SB Nation - Florida St. Seminoles

Greg Hudson is Florida State's New Linebackers Coach

FSUncensored — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:58:23 -0000

As Tomahawk Nation first reported Friday night, East Carolina defensive coordinator Greg Hudson will become Florida State's linebackers coach. Our source indicated that there were a few remaining details to iron out, but that the decision had been made Friday night. Those details proved no obstacle, and the deal was finalized. Hudson is considered a very good defensive coach and has produced multiple all-conference players in his time at ECU. He will join Florida State's staff after the January 1st bowl game.

Hudson comes to FSU following a 5 year stint at East Carolina, where his defenses are known for their physicality, toughness, and consistency in forcing turnovers. Prior to working at ECU, Hudson coached at Minnesota (2001-2004), Cincinnati (1997-2000), and UConn (1994-1996). He was also a graduate assistant for Notre Dame in 1993. He coached with Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher at Cincinnati.

Hudson's defenses have been instrumental in carrying East Carolina to back-to-back Conference USA Championships, defeating prolific offenses this year in Houston and last year's Tulsa attack. The Pirates held Houston to 5.9 yards per play, and Tulsa to 4.1. Those performances were by far the worst of the year for those two teams, courtesy Hudson's defense.

Hudson's defense has been the top defense in conference USA for each of the past 4 years in either yards or points allowed. In 2008, his attack was one of the best 25 in the country when adjusting for opponent, which is tremendous considering the school where he coaches.

Florida State's defense was one of the worst 20 in the nation this year (120 total D1 teams), and Hudson will be expected to turn that unit around quickly. Many believed that he would not leave his coordinator job at ECU to be a position coach, but his close relationship with Fisher and a substantial pay raise courtesy of some sort of "executive assistant" title was enough to draw the 43 year-old Hudson to Tallahassee.

He joins other newcomers in Arizona's defensive coordinator Mark Stoops (DC), Tennessee's Eddie Gran (RB), and South Alabama's Daymeune Craig (offense). Florida State is expected to hire one more defensive assistant to coach either the defensive backs or defensive ends. Hudson is considered a dynamite hire, and based on pedigree and reputation, the 'Noles have again hit a home run, as they did with Stoops and Gran. Florida State fans will remember that Fisher strongly considered Hudson for the defensive coordinator position. Hudson is considered a capable recruiter.

Florida State Recruiting Update, 12.23.09

FSUSOM — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:00:17 -0000

We don't really have much today. As a result, this will be a primarily user-driven day.

As always, we funnel coverage (except in the next couple of days) to the 2010 Big Board and the 2010 Recruiting Map. If you have a question, and there isn't a post on the front page, ask it in the 2010 BB. Remember to get out and watch these prospects play. On to the coverage.

Current 2010 commits: (click the links to read more)

D L Darious Cummings (note: Cummings committed before FSUncensored took over the site.)
S Chad Abrams (note: we did an overview in a March WORT after Abrams committed.)
DE Tavaris Barnes
Holmes Onwukaife
De'Joshua Johnson
Tank Sessions
Telvin Smith
Jared Haggins
Terrence Brooks
Cameron Erving
Clint Trickett
Nigel Terrell
Damien Jacobs
Greg Dent
Mike Harris

Jeff Luc
Lamarcus Joyner

Notes:

Dr. Phillips WR Kenny Shaw says that he will announce his college at the Under Armour All Star game in early January. I expect him to announce for FSU.
Another note on that game: Tomahawk Nation author SWFLNole will be there for the practices and will be live-blogging the game.
Tomahawk Nation member NIU interviewed LB target Shaydon Akuna here!
TN member Aussierat went into detail about Mark Stoops' recruiting ability.
I can't complain about FSU's position with Hialeah DE Corey Lemonier. I think it comes down to FSU or Miami. I'm not going to doubt Fisher, Coley, and Gran.
As this point, if Lake Howell LB Christian Jones doesn't commit to FSU, it will be a minor miracle.
FSU and Georgia seem to be the two teams battling it out for Tampa Catholic WR Christian Green. Still, I expect FSU to land him.
ESPN Recruiting did a pretty good piece on a 2011 target, CB Nick Waisome of South Grove. He is a heavy Gator lean.
Speaking of 2011 prospects, Tampa Plant ATH James Wilder Jr. pretty much dominated the state title game. He likes UF early. He best projects to be a DE/OLB on the next level.
Some highlights of St. Thomas Aquinas players at Elite Scouting Services.

Some video inside!

Some video:

FSU commit Lamarcus Joyner's senior season highlights (offensive and returns):

Comment necessary?

DT target Jamaine Brooks (6'3'' 280, Miami Palmetto HS):

Some say that there is a good chance that Brooks is part of FSU's class. We'll see. It's hard to gauge what kind of a player he is from this video, as it doesn't really show much of anything. Most of the video does not show how he gets off the ball, ect. What we can gather from the video is that Brooks has good size and moves well. The reports from coaches down in Miami say that he is a "baller".

From Luke at SoFlaFootball.com:

Jamaine Brooks 2010 DL 6′3″ 280: Brooks is a big body that they move around on the defensive line. He moves well and got some pressure on the quarterback most of the night. It will be interesting to watch his play over the course of his senior season.

We'll keep digging.

2011 QB target Christian LeMay (6'3'' 200):

Pretty impressive stuff. FSU has been on him since his sophomore year, which speaks volumes of Jimbo Fisher's talent evaluation. Probably FSU's #1 target for the 2011 class, LeMay has offers from most of the ACC and SEC. He's a national recruit that has a good chance of being a 5* star player. Though he grew up in Gainesville, FSU has a decent shot. UF, Alabama, and FSU seem to be the major players here, though it is still very early.

