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By Bill Kristoph

With the lackluster play of Junior, J.R. Bryant and the injury to Tony Carter’s (pictured) knee, Florida State fans will see two youngsters get the start when FSU heads to N.C. State one week from today. Sophomore Michael Ray Garvin and Freshman Jamie Robinson join the youthful FSU secondary, which also includes Freshman Myron Rolle.

Mickey Andrews must be having nightmares with all of the injuries to the defense right now…

Welcome to two new pollsters… the 12thManChild and Chili… for a little Big XII and Clemson bias. ::wink:: I’m skipping the commentary this week… and leaving it up to you in the comments on this post!
1. Ohio State (125)

2. Auburn (116)

3. USC (112)

4. Michigan (107)

5. West Virginia (105)

6. Florida (100)

7. Louisville (97)

8. Texas (85)

9. LSU (74)

10. Georgia (69)

10. Oregon (69)

12. Virginia Tech (65)

12. Iowa (65)

14. Notre Dame (64)

15. Tennessee (54)

16. TCU (52)

17. Oklahoma (51)

18. Clemson (46)

19. Florida State (40)

20. Nebraska (34)

21. California (28)

22. Boise State (24)

23. Rutgers (17)

24. Missouri (13)

25. Georgia Tech (5)

25. Texas Tech (5)

25. Wake Forest (5)

Others receiving votes: Texas A&M (2), Penn State (1)

By Bill Kristoph

Major Applewhite looked to have the Rice Owls ready to play Florida State. The Offensive Coordinator for Rice, Applewhite watched as his team answered FSU’s opening 7 points with their own. However, the Owls resembled chicken after that, as the ‘Noles cooked Rice 55-7. What should FSU fans be pleased with and what should they still be concerned with?

Positives:

Yes, it was only Rice. Yes, they are horrible. Yes, they run a 3-3-5 most of the time. But, the ‘Noles ran well for the first time this season, with over 200 yards for the game. If anything is painfully obvious, it is that Antone Smith (pictured above) should see a heavy amount of playing time with Lorenzo Booker mixed in, not vice-versa. (PS… Marcus Sims looked solid with his couple of carries.)
Xavier Lee has some great touch on passes. He needs more repetions, and is useful for a spark in the offense. It wouldn’t hurt to have him in the mix each game. Plays could be designed for him, a la Peter Warrick, but Weatherford must remain the starter and leader of the Seminole offense.

Gary Cismesia. He missed an extra point, but he hit a 53-yard bomb of a field goal. His confidence should continue to improve with kicks like that.

Greg Carr. Finally #89 had some balls thrown his way. He is FSU’s best receiving weapon and should be in the game at all times.

Negatives:

The defense recovered from a horrible opening, but J.R. Bryant can’t cover anyone which doesn’t bode well for the ‘Noles. The only ray of light is that FSU’s safety are pretty good with help over the top, but when it’s man on man, good luck.

The ‘Noles don’t have much for a backup punter, nor is the third string kicker very good. Unless, of course, the kick-it-into-the-center and have Caz run it in for 2 is a designed play.

Coaching. The beatdown of Rice provides another escape for the coaching staff, who will now claim that nothing was wrong and the players just had to step up.

Fans. Maybe 60,000 showed up for the game and the student section was the worst in years. Yes, it is Rice, but the players need the support for every game, not just the big ones. What could be better on a Saturday afternoon? (And for those ‘Noles threatening to boycott the games based on the coaching staff… go ahead, there are plenty of us that would like to move towards the 50 yard line.)

For the ‘Noles, it was a feel-good win. For the fans, it was a bit of appeasement. Nobody can complain when FSU puts up 55 in Doak Campbell Stadium. But will the ‘Noles be ready for the Thursday night showdown at N.C. State after their upset of Boston College? Will a solid ACC defense bring FSU right back to square one? Can the coaches objectively look at talent, and pull a few of their loyalties that are hurting the team?

Stay tuned…

The Rice Photo Gallery is now available! Visit it here.

1. Obviously the FSU offense liked its diet of Rice yesterday. Memo to
Dave Hart: Dont suppose we can have that on the training table every
year can we?

2. So thats what a first half offensive touchdown looks like. Most FSU
fans I think had forgotten.

3. Lets see, Texas beat Rice 52-7 last week and FSU beat Rice 55-7
yesterday. Therefore FSUs much maligned offense has to better than
Texas offense right? Bring on the Longhorns!!

4. You had to know Rice had a lack of offensive weapons when Gene
Deckerhoff emphasized in his pre-game analysis that Rice has a pretty
good punter.

5. And also from Deckerhoffs pre-game analysis: The trombone section
is doing The Flush where they circle the logo at midfield. Trombone
section? For those who would like to contribute to send Gene to band
camp next summer so he can learn the difference between a trombone and
a tuba please send your check to ….

6. A succinct descriptive analysis of Rices lone touchdown came from
PT Willis when he moaned Oh no before Rice even completed the pass
adding something about being able to punt it to him he so wide open.

7. On Caz Puirowskis picking up the loose ball off the blocked PAT and
taking it in for the two point conversion Deckerhoff commented I
didnt know you could do that. Fortunately Caz did. His father Paul
taught him well.

8. With Xavier Lee in as QB and FSU in the redzone, Lorenzo Bookers
run on 3rd and 13 drew this from Willis. I didnt like that call.
From the chorus boos heard coming from the stands apparently neither
did the crowd.

9. Sign seen at ESPNs Gameday show in Columbus Ohio: JoPas been dead
for years which Im sure came as a HUUUUUGE surprise to Joe. Maybe
thats why Joe was sick to his stomach headed to the locker room (which
was thoroughly and exhaustingly covered by the TV crew) after learning
that.

