (Dan Mowrey, kick failed), 1:55
4th 58- 0 Marquette Smith, 11, run (Dan Mowrey, kick), 14:52
TEAM STATISTICS
FSU OPP
First downs 27 9
Rushes-yards 54-202 25-44
Passing 257 98
Att-Comp-Int 21-17-0 26-11-1
Total Yards 75-459 51-142
Punt Returns 6-60 1-5
Kickoff Returns 1-13 5-108
Interception Ret. 1-8 0-0
Fumble Returns 3-0 1-0
Punts 2-36.0 7-35.7
Sacks By-Yds 4-35 3-30
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 3-3
Penalties-Yds 3-15 7-55
3rd Down Conversions 7-15 2-12
4th Down Conversions 2-4 0-0
Time of Posession 36:51 23:09
Attendance 60,913
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Marquette Smith 11 51 1 17
Amp Lee 7 49 1 22
Tiger McMillon 7 36 1 24t
William Floyd 4 28 1 12
Sean Jackson 5 15 0 6
Felix Harris 6 13 1 6
Paul Moore 3 11 0 4
Brad Johnson 3 10 0 15
Charlie Ward 2 7 0 6
Jason Peirce 2 6 0 7
Edgar Bennett 1 4 0 4
Kevin Knox 1 -4 0 -4
Kenny Felder 1 -12 0 -12
Casey Weldon 1 -12 0 -12
---------------------------------------------
FSU 54 202 5 24t
Opp 25 44 0 16
Receiving No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Kez McCorvey 3 65 0 49
Kevin Knox 2 49 0 27
Shannon Baker 3 43 0 17
Paul Moore 2 27 1 19t
Edgar Bennett 2 24 1 12t
Matt Frier 1 18 0 18
Johnny Clower 1 11 0 11
Eric Turral 2 10 1 7
Lonnie Johnson 1 10 0 10
---------------------------------------------
FSU 17 257 3 49
Opp 11 98 0 21
Passing C- A- I Yds TD Lng
-----------------------------------------------
Casey Weldon 7 8 0 111 2 49
Brad Johnson 6 8 0 78 0 27
Kenny Felder 3 4 0 57 1 22
Charlie Ward 1 1 0 11 0 11
-----------------------------------------------
FSU 17 21 0 257 3 49
Opp 11 26 1 98 0 21
Punt Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Terrell Buckley 4 35 0 20
Corey Sawyer 1 33 0 33
Team 1 -8 0 -8
---------------------------------------------
FSU 6 60 0 33
Opp 1 5 0 5
Kickoff Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Tiger McMillon 1 13 0 13
---------------------------------------------
FSU 1 13 0 13
Opp 5 108 0 50
Punting No Yds Lng
----------------------------------------
Scott Player 2 72 37
----------------------------------------
FSU 2 72 37
Opp 7 250 44
|---------Tackles---------| |---Sacks---| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS UT AT Total ForLoss No - Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kirk Carruthers 4 4 8 . . . . . 1- 0 . . .
Sterling Palmer 2 2 4 1.0- 13.0 1.0- 13.0 . . . . 1 . .
Reggie Freeman 2 2 4 . . . . . . . . .
Howard Dinkins 1 3 4 . . . . . . . . .
Marvin Jones . 4 4 . . . 1 . . . . .
Carl Simpson 1 2 3 1.0- 7.0 1.0- 7.0 . . . . 1 . .
Lavon Brown 2 1 3 . . . . . . . . .
Ken Alexander 1 2 3 . . . 1 . . . . .
Toddrick McIntosh . 2 2 1.5- 11.0 1.5- 11.0 . . . . . . .
John Davis 2 . 2 0.5- 4.0 0.5- 4.0 . . . . . . .
Deondri Clark . 2 2 . . . . . 1- 0 . . .
Mack Knight 1 . 1 . . 1- 8 . . . . . .
Bryce Abbott . 1 1 . . . . . 1- 0 . . .
Errol McCorvey 1 . 1 . . . 1 . . . . .
Leon Fowler 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Dan Mowrey 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Tommy Henry . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Ed Clark 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Henry Ostaszewski 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Clifton Abraham 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSU 22 26 48 4.0- 35.0 4.0- 35.0 1- 8 3 . 3- 0 2 . .
Opp 36 21 57 7.0- 3.0- 30.0 . 1 . 1- 0 . . .
STARTERS
Pos ## OFFENSE
----------------------------------
FL 1 Shannon Baker
QB 11 Casey Weldon
FB 22 Edgar Bennett
TB 42 Amp Lee
C 51 Robbie Baker
ST 52 Robert Stevenson
TT 67 Kevin Mancini
TG 69 Patrick McNeil
SG 73 Reggie Dixon
TE 85 Lonnie Johnson
SE 88 Kez McCorvey
|
Pos ## DEFENSE
----------------------------------
FS 3 Leon Fowler
SS 18 John Davis
RCB 26 Errol McCorvey
LCB 27 Terrell Buckley
WLB 45 Kirk Carruthers
SLB 55 Marvin Jones
LE 74 Henry Ostaszewski
OLB 89 Howard Dinkins
RE 95 Carl Simpson
NG 96 James Chaney
OLB 97 Reggie Freeman
|
PARTICIPANTS
## NAME
-----------------------------
2 Clifton Abraham
4 Marquette Smith
5 Kenny Felder
7 Eric Turral
8 Corey Sawyer
9 Dan Mowrey
12 Matt Frier
13 Mack Knight
14 Brad Johnson
16 Richard Coes
17 Charlie Ward
21 Chris Hall
23 Bryce Abbott
24 Felix Harris
28 Corey Fuller
29 Scott Player
31 Lavon Brown
32 Paul Moore
33 Tiger McMillon
35 Sean Jackson
|
## NAME
-----------------------------
36 Ken Alexander
39 Ed Clark
41 Tommy Henry
44 William Floyd
49 Jason Peirce
56 Sterling Palmer
59 Sean Beavor
62 Troy Sanders
64 Jeff Deremer
68 John Flath
72 Steve Allen
75 Joe Ostaszewski
76 Eric McGill
78 Johnny Clower
81 Kevin Knox
84 Warren Hart
91 Deondri Clark
93 Chris Cowart
94 Toddrick McIntosh
99 Dulack Guerrier
|
Florida State 51, Michigan 31
09/28/1991, Ann Arbor, Mich.
From the Tallahassee Democrat, September 29, 1991, page 37, by Steve Ellis. Wow! 51-31.
Seminoles rock Ann Arbor.
With a gaudy display of talent, some trickery and some
power, No. 1 Florida State punishes No. 3 Michigan on its home field.
ANN ARBOR, MI - Kirk Carruthers, he of Michigan State upbringing and Florida State refinement, screamed in glee his message
to the Michigan fans he so hates.
"Now you know why we're No. 1," he shouted. "We earned it."
Indeed.
Top-ranked FSU (4-0) humbled No. 3 Michigan 51-31 Saturday afternoon before a Michigan
Stadium crowd of 106,145.
The fourth-largest crowd in Michigan Stadium history saw FSU score more points in Ann Arbor than any opponent in the Wolverines' 113-year football history. It was the
third-most points scored against Michigan anywhere, the most since Northwestern manage Michigan fans departed with the sight of dozens of FSU players holding high pieces of claimed turf, their
teammates high-fiving FSU fans in the end zone seats, and Carruthers' words ringing in their ears.
"We're no finesse team," the Seminole inside linebacker yelled. "We can play smash-mouth, too."
The Seminoles, in fact, showed they can do it all as Coach Bobby Bowden opened up yet another book of tricks that included a quarterback throwback and a fake field goal that resulted in a
touchdown.
Along the way, FSU's defensive line disproved a tag that it can't play physical football against touted offensive lines.
"We probably became a team more today than in any (game)
before," defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews said.
FSU, in extending the nation's longest winning streak to 10, came together with flair and fun.
A trio of Seminoles led the fun with flair.
Quarterback Casey Weldon and tailback Amp Lee did their best to make a national TV audience believe they are both Heisman Trophy candidates. Weldon was customarily sharp as he completed 16 of 28
passes for 268 Then there was defensive back Terrell Buckley. He saw the challenge of defending Michigan's Heisman Trophy candidate, Desmond Howard, and met it with aplomb. Buckley had two
interceptions, the first of which came on the game's second play from scrimmage After taking a 7-0 lead on Buckley's interception return, Michigan tied the score on a Howard touchdown.
Then the
real fun began.
Weldon, who despite a pressure defense that forced two interceptions, had a superb game. He was at quarterback when Bowden unveiled his first trick.
Weldon tossed a lateral to
Charlie Ward, a reserve quarterback who lined up at receiver. Then Ward threw it back to Weldon, who dashed 29 yards to the Michigan 11.
Four plays later, FSU faked a field goal. Holder Brad
Johnson took the snap then shuffled it to William Floyd, who was the blocking back on the play. Floyd escaped one tackle at the 3 and scored to put FSU ahead 13-7.
"We put that play especially in
for them," FSU offensive coordinator Brad Scott said. "I noticed in their up-the-middle blocking (defense), they only left two guys on each side. I think we could block a guy and make it work. We were
going to use it the From there, FSU added two touchdowns but missed an extra-point and a two-point conversion try, and led 25-10. Lee's 44-yard run accounted for one score, and a dazzling 30-yard punt
return by Buckley to open the second quarter set up the other on a 20-ya Buckley sparked a defensive unit that has lacked for big plays this season, but turned in many against Michigan. One of the
unit's big plays had FSU coaches calling it the game's turning point.
The Wolverines trailed 31-23 when they worked their way to FSU's 3-yard line very late in the first half. But Michigan
quarterback Elvis Grbac, forced to fire under pressure as he did much of the game, underthrew a pass to tight end Tony McGee. FSU outs Dinkins almost didn't play - he was complaining of back spasms
prior to the game.
"I think it did change the game," Dinkins said. "They could have tied the game at the half. It was basically a momentum stopper for them."
As it was, both teams had put on
quite a show before halftime, amassing 473 total yards and countless big plays.
As FSU expanded its lead to 37-23 by the end of the third quarter, the spotlight turned from big plays to the
defensive line.
"They did a great job out there," said assistant coach Chuck Amato. "This team, we're still the heavyweight champ. We'll start October as No. 1; we certainly liked being No. 1 in
September."
Michigan did not score on its first six drives of the second half.
But it wasn't just the defensive front. Linebackers Carruthers and Marvin Jones, whose major responsibility was to
stop tailback Ricky Powers, helped limit Michigan to 117 rushing yards. That was 103 fewer than the Wolverines' average. Jones and Carruth About the only person who had a bad day for FSU was Mowrey,
who missed three extra-point attempts.
There were few other hitches: Weldon's two interceptions that followed 106 consecutive completions without one.
But Weldon was on more than he was off. His
last TD strike, a pass to tight end Lonnie Johnson, extended FSU's lead to 44-23 with 4:29 remaining.
"Our kids had great respect for Michigan but no fear," said Scott. "Before that drive, Robert
Stevenson was shouting, 'We've been No. 2 too many years, we aren't letting that one get away.'
"And we scored."
Then, after a late Michigan touchdown, Todd McIntosh ended FSU's scoring in
fitting fashion.
Reggie Freeman tackled Grbac as he was throwing, and the errant pass was picked off by McIntosh who rambled 49 yards for a touchdown.
That prompted fellow defensive lineman Joe
Ostaszewski to take a friendly jab at the hard-breathing McIntosh.
"That was ugly, but you still did it," Ostaszewski said.
Breathless, too, were those who watched a game that earned a place
among FSU's most important.
"This game not only means as much as Notre Dame, Ohio State and Nebraska," Bowden said of road victories in past seasons, "but it's bigger because Michigan was ranked
No. 3."
It was an opinion seconded by Carruthers.
| |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Total |
| Florida State |
19 |
12 |
6 |
14 |
51 |
| Michigan |
10 |
13 |
0 |
8 |
31 |
1st 7- 0 Terrell Buckley, 40, interception return (Dan Mowrey, kick), 14:12
7- 7 Opp, 13, pass (kick), 10:05
13- 7 William Floyd, 4, pass from Brad Johnson (Dan Mowrey, kick blocked), 7:36
13-10 Opp, 47, field goal, 3:42
19-10 Amp Lee, 44, run (Dan Mowrey, kick failed), 2:41
2nd 25-10 Warren Hart, 20, pass from Casey Weldon (Casey Weldon, pass failed), 13:24
25-17 Opp, 42, pass (kick), 12:03
25-23 Opp, 7, pass (pass failed), 7:52
31-23 Amp Lee, 5, run (Dan Mowrey, kick failed), 5:40
3rd 37-23 Eric Turral, 20, pass from Casey Weldon (Brad Johnson, pass failed), 7:11
4th 44-23 Lonnie Johnson, 10, pass from Casey Weldon (John Wimberly, kick), 6:28
44-31 Opp, 16, pass (run), 4:58
51-31 Toddrick McIntosh, 49, interception return (John Wimberly, kick), 3:35
TEAM STATISTICS
FSU OPP
First downs 22 23
Rushes-yards 33-159 44-120
Passing 301 237
Att-Comp-Int 30-18-2 38-24-4
Total Yards 63-460 82-357
Punt Returns 3-34 3-60
Kickoff Returns 5-99 7-116
Interception Ret. 4-89 2-45
Fumble Returns 1-0 1-0
Punts 3-38.7 4-35.5
Sacks By-Yds 3-23 0-0
Fumbles-Lost 4-1 3-1
Penalties-Yds 7-55 4-37
3rd Down Conversions 4-11 4-16
Time of Posession 26:35 33:25
Attendance 106,145
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Amp Lee 20 122 2 44t
Edgar Bennett 8 34 0 13
Casey Weldon 5 3 0 5
---------------------------------------------
FSU 33 159 2 44t
Opp 44 120 0 19
Receiving No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Amp Lee 3 79 0 56
Warren Hart 3 55 1 31
Edgar Bennett 3 47 0 28
Eric Turral 3 41 1 20t
Shannon Baker 3 36 0 13
Casey Weldon 1 29 0 29
Lonnie Johnson 1 10 1 10t
William Floyd 1 4 1 4t
---------------------------------------------
FSU 18 301 4 56
Opp 24 237 4 42t
Passing C- A- I Yds TD Lng
-----------------------------------------------
Casey Weldon 16 28 2 268 3 56
Charlie Ward 1 1 0 29 0 29
Brad Johnson 1 1 0 4 1 4t
-----------------------------------------------
FSU 18 30 2 301 4 56
Opp 24 38 4 237 4 42t
Punt Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Terrell Buckley 3 34 0 31
---------------------------------------------
FSU 3 34 0 31
Opp 3 60 0 40
Kickoff Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Felix Harris 4 82 0 28
Tiger McMillon 1 17 0 17
---------------------------------------------
FSU 5 99 0 28
Opp 7 116 0 48
Punting No Yds Lng
----------------------------------------
Scott Player 3 116 42
----------------------------------------
FSU 3 116 42
Opp 4 142 37
|---------Tackles---------| |---Sacks---| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS UT AT Total ForLoss No - Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kirk Carruthers 11 3 14 . . . . . . . . .