J.C. Shurburtt (of ESPN) has a pretty good article on how the newly-hired Dameyune Craig will affect FSU's recruiting in Alabama:

"All of the coaches know me and my family," he said. "They also know my past in the state of Alabama and at Auburn."

This is a big addition for Florida State in terms of recruiting. Fisher said last week that he expects to recruit the top talent in the Sunshine State and South Georgia first and then look out of state, but Mobile is located 40 miles from the state of Florida. It's always a challenge for anybody to pull top players out of the state of Alabama, but the Seminoles can become players there with the right person recruiting it and Craig is the perfect fit.

I don't expect FSU to come in and start taking kids from Alabama and Auburn, but I think they will have a much bigger presence than they have ever had. Craig has the potential to be a very good recruiter.

Merry Christmas!

Florida State Seminoles Move to 11-2 with 95 - 68 Victory Over UT-Martin

TrueCubbie — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:58:21 -0000

More photos » by Steve Cannon - AP

about 15 hours ago: Tennessee-Martin's Reuben Clayton has his shot blocked by Florida State's Jordan DeMercy during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009, in Tallahassee, Fla.(AP Photo/Steve Cannon)

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Scoring over 90 points for the first time since 2007, the Seminoles won their 5th game in a row in decisive fashion over Leonard Hamilton's alma mater UT-Martin. The Seminoles could have easily been sluggish, unfocused or not motivated, especially after the big win Sunday evening in Atlanta. That was not the case. Leonard Hamilton's squad came out at full speed and made it clear there would be no let downs tonight.

The Seminoles didn't allow the Skyhawks for the first six minutes of the game, going on a 23-2 run in the fist 8 minutes of the game. Allowing only 28 points in the firs half, FSU held UT-Martin to 36.8% shooting on the night. The Skyhawks only made 25 shots on the night, 12 of which were from behind the arc. Down by 23 at the half, the Skyhawks started shooting three pointers at every opportunity, hoisting up 15 shots behind the arc in the second half. In fact, the Seminoles only outscored the Skyhawks by 4 points in the second half.

The game started out at a frenetic pace as the Seminoles pushed the ball up court after each Skyhakw miss, making the most of every opportunity. The benefit of the large lead in the first few minutes of the game was the significant minutes that the likes of Terrance Shannon and Michael Snaer were able to play. Both players had very productive nights. Snaer played 22 minutes, went 6-11 from the floor finishing with a team high 18 points. He also had two rebounds and two assists with three turnovers. Shannon played 17 minutes, went 5-6 scoring 11 points and pulling down 6 rebounds. He also had two blocks. The Noles had 6 players in double digits. Ryan Reid did not play tonight as he is recovering from an illness. It should also be noted that Luke Loucks had seven assists and only one turnover.

The star for UT-Martin was Marquis Weddle who scored 27 points off the bench. He went 11-21 from the floor, going 5-10 from behind the arc. Benzor Simmons contributed with 15 and Reuben Clayton had 17 (15 of which came off three point shots).

This was the 11th game this year that the Seminoles held their opponent to a FG% of 40 or less. The only two teams to shoot better than that were Florida and Ohio State. Tonight was also the most turnovers that the Seminoles had forced all year: 21.

Putting the margin of victory aside, this was a good win for the Seminoles in that it allowed Terrance Shannon and Michael Snaer get significant minutes. This will only help the Seminoles as they prepare for conference play. The Seminoles go on break until December 31st when Alabama A&M enters the Tucker Center.

Ryan Reid Scores 17 Points as Florida State Seminoles Beat Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 66-59 in Overtime

TrueCubbie — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:53:53 -0000

More photos » by Stanley Leary - AP

2 days ago: Florida State forward Ryan Reid, left, shoots during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Georgia Tech on Sunday, Dec. 20, 2009 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Stanley Leary)

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No one would have predicted that Ryan Reid would score more than Gani Lawal and Derrick Favors combined. Florida State's lone senior was on a mission from the very first tip. In 36 minutes, Reid scored 17 points, had 5 rebounds, 3 steals and only one block. His energy under the boards was impressive. More impressive was his ability to step into the lane as the clock ticked down in over time to take a charge. This was Ryan Reid's best performance of his career and it could not have come at a better time.

This game was physical from the start, with both teams trying to establish the paint and demonstrate their athleticism. It was not the best basketball played, but it was certainly a great game to watch. Despite the constant pressure from Georgia Tech, the Seminoles demonstrated more energy and movement on offense than has been demonstrated so far this year. However, Florida State did not shoot the ball well despite numerous open looks at the basket. Chris Singleton went 0 for 6 from behind the arc, but again came through on the defensive end and made a few key baskets down the stretch. Derwin Kitchen passed on many open looks but finished the night 2 for 5 with 7 points and 6 assists. He only turned the ball over once. He hit a key three point shot down the stretch that kept the Noles in the game as the Yellow Jackets had a big run to finish the second half in which Zach Peacock could not miss.

The real heroes in this game were the Seminoles big men in the paint. Solomon Alabi, Ryan Reid and Terrance Shannon played an outstanding collective effort that limited Georgia Tech's highly touted front court. The Noles played great defense with multiple players crashing from the weak side to double on the Yellow Jacket's big men. They frustrated Lawal and Favors. Alabi finished with 9 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks. He was only credited for one turnover and was only called for two fouls. Lawal and Favors combined for 12 points, 16 rebounds and 7 blocks. However, Favors had four turnovers.