Bonus Disturbingly Random and Violently Meaningless Thoughts

10. After his team gave up 19 fourth quarter points blowing a lead and
the game heres a question to Michigan State head coach John L. Smith,
was that your coaches screwing it up again for the players?

11. From the inane sideline reporter question department: Asked at the
half Are we going to see more of the no huddle in the second half?
Notre Dame head coach managed to avoid laughing out loud and responded
Well, were down 17 points.

12. In responding to Erin Andrews halftime question about not throwing
the ball to Calvin Johnson, Chan Gailey said Were just using our game
plan. I think were going to change the plan for the 2nd half. With
touchdown catches of 66 and 68 yards for Johnson, its a pretty good
guess that Virginia wished Georgia Tech hadnt made that change.

13. Headline in the news today: UNC AD committed to Bunting despite
teams struggles. Said another way, John get your resume ready.

13. Congratulations to the Duke Blue Devils for not losing yesterday.
Of course they didnt play either but thats beside the point.

14. After losing the Ryder Cup yet again, it is obvious that the US
needs a national team that plays together all year round, plays
international competition throughout the year, and match play only so
it can get used to international rules such as the twelve panel golf
ball and the trapezoid fairway.

By Bill Kristoph

Normally a prediction of the Seminoles vs. the Rice Owls consists of a few words about how FSU is going to dominate, and the only question remaining is if FSU will keep it under 70. FSU won’t have to worry about keeping it under 70, Jeff Bowden’s offense has proven time and time-again that it can. Granted, the 0-3 Rice Owls won’t beat the ‘Noles at Doak Campbell this Saturday, but can FSU finally put together some sort of consistent offense. Will the backups finally get some needed playing time?

The ‘Noles need to get something going. Forget the running game or the passing game, they need both. Lorenzo Booker needs to stop dancing. Drew Weatherford needs to fire the ball down field more, and Greg Carr needs to be in the ball game at all times. 80,000 Seminole fans can see it each week, why can’t the coaching staff?

I personally tried to figure out how to get “FG Block” into our offense, but I can’t figure out how. Which means all of the above needs to happen, before FSU should start worrying about winning any more tough games, much less the Atlantic Division or the ACC. The biggest worry that FSU fans should have going into this weekend’s game with the Owls, is that if FSU puts up a big score, then the FSU coaches will go back to saying there aren’t any problems and the ‘Noles will be “just fine.” That attitude has contributed to FSU’s slide over the past 5 years.

In its finest hour, the FSU offense could snap, crackle & pop. At the snap, the ‘Noles had at least weapons on the field that could score. The crackle was any of the various moves those players could make. The pop was the sweet sound of the Seminoles scoring yet again and a Doak Campbell croud erupting with delight. Back then, a good play on words was easy for the Rice game.

Too bad the coaching staff has turned them into a soggy bowl of corn flakes; flat, boring and lukewarm.

‘Noles 27, Rice 13

Interested in leaving your thoughts? Leave a comment here on ScalpEm.com or try out “The Rant” at http://www.igottarant.com/ the world’s first revenue sharing message board. That’s right, get paid to post!

This edition welcomes two more voters, besides myself to the mix, and the poll is now points based. 25 points for first down to 1 for 25th. I’ll be looking into adding some more “official” voters soon.
ScalpEm.com Top 25

1. Ohio State (75) - By far the best team in 2006.
2. USC (70) - So much for the “they lost too many players to be any good” arguement.
2. Auburn (70) - Hard fought 7-3 win over LSU keeps them in prime position for a BCS Title run.
4. West Virginia (64) - Weak schedule, unofficial Big East Title game with Louisville pending.
5. Michigan (63) - The Wolverines stomped Notre Dame, earning the #5 spot. They won’t last there all season, but they should enjoy it for now.
6. Florida (62) - The Gators still have LSU, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and Florida State. It’s doubtful they can get through the schedule unscathed.
7. Georgia (56) - The Dawgs have an easier route than Florida, and should be a Top 5 team at the end of the year.
8. Louisville (54) - They are well-coached, proven by the fact that they’ve lost key players and have filled in successfully. They hope to have QB Brohm back by the West Virginia game.
9. Texas (53) - They are talented, but too young at the QB position to contend for the national title. Luckily for the ‘Horns, the Big XII is horrible this year.
10. Virginia Tech (45) - The Hokies are the favorite to win the ACC title. Will they choke again this year?
11. LSU (44) - Heartbreaking loss to Auburn last week.
12. Oregon (42) - Jobbed Oklahoma thanks to awful officiating. Too bad for OU, but it happens to all teams once in a while.
13. Iowa (41) - Might have a shot to beat Ohio State in two weeks.
14. Notre Dame (37) - Overrated by the media. The Irish will still win plenty of games, and attend a BCS Bowl.
15. TCU (31) - Rulers of the Big XII in 2006?
16. Arizona State (27) - Potent offense in a Pac 10 full of them. Awful defense, in a Pac 10 full of them. They have a big game with Cal this weekend.
17. Oklahoma (25) - Got jobbed by the Quack Attack. Shucks.
17. Tennessee (25) - Florida handled them easily. Looks like Week 1 was a fluke.
19. Florida State (20) - Is there a way to get “FG Block” into the offense? It’s FSU best scoring play in 2006.
20. California (17) - Showdown with ASU this weekend.
21. Boston College (15) - In the mix with FSU and Clemson for the Atlantic Division title.
22. Clemson (15) - Dominated FSU…
23. Boise State (10) - Blue field. ‘Nuff said.
24. Alabama (9) - SEC bias. Rutgers should be in the poll.
25. Nebraska (4) - They’re better than before, but not “back” yet.
Others receiving votes: Rutgers (1)

A new Photo Gallery has arrived for the first time this season. Check it out at the ScalpEm.com Photo Gallery.