Errol McCorvey 6 1 7 . . . . . 1- 0 . . .
Ken Alexander 6 1 7 . . . . . . . . .
Marvin Jones 7 . 7 . . . . . . . . .
John Davis 5 1 6 . . . . . . . . .
Sterling Palmer 6 . 6 1.0- 3.0 . . . . . . . .
Richard Coes 3 2 5 . . . . . . . . .
Howard Dinkins 4 1 5 1.0- 9.0 1.0- 9.0 1- 0 . . . . . .
Terrell Buckley 4 . 4 1.0- 1.0 . 2- 40 . . . . . .
Carl Simpson 3 . 3 . . . . . . . . .
Toddrick McIntosh 2 . 2 2.0- 10.0 1.0- 9.0 1- 49 . . . . . .
Corey Fuller 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Lavon Brown 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Dan Footman 2 . 2 1.0- 5.0 1.0- 5.0 . . . . . . .
Troy Sanders 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Henry Ostaszewski . 2 2 . . . . . . . . .
Reggie Freeman 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Leon Fowler 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Steve Gilmer 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Corey Sawyer 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Dan Mowrey 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Derrick Brooks . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Mack Knight 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Edgar Bennett 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
David Stallworth 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
James Roberson . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Deondri Clark 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSU 73 15 88 6.0- 28.0 3.0- 23.0 4- 89 . . 1- 0 . . .
Opp 46 11 57 5.0- 13.0 . 2- 45 1 . 1- 0 . . .
STARTERS
Pos ## OFFENSE
----------------------------------
FLK 7 Eric Turral
QB 11 Casey Weldon
FB 22 Edgar Bennett
TB 42 Amp Lee
C 51 Robbie Baker
ST 52 Robert Stevenson
TT 67 Kevin Mancini
TG 69 Patrick McNeil
SG 73 Reggie Dixon
TE 85 Lonnie Johnson
SE 88 Kez McCorvey
|
Pos ## DEFENSE
----------------------------------
FS 16 Richard Coes
RCB 26 Errol McCorvey
LCB 27 Terrell Buckley
SS 31 Lavon Brown
WLB 45 Kirk Carruthers
SLB 55 Marvin Jones
LE 74 Henry Ostaszewski
OLB 89 Howard Dinkins
RE 95 Carl Simpson
NG 96 James Chaney
OLB 97 Reggie Freeman
|
PARTICIPANTS
## NAME
-----------------------------
1 Shannon Baker
2 Clifton Abraham
3 Leon Fowler
4 Marquette Smith
6 Steve Gilmer
8 Corey Sawyer
9 Dan Mowrey
10 Derrick Brooks
13 Mack Knight
14 Brad Johnson
17 Charlie Ward
18 John Davis
19 John Wimberly
21 Chris Hall
23 Bryce Abbott
24 Felix Harris
28 Corey Fuller
29 Scott Player
|
## NAME
-----------------------------
33 Tiger McMillon
36 Ken Alexander
37 Chris Keen
39 Ed Clark
40 David Stallworth
41 Tommy Henry
44 William Floyd
47 James Roberson
49 Jason Peirce
54 Kevin Adams
56 Sterling Palmer
58 Dan Footman
62 Troy Sanders
72 Steve Allen
84 Warren Hart
91 Deondri Clark
93 Chris Cowart
94 Toddrick McIntosh
|
Florida State 46, Syracuse 14
10/05/1991, Tallahassee
From the Tallahassee Democrat, October 6, 1991, page 39, by Steve Ellis. FSU Reigns On.
The No. 1 Seminoles shake off an explosive Syracuse start to roll to yet another impressive
victory.
TALLAHASSEE, FL - On a day Florida State fans fretted about rain, it was Orange Lightning which threatened the Seminoles' reign as king of college football.
But FSU overcame the
play of speedy Qadry Ismail and rolled like thunder over the No. 10 Orangemen 46-14.
A rain-drenched crowd of 61,231 watched at Doak Campbell Stadium as FSU settled down on defense and rattled
Syracuse with big strikes to wide receivers.
The crushing win, coupled with FSU's 51-31 victory over No. 3 Michigan last week, may be enough to convince the three holdouts on the Associated Press
poll to vote the Seminoles No. 1.
Syracuse's offense covered 80 quick yards in the first 23 seconds, then managed just 64 yards in the next 48:48.
"We got our butts kicked," Syracuse head coach
Paul Pasqualoni said. "We had things pretty much our own way up until today, and it had been fun. Today, it wasn't fun."
The victory extended FSU's winning streak to 11 games and boosted FSU to 5-0
for the first time since 1979. In that season, FSU went undefeated in the regular season, and finished No. 2.
"It wasn't so much that we were trying to send a message again this week," said
tailback Amp Lee, who rushed for 106 yards, his third 100-yard game this season.
"We just went out there with the idea of getting the job done."
FSU's offense, despite amassing 264 yards before
the half, did its job best in the second half. The Seminoles opened with a plan to run the ball against Syracuse defense that allowed opponents just 62.8 rushing yards a game.
Lee had 56 yards
after FSU's second drive and 82 by halftime. An offensive line plagued by the flu would later get plenty of the credit.
Short passes and tough runs helped FSU open its offense to push away the
Orangemen.
"It was real late in this game before I could ever get comfortable," FSU head coach Bobby Bowden said.
Ahead 17-14 at halftime, FSU put together 240 yards of offense to Syracuse's 16
in the third quarter.
The bulk of FSU's yardage came in the air, where Casey Weldon and his four regular receivers resembled FSU's passing attack of old.
Shannon Baker, making amends for an
earlier drop, made a 51-yard, over-the-shoulder grab of a Weldon pass. That catch, a career best, set up FSU's first touchdown of the second half, putting the Seminoles in front 23-14.
Then
duplicating the moves of his previous catch, Baker looked over his shoulder for a 50-yard touchdown reception. FSU led 30-14 and Bowden was finally comfortable.
"There was a lot of reaction from
the coaches when I dropped that first one," Baker said. "I was down on myself, too.
"I was happy to get another chance. It was a great day for our wide receivers."
Three different wide receivers
had touchdown receptions, including Kevin Knox. Knox's possession-type catches in the first half accounted for 69 yards, 8 more than he had in his career.
Weldon had career-highs with 22
completions and 347 yards passing. Although pressured by Syracuse, Weldon spent a lot less time on his back than he did against Michigan.
"Casey just did great," Bowden said. "Casey does one of the
best jobs of making the right decision. I'm so happy how we played overall."
In total offense, FSU passed, smashed and danced to 642 total yards of offense - the most allowed by a Syracuse defense.
The previous high, 587 yards, was set by FSU in 1978.
While Syracuse's defense struggled, FSU's played well following two early lapses, and another by the special teams.
Syracuse quarterback
Marvin Graves completed 6 of 17 passes for 100 yards as FSU defenders did what they do best against the Orangemen. FSU had six quarterback sacks Saturday, and nine against Syracuse in 1989.
Marvin
Jones had an unofficial nine tackles to lead FSU. Kirk Carruthers and Howard Dinkins each had six, and Todd McIntosh scored for a second consecutive week. A lineman, McIntosh's quarterback sack for a
safety makes him the defense's leading scorer.
"This defense is playing as well as I've seen since I've been here," said linebacker coach Wally Burnham in his seventh season at FSU. "Our kids kept
the composure. We didn't make any adjustments or anything magical."
FSU did mix its three-linebacker and two-linebacker schemes.
"We gave up those big plays early, but after that we shot them
down," Burnham said.
David Walker, on the game's first play, took a pitch on the option and ran 36 yards. Then there was Ismail's 44-yard touchdown catch down the middle, in which he broke FSU's
zone coverage. The score put FSU behind for the first time since losing to Auburn last year.
Then, after the Seminoles answered two series later with a touchdown, Ismail cracked and flashed his way
95 yards on the subsequent kickoff.
Ismail bounced off Terrell Buckley at his own 40, escaped John Davis near midfield and eluded Ken Alexander at the FSU 30-yard line. All that quieted the thunder
of FSU's crowd and gave Syracuse a 14-7 lead.
Meanwhile, FSU's offense, borrowing strategy of so many foes, put together possession-oriented drives to keep Ismail and Syracuse's offense off the
field.
After having just one scoring drive of more than three minutes last week, FSU had three over four minutes.
| |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Total |
| Syracuse |
14 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
| Florida State |
7 |
10 |
13 |
16 |
46 |
1st 0- 7 Opp, 44, pass (kick), 14:37
7- 7 Matt Frier, 12, pass from Casey Weldon (Dan Mowrey, kick), 1:18
7-14 Opp, 95, kickoff return (kick), 1:04
2nd 14-14 Edgar Bennett, 7, pass from Casey Weldon (Dan Mowrey, kick), 7:33
17-14 Dan Mowrey, 27, field goal, 4:29
3rd 23-14 Edgar Bennett, 1, run (Dan Mowrey, kick failed), 13:04
30-14 Shannon Baker, 50, pass from Casey Weldon (Dan Mowrey, kick), 2:55
4th 32-14 Toddrick McIntosh, safety, 13:37
Note: McIntosh sacked the quarterback in the end zone.
39-14 Sean Jackson, 12, run (Dan Mowrey, kick), 10:53
46-14 Lonnie Johnson, 15, pass from Brad Johnson (Dan Mowrey, kick), 3:12
TEAM STATISTICS
FSU OPP
First downs 31 13
Rushes-yards 45-266 33-85
Passing 376 100
Att-Comp-Int 39-24-0 17-6-2
Total Yards 84-642 50-185
Punt Returns 3-23 1-0
Kickoff Returns 2-49 6-187
Interception Ret. 2-9 0-0
Fumble Returns 0-0 0-0
Punts 3-37.7 6-44.0
Sacks By-Yds 6-39 0-0
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties-Yds 6-60 2-15
3rd Down Conversions 10-15 2-10
4th Down Conversions 0-1 0-1
Time of Posession 34:15 25:45
Attendance 61,231
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Amp Lee 19 106 0 21
Sean Jackson 9 96 1 28
Edgar Bennett 10 35 1 11
Jason Peirce 2 17 0 14
Tiger McMillon 3 11 0 9
'OMar Ellison 1 1 0 1
Felix Harris 1 0 0
---------------------------------------------
FSU 45 266 2 28
Opp 33 85 0 36
Receiving No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Shannon Baker 5 139 1 50t
Edgar Bennett 5 70 1 24
Kevin Knox 5 69 0 22
Eric Turral 3 44 0 27
Lonnie Johnson 2 24 1 15t
Matt Frier 2 18 1 12t
Warren Hart 1 9 0 9
Sean Jackson 1 3 0 3
---------------------------------------------
FSU 24 376 4 50t
Opp 6 100 1 44t
Passing C- A- I Yds TD Lng
-----------------------------------------------
Casey Weldon 22 35 0 347 3 50t
Brad Johnson 2 4 0 29 1 15t
-----------------------------------------------
FSU 24 39 0 376 4 50t
Opp 6 17 2 100 1 44t
Punt Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Terrell Buckley 3 23 0 16
---------------------------------------------
FSU 3 23 0 16
Opp 1 0 0
Kickoff Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Terrell Buckley 1 28 0 28
Tiger McMillon 1 21 0 21
---------------------------------------------
FSU 2 49 0 28
Opp 6 187 1 95t
Punting No Yds Lng
----------------------------------------
Scott Player 3 113 46
----------------------------------------
FSU 3 113 46
Opp 6 264 52
|---------Tackles---------| |---Sacks---| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS UT AT Total ForLoss No - Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marvin Jones 6 3 9 1.5- 7.0 1.5- 7.0 . . . . . . .
Kirk Carruthers 2 4 6 . . . 1 . . . . .
Howard Dinkins 4 2 6 1.0- 14.0 1.0- 14.0 . . . . . . .
Leon Fowler 3 1 4 . . . 1 . . . . .
Reggie Freeman 1 3 4 0.5- 2.0 0.5- 2.0 . . . . . . .
Ken Alexander 2 2 4 . . . . . . . . .
Henry Ostaszewski 2 1 3 . . . . . . . . .
Sterling Palmer 2 1 3 1.0- 3.0 1.0- 3.0 . . . . . . .
Corey Fuller 1 2 3 . . . . . . . . .
Toddrick McIntosh 2 . 2 1.0- 7.0 1.0- 7.0 . . . . . . 1
Carl Simpson 2 . 2 1.0- 6.0 1.0- 6.0 . . . . . . .
Clifton Abraham 1 . 1 . . 1- 9 . . . . . .
Kevin Adams 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Derrick Brooks 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Errol McCorvey 1 . 1 1.0- 3.0 . . . . . . . .
James Chaney 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Terrell Buckley . . . . . 1- 0 . . . . . .
John Davis . . . . . . 1 . . . . .
Mack Knight . . . . . . 1 . . . . .
Richard Coes . . . . . . 1 . . . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSU 32 19 51 7.0- 42.0 6.0- 39.0 2- 9 5 . . . . 1
Opp 44 21 65 2.0- . . 5 . . . . .
STARTERS
Pos ## OFFENSE
----------------------------------
FL 1 Shannon Baker
QB 11 Casey Weldon
FB 22 Edgar Bennett
TB 42 Amp Lee
C 51 Robbie Baker
ST 52 Robert Stevenson
TG 60 Mike Morris
TT 67 Kevin Mancini
SG 73 Reggie Dixon
TE 85 Lonnie Johnson
SE 88 Kez McCorvey
|
Pos ## DEFENSE
----------------------------------
FS 16 Richard Coes
SS 18 John Davis
RCB 26 Errol McCorvey
LCB 27 Terrell Buckley
WLB 45 Kirk Carruthers
SLB 55 Marvin Jones
LE 74 Henry Ostaszewski
OLB 89 Howard Dinkins
RE 95 Carl Simpson
NG 96 James Chaney
OLB 97 Reggie Freeman
|
PARTICIPANTS
## NAME
-----------------------------
2 Clifton Abraham
3 Leon Fowler
7 Eric Turral
9 Dan Mowrey
10 Derrick Brooks
12 Matt Frier
13 Mack Knight
14 Brad Johnson
24 Felix Harris
28 Corey Fuller
29 Scott Player
30 'OMar Ellison
31 Lavon Brown
32 Paul Moore
33 Tiger McMillon
35 Sean Jackson
36 Ken Alexander
|
## NAME
-----------------------------
39 Ed Clark
41 Tommy Henry
49 Jason Peirce
54 Kevin Adams
56 Sterling Palmer
62 Troy Sanders
64 Jeff Deremer
68 John Flath
69 Patrick McNeil
72 Steve Allen
75 Joe Ostaszewski
76 Eric McGill
81 Kevin Knox
84 Warren Hart
93 Chris Cowart
94 Toddrick McIntosh
|
Florida State 33, Virginia Tech 20
10/12/1991, Orlando
From the Tallahassee Democrat, October 13, 1991, page 37, by Steve Ellis. Technical knockout.