Florida State's defense held Georgia Tech to their worst shooting night of the season and their second lowest OR% of the year. The Seminoles also slowed the pace down to the Yellow Jackets lowest pace of the year. And despite all of the no calls that Georgia Tech received, the Seminoles were also on the favorable end of the whistle. With only 3 fouls, Chris Singleton had the most of any Seminole, two of which were questionable calls. The Yellow Jackets only had a FTRate of 10%, by far their lowest total of the year.

This was a nail biter and the Seminoles hung in to win this game. it should have been won in regulation, but the Seminoles could not make key free throws down the stretch. Regardless, a road victory in the ACC against a ranked opponent is always a great way to start the regular conference season. There is still significant room for improvement but this was a great effort. The Yellow Jackets dropped out of the top 25 today for the first time all year. The Seminoles are lurking just outside the top 25. Now, the Seminoles will turn their attention to the 1 and 8 Tennessee Martin out of the Ohio Valley Conference who will visit the Tucker Center on Tuesday night. This cannot be a let down game for the Noles.

NCAA Basketball

College Basketball

ACC Power Rankings: 12.21

MRickman84 — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:30:13 -0000

by Charlie Neibergall - AP

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It's time for another exciting edition of ACC Power Rankings. We've had some teams really moving around, so let's see where everyone stacks up.

1.) Duke Blue Devils (9-1, W vs. Gardner-Webb, W vs. Gonzaga) - Duke is really playing well right now. Kyle Singler has picked his game up and Jon Scheyer has been almost mistake free. Duke needs to worry a little bit about their starters' minutes as Scheyer, Singler and Nolan Smith are all playing over 33 minutes a game, and that's with the blowouts included. That notwithstanding, Duke has this spot with a bullet.

2.) North Carolina Tar Heels (8-3, L vs. Texas) - I am almost tempted to drop UNC a little bit further, but there aren't any other teams that have really earned the #2 spot. Regardless, UNC has looked awful in a couple games this year and they definitely have some things to work on. The bigs--Tyler Zeller, Ed Davis and Deon "Miss It" Thompson--are playing well, but the Heels do not play good defense at all and there is literally no guard depth.

3.) Clemson Tigers (10-2, W vs. ECU, W vs. CofC) - Clemson has all the pieces. But they're Clemson. Trevor Booker is a very good player and the combination of Tanner Smith, Andre Young and Demontez Stitt aren't pretty, but they get the job done. Plus their defense can keep them in any game.

4.) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-2, W vs. Chattanooga, W vs. AR Pine Bluff, L vs. Florida State) - Despite the loss to FSU, Tech is up here because they have a lot of talent and everyone knew they'd have some bumps along the way. Gani Lawal, Derrick Favors and Zach Peacock bring it most of the time, but with Iman Shumpert out, GT has to rely on freshman Mfon Udofia at the point. He's a gifted player, but he's still a freshman. Tech will have big wins and dumb losses (a lot like a certain team from last year).

5.) Miami Hurricanes (10-2, W vs. Stetson, W vs. Florida Atlantic) - The next few teams are kind of a jumbled mess, but right now I feel like the 'Canes have the edge. Their only blemish was the extremely close loss to Boston College. In all their other games they have won by an average of 22.7 points. Dwayne Collins is averaging 13 and 9, and the James Dews, Malcolm Grand and Durand Scott combo of guards are chipping in 31.4 a game.

6.) Florida State Seminoles (10-2, W vs. Georgia State, W vs. Auburn, W vs. Georgia Tech) - FSU's win over GT was a bit of a statement. The 'Noles had a few decent wins but no real statement win to their credit. This win helps them out and solidifies them as a tough, physical basketball team. Solomon Alabi and Chris Singleton are a real force and Derwin Kitchen is a well-rounded player. Ryan Reid is always capable of showing spurts as well.

7.) Wake Forest Demon Deacons (8-2, W vs. UNC-W, W vs. NC State) - Ok, I'll move the Deacs up. They are on a four game winning streak and the wins over Gonzaga, UNC-W and State are games they needed to win, but still look pretty good. If Al-Farouq Aminu can hold onto the basketball, he could average 20+ a game, but as it stands right now, he's still a beast. The key to Wake is whether or not they can get solid play out of their bigs at all--right now, they haven't.

8.) Virginia Tech Hokies (9-1, W vs. Charleston Southern) - VT's record is gaudy, but there aren't any wins that really stick out to me right now. But still, I love how Malcolm Delaney plays and Jeff Allen has done a good job so far. The problem is, there isn't a whole lot more there outside of Dorenzo Hudson and Victor Davila.

9.) Boston College Eagles (7-4, W vs. Bryant) - After back to back losses to Harvard and Rhode Island, where does BC stand? There's a good core there with Joe Trapani, Corey Raji and Reggie Jackson. Tyler Roche gives good minutes. Rakim Sanders is an explosive player. But BC needs to figure things out before ACC play before they can move up the list.

10.) Maryland Terrapins (6-3, DNP) - Remember when everyone was slobbering all over Maryland and Greivis Vasquez? Well, he is shooting 34.6% and 28.2% from deep. Sean Mosley and Landon Milbourne are good players and we all know about Eric Hayes, but Maryland has no good wins and they've lost to the good teams they've played. They need to prove something.

11.) N.C. State Wolfpack (8-2, W vs. Elon, L vs. Wake Forest) - State is an ugly basketball team. They almost lost to Elon and then looked just downright bad against Wake. They have no identity and no real players outside of Javi Gonzalez and Tracy Smith. That win against Marquette is still strange, and the rest of their wins aren't anything to write home about. The Wolfpack have a long road ahead of them when conference play gets going.

