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Archive for September 2007
By Bill Kristoph
5 Reasons Why the Noles beat Bama
1. For some strange reason, the offense responded to Xavier Lee at quarterback. Maybe it’s because Lee gives the defense something extra to worry about. Maybe it’s because the players want to play for XL and not Weatherford? Or maybe it’s just coincidence. Only time will tell, but the Noles were finally able to make some big plays in the 2nd half thanks, in part to Xavier Lee’s play.
2. Defense, Defense, Defense. Yet again the Seminole Defense held strong (don’t mention those two drives late in the fourth quarter).
3. Special Teams didn’t kill the Seminoles. Gary Cismesia missed a kick, but in all fairness to him the wind in Jacksonville was strong. It wasn’t the best of conditions to be making kicks. And, on the bright side, Graham Gano punted his heart out for FSU. He even lined-drived a bunch of them into the wind for a pretty good amount of yardage.
4. Jimbo Fisher called a great game, especially when he used Lee to exploit Alabama’s defense. Fisher called plays that kept the ‘Bama defense on its heels, and he had FSU throwing at advantageous match-ups. (The poor guy covering Greg Carr never had a chance).
5. Geno Hayes was electric. Need I say more?
Bonus: Did I mention Nick Saban is the size of a Garden Gnome?
Thoughts About Jacksonville Municipal Stadium
I had seats in the upper deck on the 50 yard line, they provided a wonderful view out to the river and to a couple of very beautiful bridges. The site lines are nice, but I’ll be honest the gameday experience left a lot to be desired. Maybe I’m spoiled but Doak Campbell Stadium is far superior to JMS. The City of Jacksonville should be ashamed by the way traffic is handled both pre and post game. Trying to get out to the Interstate was nearly impossible thanks to the fact that there were hardly any police to direct traffic, and the fact that many, many people felt like they had no need to follow traffic barricades and detours. The upper level has concourses that are half the size that they need to be, and nachos are $9. Nine freakin’ dollars. I know pro stadiums are expensive, but come on. I didn’t even bother to check the beer prices. I also didn’t enjoy the fact that I had to sit through a halftime infomercial from the Gator Bowl committee talking about their new sponsor. Frankly, I don’t remember who the sponsor is, I just know that it’s not Toyota anymore. I didn’t appreciate the frisking from “Barry” at the entrance either. Seriously, what was the deal with that?
I won’t be heading back anytime soon.
Thoughts About Bama Fans
I must admit, I thoroughly enjoyed the few Bama fans I chatted with. They were knowledgable about the Tide (of course) and gave Seminole fans some good ribbings, but were generally respectful. The quote of the night from behind in me in Section 410, “Man, I’m glad we only have to spell Bama, we can’t handle more than four letters.” I cracked up. Everyone was really good natured, well the Bama fans at least. Which leads me too…
Thoughts About Seminole Fans
I have two candidates for Jacksonville Jackass of the Game this week. Either it was the two morons from FSU wear the F*&# Bama shirts, or it was the guy that nearly got into a fight with Seminole fans behind because they asked him to sit down instead of standing up. For the first set of guys… Buck Fama might have been amusing, but it’s classless to wear what you wore. CLASSLESS. What are you guys, ARod’s Wife? And the guy that almost got into the fight, I’ll be fair, I don’t know if anyone touched you while you were standing and they were asking you to sit down, but for crying out loud you’re on THE SAME TEAM. It shouldn’t be Seminole fan vs. Seminole fan. If an older lady and gentleman are behind you, sit down and be kind to them, don’t yell to the entire section that it’s your GD right to stand at your SEAT. That makes no sense chief.
I think I’ll give the award to both nominees. Thanks for memories!
Overall
I had a good time overall though, an FSU victory is always something to celebrate. My slow cooker did a hell of a job on the meatballs and kept them warm all the way from Tallahassee to Jacksonville. Thanks to the Bama fans for being spirited and helping create a fun atmosphere, and thanks to Nick Saban for fielding a team that made the FSU Offense look mildly okay.
1. ROOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLed TIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It’s a pretty good guess Bobby Bowden will be adding something to that scrapbook he has on Alabama football. Just a wild guess, ‘Bama is reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally regretting now not hiring Bowden back in ’86.
2. It’s also a pretty good guess Xavier Lee will have a few (as Bowden calls them) “tommyhawks” on that helmet of his next week.
3. In describing the first half non-offense extravaganza Gene Deckerhoff renamed the River City Showdown to the River City Shutdown.
4. For the life of me I cannot fathom why ESPN showed offensive highlights of the second half only. Everyone likes to see the punting highlights right?
5. The Slight Exaggeration Award goes to Deckerhoff in describing Graham Gano’s first (of many to follow) punt: “That hung up there for an hour!”
6. The only ones that probably enjoyed that first half of offense were …… soccer fans.
7. CBS’s Verne Lundquist commented to sidekick Gary Danielson “Can you understand FSU fan’s discontent with the offense?” Quipped Danielson, “Sure!!! I’ve watched only two games and I’m discontented. Can you imagine watching this for three or four years?” Yes, we can. But “discontented” is not quite the word most FSU fans would probably use. Now if you inserted six or seven expletives that might get close to describing FSU fan’s thoughts on the subject.