Hokies do push FSU, but can't close deal.
The offense sputters but the defense
and Terrell Buckley make the difference.
ORLANDO, FL - Florida State, looking not so much like the nation's top team early against Virginia Tech, managed to say goodbye in a winning fashion to
a stubborn foe.
In surviving the Hokies' upset bid, 33-20, FSU overcame its sometime big-play prone defense, and an offense that produced a season-low 343 total yards behind a lackluster
performance by quarterback Casey Weldon.
Mostly FSU (6-0) fought back a Virginia Tech team that played better than its 2-4 record suggests, and a Citrus Bowl crowd of 58,991 might have expected.
"You're going to have games like that," said FSU offensive coordinator Brad Scott. "The No. 1 thing is we won the game, and we're still undefeated. We'll try to iron out our mistakes.
"For the
first time this year we didn't execute, and you have to give them (the Hokies) some credit."
While Amp Lee fueled FSU's offense with 107 yards rushing, Virginia Tech quarterback Will Furrer
countered with a career-high 317 yards passing. Furrer threw a perfect 45-yard strike to Michael Sturdivant, who despite being covered by Terrell Buckley to his outside, and John Davis inside, scored
the game's first touchdown.
Then after FSU went ahead on an Edgar Bennett 8-yard run, and Buckley's 71-yard touchdown interception, Furrer brought Virginia Tech back to a tie at 14 in the second
quarter.
FSU took a 20-14 lead into the locker room at halftime when Weldon hit Kevin Knox in full stride for a 38-yard touchdown pass.
By then, the Seminoles were well aware of what head coach
Bobby Bowden had been talking about in preparing for Virginia Tech.
"Coach told us all week that they would play us tough because they always do. I'm glad to see them gone," defensive end Dan
Footman said of the series-ending game.
Footman's fumble recovery of a poor exchange between Furrer and Mark Poindexter in the second half was one of the several key defensive plays that sparked
the Seminoles.
Two Buckley interceptions and two defensive stands in the second half also stood out.
Bowden made a plea to his defense to stop Virginia Tech in three straight plays on the Hokies
first possession of the second half. FSU, in fact, held Virginia Tech to minus yardage on that series.
"The first five minutes of the game and of the second half are some of the most important
moments of the ball game," Andrews said. "It sets the tempo. We helped Virginia Tech; we had panalties (four on the defense in the first half)."
A pass interference call on Buckley helped set up
Virginia Tech's first touchdown.
"You're not going to play good every week," Andrews said. "But we're also proud of our kids. They would not let us get beat."
One such example was a fourth-and-2
situation with 11:59 remaining and FSU ahead 33-20, Hokie fullback Philip Bryant was stopped for no gain.
Designated as a Virginia Tech, it was moved to Orlando in return for an $800,000 guarantee
made to the Hokies. It was also the 29th and final meeting in a rivalry that was FSU's longest against out-of-state opponents.
"We were fortunate to have won this game," said Bowden. "They play us
tough like this every time. I am glad we played this game in Orlando, Florida."
With all due respect to his coach, Weldon would have to disagree. Although he put up good statistics in a Citrus Bowl
appearance against Memphis State last year, he spent much of the game on his backside.
Ditto for Saturday's game. He was sacked five times.
"With their eight-man front they did a good job of
mixing it up," FSU tackle Kevin Mancini said." It was just our offensive line (with blocking responsibility).
"The backs, tight ends, we all had responsibilities and we were not executing."
Rated among the nation's best in pass efficiency, Weldon had an atypical day. He completed 41.9 (13 of 31) percent of his passes. For the first time as a starter, he completed less than 50 percent of
his throws.
"We did not have a good night throwing and catching," Scott said.
Weldon was more to the point.
"I hate this place," Weldon said of the Citrus Bowl. "It was bad. I never really
felt comfortable in my reads."
The Seminoles scored two touchdowns in the third quarter to clinch the victory.
| |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Total |
| Virginia Tech |
7 |
7 |
0 |
6 |
20 |
| Florida State |
7 |
13 |
13 |
0 |
33 |
1st 0- 7 Opp, 45, pass (kick), 6:27
7- 7 Edgar Bennett, 8, run (Dan Mowrey, kick), 2:47
2nd 14- 7 Terrell Buckley, 71, interception return (Dan Mowrey, kick), 13:33
14-14 Opp, 1, run (kick), 8:08
20-14 Kevin Knox, 38, pass from Casey Weldon (Dan Mowrey, kick failed), 7:12
3rd 26-14 Amp Lee, 6, run (Dan Mowrey, kick failed), 7:57
33-14 Lonnie Johnson, 1, pass from Casey Weldon (John Wimberly, kick), 0:34
4th 33-20 Opp, 1, run (pass failed), 7:22
TEAM STATISTICS
FSU OPP
First downs 19 24
Rushes-yards 38-157 42-100
Passing 186 320
Att-Comp-Int 31-13-1 40-22-3
Total Yards 69-343 82-420
Punt Returns 1-10 3-25
Kickoff Returns 2-54 3-48
Interception Ret. 3-79 1-0
Fumble Returns 1-0 0-0
Punts 8-39.6 6-37.2
Sacks By-Yds 2-16 5-45
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 2-1
Penalties-Yds 9-100 7-48
3rd Down Conversions 5-14 6-18
4th Down Conversions 1-1 1-3
Time of Posession 27:38 32:22
Attendance 58,991
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Amp Lee 16 107 1 17
Edgar Bennett 11 60 1 11
Sean Jackson 3 15 0 7
Paul Moore 1 3 0 3
Casey Weldon 7 -28 0 11
---------------------------------------------
FSU 38 157 2 17
Opp 42 100 2 29
Receiving No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Kevin Knox 4 132 1 62
Shannon Baker 3 27 0 19
Kez McCorvey 1 9 0 9
Matt Frier 1 7 0 7
Amp Lee 2 5 0 4
Warren Hart 1 5 0 5
Lonnie Johnson 1 1 1 1t
---------------------------------------------
FSU 13 186 2 62
Opp 22 320 1 45t
Passing C- A- I Yds TD Lng
-----------------------------------------------
Casey Weldon 13 31 1 186 2 62
-----------------------------------------------
FSU 13 31 1 186 2 62
Opp 22 40 3 320 1 45t
Punt Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Terrell Buckley 1 10 0 10
---------------------------------------------
FSU 1 10 0 10
Opp 3 25 0 23
Kickoff Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Marquette Smith 1 33 0 33
Tiger McMillon 1 21 0 21
---------------------------------------------
FSU 2 54 0 33
Opp 3 48 0 19
Punting No Yds Lng
----------------------------------------
Scott Player 8 317 51
----------------------------------------
FSU 8 317 51
Opp 6 223 47
|---------Tackles---------| |---Sacks---| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS UT AT Total ForLoss No - Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kirk Carruthers 6 1 7 1.0- 4.0 . . . . . . . .
Marvin Jones 3 3 6 1.0- 3.0 . . . . . . . .
Howard Dinkins 5 . 5 1.0- 1.0 . . . . . . . .
Richard Coes 2 2 4 . . . . . . . . .
Lavon Brown 4 . 4 . . . 1 . . . . .
Ken Alexander 4 . 4 . . . . . . . . .
Reggie Freeman 4 . 4 . . . . . . . . .
Terrell Buckley 3 . 3 . . 2- 79 1 . . . . .
Leon Fowler 2 1 3 1.0- 7.0 . 1- 0 . . . . . .
John Davis 2 1 3 . . . . . . . . .
Joe Ostaszewski 2 1 3 . . . . . . . . .
James Chaney 3 . 3 1.0- 11.0 1.0- 11.0 . . . . 1 . .
Errol McCorvey 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Sterling Palmer 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Chris Cowart . 2 2 . . . . . . . . .
Dan Footman 2 . 2 . . . . . 1- 0 . . .
Derrick Brooks 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Corey Fuller 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Troy Sanders 1 . 1 1.0- 5.0 1.0- 5.0 . . . . . . .
Henry Ostaszewski . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Toddrick McIntosh 1 . 1 1.0- 1.0 . . . . . . . .
Carl Simpson 1 . 1 1.0- 4.0 . . . . . . . .
Chris Hall 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Edgar Bennett 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Corey Sawyer . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSU 52 15 67 8.0- 36.0 2.0- 16.0 3- 79 2 . 1- 0 1 . .
Opp 36 16 52 7.0- 55.0 5.0- 45.0 1- 0 3 . . . . .
STARTERS
Pos ## OFFENSE
----------------------------------
FL 1 Shannon Baker
QB 11 Casey Weldon
FB 22 Edgar Bennett
TB 42 Amp Lee
C 51 Robbie Baker
ST 52 Robert Stevenson
TG 60 Mike Morris
TT 67 Kevin Mancini
SG 73 Reggie Dixon
TE 85 Lonnie Johnson
SE 88 Kez McCorvey
|
Pos ## DEFENSE
----------------------------------
FS 16 Richard Coes
SS 18 John Davis
RC 26 Errol McCorvey
LC 27 Terrell Buckley
WLB 45 Kirk Carruthers
SLB 55 Marvin Jones
LE 74 Henry Ostaszewski
OLB 89 Howard Dinkins
RE 95 Carl Simpson
NG 96 James Chaney
OLB 97 Reggie Freeman
|
PARTICIPANTS
## NAME
-----------------------------
3 Leon Fowler
4 Marquette Smith
7 Eric Turral
8 Corey Sawyer
9 Dan Mowrey
10 Derrick Brooks
12 Matt Frier
14 Brad Johnson
19 John Wimberly
21 Chris Hall
24 Felix Harris
28 Corey Fuller
29 Scott Player
31 Lavon Brown
32 Paul Moore
33 Tiger McMillon
35 Sean Jackson
|
## NAME
-----------------------------
36 Ken Alexander
39 Ed Clark
41 Tommy Henry
56 Sterling Palmer
58 Dan Footman
61 Eric Gibbs
62 Troy Sanders
64 Jeff Deremer
68 John Flath
69 Patrick McNeil
72 Steve Allen
75 Joe Ostaszewski
76 Eric McGill
81 Kevin Knox
84 Warren Hart
93 Chris Cowart
94 Toddrick McIntosh
|
Florida State 39, Middle Tennessee St 10
10/19/1991, Tallahassee
From the Tallahassee Democrat, October 20, 1991, page 37, by Steve Ellis. Ho-Humming.
Blue Raiders prove too spunky to be a typical Homecoming victim
Bobby Bowden lashes
his team at halftime, and the Seminoles respond to put away Middle Tennessee State.
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Officially, it was Homecoming.
But anyone who watched Florida State go through the
motions of stopping stubborn Middle Tennessee State 39-10 Saturday knows better than that.
Call it Ho-humming.
“We were complacent and flat for the second straight week,” FSU senior linebacker
Kirk Carruthers said after No. 1 FSU defeated its Division 1-AA opponent. “We’re just not playing like we should be. It’s definitely disappointing.”
That’s not to say FSU’s 13th consecutive
victory, and seventh this season, didn’t have its moments.
For one thing, FSU was victorious.
“We’re 7-0 so you can’t be disappointed with that,” FSU head coach Bobby Bowden said.
And there
was FSU’s kicking game. Booed a week ago for missing two extra points, Mowrey was three of four in field-goal attempts. And walk-on Gerry Thomas, his replacement on extra points, was perfect in four
tries.
Marquette Smith, zipped down the FSU sideline 34 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown, provided a glimpse of the future.
FSU’s offense, sparked by Bobby Bowden’s fiery half-time speech
and the return of demoted Robbie Baker, showed early-season form on its initial drive of the second half.
And defensively, the Seminoles had a season-high eight unofficial quarterback sacks.
“You want a nice easy win and (for) everybody to have a good time,” Bowden said of Homecoming. “It looked like everybody was having a good time today but me.”
The two Blue Raiders most responsible
for Bowden’s lament, and keeping this close until late in the third quarter, were quarterback Kelly Holcomb and tailback Joe Campbell.
“Their quarterback and (Campbell) were very elusive, very
slippery,” said Carruthers, FSU’s unofficial leader in tackles with 11.
As a high-school senior, Campbell was overlooked by Division I schools because he insisted on being a running back rather
than a defensive back. As a collegiate senior Saturday, he once again proved recruiters wrong with more than 100 yards of total offense.
He culminated a 29-yard run early in the second quarter by
flipping into the FSU end zone. That narrowed FSU’s lead to 10-7 just 35 seconds into the second quarter.
FSU scored on a 5-yard pass to Shannon Baker and a Mowrey field goal before Campbell’s
touchdown. The Seminoles picked up more points on Amp Lee’s 2-yard run and another Mowrey field goal.
Then Holcomb engineered a drive that led to a field goal, and the Blue Raiders cut FSU’s
advantage to 20-10. That led to the tongue-lashing, first by defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews to his unit on the sideline, then by Bowden to the whole team inside the locker room.
“(Bowden) was
upset with the whole team in general,” center Robbie Baker said. “When coach Bowden speaks, people listen.”
In the first half, FSU’s offense did not score on three drives, and twice had to settle
for field goals after being in first-and-goal situations.
“They really took it to us,” Bowden said. “I expected to just physically dominate them up front. We didn’t even come close to doing
that.”
Complacency was one reason. So, apparently, was a juggled offensive line that saw starting tackle Robert Stevenson at center and Baker on the bench.
“We weren’t playing as a focused
team,” said fullback Edgar Bennett, who had five receptions.
“I think it was more our lack of concentration than anything Middle Tennessee was doing,” Bennett said. “That one drive was pretty big
for us.”
Baker, who until Saturday started in 19 consecutive games, didn’t even expect to play. He got the call prior to FSU’s initial drive of the second half and Stevenson moved back to
tackle.
The Seminoles, on the strength of three big runs by Amp Lee, finished the 92-yard drive with a 29-yard toss to Shannon Baker.
The 27-10 lead pretty much sealed FSU’s 16th straight
Homecoming victory.
A safety, FSU’s third of this season, a Mowrey field goal and Smith’s touchdown run gave the Seminoles their final points.
Despite Holcomb’s 13 straight completions in the
second half, he could not help Middle Tennessee State to another touchdown.
The freshman put together some impressive statistics, completing 20 of 28 for 188 yards. But FSU, too, had some
impressive numbers.