12.) Virginia Cavaliers (4-4, DNP) - The best thing to happen to UVA last week was that they got snowed in and didn't play. I wholeheartedly believe that UNC-W would have beaten them. This team is Sylven Landesberg and not much else--Mike Scott is ok, Mustapha Farrakhan shows promise and Sammy Zeglinski is Eric Hayes Part Deux, but the Cavs are not good. Their four wins are against Longwood, Rider, Oral Roberts and Cleveland State.

Raycom ACC Basketball Power Poll Ballot, week 6

DrB — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 02:54:08 -0000

More photos » by Brett Flashnick - AP

3 days ago: Clemson forward Jerai Grant dunks against College of Charleston during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009, at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Brett Flashnick)

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Sponsored by the Raycom Maryland blog & Testudo Times we'll be ranking the ACC teams each week. Feel free to complain and argue with how we rank 'em.

ACC Weekly scores

1. Duke - Fresh off a 76-41 drubbing of Gonzaga and a sound thumping of Gardner-Webb, we have to move them up to the top spot.

2. UNC - last week's #1 moves down after being out-efforted by Texas. I watched it and it seemed like they were totally outmatched and played terribly sloppy. Plus, Roy is a bitch.

3. FSU - Whether I think Clemson is better or not seems irrelevant, they just defeated Georgia Tech in Atlanta in OT, so they've beaten someone in the ACC on the road and deserve it. They also defeated Auburn (who beat UVA) and Georgia State this week.

4. Georgia Tech - beat UT-C, Arkansas Pine-Bluff, and lost to FSU in OT at home.

5. Clemson - beat Furman, ECU on the road, and CofC pretty soundly.

6. Wake Forest - will have beaten NC State at home, UNC-Wilmington and Elon

7. Maryland - difficult to get a good read on exactly where to put the Terps. Their 3 losses have been to Cinci, 'Nova, and Wisconsin.

8. V. Tech - Beat Penn State last week, Charleston Southern this week

9. Miami - beat Stetson and FAU soundly

10. NC State - loses to Wake on the road, beat Elon by 3. Also beat Auburn earlier this year. Hard to get a great read on them so far.

11. BC - lost to Rhode Island 80-69, beat Bryant....wherever the hell that is. However they have beaten Miami 61-60 in Mass.

12. Virginia - is pretty bad.

Last week's rankings

Paul Hewitt Approval Rating, 1 ACC Game Down, 15 to Go

BirdGT — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 01:00:15 -0000

More photos » by Stanley Leary - AP

Don't turn your back on us Coach... (AP Photo/Stanley Leary)

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Let us know your thoughts Post FSU Discussion.

Poll

Is Paul Hewitt doing a good job at GT?

FSU Q/A with Tomahawk Nation and Tip Off Open Thread

BirdGT — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 17:00:18 -0000

More photos » by Gregory Smith - AP

I am so happy we don't have to play against this guy anymore. (AP Photo/Gregory Smith)

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We e-mailed True Cubbie of Tomahawk Nation to get some perspective on this year's FSU Seminole hoops squad. Here is TN's preview of GT including a back and forth Q/A with FTRS. FSU just lost the guy who put a dagger in the heart of GT fans' dreams last season, Toney Douglas, so I focused questions around the team's handling of his loss and changing on-the-court dynamics:

1. How has the team dealt with the departure of Toney Douglas and Uche Echefu? In the relatively young basketball season, does this exceed or fall short of preseason expectations?
With such a young team, losing senior leadership is always difficult. Toney was 'the team' last year, particularly with regard to scoring. Toney scored 751 points last year. The next three highest scorers on the team combined for 844 points. Toney was also the defensive leader of the team, regularly limiting the production of some of the top guards in the country. Echefu was a relatively quiet player who would have productive games with little notice or production about it. He did struggle at times and lost his starting job for parts of the year. Last season, Echefu saw a dip in his production compared to the previous year, but he was playing injured at times.

Filling the production of those two players, was no easy task. There were two key things that occurred in the off season: Michael Snaer and Spain. Snaer was one of the top guards in the country coming out of high school and is the guard of the future at FSU. While Snaer is not putting up the offensive numbers of Toney Douglas, yet, he has probably been our best on the ball defender. This summer, the Noles had the opportunity to play 4 games in Spain and had an additional 10 practices as a result of it. When camp started, Coach Hamilton was no longer coaching about where to stand on the court and where to move, but working on game flow and subtleties.

Expectations about the Noles were mixed this year. Big questions surrounded Toney's departure, but with the core group returning, many had high expectations. However, it seems that the consensus has the Seminoles finishing 7th in the ACC. As this point in the year, the Noles are still playing like a young team. Stretches of great basketball and stretches of poor basketball. They are about where I expected them to be. Statistically, they are almost identical to where they were last year, meaning thus far, the void of Toney Douglas has been filled. This really has been a group effort with everyone upping their offensive production, rather than one player taking over.

2. Who is matching up with the double-double-duo of Gani Lawal and Derrick Favors (combining for 30 PPG and 19 Rebs/Game)? What is the FSU game plan for our front court presence?
In general, the ACC is huge this year. Last year it was about guard play; this year it is about the big men. The Noles certainly fit that mold. In fact, the Seminoles are the tallest team in the nation according to Ken Pomeroy. The starting front court is the following: Solomon Alabi 7'1 Xavier Gibson 7'0 Chris Singleton 6'9. The first guy off the bench is Ryan Reid who is 6'8. Jordan DeMercy has also been playing well off the bench this year and he is 6'7 but has great leaping ability and plays bigger than he actually is.