8. The wit and wisdom of Mrs. BFT. After a TV shot of the FSU sideline calling in an offensive play with a large towel held up to shield the signaler came the comment from the couch, “I wasn’t aware Bill Belichick was at the game.”
9. Deckerhoff describing ‘Bama’s Glen Coffee being flattened by Geno Hayes: “He was given a latte’.”
10. Bowden post game comment on FSU’s defense late in the fourth quarter: “I hate that stickin’ prevent.” Just another guess mind you, there’s more than few Seminole fans that aren’t too choked up about it either.
Bonus Loquaciously Random and Undoubtedly Meaningless Thoughts
11. Best quote by Bowden making fun of himself: Somewhat confused about in which order Antone Smith’s touchdown came Bowden winked at the gathered media, “If I get too old for you, y’all let me know will you.”
12. Asked when he get emotional about the win Bowden answered “I’ll get emotional about it next summer when I go up to Birmingham (to play golf) and I get on that first tee and I say we all whipped your (insert your favorite description of the posterior here).”
13. A new cure for insomnia has been discovered. It’s called watching the Virginia Tech offense which is about as exciting to watch as watching paint dry or the lawn grow.
14. In the words of that ol’ head ball coach, it’s hard to win on the road in the SEC. Auburn’s fax machine must have been out of paper when that memo came in.
15. From the TV booth after South Carolina QB Chris Smelley threw another interception “That’s what drives Steve Spurrior up the wall.” And that’s a bad thing?
16. After Friday nights USF win over the West Virginia Mountaineers, couches in Morgantown breathed a sigh of relief. They’re safe for another week.
17. Best t-shirt seen in Tampa Friday night: “Beat West Virginia and the couch-burning Hillbillies they brought with them.”
18. The Inane Comment Award goes to the crew doing the LSU/Tulane game. After Brandon LaFell dropped a pass that was right in his hands came the inane statement “If he had caught that ball and that linebacker had not been there it would have been a touchdown.” But other than that it was a sure six points. ?????????
19. Dadgummit!! And I was so hoping that North Carolina State’s offense would roll up some points on the tackling optional Louisville defense.
20. Harken back if you will to Thursday night more than week ago at the Orange Bowl as Miami attempts a field goal that goes wide right. The next voice you hear is that of one Bobby Bowden who was being interviewed by the ESPN crew in the booth. The man can’t even talk on the phone without being involved in a wide right.
FSU rolls 21-14, Xavier Lee leads the win.
Full Photo Gallery and recap / rundown tomorrow. I’m tired!
And I’ll be there!!!
Photo Gallery and full run down tomorrow… for now I have to pack the car and get ready to roll to Jacksonville!
If the Noles win on Saturday, does that mean I have to make slow-cooker meatball subs every week until they lose?
Admit it, you took Bama and the points.
Do we really have to watch the Top 10 / 20 / 50 coach meltdowns every time we get a new one?
Maybe it’s a good thing that Seminole fans might blend in with Bama fans on Saturday, especially if the Noles are outnumbered.
Does USF really deserve all of the credit they’re getting? Are they really more talented than FSU?
I really, really don’t like neutral site games.
Was Tom Jurich in town to interview for the Athletic Director’s Job?
If you guys are interested in some of the history behind FSU and Alabama, and their previous meetings head over to Garnet And Great. As always, Rich is doing a great job over there bring the history of Seminole Football to the masses. He’s even got some rare play-by-play audio over there. It’s really great, go check it out!
Andrew Carter has the scoop again (for free, unlike Warchant).
Senior LB Geno Hayes has been demoted to the 2nd team for the Alabama game and will also attend behavioral counseling and perform community service in addition to other internal coach’s disciplinary actions.
So what do you guys think out there? I’m sure non-Seminoles are going to scream, and frankly I don’t blame them. When exactly is it time to send a message to players that they shouldn’t be putting themselves in this situation? That they should cherish the opportunity they have to play football at The Florida State University? That thousands of other people would happily stay out of trouble just to run out of the tunnel with the Seminoles? That having pride in yourself, in your team and in your school means setting an example for everyone else?
I’m not going to flat out say that Bobby Bowden is too lenient, because the official policy is too lenient also. The FSU Discipline Policy stats that misdemeanor offenses are handled by the head coach after review by the Athletic Director. Bobby is doing what he thinks is right. Dave Hart evidently is too. And, it’s all within the guidelines. But when are they going to understand that players need to be sent a message that there are consequences for undesirable behaviors. I’m trying not to point the finger at Geno Hayes, but instead, I’m pointing at the policy. Geno made a mistake, and I think he got off pretty easy, I won’t be running, doing services, etc. so I suppose “easy” is a relative term.
Anyway, leave me some comments!
(Note: Uh, I’m embarrassed for spelling Jacksonville wrong in the title initially… sorry!)