Weldon, who had one interception when Frier slipped while executing his route, completed 20 of 33 for 294 yards. FSU had 553 yards of offense.
Just as the Seminoles didn’t
escape without an early scare, it did not depart without injuries. Troy Sanders, who was credited with a game-high two quarterback sacks, sustained turf toe.
Kevin Knox, who in his first start at
split end had five catches for 99 yards, had a hip pointer. Fellow receiver Matt Frier sustained the same injury.
A bigger scare, said FSU players, is in store next week if the Seminoles do not
shake the ho-hums of recent games.
“We can’t go to LSU (Saturday) and play like we did today or we’ll lose the ballgame,” said Bennett.
| |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Total |
| Middle Tennessee St |
0 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
| Florida State |
10 |
10 |
7 |
12 |
39 |
1st 7- 0 Shannon Baker, 5, pass from Casey Weldon (Gerry Thomas, kick), 12:51
7- 0 Opp, 51, field goal failed, 7:26
10- 0 Dan Mowrey, 24, field goal, 4:03
2nd 10- 7 Opp, 29, run (kick), 14:15
17- 7 Amp Lee, 2, run (Gerry Thomas, kick), 11:36
20- 7 Dan Mowrey, 31, field goal, 9:51
20-10 Opp, 29, field goal, 0:19
3rd 27-10 Shannon Baker, 29, pass from Casey Weldon (Gerry Thomas, kick), 4:28
4th 30-10 Dan Mowrey, 39, field goal, 12:28
32-10 Eric Smith, safety, 8:02
Note: Smith tackled the runningback in the end zone.
39-10 Marquette Smith, 34, pass from Brad Johnson (Gerry Thomas, kick), 6:11
39-10 Dan Mowrey, 29, field goal failed, 4:54
TEAM STATISTICS
FSU OPP
First downs 24 17
Rushes-yards 32-207 39-107
Passing 346 188
Att-Comp-Int 39-22-1 31-21-0
Total Yards 71-553 70-295
Punt Returns 3-35 1-11
Kickoff Returns 2-34 7-128
Interception Ret. 0-0 1-0
Fumble Returns 2-0 1-0
Punts 2-40.0 5-36.6
Sacks By-Yds 8-51 0-0
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 4-2
Penalties-Yds 7-52 3-15
3rd Down Conversions 6-12 3-14
4th Down Conversions 0-1 0-0
Time of Posession 26:03 33:57
Attendance 60,202
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Tiger McMillon 4 66 0 36
Amp Lee 10 51 1 13
Sean Jackson 5 46 0 20
Edgar Bennett 8 21 0 10
William Floyd 2 10 0 5
Marquette Smith 2 10 0 9
Clyde Allen 1 3 0 3
---------------------------------------------
FSU 32 207 1 36
Opp 39 107 1 29t
Receiving No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Shannon Baker 6 100 2 42
Kevin Knox 5 99 0 38
Edgar Bennett 5 59 0 29
Marquette Smith 1 34 1 34t
Matt Frier 2 25 0 18
Amp Lee 1 15 0 15
Kez McCorvey 1 13 0 13
Sean Jackson 1 1 0 1
---------------------------------------------
FSU 22 346 3 42
Opp 21 188 0 23
Passing C- A- I Yds TD Lng
-----------------------------------------------
Casey Weldon 20 33 1 294 2 42
Brad Johnson 2 6 0 52 1 34t
-----------------------------------------------
FSU 22 39 1 346 3 42
Opp 21 31 0 188 0 23
Punt Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Terrell Buckley 2 25 0 14
Clifton Abraham 1 10 0 10
---------------------------------------------
FSU 3 35 0 14
Opp 1 11 0 11
Kickoff Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Terrell Buckley 1 30 0 30
Steve Gilmer 1 4 0 4
---------------------------------------------
FSU 2 34 0 30
Opp 7 128 0 25
Punting No Yds Lng
----------------------------------------
Scott Player 2 80 48
----------------------------------------
FSU 2 80 48
Opp 5 183 52
|---------Tackles---------| |---Sacks---| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS UT AT Total ForLoss No - Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kirk Carruthers 6 5 11 3.0- 1.0- 3.0 . . . . . . .
Terrell Buckley 6 2 8 . . . . . . . . .
Marvin Jones 2 4 6 . . . . . . . . .
Errol McCorvey 4 1 5 . . . . . . . . .
Ken Alexander 3 2 5 . . . . . . . . .
Lavon Brown 3 1 4 . . . . . . . . .
Reggie Freeman 1 2 3 1.5- 3.5 1.5- 3.5 . . . . . . .
Sterling Palmer 2 1 3 1.0- 8.0 1.0- 8.0 . . . . . . .
Carl Simpson . 2 2 1.0- 8.0 1.0- 8.0 . . . . . . .
Troy Sanders 1 1 2 3.0- 2.0- 15.0 . . . . . . .
Leon Fowler 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Henry Ostaszewski . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Clifton Abraham 1 . 1 . . . . . . . 1 .
Toddrick McIntosh . 1 1 0.5- 1.5 0.5- 1.5 . . . . . . .
Eric Smith 1 . 1 1.0- . . . . . . . 1
Chris Cowart 1 . 1 2.0- 1.0- 12.0 . . . . . . .
Joe Ostaszewski . . . . . . . . 1- 0 . . .
Corey James . . . . . . . . 1- 0 . . .
Corey Fuller . . . . . . 1 . . . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSU 33 23 56 13.0- 21.0 8.0- 51.0 . 1 . 2- 0 . 1 1
Opp 27 10 37 5.0- . 1- 0 5 . 1- 0 . . .
STARTERS
Pos ## OFFENSE
----------------------------------
FL 1 Shannon Baker
QB 11 Casey Weldon
FB 22 Edgar Bennett
TB 42 Amp Lee
C 52 Robert Stevenson
TG 60 Mike Morris
TT 67 Kevin Mancini
ST 68 John Flath
SG 73 Reggie Dixon
SE 81 Kevin Knox
TE 85 Lonnie Johnson
|
Pos ## DEFENSE
----------------------------------
FS 16 Richard Coes
RCB 26 Errol McCorvey
LCB 27 Terrell Buckley
SS 31 Lavon Brown
WLB 45 Kirk Carruthers
SLB 55 Marvin Jones
LE 74 Henry Ostaszewski
OLB 89 Howard Dinkins
RE 95 Carl Simpson
NG 96 James Chaney
OLB 97 Reggie Freeman
|
PARTICIPANTS
## NAME
-----------------------------
2 Clifton Abraham
3 Leon Fowler
4 Marquette Smith
6 Steve Gilmer
9 Dan Mowrey
12 Matt Frier
14 Brad Johnson
15 Gerry Thomas
18 John Davis
19 John Wimberly
20 Clyde Allen
28 Corey Fuller
29 Scott Player
32 Paul Moore
33 Tiger McMillon
35 Sean Jackson
36 Ken Alexander
|
## NAME
-----------------------------
39 Ed Clark
41 Tommy Henry
43 Eric Smith
44 William Floyd
51 Robbie Baker
56 Sterling Palmer
62 Troy Sanders
69 Patrick McNeil
70 Corey James
72 Steve Allen
75 Joe Ostaszewski
76 Eric McGill
84 Warren Hart
88 Kez McCorvey
93 Chris Cowart
94 Toddrick McIntosh
|
Florida State 27, Louisiana State 16
10/26/1991, Baton Rouge, La.
From the Tallahassee Democrat, October 27, 1991, Other Editions, page 4, by Steve Ellis. Clinging in the rain.
Holding off the toughest challenge yet to its No. 1 ranking, FSU fights
through a wet and scary start with a second-half rally to prevail over upset-minded LSU.
BATON ROUGE, LA - Louisiana State, a 27 ½-point underdog, was 14 minutes and 15 seconds from this
season’s most shocking upset.
Then top-ranked Florida State, looking less like a team destined to win a national championship and more like one driven by gutty determination to capture it, rose for
an eventual 27-16 victory.
“The Michigan State game we won on talent,” FSU head coach Bobby Bowden said. “The Syracuse game, we won on talent. Tonight we won on character.”
FSU (8-0) outscored
LSU (3-4) 20-0 in the second half to erase a 16-7 halftime deficit. The victory was Bowden’s sixth in seven visits here.
Injuries, too threatened to derail FSU’s national championship bid as five
starters, including two linemen, and quarterback Casey Weldon for a few plays, were knocked out of the game.
“They showed why they are No. 1 in the nation,” LSU head coach Curley Hallman said.
“It’s the first time they were put in that position (of trailing in the second half), and they handled it.”
Bowden couldn’t have agreed more.
“Things just kept mounting up, up and up (against
FSU),” Bowden said. “I can’t imagine a team facing more adversity.
“I told my kids before the season that we would probably have a game or two where we would be down 14 points and have to come
back.”
FSU trailed 16-14 when William Floyd scored in driving rain to give FSU its initial lead. The Seminole defense then dug in to extend the nation’s longest winning streak to 14 games.
FSU
held LSU to 98 yards in the second half. Marvin Jones, one of 10 finalists for the Butkus Award, lead FSU with 12 tackles. Fellow linebacker Kirk Carruthers added nine.
Weldon, after leaving the
game briefly with a sprained knee, engineered FSU’s final two scoring drives. He completed 10 of 17 passes for 106 yards.
Amp Lee carried 24 times for 112 of FSU’s 212 rushing yards. The junior
scored twice on the ground and added a 22-yard scoring reception.
“We had a lot of things going against us,” Lee said. “The crowds, the breaks – but we overcame the obstacles, rose to the occasion
and dominated.”
Lee starred behind an injury-decimated offensive line that drew strong praise from Bowden.
The victory kept alive the prospects of a meeting between two unbeaten powers later
this season. FSU and No. 2 Miami meet in Tallahassee on Nov. 16.
That opportunity didn’t seem likely as the heart of FSU’s offensive line was out of the game. First center Robbie Baker left early
in the third quarter with lacerations to the knee and was replaced by Jeff Deremer. Tackle Kevin Mancini sprained ligaments in his left knee and was sidelined with six minutes remaining.
The other
tackle, Robert Stevenson, was ejected.
In their place were Eric Gibbs and John Flath. Yet another unlikely hero, reserve tight end Johnny Clower, made a key block to free Floyd for the winning
touchdown with 14:05 remaining.
FSU’s defense set up the Seminoles’ next score when Todd McIntosh forced a fumble by LSU quarterback Chad Loup that Kirk Carruthers recovered on the LSU 20.
Loup
finished 17 of 33 for 233 yards.
Lee scored from 1 yard out to cap FSU’s final scoring drive. When LSU reached the FSU 3 on the next drive, the Seminoles’ defense stopped the Tigers four times to
secure the victory.
All that came after a first half that left FSU fans stunned.
LSU rocketed to a 10-0 lead just 2:55 into the game.
On the game’s second play, LSU receiver Todd Kinhen
escaped Terrell Buckley’s bump at the line of scrimmage, broke unguarded into the FSU secondary and scored for a 63-yard touchdown.
On the Seminoles’ next possession, FSU’s Lonnie Johnson fumbled
to set up the first of Pedro Suarez’s three field goals – this one from 35 yards – and LSU led 10-0. Suarez kicked another five minutes later from 27 yards to open a 13-0 lead.
The Tiger defense
held FSU scoreless for the remainder of the quarter for the first time since Auburn did it last season en route to a 20-17 victory – FSU’s last defeat.
Trailing 13-0 in the first quarter, Lee and
Edgar Bennet combined for 35 yards on a drive to LSU’s 4. But Weldon, forced to scramble on fourth down, was tackled from behind by Shawn King.
FSU finally scored on Lee’s 1-yard run early in the
second, closing the gap to 13-7.
Suarez kicked a 31-yard field goal in the second quarter to give LSU a 16-7 lead at halftime.
| |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Total |
| Florida State |
0 |
7 |
7 |
13 |
27 |
| Louisiana State |
13 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
16 |
1st 0- 7 Opp, 63, pass (kick), 14:07
0-10 Opp, 35, field goal, 12:05
0-13 Opp, 27, field goal, 6:53
2nd 7-13 Amp Lee, 1, run (Gerry Thomas, kick), 10:29
7-16 Opp, 41, field goal, 0:31
3rd 14-16 Amp Lee, 22, pass from Casey Weldon (Gerry Thomas, kick), 9:15
4th 21-16 William Floyd, 1, run (Gerry Thomas, kick), 14:15
27-16 Amp Lee, 1, run (Casey Weldon, pass failed), 10:14
27-16 Opp, 41, field goal failed, 2:06
TEAM STATISTICS
FSU OPP
First downs 20 19
Rushes-yards 53-212 27-27
Passing 145 233
Att-Comp-Int 21-13-1 34-17-2
Total Yards 74-357 61-260
Punt Returns 2-32 2-17
Kickoff Returns 3-100 4-67
Interception Ret. 2-0 1-15
Fumble Returns 1-0 1-0
Punts 3-31.7 2-46.0
Sacks By-Yds 2-16 0-0
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 3-1
Penalties-Yds 6-76 3-28
3rd Down Conversions 9-14 3-11
4th Down Conversions 0-2 0-1
Time of Posession 33:28 26:32
Attendance 71,019
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Amp Lee 24 112 2 23
Edgar Bennett 8 34 0 8
Sean Jackson 5 26 0 18
Paul Moore 5 23 0 7
William Floyd 6 15 1 6
Casey Weldon 5 2 0 4
---------------------------------------------
FSU 53 212 3 23
Opp 27 27 0 15
Receiving No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Amp Lee 4 30 1 22t
Edgar Bennett 2 27 0 23
William Floyd 2 23 0 15
Shannon Baker 1 18 0 18
Lonnie Johnson 2 16 0 8
Kez McCorvey 1 16 0 16
Kevin Knox 1 15 0 15
---------------------------------------------
FSU 13 145 1 23
Opp 17 233 1 63t
Passing C- A- I Yds TD Lng
-----------------------------------------------
Casey Weldon 10 17 1 106 1 22t
Brad Johnson 3 4 0 39 0 23
-----------------------------------------------
FSU 13 21 1 145 1 23
Opp 17 34 2 233 1 63t
Punt Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Terrell Buckley 2 32 0 23
---------------------------------------------
FSU 2 32 0 23
Opp 2 17 0 12
Kickoff Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Tiger McMillon 3 100 0 45
---------------------------------------------
FSU 3 100 0 45
Opp 4 67 0 32
Punting No Yds Lng
----------------------------------------
Scott Player 2 80 40
Team 1 15 15
----------------------------------------
FSU 3 95 40
Opp 2 92 52
|---------Tackles---------| |---Sacks---| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS UT AT Total ForLoss No - Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marvin Jones 4 8 12 1.5- 1.5 . . 1 . . . . .
Kirk Carruthers 5 4 9 . . . . . 1- 0 . . .