Does any combination of those players add up to 30 and 19? No. Alabi has finally started to put up points with 20+ in his last two outings. He is only averaging 6 rebounds a game. This is certainly an element of his game that needs improvement, though that is not unique to Alabi but a theme for the team. Singleton is an excellent defender, but isn't quite the physical low post presence that Lawal is/can be. Gibson is big and takes up space, but he is stronger on the offensive end. I wouldn't be surprised if Lawal has a big game.

Solomon Alabi has been an outstanding defender so far this year, closing the paint for most of our opponents. He blocks 2.6 shots per game, but this doesn't reflect the way he forces opponents to adjust shots in the paint. However, he has yet to see a center that has the talent of Derrick Favors. Conversely, has Derrick Favors seen a center like Solomon Alabi? Heading into the season, Alabi was projected on a few sites to be an NBA lottery pick. His play this far has not lived up to those expectations as his offense is still lagging behind his defense, but there has been a big improvement in the last two games.

The Seminoles play physical man to man defense. Lawal and Favors will likely see a steady rotation of all of the players mentioned above. The Seminoles have also seen success using a smaller three guard lineup. They have been forced to do so this year as the majority of their opponents have been relatively small and used full court press to limit the effectiveness of the Seminoles' height. When the Seminoles go small, they typically play Snaer, Dulkys/Loucks, Kitchen, Singleton and Gibson/Alabi. I don't see that lineup chasing Favors or Lawal out of the game. Getting Lawal and Favors into foul trouble early will certainly be to the Seminole's advantage. This may be the game that Miller and Sheehan come off the bench and prevent a significant decrease in height.

I have been looking forward to the match up between Alabi and Favors since Favors committed to GTech. It will be a great first test for both big men.

3. FSU has played a good number of major conference squads early in the season? Do you enjoy the scheduling of SEC/Big East games over cup cakes in the early Winter schedule?
Florida State is a football school first, meaning that the Seminoles basketball history/reputation will not get them into the NCAA tournament. They need a good out of conference resume. Fortunately, they have been successful against the schedule thus far, with the two exceptions being Florida and Ohio State. Granted, those are two road losses to two very good basketball teams. Given the quality of the ACC, the Seminoles need to be comfortable playing against quality opponents in tough games. Plus, as a basketball fan, it's fun to watch good teams and interesting matchups. However, if you look at the Seminoles stats, they play close games against the cupcakes as well. In the stats world. that is apparently called consistency. In reality, it's a reflection of their youth. The scheduling of the 'Big Conferences' is high risk high reward for the Seminoles. It adds to their tournament resume and is an essential lesson for our young players.

4. Where do you see GT and FSU seeded in the ACC Tournament come Spring?
I see FSU as a five or six seed. Georgia Tech as a four or five seed. I thought the Noles would finish 6 or 7th in the conference last year, and they finished a surprising 4th. The lack of offense makes it hard to predict what they will do. The Noles can play defense with the best of them so they will be in most games this year, just hard to know if they will close any of them out.

5. Feeding off of #4, what are FSU's post season expectations?
This team should make it to the NCAA tournament, likely as a 10 seed or lower and will likely be the last ACC team in. There is a lot of work and improvement that needs to occur in order for that to happen.

6. One on one. Tim Pickett vs. Toney Douglas. Who wins a game of 21? Who wins a game of H-O-R-S-E?
21: Toney Douglas. H-O-R-S-E: Tim Pickett Two very different styles of play. It would certainly be a great match up to watch.

Thanks to True Cubbie at TN. Always good quality stuff over there. If you don't read Tomahawk Nation, you should. There's always lots of good ACC and FSU information especially with the recently deposed King of Tallahassee. Feel free to comment on the game in the comments section. Game is on FSN with a 5:30PM Tipoff. Go Tech!

Countdown: #8 Clemson at Florida State 2006

FIGUREFOUR — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 18:00:18 -0000

Heading into this football game, Clemson had not beaten FSU in Tallahassee since Danny Ford beat up on the 'Noles down there in '89. Florida Sate (2-0 coming into the contest) came into this game ranked 9th in the nation and featured Drew Weatherford at QB and Greg Carr at WR for the 'Noles. Clemson came into this game 1-1 overall after dropping to Boston College earlier in the season. The big question for the Tigers coming into this game was special teams play (Clemson gave up numerous long returns--one for a touchdown--and could not convert an extra point the previous week in an overtime loss to Boston College). Florida State's offense had its own questions going into the game, as the 'Noles had struggled to get things going in the early part of the season.

7:45 PM ET, September 16, 2006

Doak Campbell Stadium

TALLAHASSEE, FL

ESPN Recap Tigernet Recap

This was one of the most exciting games that I have watched over the years, and remember it distinctly. We were out in Vegas on a guys trip and decided on the Belagio as the place to watch this one. Clemson was coming off of a ridiculous loss the previous week to Boston College--and by ridiculous, I mean we can't kick anything to save our lives (punts, kickoffs, extra points, nothing) and really gave away that game in Chesnut Hill. Needless to say, we all knew that we could win this game, but knew that we would have to overcome some obstacles to take down the Seminoles, particularly in the Doak.

Clemson really dominated this entire game. The Tigers had a good game plan on both sides of the ball and were able to both put points on the board and stifle Florida State's Jeff Bowden-led offense. Once again, however, Clemson tried to beat itself with shotty special teams play, as the Tigers gave up 9 points on field goal attempts.

