Posted by NoleCC

By Bill Kristoph

First off… there is a brand spankin’ new FREE PHOTO GALLERY posted from the River City Showdown in Jacksonville! Check it out!

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.