Errol McCorvey 7 . 7 . . 1- 0 1 . . . . .
Howard Dinkins 3 1 4 . . . . . . . . .
John Davis 2 2 4 . . . . . . . . .
Carl Simpson 2 1 3 2.5- 16.5 2.0- 16.0 . . . . . . .
Ken Alexander 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Richard Coes 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Lavon Brown 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Dan Footman 1 1 2 1.0- 4.0 . . 1 . . . . .
William Floyd 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Toddrick McIntosh 1 1 2 . . . . . . 1 . .
Leon Fowler . 1 1 . . 1- 0 . . . . . .
Henry Ostaszewski . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Sean Jackson 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Corey Fuller . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Mack Knight 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Sean Beavor . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Eric Smith . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Chris Hall . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Sterling Palmer . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Chris Keen 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Terrell Buckley 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Steve Gilmer 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Clifton Abraham 1 . 1 1.0- 3.0 . . . . . . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSU 36 28 64 6.0- 25.0 2.0- 16.0 2- 0 3 . 1- 0 1 . .
Opp 42 48 90 3.0- . 1- 15 1 . 1- 0 . . .
STARTERS
Pos ## OFFENSE
----------------------------------
FL 1 Shannon Baker
QB 11 Casey Weldon
FB 22 Edgar Bennett
RB 42 Amp Lee
C 51 Robbie Baker
ST 52 Robert Stevenson
TG 60 Mike Morris
TT 67 Kevin Mancini
SG 73 Reggie Dixon
SE 81 Kevin Knox
TE 85 Lonnie Johnson
|
Pos ## DEFENSE
----------------------------------
FS 16 Richard Coes
SS 18 John Davis
RCB 26 Errol McCorvey
LCB 27 Terrell Buckley
WLB 45 Kirk Carruthers
SLB 55 Marvin Jones
LE 74 Henry Ostaszewski
OLB 89 Howard Dinkins
RE 95 Carl Simpson
NG 96 James Chaney
OLB 97 Reggie Freeman
|
PARTICIPANTS
## NAME
-----------------------------
2 Clifton Abraham
3 Leon Fowler
4 Marquette Smith
6 Steve Gilmer
7 Eric Turral
8 Corey Sawyer
9 Dan Mowrey
13 Mack Knight
14 Brad Johnson
15 Gerry Thomas
21 Chris Hall
28 Corey Fuller
29 Scott Player
31 Lavon Brown
32 Paul Moore
33 Tiger McMillon
35 Sean Jackson
36 Ken Alexander
37 Chris Keen
|
## NAME
-----------------------------
39 Ed Clark
41 Tommy Henry
43 Eric Smith
44 William Floyd
56 Sterling Palmer
58 Dan Footman
59 Sean Beavor
62 Troy Sanders
64 Jeff Deremer
68 John Flath
69 Patrick McNeil
72 Steve Allen
75 Joe Ostaszewski
76 Eric McGill
84 Warren Hart
88 Kez McCorvey
93 Chris Cowart
94 Toddrick McIntosh
|
Florida State 40, Louisville 15
11/02/1991, Louisville, Ky.
From the Tallahassee Democrat, November 3, 1991, Other Editions, page 8, by Steve Ellis. Frozen, but solid.
On a cold night in Kentucky, Florida State extended it winning streak to 15
games with a 40-15 romp.
LOUISVILLE, KY - Even on a night where it was sometimes difficult to determine which was colder - Florida State's offense or this city's sub-freezing weather - the
Seminoles whipped Louisville 40-15.
The victory, FSU's ninth this season, is a school-record-tying 15th in a row.
Despite good defensive effort that included a school record six interceptions,
Bobby Bowden might find reason to sleep uneasy the two weeks, waiting for top-ranked FSU's home showdown with Miami on Nov. 16.
"I'm hoping (FSU's offense) is saving it (for the stretch run)," said
Bowden, adding that he is not concerned - yet. "I think it was mostly Louisville. They fouled up our offense.
"Our defense did a good job other than giving up some big plays. We put good pressure
on (quarterback Erik Watts) and our coverage was good."
Watts, who played with an injured left hand, completed 15 of 40 passes for 210 yards. He was sacked six times.
FSU quarterback Brad
Johnson, starting for the injured Casey Weldon, had respectable numbers, completing 16 of 26 passes for 190 yards. He also threw two interceptions.
"Brad did a good job making things happen for
us," FSU offensive coordinator Brad Scott said. "We were throwing the ball well but our running game wasn't what we liked."
Tailback Amp Lee had 67 of FSU's 169 rushing yards.
But with starters
such as Edgar Bennett and tackle Kevin Mancini on the sidelines, the offense had problems scoring touchdowns against a defense that was giving up 27.5 points a game.
Twelve of FSU's points came on
field goals, and one touchdown resulted from Chris Cowart's interception with less than three minutes remaining.
"We weren't effective in the first half," Scott said. "We didn't make a lot of plays
(on the offensive line)."
Although FSU's offense never got into its rhythm, FSU's kicking game was nearly perfect, and the defense once again did what it must do.
"We're trying to get a little
better each week," FSU defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews said. "The key now is to eliminate big plays."
FSU gave up at least three plays over 25 yards, but one - a 60-yard pass to set up a
Louisville score - was contested by cornerback Errol McCorvey, who said he was pushed twice by the receiver.
That score was the first FSU allowed in the third quarter this season.
Gerry Thomas
made four of five field-goal attempts Saturday, including one from 40 yards.
Not since 1987, when Derek Schmidt kicked that four field goals against Florida, has an FSU kicker had so many field
goals.
"I wasn't sure I was going to start," said Thomas, who won a kick-off earlier this week over Dan Mowrey. "It felt good to have the kind of game I had."
After breaking away late in the
second quarter, FSU's offense sputtered under Johnson's direction in the third. Even a change in the offensive line didn't seem to help much.
Tackle Eric Gibbs was replaced at tackle by starting
guard Reggie Dixon, and Patrick McNeil entered the game at Morris' old position.
What action there was in that quarter was provided by Louisville, and especially running back Herbert Henry, who
broke three tackles near the 20 for a 28-yard touchdown that narrowed FSU's lead to 27-15.
Mostly, the kind of chills that encouraged Louisville fans to their seats lasted less a half.
FSU's
27-9 lead at halftime sparked a traffic jam that left Cardinal Stadium just a quarter-full as the third quarter began.
But the way most of the first half and some of the second half went was
something Bobby Bowden first warned about on Aug. 24.
That's the day the Seminoles were named No. 1 by the Associated Press, and Bowden lamented that many future opponents would approach Florida
State as its biggest game of the season.
That approach, Bowden said, could find FSU behind the eight ball in games where the Seminoles were heavily favored.
Yet Bowden probably didn't expect
that such a string of heavy underdogs - Virginia Tech, Middle Tennessee State, LSU and Louisville - would play the Seminoles so close for so long in recent games.
Certainly, Louisville looked
nothing like a 31 1/2-point underdog in the first 25 minutes Saturday. The Cardinals, in fact, kept within striking distance before big plays did them in late in the second quarter.
With his team
trailing 13-3, Watts was intercepted by Terrell Buckley, who set up an FSU touchdown with a 35-yard return to Louisville's 29.
The interception, Buckley's 16th at FSU, broke the school record he
shared with Monk Bonasorte.
Three plays later, Paul Moore found a hole to the left side, and with Thomas' extra-point, the Seminoles led 20-3.
Another big play, a 60-yard reception by Eric
Turral, set up FSU's final score of the half.
| |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Total |
| Florida State |
7 |
20 |
0 |
13 |
40 |
| Louisville |
3 |
6 |
6 |
0 |
15 |
1st 7- 0 Amp Lee, 8, run (Gerry Thomas, kick), 11:57
7- 3 Opp, 51, field goal, 8:22
2nd 10- 3 Gerry Thomas, 40, field goal, 11:07
13- 3 Gerry Thomas, 32, field goal, 7:21
20- 3 Paul Moore, 3, run (Gerry Thomas, kick), 4:57
20- 9 Opp, 45, pass (kick failed), 2:41
27- 9 William Floyd, 5, pass from Brad Johnson (Gerry Thomas, kick), 1:28
3rd 27-15 Opp, 28, run (pass failed), 12:17
27-15 Gerry Thomas, 22, field goal failed, 3:59
4th 30-15 Gerry Thomas, 32, field goal, 13:47
33-15 Gerry Thomas, 38, field goal, 10:31
40-15 Chris Cowart, 10, interception return (Gerry Thomas, kick), 2:28
TEAM STATISTICS
FSU OPP
First downs 18 22
Rushes-yards 49-169 27-35
Passing 209 224
Att-Comp-Int 30-18-2 42-16-6
Total Yards 79-378 69-259
Punt Returns 3-33 2-6
Kickoff Returns 2-35 7-121
Interception Ret. 6-95 2-12
Fumble Returns 1-0 0-0
Punts 3-30.0 5-29.0
Sacks By-Yds 6-46 1-6
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-1
Penalties-Yds 12-98 2-15
3rd Down Conversions 5-18 2-10
Time of Posession 33:55 26:05
Attendance 34,270
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Amp Lee 22 67 1 13
Paul Moore 7 47 1 18
William Floyd 7 31 0 9
Sean Jackson 6 21 0 9
Brad Johnson 5 19 0 14
Charlie Ward 1 -7 0 -7
Eric Turral 1 -9 0 -9
---------------------------------------------
FSU 49 169 2 18
Opp 27 35 1 28t
Receiving No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Eric Turral 3 68 0 60
Matt Frier 3 42 0 16
William Floyd 5 34 1 19
Amp Lee 3 25 0 12
Lonnie Johnson 3 22 0 11
Paul Moore 1 18 0 18
---------------------------------------------
FSU 18 209 1 60
Opp 16 224 1 45t
Passing C- A- I Yds TD Lng
-----------------------------------------------
Brad Johnson 16 26 2 190 1 60
Charlie Ward 2 4 0 19 0 16
-----------------------------------------------
FSU 18 30 2 209 1 60
Opp 16 42 6 224 1 45t
Punt Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Terrell Buckley 3 33 0 17
---------------------------------------------
FSU 3 33 0 17
Opp 2 6 0 6
Kickoff Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Tiger McMillon 2 35 0 19
---------------------------------------------
FSU 2 35 0 19
Opp 7 121 0 40
Punting No Yds Lng
----------------------------------------
Scott Player 3 90 43
----------------------------------------
FSU 3 90 43
Opp 5 145 51
|---------Tackles---------| |---Sacks---| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS UT AT Total ForLoss No - Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ken Alexander 6 3 9 1.0- 1.0 . . . . . . . .
Marvin Jones 5 2 7 1.0- 4.0 . 1- 4 . . . . . .
Terrell Buckley 6 . 6 . . 2- 64 1 . . . . .
Kirk Carruthers 4 2 6 . . . . . . . . .
Carl Simpson 4 . 4 4.0- 28.0 3.0- 23.0 . . . . . . .
Derrick Brooks 1 3 4 . . . . . . . . .
Leon Fowler 3 . 3 . . 1- 17 . . . . . .
Sterling Palmer 2 1 3 1.0- 7.0 1.0- 7.0 . . . . . . .
Reggie Freeman 2 1 3 2.0- 10.0 1.0- 7.0 . . . . . . .
Steve Gilmer 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Corey Fuller 1 1 2 . . . 1 . . . . .
Lavon Brown 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Kevin Adams 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Dan Footman 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Henry Ostaszewski 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Howard Dinkins 2 . 2 1.0- 9.0 1.0- 9.0 . . . . . . .
Chris Cowart 1 . 1 . . 1- 10 . . . . . .
Clifton Abraham 1 . 1 . . 1- 0 . . . . . .
Errol McCorvey 1 . 1 . . . 1 . . . . .
Joe Ostaszewski 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Eric Turral 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Bryce Abbott 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
James Chaney . . . . . . 1 . . . . .
James Roberson . . . . . . . . 1- 0 . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSU 49 16 65 10.0- 59.0 6.0- 46.0 6- 95 4 . 1- 0 . . .
Opp 71 36 107 8.0- 25.0 1.0- 6.0 2- 12 5 . . . . .
STARTERS
Pos ## OFFENSE
----------------------------------
FL 1 Shannon Baker
SE 12 Matt Frier
QB 14 Brad Johnson
TB 42 Amp Lee
FB 44 William Floyd
C 51 Robbie Baker
ST 52 Robert Stevenson
TG 60 Mike Morris
TT 61 Eric Gibbs
SG 73 Reggie Dixon
TE 85 Lonnie Johnson
|
Pos ## DEFENSE
----------------------------------
FS 6 Steve Gilmer
SS 18 John Davis
RCB 26 Errol McCorvey
LCB 27 Terrell Buckley
WLB 45 Kirk Carruthers
SLB 55 Marvin Jones
LE 74 Henry Ostaszewski
OLB 89 Howard Dinkins
RE 95 Carl Simpson
NG 96 James Chaney
OLB 97 Reggie Freeman
|
PARTICIPANTS
## NAME
-----------------------------
2 Clifton Abraham
3 Leon Fowler
4 Marquette Smith
7 Eric Turral
8 Corey Sawyer
9 Dan Mowrey
10 Derrick Brooks
15 Gerry Thomas
17 Charlie Ward
23 Bryce Abbott
28 Corey Fuller
29 Scott Player
31 Lavon Brown
32 Paul Moore
33 Tiger McMillon
35 Sean Jackson
36 Ken Alexander
|
## NAME
-----------------------------
39 Ed Clark
41 Tommy Henry
47 James Roberson
54 Kevin Adams
56 Sterling Palmer
58 Dan Footman
62 Troy Sanders
64 Jeff Deremer
68 John Flath
69 Patrick McNeil
72 Steve Allen
75 Joe Ostaszewski
76 Eric McGill
84 Warren Hart
88 Kez McCorvey
93 Chris Cowart
94 Toddrick McIntosh
|
Florida State 38, South Carolina 10
11/09/1991, Tallahassee
From the Tallahassee Democrat, November 10, 1991, page 37, by Steve Ellis. Perfect 10.
Preliminaries over, FSU dismisses Carolina.
Continuing its school-record winning
streak, the top-ranked Seminoles set up a title fight with Miami.
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Finally, Florida State can say the "M" word.
After weeks of toying with unranked opponents, the top-ranked
Seminoles are allowed to get serious about - yes, you can say it - Miami.
Because FSU disposed of South Carolina 38-10 after a typically sluggish first half in Doak Campbell Stadium, the 10-0
Seminoles will enter the showdown riding a school-record 16-game winning streak.
The Seminole defense was sparked by Terrell Buckley's record-breaking ninth interception of the season. Offensively,
quarterback Casey Weldon returned to combine with Amp Lee, igniting FSU in the second half.