Both teams were forced to punt on their opening drives, with Clemson surrendering a first down to the Seminoles through a roughing the kicker penalty. Florida State appeared to putting a drive together on its third possession until Clemson forced a fumble, which was recovered by my main man Duane Coleman. This turnover set up a two-play, 46 yard drive that included a 38 yard carry by Jacoby Ford and an 8 yard scamper into the endzone by James Davis. Unfortunately for the visitors, the extra point was blocked and returned by FSU's Tony Carter scoring 2 points for the 'Noles. At the end of the first quarter, Clemson led 6-2.

The two teams traded three consecutive punts. Finally, as the half began to close, the Tigers put together a 60-70 yard drive, setting up a field goal with around 3:20 left in the half. Clemson's special teams unit was again foiled, as Florida State was able to block the field goal attempt and Tony Carter again returned the block for a Seminole TD. After the PAT, Florida State led the Tigers 9-6. On the ensuing drive, Will Proctor was able to lead the Tigers down the field retake the lead on a 19 yard touchdown completion to Chansi Stuckey. The 2-point conversion was good and the Tigers went to the locker room up 14-9. Overall, Clemson should have been throttling the 'Noles at half, but were merely up a handful of points.

Clemson got the ball to start off the half and successfully extended its lead on an 80 yard drive. The key play in this drive was 54 yard reception by James Davis. Will Proctor was able to scamper into the endzone from 20 yards out for the score. Because of the special teams woes earlier in the contest, the staff decided to try (and fail to convert) a 2 point attempt. Clemson 20 FSU 9.

The Seminoles were able to piece together a 14 play, 54 yard drive that culminated in a field goal. The two teams went into the final period with Clemson leading 20-12, but Florida State driving. The 'Noles reached pay dirt early in the final period and successfully converted their 2-point attempt to knot things up at 20 a piece. The two collaborated to produce four consecutive 3-and-out possessions after the FSU TD, giving Clemson the ball with 2 minutes left in the contest. Fortunately for Tiger fans in attendance and watching all around the world, the Tigers were able to respond. Clemson successfully moved the ball to midfield through two JD runs and an 18 yard reception by Aaron Kelly. Clemson then changed the tempo, running a play on a quick count and completely catching the FSU defense unprepared. The resulting 47 yard scamper gave the Tigers the ball first and goal from the 4 yard line. Three plays later, Davis was able to punch it in from the 1, giving Clemson its first victory at the Doak in 17 years.

Overall, this game was memorable because of the win over the (over)rated #9 team in the land. The win broke the Tallahassee streak and was a contest in which the Tigers won in spite of themselves (poor special teams play kept this game close for the 'Noles). The final drive and the series of plays that were utilized in this drive really made this one game to remember (especially Davis' big run to create the 1st and goal scenario). I was really happy to watch this team bounce back and overcome special teams shortcomings to gain an important road victory in the state of Florida. See video below.

James Davis breaks off a monster run against an FSU defense that was not lined up nor prepared for the snap of the football.

Then Davis for the game-winning score:

Some game highlights:

and the Shoeless Highlights:

Konica Minolta Gator Bowl's Response to Tomahawk Nation's Story About Player Gifts

FrankDNole — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 21:16:00 -0000

TOMAHAWK NATION EXCLUSIVE: This story contains information that has not yet been released, published, or reported by any main stream media outlet, newspaper, blog, or any other site. TN is the first to publish this information.

Recently I published a story titled Are The 2010 Konica Minolta Gator Bowl Sponsors Stingy and Tight Wads? where I questioned why the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl's announced and published list of gifts for players were what I consider to be inferior and substandard, especially when compared to what other "less prominent" bowls were offering the participants of their respective bowls. At the time of this story being published, 563 (67%) out of the 839 TN members who voted, felt the 2 gifts were inferior, shabby, and cheap, and only 40 voters (4%) felt they were satisfactory. (The poll has now been closed and removed)

Apparently this story received some attention outside of the Tomahawk Nation membership base and from those others who read TN on a regular basis.

Shortly after publishing, I was contacted by the sports editor of a Jacksonville sports media outlet requesting permission to share the story on their site, which I granted.

The next day I was contacted by e-mail, by Erik Dellenback, who is the Director of Marketing for the Gator Bowl Association.

In Mr. Dellenback's email to me, he stated that he respects and that I am entitled to my opinion on the gifts, but that he would like me to consider the following points:

-That the Title Sponsor, Konica Minolta, has no influence or relationship with the selection of Bowl gifts.

-That the Title Sponsor is one of the primary revenue sources that helps keep Bowls making millions of dollars in payouts to the participating Universities.

-That "the City of Jacksonville, the Gator Bowl and Konica Minolta are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to thank Bobby and his fans appropriately for a legendary career,

including,

-providing game tickets and hosting events for past players,

-creating a special in-game ceremony,

-honoring Coach Bowden as the Grand Marshall of the Parade,

-creating a once in a lifetime final walk into the stadium for FSU and WVU fans to thank Coach Bowden,

-and providing many other thank you mementos for Coach Bowden and his family."

-Also, that the players will be getting a ring to commemorate Bobby Bowden's last game.

Mr. Dellenback concluded his email by reiterating once again how I am entitled to my opinion, and how over the last two weeks there have been meetings between the Gator Bowl Association, Konica Minolta and the City of Jacksonville, on how they can spend their time and money to make this a once in a lifetime event for FSU fans and players as well as Coach Bowden.