Mike Bianchi has another blog post up. Basically, he says it’s embarrassing for Seminole fans if they are outdrawn by Alabama, because the game is in FSU’s state. Here’s my response:
Embarrassing? Yes, but not for the Seminole fans that travel to Doak each week. All I ever hear about neutral site games for FSU, is how great they are because the Alumni in Jax / Orlando / Tampa / wherever get to see the Noles play, but in reality a lot of those people don’t go to the game anyway. If the alumni in the bigger cities don’t snatch up those tickets, then our opponents gladly will.
On top of that, everyone knows that Alabama fans are pretty much psycho (I mean that in a good way) and will follow the tide anywhere. They could play a game in Alaska and there’d be thousand trying to get tickets outside the gate.
Maybe that’s why some fans are so insistent that FSU fans wear Garnet to the game, even though it has potential to blend in with Crimson (the same goes for white). I guess if we all wore gold, it would be far too obvious that FSU was outdrawn.
It’s a spoiled fanbase to a degree, that grew up on the feast of the 90’s. I’m sure a major factor is in the fact that the Noles continue to play with mediocrity. As for me, I’ll be there, with tissue for the nosebleeds I’ll be getting up high. I just hope I won’t be rubbing elbows with too many Tide fans.
This guy gives our Clemson buddy a run for his money, I wonder if this guy will be in Jacksonville?
More quality ‘Bama fans…
God I love YouTube.
Here’s the official press release from TPD:
This morning, at approximately 1:45AM, officers from the Tallahassee Police Department were conducting a directed patrol in an effort to detect possible underage drinking at 459 West College Avenue (Potbelly’s). The officers were across the street from Potbelly’s, when they observed a black male, not wearing a shirt, screaming profanities and waving his hands wildly. The black male was later identified as Eugene “Geno” Hayes. Hayes appeared to be attempting to enter the establishment while other males attempted to restrain him. Officers Michael Malafronte and Michael Petroczky walked across the street in an attempt to determine why Hayes was so upset. An employee of Potbelly’s explained that Hayes was involved in an altercation inside the bar and that Hayes’ friends were attempting to escort him home.
Officer Malafronte made contact with Hayes in an effort to calm him down and regain order. Officer Malafronte was wearing a department approved vest carrier with the word “POLICE” printed on the front in 3” letters. Officer Malafronte asked Hayes to calm down and Hayes reportedly responded with profane language and became aggressive toward the officer. Hayes was again restrained by his friends, but he continually attempted to defeat their efforts. Officer Malafronte explained to Hayes that he would be subject to arrest if he did not leave. Hayes eventually broke free from his friends and began running toward Officer Malafronte. Hayes’ fists were clinched as he ran toward Officer Malafronte yelling, “I’m going to get your (expletive deleted)…” Officer Malafronte pointed his Taser at Hayes in an attempt to stop Hayes’ aggressive action.
Hayes was again pulled away by his friends, Officer Malafronte explained that Hayes was now going to be arrested due to his hostile actions. Officer Petroczky was standing next to Officer Malafronte during the above events and attempted to escort Hayes away from the crowd and arrest him. Hayes reportedly tensed and attempted to pull away and defeat the arrest. Officer Petroczky took Hayes to the ground and attempted to handcuff Hayes, but Hayes began to resist and attempted to stand up. Officer Malafronte observed the resistance and deployed his Taser to gain compliance.
Officer Petroczky attempted to handcuff Hayes when Joseph Surratt, who was part of the group with Hayes, ran towards Officer Petroczky. Surratt was told several times to “Back up” because the officers believed Surratt would interfere with the arrest. Surratt did not comply and Officer Petroczky shoved Surratt back, causing Surratt to fall. Officer Petroczky attempted to arrest Surratt and was struck by Surratt during the arrest.
Eventually, both Hayes and Surratt were arrested. Officer Petroczky received a cut inside his lower lip as a result of Surratt’s resistance, but no other injures were reported.
In addition, Dave Hart has said that both players are suspended indefinitely while the situation is investigated.
This is a big, black eye on the FSU football program, headed into what was supposed to be a quiet off weekend. What’s very interesting is that Surratt’s involved in all of this, after breaking his leg a couple of weeks ago unable to play for the rest of the season.
Surratt’s charges:
- Disorderly conduct, a second degree misdemeanor
- Resisting officer without violence, a first degree misdemeanor
- Battery on law enforcement officer, firefighter, etc., which can be anything from a first degree misdemeanor to a third degree felony
My final thoughts… it doesn’t look good that’s for sure, but let’s let the legal system work it’s magic. They’re innocent until proven guilty. That said, what the hell were they even doing in the AREA!? Why do players continue to put themselves in that situation? And, with the NFL looking more and more at character issues, incidents like this can really affect a player’s draft position. WAKE UP PLAYERS, you don’t need to do things like that and you give the 90% of the players that take care of business a bad reputation. I hope you enjoy the bottom line on SportsCenter, and the rival fans’ numerous jokes.
Someone needs to get a hole of these guys and wake them up so they don’t waste a HUGE opportunity in life.
Robert on 
Spartan on 