As a result, FSU also will boast a 12-week run as the Associated Press' No. 1 team, tying the longest
such streak since Notre Dame did so in 1989.
"Now we can say what we've been wanting to say all along," offensive tackle Robert Stevenson said. "(Miami) is a good team, but I think we're
better."
The first half against South Carolina, however, revealed problems FSU must address: a slow-starting offense and a defense susceptible to the big play.
As it had in four previous games,
FSU allowed a heavy underdog (25 points) to stay close through the first half that ended 17-10, FSU.
"The biggest problem that confronts me is moving it on (Miami's) defense," FSU head coach Bobby
Bowden said. "The second thing is stopping what we've done the worst job on - stopping the bomb.
"That scares me to death."
FSU was throwing a 17-0 shutout when the Gamecocks exploited the
Seminoles secondary in the second quarter. South Carolina wide receiver Eddie Miller hauled in Bobby Fuller's bomb over Tommy Henry for a 79-yard touchdown that trimmed FSU's lead to 17-7 with 12
minutes remaining in the half.
"Yes sir, we're concerned about big plays," said outside linebacker coach Jim Gladden, in his 17th year at FSU. "If we don't give up big plays, we're probably as good
a defense as we've had here."
Gladden says he still believes the problem is correctable. FSU players say it better be.
"Definitely, (going deep on stop and go pass patterns) is something we've
been burned on," cornerback Errol McCrovey said. "Definitely, it is something I think Miami will try to do. Teams have caught us guessing on missed assignments."
FSU has allowed six touchdowns of
40 yards or more this season. Against South Carolina, Henry accepted the blame for watching the quarterback too long on Miller's big play.
"I can't blame anybody but myself," the reserve cornerback
said.
South Carolina's Fuller withstood FSU's pressure to set up a South Carolina field goal as time ran out in the first half.
For kicker Marty Simpson to hit the 21-yarder, South Carolina made
the best of two breaks. First, Weldon threw an interception, giving the Gamecocks possession at FSU's 29.
The Gamecocks stalled at the 10, and the field-goal snap on fourth down sailed past the
holder and more than 40 yards downfield.
FSU's James Chaney slapped the helmet of the snapper and was called for a personal foul, giving the Gamecocks new life and first and goal at the 5.
The
Seminole defense held and Simpson connected on a 21-yard field goal four plays later, cutting the FSU lead to seven as time expired.
After halftime, South Carolina was held to 142 yards of total
offense and no points. The last six Seminole opponents have scored just 12 points in the second half against FSU.
"They've got a great pass rush," said South Carolina head coach Sparky Woods. "They
are very, very good."
FSU held an opponent under 100 yards rushing for the seventh time this season, allowing 92 to the Gamecocks.
"Our team is ready to peak again," said FSU linebacker Kirk
Carruthers, who finished with a game-high 12 tackles. "Except for the big play, we played pretty good."
Also credit the second-half efforts of Lee and Weldon for FSU's dominance.
Lee scored on
the first series of the third quarter to put FSU ahead 24-10. Then the junior broke loose on a screen pass from Weldon for a 17-yard gain, setting up a touchdown and a commanding 31-10 lead with 1:38
remaining in the third quarter.
"We were able to score (in the first half) and then we relaxed and made it a close game," said Lee, who finished with 102 yards of total offense. "That's something
we've done the last couple of weeks, and something we know we can't do against Miami.
"(In the second half), we wanted to make some space between us and South Carolina, and try to get things back
where they were earlier in the season."
Lee pointed to Weldon's leadership as a key. In his first performance since injuring his knee two weeks ago at Louisiana State, Weldon completed 19 of 28
passes for 184 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
The senior wore a special brace, and despite getting slammed to the ground several times, was not bothered by his knee.
"My knee felt
great the whole game," he said. "But I'll wear a brace next week."
Weldon said he was pleased with his overall performance, despite missing what he called some easy passes, especially in the first
quarter.
In that quarter, not even the return of Edgar Bennett was enough for FSU's running game. The Seminole running backs totaled only 49 yards in the first half.
Buckley's interception set
up a Gerry Thomas field goal, FSU's first score. Weldon then found Shannon Baker in the end zone for a 10-0 lead.
FSU's second touchdown, with 2:47 remaining in the first quarter, was proof that
Weldon's knee injury did not hurt his mobility. After scrambling to his left, he hit Lee for an 18-yard touchdown.
After that, the Seminole offense was dormant until the second half.
The game
ended the series between FSU and South Carolina. The Seminoles dominated, winning 15 of 18 and outscoring the Gamecocks 158-30 in the last four outings.
Now FSU can look to a Miami program that has
handled the Seminoles five of the last six outings.
"Finally, it's here," Carruthers said. "Miami will be our chance to show all the doubting Toms we really deserve the No. 1 ranking."
| |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Total |
| South Carolina |
0 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
| Florida State |
3 |
13 |
15 |
7 |
38 |
1st 3- 0 Gerry Thomas, 26, field goal, 2:47
2nd 10- 0 Shannon Baker, 4, pass from Casey Weldon (Gerry Thomas, kick), 14:54
17- 0 Amp Lee, 18, pass from Casey Weldon (Gerry Thomas, kick), 12:25
17- 7 Opp, 79, pass (kick), 11:58
17-10 Opp, 21, field goal, 0:00
3rd 24-10 Amp Lee, 1, run (Gerry Thomas, kick), 10:17
31-10 Sean Jackson, 1, run (Gerry Thomas, kick), 1:49
4th 38-10 William Floyd, 20, pass from Casey Weldon (Gerry Thomas, kick), 13:38
TEAM STATISTICS
FSU OPP
First downs 23 15
Rushes-yards 36-210 30-92
Passing 187 216
Att-Comp-Int 37-21-1 36-15-1
Total Yards 73-397 66-308
Punt Returns 4-20 2-22
Kickoff Returns 2-36 5-78
Interception Ret. 1-0 1-13
Fumble Returns 1-0 0-0
Punts 5-47.4 7-40.4
Sacks By-Yds 2-11 0-0
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-1
Penalties-Yds 8-61 6-50
3rd Down Conversions 6-14 5-16
4th Down Conversions 2-2 0-0
Time of Posession 31:15 28:45
Attendance 60,244
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Amp Lee 12 74 1 17
Sean Jackson 6 50 1 20
Paul Moore 7 35 0 15
Casey Weldon 2 18 0 10
Kevin Knox 1 13 0 13
Marquette Smith 2 7 0 5
Tiger McMillon 1 5 0 5
Edgar Bennett 4 4 0 3
William Floyd 1 4 0 4
---------------------------------------------
FSU 36 210 2 20
Opp 30 92 0 12
Receiving No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Shannon Baker 3 31 1 15
Amp Lee 4 28 1 18t
Eric Turral 2 25 0 14
Matt Frier 3 24 0 13
William Floyd 3 23 1 20t
Lonnie Johnson 1 23 0 23
Kevin Knox 1 20 0 20
Paul Moore 2 8 0 6
Warren Hart 1 6 0 6
Edgar Bennett 1 -1 0 -1
---------------------------------------------
FSU 21 187 3 23
Opp 15 216 1 79t
Passing C- A- I Yds TD Lng
-----------------------------------------------
Casey Weldon 19 28 1 184 3 23
Brad Johnson 2 4 0 3 0 6
Charlie Ward 0 2 0 0 0
Kenny Felder 0 3 0 0 0
-----------------------------------------------
FSU 21 37 1 187 3 23
Opp 15 36 1 216 1 79t
Punt Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Terrell Buckley 4 20 0 22
---------------------------------------------
FSU 4 20 0 22
Opp 2 22 0 13
Kickoff Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Marquette Smith 2 36 0 20
---------------------------------------------
FSU 2 36 0 20
Opp 5 78 0 21
Punting No Yds Lng
----------------------------------------
Scott Player 5 237 53
----------------------------------------
FSU 5 237 53
Opp 7 283 50
|---------Tackles---------| |---Sacks---| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS UT AT Total ForLoss No - Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marvin Jones 7 7 14 1.0- . . . . . . . .
Kirk Carruthers 6 6 12 3.0- 1.0- 5.0 . . . . . . .
Errol McCorvey 4 3 7 . . . . . . . . .
John Davis 5 1 6 . . . . . . . . .
Leon Fowler 3 2 5 . . . . . . . . .
Sterling Palmer 3 2 5 1.0- 6.0 1.0- 6.0 . . . . . . .
Howard Dinkins 2 1 3 . . . 1 . . . . .
Carl Simpson 1 2 3 . . . . . . . . .
Henry Ostaszewski . 2 2 . . . 1 . . . . .
Lavon Brown 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Reggie Freeman 1 . 1 1.0- . . . . . . . .
Clifton Abraham 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Terrell Buckley . . . . . 1- 0 2 . . . . .
Toddrick McIntosh . . . . . . . . 1- 0 . . .
Corey Fuller . . . . . . 1 . . . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSU 34 27 61 6.0- 6.0 2.0- 11.0 1- 0 5 . 1- 0 . . .
Opp 32 19 51 2.0- . 1- 13 6 . . . . .
STARTERS
Pos ## OFFENSE
----------------------------------
FL 1 Shannon Baker
QB 11 Casey Weldon
FB 22 Edgar Bennett
TB 42 Amp Lee
C 51 Robbie Baker
ST 52 Robert Stevenson
TT 60 Mike Morris
TG 69 Patrick McNeil
SG 73 Reggie Dixon
TE 85 Lonnie Johnson
SE 88 Kez McCorvey
|
Pos ## DEFENSE
----------------------------------
FS 3 Leon Fowler
SS 18 John Davis
RCB 26 Errol McCorvey
LCB 27 Terrell Buckley
WLB 45 Kirk Carruthers
SLB 55 Marvin Jones
LE 74 Henry Ostaszewski
OLB 89 Howard Dinkins
RE 95 Carl Simpson
NG 96 James Chaney
OLB 97 Reggie Freeman
|
PARTICIPANTS
## NAME
-----------------------------
2 Clifton Abraham
4 Marquette Smith
5 Kenny Felder
6 Steve Gilmer
7 Eric Turral
9 Dan Mowrey
12 Matt Frier
14 Brad Johnson
15 Gerry Thomas
17 Charlie Ward
28 Corey Fuller
29 Scott Player
31 Lavon Brown
32 Paul Moore
33 Tiger McMillon
35 Sean Jackson
36 Ken Alexander
|
## NAME
-----------------------------
41 Tommy Henry
44 William Floyd
54 Kevin Adams
56 Sterling Palmer
59 Sean Beavor
61 Eric Gibbs
62 Troy Sanders
64 Jeff Deremer
68 John Flath
72 Steve Allen
75 Joe Ostaszewski
76 Eric McGill
81 Kevin Knox
84 Warren Hart
93 Chris Cowart
94 Toddrick McIntosh
|
Miami 17, Florida State 16
11/16/1991, Tallahassee
From the Tallahassee Democrat, November 17, 1991, page 37, by Steve Ellis. Wide right.
Late kick misses and Miami again foils FSU's hopes for a national title.
TALLAHASSEE, FL
- Gerry Thomas was certain he had kicked the football solidly enough. Even Bobby Bowden began charging on to the field to celebrate.
Then it became so quiet you could hear a national championship
trophy drop.
Thomas and the record crowd of 63,442 in Doak Campbell Stadium knew his kick was wide right by a mere foot with 25 seconds remaining, meaning top-ranked Florida State (10-1) had fallen
to the No. 2 Miami Hurricanes 17-16.
"There's no question we're the No. 1 team in the country, but we don't know how to play for the national championship and they do," FSU linebacker Kirk
Carruthers said in an equally quiet FSU locker room.
Miami has won three national championships since 1983, and twice denied FSU its first in the process.
FSU, as it did here against Miami in a
26-25 loss in 1987, saw a lead slip away after the Hurricanes struck with a big play. Then after a comeback try of his own, Bowden decided to go for the winning field goal on third down with 29
seconds remaining.
That decision, and Miami's game-winning drive that included a big fourth-down reception by Horace Copeland, overshadowed a superb defensive effort.
"There was no decision,"
Bowden said. "And I can't blame (Thomas). He had three (field goals).
"We didn't have a timeout left. I guess I could have thrown again … but if you had (given) an interception or fumbled, you
would have kicked yourself the rest of your life."
Instead, Bowden probably set himself up for some second guessing as he did in 1987 when he opted and failed on a two-point conversion in the very
same end zone.
This time, like before, he had the backing of his players and staff.
"We had to try it then," said tackle Kevin Mancini, who played on a gimpy knee. "We were in the middle of the
field, and if we had run another play we might have ended with a bad angle.
"I just can't believe it happened again just like in '87. It seems we find a way to lose the game against them."
The
decision was set up by a first-down running play - which Bowden also had to defend after the game - and an incomplete pass.
"Too many things could have gone wrong," offensive coordinator Brad Scott
said. "We wanted the kicking team to have time to set up."
Thomas' attempt came at the end of a 12-play drive that began on FSU's 20 with 3:01 remaining. Along the way, FSU wasted 23 seconds before
calling timeout after Edgar Bennett's 6-yard reception on one play, and Casey Weldon lost a shoe on another.
"We didn't want to lose the ballgame because we called a bad play," Scott said. "On that
fourth down, we had to take time to discuss what we thought was best to call."
But FSU also benefited from a pass interference call when Ryan McNeil put his hands on Eric Turral in the end zone,
barely preventing the reception.
"This is a tough day for the kids and for us," Scott said. FSU was held to just one touchdown for the first time since the 1989 Sugar Bowl.
"We didn't cash in on
a couple of opportunities when we were down there close," Scott said. "But they did what we asked them to do."
Miami just did it better.
"It's the greatest win I've been involved with," said
Miami head coach Dennis Erickson, who has had some big wins, including a victory over FSU last season.
For the Seminoles, it was the sixth time in their last seven meetings with Miami that they
went down in defeat. And Miami, 9-0 and Orange Bowl bound, knocked a No. 1 team from its pedestal for the eighth time in as many chances, dating to 1981.
"Those were probably as evenly matched as
two teams can be," FSU head coach Bobby Bowden said. "I don't know who will stop them from being national champions."
As for the Seminoles, whose Cotton Bowl bid becomes official today, they'll
probably need more help than will be available to win a title this year.
FSU will have to be ranked ahead of Michigan heading into New Year's Day, and Miami and Washington would both need to
lose.
"We can still be in it," said Weldon after losing for the first time in 16 starts.
When FSU faces Florida on Nov. 30, the Seminoles hope history won't repeat itself. FSU lost to Miami by
an identical 17-16 score in 1983, and then was blown out by Florida 53-14 in the next game.
"We'll have to get over this," Weldon said. "Right now, it's just a feeling I can't describe."