While I appreciated Mr. Dellenback's response and concern about our story, everything he stated, with the exception of the ring and the tickets/events for past players, are usual and customary things that are considered normal operating procedures for Title Sponsors, cities, and organizing committees and associations for major bowl games. Furthermore, his email did not address the point of my story and my desire to learn why this years gifts were inferior to the gifts presented to Clemson and Nebraska players last year, and more importantly, inferior and substandard to the gifts being presented by "less prestigious bowls" to their participants this year.

Please hit the jump to continue reading my response and subsequent correspondence between Mr. Dellenback and myself.

Here is my reply to his e-mail.

Mr. Dellenback,

Thank you for your e-mail.

As the Director of Marketing for the Gator Bowl, I can appreciate your concern regarding my story regarding what I consider to be inferior gifts for the FSU and WVU players who will be participating in your bowl game, as compared to what is being given to players at what I will refer to as "less prominent" bowl games.

In writing my story, I used data that was obtained from published sources, based on information apparently supplied to those outlets by someone associated with your Gator Bowl Association.

If you will further help me understand where I went wrong, I will be more than happy to write a follow-up story with more accurate information.

Here are some of the issues I am concerned with, that I would like for you to address, if at all possible, to help me explain to our readers why I was incorrect in my conclusions.

1.    If the Title Sponsor Konica Minolta, has no influence or relationship with the selection of Bowl gifts, who or what group of people, specifically in the case of the Gator Bowl, made the decision as to what gifts are given to the players?

2. Regarding the Rings....Are you able to share any other information other than that the ring will commemorate Bobby Bowden's final game, such as manufacturer or approximate value? Are you able to share a sample layout or photograph of the ring that I am able to publish?

3. Was the GBA planning to keep the rings a secret in order to surprise the players? Is this the reason it was not made public at the same time the other gifts were originally announced?

4.  Will the West Virginia players also be getting a ring that will commemorate Bobby Bowden's final game, or will their rings be different?

5. While I can appreciate the points you make in your e-mail, specifically in item #2, with all due respect, the payout versus publicity the Title Sponsor receives is a corporate decision that sponsor makes willingly, and it is the same decision all Title Sponsors make for each and every bowl game. The Gator Bowl is not any different than any of the other bowls in this respect.  I am sure Konica Minolta performed extensive cost analysis before deciding to sponsor, and I am confident that they made a sound business decision when they agreed to be the Title Sponsor of the Gator Bowl.

As a matter of fact, during last years Gator Bowl, "Konica Minolta will launch a new television ad campaign, which focuses on delivering a reliable, trustworthy solution that exceeds customers’ copier product and service needs. The two-spot campaign will debut during the Gator Bowl Classic, and will appear during additional sports programming throughout 2009. Featuring a new slogan, Count on Konica Minolta, viewers will come to know personalities Bev and Milt, who quickly learn the value of Konica Minolta’s award-winning line of MFPs and printers and come to rely on the certainty and trustworthiness that comes from a trusted partnership with Konica Minolta."

Therefore, your point about the Title Sponsor being one of the primary revenue sources that helps keep Bowls making millions of dollars in payouts to the participating Universities, in my opinion, benefits Konica Minolta equally and is really a non-issue as far as my story is concerned.

6. While I can appreciate the points you make in your e-mail, specifically in item #4, I will concede that the cost of the complimentary tickets and special events for past players may be an additional incurred cost to the GBA that may or may not have been budgeted for. However, your other points in #4 regarding the "special" events are a normal bowl game expense which I consider not relevant to the point of my story.

7. If my facts are correct, the 2009 Gator Bowl attendance was approximately 65,000.  From what I understand, the 2010 Gator Bowl is expected to break the previous attendance record.

"We're planning on breaking the record," Gator Bowl general chairman Dan Murphy said of the benchmark set two years ago, when 85,412 fans watched Bowden's Seminoles beat Alabama 21-14.

"I knew this would be a hit," Gator Bowl Association president Rick Catlett said. "But this has exceeded our wildest expectations."

Considering these facts, please help me explain to our readers why there is such a difference between the 2009 gift package of a Bulova watch, Jostens ring, Oakley Split Thump MP3 sunglasses, fitted cap, two-piece Mercury Luggage rolling duffel and sling bag, and the 2010 gift package of the Commemorative Ring honoring Bobby Bowden that you mentioned in your item #3, along with a Fossil watch, and Oakley Antix sunglasses. Would you agree that there seems to be a discrepancy in level of the gift packages between last years and this years? I am not familiar with the Jostens ring given to the Clemson and Nebraska players last year. Will that be a similar ring to the Commemorative Bobby Bowden Ring you mentioned the players will be given this year?

Mr. Dellenback, the point of my story was that it appears the gifts the players of both teams will be receiving this year are not on par with the gifts given last year by your Gator Bowl, and at the same time, inferior to the gifts being given to players at less prestigious bowls.

As I previously stated, I will write a follow up story explaining the Gator Bowl's point of view regarding what I view as a discrepancy in terms of gifts with other bowls. The information you provided regarding the Commemorative Ring is a good starting point. If you will please answer my questions and concerns outlined above, I will write a story explaining how my perceived ideas of inferior gifts was incorrect and I will be more than happy to explain why I was wrong.

Please feel free to reply to this email address, or to the one you originally sent me.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing back from you with more facts so I can get a new story published ASAP.

The next day Mr. Dellenback responded to my e-mail by starting out with the following:

I truly appreciate you allowing me the opportunity to further explain this process. I can also tell by your below e-mail that you certainly do extensive research before publishing and I appreciate that very much.