Weldon
might have felt otherwise late in the fourth quarter with his Seminoles ahead 16-10. But Miami put together a drive against a defense that had given Miami quarterback Gino Torretta fits. Torretta, who
lost in 1989 to FSU, was sacked six times and threw two interceptions.
He also completed 14 of 27 passes for 145 yards. With 7:11 remaining and FSU defenders swarming, he engineered the winning
drive.
He hit tight end Coleman Bell over Errol McCorvey on a play FSU coaches said McCorvey perfectly defended.
Then on fourth down at FSU's 12, Torretta hit a wide-open Horace Copeland near
the sideline on fourth and 6. Fewer than five minutes remained as Copeland made his way to the 3.
"You can't point fingers at anybody," said FSU defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews. "(Terrell
Buckley) couldn't see the quarterback. He had to move. He backed up instead of coming up.
"In hindsight, I could have had min in a bump-and-run. It's his call, he makes the adjustment.
"We broke
down a couple of times when (Toretta) scrambled, but overall the guys did their job. We didn't give up a big play."
Fullback Larry Jones scores three plays later, and Carlos Huerta's extra point
gave Miami a 17-16 lead.
"What we were able to do at the end was come up with the big play," said Erickson.
The 18th regular-season contest between No. 1 and No. 2 teams was everything a big
game should be, and nothing like most expected from two finesse teams.
FSU's offense was held under 27 points for the first time this season and finished well under its 41.1 point average. But it
did score 10 more than Miami's defense allows on average.
The Seminoles converted only one of 10 third-down plays.
Miami's offense was not its dangerous self, either, scoring 19 points under its
average. Miami's biggest threat was not a wide receiver but running back Stephen McGuire, who had a game-high 142 rushing yards. Lee had 89 for FSU.
Of FSU's 228 passing yards, 45 belonged to
Bennett and 44 to McCorvey. FSU had only two passes over 20 yards; Miami's longest pass was 21.
Neither team mustered more than 170 yards of total offense in the first half. Penalties were one
reason, but defense was a bigger factor in the 10-7 halftime score.
Sterling Palmer kept FSU ahead by stretching his 6-foot-7 body to block Carlos Huerta's 41-yard field goal with 11 seconds
remaining.
The Seminoles forced three turnovers. The Ostaszewski twins set up FSU's first touchdown when Joe stripped the ball from McGuire and Henry recovered on Miami's 22 late in the first
quarter.
Paul Moore's 1-yard run was FSU's only touchdown Saturday.
The closest Bowden came to a trick play on Saturday set up FSU's first field goal. Tailback Lee lines up at wide receiver and
pulled in a 51-yard reception, setting up first-and-goal at the 2. Miami dug in and FSU settled for Thomas' 26-yard field goal.
Miami took the theme from last year's gameplan and came out
running.
McGuire, who rushed for 176 yards against FSU last season, busted through the middle for a 29-yard carry that set up his scoring run four plays later. Huerta's extra point made Miami an
early 7-0 leader, and made a previously frenzied crowd quiet, but not nearly as quiet as it became later.
"There's a lot of hurt," Bowden said. "The national championship doesn't bother me. The
loss kills me."
| |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Total |
| Miami |
7 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
17 |
| Florida State |
3 |
7 |
3 |
3 |
16 |
1st 0- 7 Opp, 2, run (kick), 13:07
3- 7 Gerry Thomas, 25, field goal, 5:15
2nd 10- 7 Paul Moore, 1, run (Gerry Thomas, kick), 13:26
10- 7 Opp, 41, field goal blocked by Sterling Palmer, 0:11
3rd 13- 7 Gerry Thomas, 31, field goal, 8:29
4th 16- 7 Gerry Thomas, 20, field goal, 14:32
16-10 Opp, 45, field goal, 9:48
16-17 Opp, 1, run (kick), 3:01
16-17 Gerry Thomas, 34, field goal failed, 0:25
TEAM STATISTICS
FSU OPP
First downs 21 21
Rushes-yards 40-137 43-165
Passing 228 145
Att-Comp-Int 27-18-1 27-14-2
Total Yards 67-365 70-310
Punt Returns 1-8 2-11
Kickoff Returns 2-45 1-12
Interception Ret. 2-0 1-18
Fumble Returns 1-0 0-0
Punts 5-38.2 4-40.5
Sacks By-Yds 6-37 5-26
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-1
Penalties-Yds 6-61 8-81
3rd Down Conversions 1-10 5-13
4th Down Conversions 2-2 2-2
Time of Posession 31:10 28:50
Attendance 63,442
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Amp Lee 18 78 0 27
Edgar Bennett 9 52 0 20
Brad Johnson 1 9 0 9
Paul Moore 3 2 1 1t
Sean Jackson 1 2 0 2
Casey Weldon 8 -6 0 10
---------------------------------------------
FSU 40 137 1 27
Opp 43 165 2 29
Receiving No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Amp Lee 3 67 0 51
Edgar Bennett 4 45 0 20
Errol McCorvey 4 44 0 12
Kevin Knox 3 33 0 13
Warren Hart 1 18 0 18
Eric Turral 2 15 0 11
Lonnie Johnson 1 6 0 6
---------------------------------------------
FSU 18 228 0 51
Opp 14 145 0 21
Passing C- A- I Yds TD Lng
-----------------------------------------------
Casey Weldon 17 26 1 209 0 51
Brad Johnson 1 1 0 19 0 19
-----------------------------------------------
FSU 18 27 1 228 0 51
Opp 14 27 2 145 0 21
Punt Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Terrell Buckley 1 8 0 8
---------------------------------------------
FSU 1 8 0 8
Opp 2 11 0 9
Kickoff Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Felix Harris 2 45 0 24
---------------------------------------------
FSU 2 45 0 24
Opp 1 12 0 12
Punting No Yds Lng
----------------------------------------
Scott Player 5 191 45
----------------------------------------
FSU 5 191 45
Opp 4 162 46
|---------Tackles---------| |---Sacks---| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS UT AT Total ForLoss No - Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marvin Jones 9 4 13 . . 1- 0 . . . . . .
Kirk Carruthers 5 5 10 3.0- 23.0 3.0- 23.0 . . . . . . .
Leon Fowler 5 1 6 . . . . . . . . .
Joe Ostaszewski 2 3 5 . . . . . . . . .
Sterling Palmer 3 2 5 . . . . . . . 1 .
Howard Dinkins 3 1 4 . . . 1 . . . . .
Toddrick McIntosh 1 2 3 . . . . . . . . .
Lavon Brown 2 1 3 . . . . . . . . .
Terrell Buckley 2 . 2 . . 1- 0 . . . . . .
Reggie Freeman 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Dan Footman . 2 2 . . . . . . . . .
Henry Ostaszewski . 1 1 . . . . . 1- 0 . . .
Willie Pauldo 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Carl Simpson . 1 1 3.0- 14.0 3.0- 14.0 . . . . . . .
James Chaney 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Chris Cowart 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Richard Coes . . . . . . 1 . . . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSU 36 24 60 6.0- 37.0 6.0- 37.0 2- 0 2 . 1- 0 . 1 .
Opp 37 18 55 10.0- 5.0- 26.0 1- 18 3 . . . . .
STARTERS
Pos ## OFFENSE
----------------------------------
QB 11 Casey Weldon
FL 12 Matt Frier
FB 22 Edgar Bennett
TB 42 Amp Lee
C 51 Robbie Baker
ST 52 Robert Stevenson
TT 60 Mike Morris
TG 69 Patrick McNeil
SG 73 Reggie Dixon
TE 85 Lonnie Johnson
SE 88 Kez McCorvey
|
Pos ## DEFENSE
----------------------------------
FS 3 Leon Fowler
SS 18 John Davis
RCB 26 Errol McCorvey
LCB 27 Terrell Buckley
WLB 45 Kirk Carruthers
SLB 55 Marvin Jones
OLB 56 Sterling Palmer
LE 74 Henry Ostaszewski
OLB 89 Howard Dinkins
RE 95 Carl Simpson
NG 96 James Chaney
|
PARTICIPANTS
## NAME
-----------------------------
7 Eric Turral
14 Brad Johnson
15 Gerry Thomas
16 Richard Coes
24 Felix Harris
29 Scott Player
31 Lavon Brown
32 Paul Moore
35 Sean Jackson
|
## NAME
-----------------------------
48 Willie Pauldo
58 Dan Footman
75 Joe Ostaszewski
81 Kevin Knox
84 Warren Hart
93 Chris Cowart
94 Toddrick McIntosh
97 Reggie Freeman
|
Florida 14, Florida State 9
11/30/1991, Gainesville
From the Tallahassee Democrat, December 1, 1991, page 27, by Steve Ellis. Painesville.
Florida State again falls just short, this time 14-9 in a fearsome struggle with their
down-state rivals, the Florida Gators.
GAINESVILLE, FL - Florida State's defense was outstanding Saturday, but Florida's was out of this world.
So it was fitting that Gator free safety Will
White tipped FSU's last-chance touchdown, ending for good the Seminoles' national championship aspirations with a 14-9 loss.
FSU's fall from college football's pinnacle continued for a second
consecutive game. A Florida Field crowd of 85,461, the largest to watch a football game in the state, also saw the Gators (10-1) snap a four-game losing streak to FSU (10-2).
It certainly was one
of the most exciting games played between the rivals.
"There was constant electricity. It was one of the most emotional games I've ever been around as a player or a coach," Florida coach Steve
Spurrier said. "It seemed the game depended on every play."
Florida's 72-yard scoring pass to open a 14-3 lead. FSU's two drive-killing interceptions deep in their end of the field.
But the play
most will remember came with 2:11 remaining and the Seminoles on Florida's 14-yard line.
Quarterback Casey Weldon, harassed all game, had just called the second timeout of the drive - something
head coach Bobby Bowden had no explanation for later.
In the huddle, Weldon called for the "Dawsey", a play named after the former All-American.
True to the plan, flanker Matt Frier ran toward
the end zone and hooked. Split end Kez McCorvey also ran a route in that area, becoming Weldon's target as the play developed.
"I got outside (cornerback) Larry Kennedy," Frier recalled. "He lost
sight of me. Casey was faking to the backside. When he threw it, (White) got his hand on it.
"It was tipped in the air. I saw the ball, and I thought I was going to win the game. But (Del) Speer
hit me around my knees, which is legal. I felt I could have caught it, had he not done that."
Instead, the ball dropped harmlessly to the ground and the Gators' ran down the remaining two minutes.
If the Seminoles' last play best represented Florida's defensive effort, it also accurately represented FSU's chief offensive woe - poor play near the goal line.
The Seminoles, as they have since
midseason, struggled inside the opponent's 20. Three times, FSU reached the area known as the red zone, and twice it came away with the blues, scoring one touchdown and one field goal, the latter
after a first-and-goal sequence.
Against Miami two weeks ago, FSU settled for three field goals, and scored just once in four deives that reached inside the 10.
"Our inability to score near the
goal line," Bowden said, "was the difference in the game."
In its last six games, including Saturday's, FSU has scored touchdowns on only 15 of 32 drives that reached inside the 20.
"It's what
I've said from the beginning," offensive guard Mike Morris said. "The people who could stop us was ourselves."
"We knew our game plan, and we knew they weren't as good as Miami's defense. But we
had a lot of penalties and, I guess, a lack of concentration."
FSU committed three 5-yard penalties on those goal-line drives, including a delay of game that erased Sean Jackson's 16-yard touchdown
reception in the third quarter. Three plays later, Weldon was sacked and fumbled for a 23-yard loss. FSU, trailing 14-3, went away with no points as Gerry Thomas missed a 44-yard field goal.
"We
played good enough to win the game except the goal-line offense," said Bowden, who is 8-8 against Florida. "We haven't been able to push the ball in on first down, and that forces us to pass the ball.
And they are ready for it.
"Poor blocking, poor running, poor execution."
FSU's offensive woes were compounded by another injury on the line - Reggie Dixon hurt his shoulder and missed the
entire second quarter. But lineman like Morris, who played three positions, said they could not blame their problems on injuries.
With starting tackle Kevin Mancini watching from the sidelines in
street clothes, FSU was forced to shuffle its line.
Morris moved from tackle to guard and Eric Gibbs stepped into the vacated tackle spot. Patrick McNeil and Eric McGill played at Dixon's guard
position as did Morris.
Dixon returned in the second half, but FSU results were much the same.
FSU's offense did have its moments in the game. After being shut out in the third quarter for the
first time this season, Weldon conducted a touchdown drive that began midway through the fourth quarter.
Lavon Brown snuffed a Florida Threat with an end-zone interception, setting up FSU. Weldon
drove FSU smartly down the field, ending the drive with a pass to Lee for a 25-yard score. Reserve quarterback Brad Johnson, temporarily replacing a shaken Weldon, attempted a two-point conversion
pass that was deflected by defensive lineman William Gaines. FSU trailed 14-9.
Because of drives like that one, FSU actually ended with 342 total yards of offense, 17 more than Florida. While FSU
had a season-low 37 yards rushing. Weldon threw a career-high 51 passes. The senior completed 24 for 305 passing yards.
A sluggish start, however, had FSU looking for answers early in the game. The
Seminoles had just 18 yards of total offense in the first quarter.
"I don't think the beginning was because of anything we were still feeling about the Miami game," Morris said. "Our motto was,
'Somebody had to pay this week.' We were ready."
Especially ready was an FSU defense that followed a superb outing against Miami with another Saturday.
"I guess sometimes when the emotional
level is that high it really helps the defensive teams, and the offense is just not as efficient."
Florida was averaging 34.7 points before that game; FSU 39.1 points.
"I couldn't believe how
both defenses stopped the other," Bowden said. "Each was sensational."
Defensive line coach Chuck Amato added: "I'd rather give up 50 points and win 51-50, but at the same time we're awfully proud
of the defense."
Neither defenses were without blemishes. Florida's came on that fourth-quarter drive that narrowed its lead to 14-9.
FSU's came in the third quarter, with Florida leading 7-3.
Gator quarterback Shane Matthews was scrambling around his 28-yard line when he spotted wide receiver Harrison Houston.
Terrell Buckley charged the scrambling Matthews, leaving Harrison one-on-one
against linebacker Reggie Freeman and FSU coaches at a loss for words.
Freeman, turned around by the play, managed to get a hand on the ball, but Houston pulled it in and took off for a 72-yard
touchdown and a 14-3 Florida lead.
Actually, Freeman was supposed to have Houston. But so, apparently, was Buckley, playing in zone coverage.
But instead of waiting, he charged.
That left
inside linebacker coach Wally Burnham wondering: "Why he did it, who knows."
Buckley explained: "It looked like (a run) for a moment, and (he) reared back and fired it. Reggie just slipped down -
he had him covered."
Freeman agreed.
"I got my hand on it, he snatched it and it was all over," Freeman said, "I don't know if I am going to be blamed or not, but life goes on. I do know the
receiver shouldn't have been behind us.