Mr. Dellenback responded to my questions as follows:

In regards to you points, I would like to provide the following response:

1. Bowl gifts are selected by Bowl Staff with input from our Volunteer leadership. The process of Bowl gift selection begins each year when we have a critique meeting with the two teams that played in the last game. We sit down with several player and administrators and they give us feedback on what they got and what they would rather have gotten. We take that information and make selections based on that.

2. I am referring to the NCAA dollar amount and the manufacturer is Jostens. Each ring will be customized by the two schools to represent their season and trip to the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl, so we have not yet finalized artwork.

3. The ring is not a surprise it was just not published for some reason.

4. There ring will be customized by WVU.

5. I actually agree with you on this point, I was only referencing that I wished the company had not been negatively affiliated with the Bowl gifts.

6. The events I was referencing will all be conducted and paid for above and beyond the already scheduled event packed Bowl week.

OK, so now let's get back to the point of my original story, the gifts for the FSU and WVU players.

The point of my original story was simply to wonder out loud why the PUBLISHED Gator Bowl gifts were inferior to the gifts presented to last years Gator Bowl participants and, inferior to what the lesser bowls are giving out this year.

I am not trying to beat a dead horse here by any means. If I were a player, I would consider it an honor and privilege to play in a bowl game, and the gifts would just be a little icing on the bowl cake. But the fact of the matter is that the gifts to the players are a customary and expected tradition, and with a record breaking attendance expected, I saw no reason why our players should get short changed and felt they should at the minimum, get gifts comparable to similarly ranked bowls. Whether you like the gift idea or not, gifts are a fact of life in the bowl world.

The information I obtained during my research of last years bowl gifts came from two published sources and both sources listed the gifts given to the Gator Bowl players as a Bulova watch, Jostens ring, Oakley Split Thump MP3 sunglasses, fitted cap, Two-piece Mercury Luggage rolling duffel and sling bag.

http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/60900

and

http://awfulannouncing.blogspot.com/2008/12/your-2008-2009-college-football-bowl.html

In Mr. Dellenback's e-mail response, he agrees that the gifts given last year included a Bulova Watch, Oakley Thumps, a fitted hat, and a luggage set, however he did not list the Jostens Ring. The Jostens Ring allegedly given last year is from the same manufacturer as this years Bobby Bowden/Gator Bowl commemorative ring.

I chose to believe that what Mr. Dellenback is saying is truthful, and that he is not purposely omitting that a comparable ring was given last year, just to bring this years gifts more in line with last years gifts.

Mr. Dellenback also informed me that they have also added a Luggage Trunk as a gift to the players.

Therefore, the players will be receiving the aforementioned Fossil Watch and Oakley sunglasses, the previously unannounced Luggage Trunk, and the large gift on which the majority of the dollars will be spent, a Jostens Ring that will be customized by FSU and will commemorate Bobby Bowden’s final game and the Gator Bowl.

To recap, when I first published the story, the only gifts that were announced and published were the watch and sunglasses which lead me to ask

Are The 2010 Konica Minolta Gator Bowl Sponsors Stingy and Tight Wads?

Knowing what I now know, that the FSU players will be receiving a previously unannounced specially designed Gator Bowl/Bobby Bowden Commemorative Ring (the WVU players will be also receiving a ring customized by their school), the Fossil Watch, the Oakley Sunglasses, the also previously unannounced Luggage Trunk, that the GBA will be giving tickets and hosting events for former players, and based on all this new information that was not published and incorrectly reported by many other media outlets, my answer to that question today, would have to be

NO!

Finally, as I publish this story, I am sending Mr. Dellenback the following e-mail to make him aware that I have kept my word, and suggest the Gator Bowl consider issuing a press release to make other MSM outlets aware of the actual gifts and to stop the spread of misinformation and negative publicity about their gift selections.

Hello Erik,

Thank you for taking the time to reply to my questions.

I have written a new story regarding our exchanges on our site Tomahawk Nation.com, which I think better explains the Gator Bowl Association's position, the gifts, and the GBA's relation with Konica Minolta, in a more flattering and positive light.

Here is the link. http://www.tomahawknation.com/2009/12/18/1205531/konica-minolta-gator-bowls

I believe I was diligent in the research I performed when attempting to find out what gifts were being given to players by the different bowls. During this process, I came across several stories on different sites that portrayed the Gator Bowl gifts in a less than desirable fashion. There will undoubtedly be more stories being written by newspapers, magazines, blogs, and possibly even reported on television, in the next two weeks about what participating players can expect to receive when arriving at their respective bowl games. Last year for example, many stories were written, not just by blogs, but by newspapers such as the Orlando Sentinel, and even by ESPN.com.

With all due respect, I would like to offer a suggestion. I think the Gator Bowl Association should consider issuing a press release about the actual gifts that the FSU and WVU players will be given, to stop any misinformation about the quality of the Gator Bowl gifts, and to make sure the correct information is disseminated to the MSM outlets, so that they can have accurate information on any future stories being written or reported.

If by chance you do issue any type of release, I would appreciate being included on the distribution list for that and any other future release's pertaining to the upcoming game.

Finally, I am sure I will be enjoying my latest FSU bowl game experience in the Gator Bowl, and the subsequent weekend I will be spending in Jacksonville Beach.

Thank you again for your time and response.

While this information is not as important as a new coaching hire, some of you may find these turn of events at least somewhat interesting during a slow Nole news period.

>---------------:----:-----------------> GO NOLES!

(In cap's, bold, and highlighted for your reading pleasure)