"I was just one foot away."
Buckley almost played prominently in another Florida touchdown. He can thank Gator running back Errict Rhett for a second
chance that allowed the Seminole cornerback to go from goat to big-play maker on the Gators' second series. That helped lead to
a scoreless first quarter. The Gators scored their lone touchdown of the first half on Rhett's 3-yard touchdown late in the second quarter. For the Seminoles, it was the third time in three seasons
they have lost back-to-back games during the regular season.
The Gators extended their winning streak to eight games and became the first Florida team to win 10 games in a season.
But the streak
Tallahassee's Brad Culpepper will remember had to do with beating FSU.
"If I was only going to have one victory against Florida State while I was here, I would want it to be in my senior year on a
team I was captain of.
"We've got five years of partying pent up inside us. We're going to do it."
| |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Total |
| Florida State |
0 |
3 |
0 |
6 |
9 |
| Florida |
0 |
7 |
7 |
0 |
14 |
2nd 0- 0 Opp, 47, field goal failed, 14:56
3- 0 Gerry Thomas, 19, field goal, 8:31
3- 7 Opp, 3, run (kick), 3:11
3rd 3-14 Opp, 72, pass (kick), 7:32
3-14 Gerry Thomas, 44, field goal failed, 2:07
4th 9-14 Amp Lee, 25, pass from Casey Weldon (Brad Johnson, pass failed), 5:24
TEAM STATISTICS
FSU OPP
First downs 20 16
Rushes-yards 26-37 39-117
Passing 305 208
Att-Comp-Int 51-24-1 30-13-3
Total Yards 77-342 69-325
Punt Returns 5-74 4-22
Kickoff Returns 2-58 3-77
Interception Ret. 3-55 1-41
Fumble Returns 0-0 1-0
Punts 6-50.3 7-46.4
Sacks By-Yds 3-21 3-34
Fumbles-Lost 4-1 1-0
Penalties-Yds 7-65 8-75
3rd Down Conversions 5-19 2-14
Time of Posession 29:25 30:35
Attendance 85,461
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Amp Lee 9 24 0 5
Sean Jackson 6 22 0 7
Edgar Bennett 5 19 0 10
William Floyd 2 5 0 4
Casey Weldon 4 -33 0
---------------------------------------------
FSU 26 37 0 10
Opp 39 117 1 22
Receiving No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Kez McCorvey 6 89 0 22
Matt Frier 6 61 0 20
Amp Lee 3 49 1 25t
Sean Jackson 2 28 0 26
Lonnie Johnson 4 27 0 9
Kevin Knox 1 24 0 24
Robbie Baker 1 21 0 21
Warren Hart 1 6 0 6
---------------------------------------------
FSU 24 305 1 26
Opp 13 208 1 72t
Passing C- A- I Yds TD Lng
-----------------------------------------------
Casey Weldon 24 51 1 305 1 26
-----------------------------------------------
FSU 24 51 1 305 1 26
Opp 13 30 3 208 1 72t
Punt Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Terrell Buckley 5 74 0 26
---------------------------------------------
FSU 5 74 0 26
Opp 4 22 0 11
Kickoff Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Terrell Buckley 2 58 0 34
---------------------------------------------
FSU 2 58 0 34
Opp 3 77 0 34
Punting No Yds Lng
----------------------------------------
Scott Player 6 302 60
----------------------------------------
FSU 6 302 60
Opp 7 325 62
|---------Tackles---------| |---Sacks---| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS UT AT Total ForLoss No - Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marvin Jones 6 1 7 1.0- 2.0 . . . . . . . .
Errol McCorvey 5 1 6 1.0- 3.0 . . . . . . . .
Kirk Carruthers 3 2 5 1.0- 11.0 1.0- 11.0 . . . . . . .
Howard Dinkins 3 1 4 . . . . . . . . .
Leon Fowler 2 2 4 . . . . . . . . .
Ken Alexander 3 1 4 1.0- 3.0 . . . . . . . .
Terrell Buckley 2 1 3 . . 2- 55 2 . . . . .
Sterling Palmer 3 . 3 1.0- 2.0 . . . . . . . .
John Davis 2 1 3 0.5- 2.0 . . . . . . . .
Henry Ostaszewski 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Carl Simpson . 2 2 0.5- 2.0 . . . . . . . .
Richard Coes 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Clifton Abraham 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Reggie Freeman 2 . 2 1.0- 1.0 . . . . . . . .
Clyde Allen 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Derrick Brooks 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Lavon Brown 1 . 1 1.0- 7.0 1.0- 7.0 1- 0 . . . . . .
James Chaney . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Mack Knight . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Troy Sanders 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Toddrick McIntosh 1 . 1 1.0- 3.0 1.0- 3.0 . . . . . . .
Dan Footman 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Chris Cowart 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
William Floyd 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Tommy Henry 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSU 46 16 62 9.0- 36.0 3.0- 21.0 3- 55 2 . . . . .
Opp 42 14 56 5.0- 37.0 3.0- 34.0 1- 41 11 . 1- 0 2 . .
STARTERS
Pos ## OFFENSE
----------------------------------
QB 11 Casey Weldon
FL 12 Matt Frier
FB 22 Edgar Bennett
TB 42 Amp Lee
C 51 Robbie Baker
ST 52 Robert Stevenson
TT 60 Mike Morris
TG 69 Patrick McNeil
SG 73 Reggie Dixon
TE 85 Lonnie Johnson
SE 88 Kez McCorvey
|
Pos ## DEFENSE
----------------------------------
FS 3 Leon Fowler
SS 18 John Davis
RCB 26 Errol McCorvey
LCB 27 Terrell Buckley
WLB 45 Kirk Carruthers
SLB 55 Marvin Jones
OLB 56 Sterling Palmer
LE 74 Henry Ostaszewski
OLB 89 Howard Dinkins
RE 95 Carl Simpson
NG 96 James Chaney
|
PARTICIPANTS
## NAME
-----------------------------
1 Shannon Baker
2 Clifton Abraham
6 Steve Gilmer
9 Dan Mowrey
10 Derrick Brooks
13 Mack Knight
14 Brad Johnson
15 Gerry Thomas
16 Richard Coes
20 Clyde Allen
21 Chris Hall
24 Felix Harris
28 Corey Fuller
29 Scott Player
31 Lavon Brown
33 Tiger McMillon
35 Sean Jackson
36 Ken Alexander
37 Chris Keen
|
## NAME
-----------------------------
39 Ed Clark
41 Tommy Henry
43 Eric Smith
44 William Floyd
49 Jason Peirce
54 Kevin Adams
58 Dan Footman
59 Sean Beavor
61 Eric Gibbs
62 Troy Sanders
72 Steve Allen
75 Joe Ostaszewski
76 Eric McGill
81 Kevin Knox
84 Warren Hart
93 Chris Cowart
94 Toddrick McIntosh
97 Reggie Freeman
|
Florida State 10, Texas A&M 2
01/01/1992, Dallas, Tex.
From the 1992 FSU Media Guide, Page 87.
DALLAS, TX - The Seminoles won the Cotton Bowl with a combination of fiesty defense and ball control offense which highlighted the rushing of sophomore Sean Jackson. After consecutive losses to Miami
and Florida at the end of the regular season, the Seminoles rebounded to defeat ninth-ranked Texas A&M, 10-2, in the Cotton Bowl.
The win solidified Bobby Bowden's position as one of college football's best bowl coaches ever.
Jackson ably took over the starting tailback job from the suspended Amp Lee. The bruising 6-2, 220-pound sophomore gained 119 yards on 27 carries and was named the game's offensive MVP.
Rainy and cold weather conditions caused a turnover-filled defensive struggle. There were a Cotton Bowl record 13 turnovers in all, eight by the Aggies and five by Florida State. Texas A&M was plagued
by ball-handling woes, fumbling six times and throwing two interceptions.
Ironically, Texas A&M's first fumble resulted in their only points of the game. When Aggie running back Greg Hill fumbled out of bounds deep in Seminole territory, the FSU offense was forced to take
over on its own two-yard line. One play later, Quentin Coryatt caught FSU quarterback Casey Weldon in the end zone for a safety.
The Aggies' two-point lead held for most of the quarter until Dallas native Clifton Abraham recovered an Aggie fumble at midfield. Seven plays later, Weldon faked a handoff and rolled around right end
for a five-yard touchdown.
The second half was a carbon copy of the first with both teams trying to hang onto the ball in the wet conditions. The FSU defense continued harassing the Aggie offense, causing five turnovers in the
second half, Florida State held A&M to 180 yards of total offense in the game.
The heralded Aggie defense was also dominating, allowing the Seminoles just one more score in the game, a 27-yard field goal by Gerry Thomas with 2:40 left in the game. Florida State won its 11th game
of the year and finished fourth in the nation.
| |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Total |
| Texas A&M |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
| Florida State |
7 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
10 |
1st 0- 2 Opp, safety, 10:09
Note: Weldon sacked in the end zone.
7- 2 Casey Weldon, 4, run (Gerry Thomas, kick), 2:08
3rd 7- 2 Dan Mowrey, 42, field goal failed, 12:30
4th 7- 2 Gerry Thomas, 37, field goal failed, 6:52
10- 2 Gerry Thomas, 27, field goal, 2:40
TEAM STATISTICS
FSU OPP
First downs 17 12
Rushes-yards 48-188 42-123
Passing 92 57
Att-Comp-Int 32-14-4 24-6-2
Total Yards 80-280 66-180
Punt Returns 4-16 3-8
Kickoff Returns 1-13 3-69
Interception Ret. 2-0 4-47
Fumble Returns 5-0 1-0
Punts 8-43.3 9-39.7
Sacks By-Yds 2-15 3-19
Fumbles-Lost 3-1 7-5
Penalties-Yds 11-77 6-50
3rd Down Conversions 3-17 0-12
4th Down Conversions 2-2 0-1
Time of Posession 33:59 26:01
Attendance 73,728
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Sean Jackson 27 119 0 20
Edgar Bennett 11 47 0 23
Tiger McMillon 2 16 0 15
Shannon Baker 1 14 0 14
Casey Weldon 7 -8 1 6
---------------------------------------------
FSU 48 188 1 23
Opp 42 123 0 39
Receiving No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Shannon Baker 4 44 0 14
Sean Jackson 3 20 0 16
Kez McCorvey 2 20 0 12
Lonnie Johnson 2 19 0 20
Matt Frier 1 5 0 5
Edgar Bennett 2 -16 0 -7
---------------------------------------------
FSU 14 92 0 20
Opp 6 57 0 17
Passing C- A- I Yds TD Lng
-----------------------------------------------
Casey Weldon 14 32 4 92 0 20
-----------------------------------------------
FSU 14 32 4 92 0 20
Opp 6 24 2 57 0 17
Punt Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Terrell Buckley 4 16 0 14
---------------------------------------------
FSU 4 16 0 14
Opp 3 8 0 4
Kickoff Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Tiger McMillon 1 13 0 13
---------------------------------------------
FSU 1 13 0 13
Opp 3 69 0 30
Punting No Yds Lng
----------------------------------------
Scott Player 8 346 56
----------------------------------------
FSU 8 346 56
Opp 9 357 50
|---------Tackles---------| |---Sacks---| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS UT AT Total ForLoss No - Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kirk Carruthers 8 . 8 1.0- 1.0 . . . . . . . .
Carl Simpson 3 2 5 1.0- 9.0 1.0- 9.0 . . . . . . .
Ken Alexander 3 2 5 . . . . . 1- 0 . . .
Derrick Brooks 4 1 5 1.0- 4.0 . . . . . . . .
Reggie Freeman 3 1 4 . . . . . 1- 0 . . .
Sterling Palmer 3 1 4 1.0- 2.0 . . . . 1- 0 . . .
Joe Ostaszewski 2 2 4 1.0- 2.0 . . . . . . . .
Errol McCorvey 3 . 3 . . . 1 . . . . .
Henry Ostaszewski 3 . 3 1.0- 1.0 . . . . . . . .
Terrell Buckley 2 . 2 1.0- 1.0 . 1- 0 2 . . . . .
Dan Footman 2 . 2 2.0- 8.0 1.0- 6.0 . 1 . . . . .
Howard Dinkins 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
John Davis 2 . 2 1.0- 1.0 . . . . . 1 . .
Troy Sanders 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Leon Fowler 1 1 2 . . . . . 1- 0 . . .
Richard Coes 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Lavon Brown 1 . 1 . . 1- 0 . . . . . .
James Chaney 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Chris Cowart 1 . 1 . . . 1 . . . . .
Marvin Jones 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Tommy Henry 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Steve Gilmer 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
William Floyd 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Corey Fuller . 1 1 . . . 1 . . 1 . .
Clyde Allen . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Clifton Abraham . . . . . . . . 1- 0 . . .
Corey Sawyer . . . . . . 1 . . . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSU 51 13 64 10.0- 29.0 2.0- 15.0 2- 0 7 . 5- 0 2 . .
Opp 66 20 86 10.0- 48.0 3.0- 19.0 4- 47 5 . 1- 0 . . 1
STARTERS
Pos ## OFFENSE
----------------------------------
QB 11 Casey Weldon
FL 12 Matt Frier
FB 22 Edgar Bennett
TB 35 Sean Jackson
C 51 Robbie Baker
ST 52 Robert Stevenson
TG 60 Mike Morris
TT 67 Kevin Mancini
SG 73 Reggie Dixon
TE 85 Lonnie Johnson
SE 88 Kez McCorvey
|
Pos ## DEFENSE
----------------------------------
FS 3 Leon Fowler
SS 18 John Davis
RCB 26 Errol McCorvey
LCB 27 Terrell Buckley
WLB 45 Kirk Carruthers
SLB 55 Marvin Jones
LE 74 Henry Ostaszewski
OLB 89 Howard Dinkins
RE 95 Carl Simpson
NG 96 James Chaney
OLB 97 Reggie Freeman
|
PARTICIPANTS
## NAME
-----------------------------
1 Shannon Baker
2 Clifton Abraham
6 Steve Gilmer
9 Dan Mowrey
10 Derrick Brooks
14 Brad Johnson
15 Gerry Thomas
16 Richard Coes
20 Clyde Allen
28 Corey Fuller
29 Scott Player
31 Lavon Brown
32 Paul Moore
33 Tiger McMillon
36 Ken Alexander
41 Tommy Henry
|
## NAME
-----------------------------
44 William Floyd
56 Sterling Palmer
58 Dan Footman
59 Sean Beavor
62 Troy Sanders
64 Jeff Deremer
68 John Flath
69 Patrick McNeil
72 Steve Allen
75 Joe Ostaszewski
76 Eric McGill
81 Kevin Knox
84 Warren Hart
93 Chris Cowart
94 Toddrick McIntosh
|
