SBNation.com User Blog: fsu44

First Annual Tomahawk Nation Award Nomination Thread

fsu44 — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:30:00 -0000

Everyone knows that the internet is serious business. And serious business deserves serious recognition. So, in the spirit of overly self-important awards shows everywhere, your editors are pleased to present the First Annual Tomahawk Nation Awards.

This is the nomination thread. You, the reader, will have the opportunity in this thread to suggest nominees for the following categories:

Story/Editorial of the Year

Comment of the Year

FanPost of the Year

Commenter of the Year

Best New Commenter

DocHoliday2 Memorial MS Paint Award

TrickNole Self-Fulfiling Prophesy Award

In order to make the final poll and be eligible for the corresponding incalculable measure of internet credibility that comes with winning a "Tommy™", someone will need to nominate a person, story, or comment for a particular category, and that nomination will need to be seconded (i.e. recommended/turned green). In the event there are too many nominees for a particular category for the polling software to handle, staff will narrow the field before publishing the final poll sometime next week.

In order to keep this thread somewhat orderly, please post nominations in the following format, with one nomination per post:

Category-Nominee.

If you can, a link to the post or comment would be helpful as well.

Have fun and good luck to all those who might be nominated!

(K-Man, pictured above, hopes to take home his first real Tommy™).

This is the nomination thread. You, the reader, will have the opportunity in this thread to suggest nominees for the following categories:

Story/Editorial of the Year

Comment of the Year

FanPost of the Year

Commenter of the Year

Best New Commenter

DocHoliday2 Memorial MS Paint Award

TrickNole Self-Fulfiling Prophesy Award

In order to keep this thread somewhat orderly, please post nominations in the following format, with one nomination per post:

Category-Nominee.

If you can, a link to the post or comment would be helpful as well.

Have fun and good luck to all those who might be nominated!

(K-Man, pictured above, hopes to take home his first real Tommy™).

Thanks, But I'd Prefer to Stand

fsu44 — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 18:55:30 -0000

Generally, I consider myself to be a reasonably considerate individual. While I don't often take public transportation, when I do, I offer my seat to women, children, and the elderly. If I have to sneeze indoors, I do so into the crook of my elbow to help avoid spreading germs through handshakes. When I invite people into my home, I offer them a drink, let them sit in my favorite chair, and generally worry about their own comfort level before I think about my own. I even volunteer in the community and donate money to various charitable causes.But when it comes to conduct at sporting events, "society" and I cannot seem to get on the same page.

Rather than belabor my experience at Doak on Saturday, which I suspect was not uncommon amongst my vertical brethren, I decided to compile a Stander's Manifesto of sorts; a guide to assist those who might be unfamiliar with what to expect when encountering someone who is standing, cheering, stomping their feet and clapping their hands. While I don't expect to win the hearts and minds of those tethered to the cold, hard bleachers, perhaps those folks who read this will come away with a bit more appreciation for perspective of a seemingly recalcitrant Stander.

Point 1: Your Legs Are Not Broken

Unless you have some sort of medical condition that prevents you from alternatively standing and sitting for intervals of no more than 10-15 minutes (self-induced obesity doesn't count, but age might), you should probably expect that, if asked, I will politely decline to sit down while the Home Team is on Defense. Shocking, I know, but don't worry, you have plenty of other options. For starters, you could join me in standing. If that doesn't interest you, perhaps you might consider decamping to one of the many available empty seats within spitting distance of your current location. Also, if you are unhappy with your line of sight, don't forget the massive jumbotron (located above the student section). I use it on a regular basis, especially when my line of sight is impeded or sub-optimal.

Point 2: You May Be Trespassing

If you are someone who is sitting behind me (for the first and hopefully only time), who acquired his tickets in an unknown series of transactions for what I can fairly presume was less than face value, please be advised that the people who normally occupy your seats are also Standers. I know this, because we have seen each other, and high-fived or consoled each other, at nearly every game for the past six years. That's right, you have wandered your way behind enemy lines and into a bunch of season ticket holders.

Perhaps you should have sprung for more expensive tickets, rather than sitting directly adjacent to the student section, where a younger, slightly more energetic crowd tends to reside. If stadium seats are like real estate, it was probably unwise to speculatively invest in a location without any sort of homeowner's association or zoning restrictions. To carry that analogy a bit further, you might want to consider that some people, myself included, may be sitting in cheaper seats than they would prefer, in an attempt to compromise with the Priority 1 Wimbledon crowd. Anyway, welcome to my neighborhood.

Point 3: Sitting is a Catch 22

My wife has a set of pipes on her. When she stands and yells, which she does for nearly every defensive play, those in her cone of sound probably feel like they are topside on the Steve Irwin, being bombarded with noise from a Japanese-deployed LRAD. At one point, I could distinctly hear two noises in the stadium, my wife, and what I believe was a vuvuzela. The vuvuzela was louder, but only marginally so. If my wife were to yell and not stand, she would, without exaggeration, cause the people in front of us to go temporarily (and possibly permanently) deaf.

Continue reading the Manifesto after the Jump:

Point 4: Toyko Rose is in our Midst

Sitters who actively seek to curtail Standers ("Proud Sitters") are anathema. The collective effect of the Proud Standers efforts, should they to succeed, would be an erosion of home field advantage. Save the occasional big game, the fact of the matter is that Doak is nothing special when it comes to crowd noise, even without the active (and passive aggressive) attempts at sabotage. While Proud Sitters may view Standers as inconsiderate, Standers view your ilk as treasonous, half a step removed from actively supporting the away team.

At best, Proud Sitters appear selfish. Assuming they are marginally aware that one crowd induced procedure penalty or timeout has the potential to alter a drive or even the outcome of the game, they instead focus their efforts, energy and attention on making the stadium a kinder, gentler place to play for the opposing team. Unless you do not believe in home field advantage or crowd noise, there is really no debating this point. Coaches certainly believe it, otherwise teams would not bother to practice with the speakers on. And the odds-makers in Vegas believe it as well. Moving on.

Point 5: Breaking Bad

It is harder to get loud while sitting down. It's Science. I can't stomp my feet as loud, nor can I project my sound as well while seated.

Point 6: I Know You Can Do It

For whatever reason those of you who prefer to sit also seem to enjoy standing at unusual times. For example, you have no problem standing during timeouts. Perhaps this is because the bleachers are actually quite uncomfortable and are not designed to be sat on for extended periods of time. Even more curious, most chronic Sitters readily spring into action during the wave. For a stander like me, it is impossible to understand why you cannot simply take your standing "breaks" during the time when it is appropriate and helpful to stand.

Point 7: Don't Ask Me What the Score Is

As a corollary to point six, Sitters seem to have no problem missing crucial stretches of the game in order to get something to eat. I recognize that sitting for an extended period of time tends to be exhausting. If you would rather skip a crucial possession or possessions in order to re-carb without the ten minute halftime line, you shouldn't be that surprised at my lack of sympathy for your position.

Point 8: Are you Familiar With Henry Clay?

Committed sitters aren't simply interested in seeing the game. If they were, they would just stand when the person in front of them stands. Instead, they want it all; they want to sit and see the game. If a sitter was really interested in seeing the game more than they were interested in standing, the considerate thing to do would be to compromise and stand. Otherwise, the Sitter gets two things they want (sitting and seeing the game) and the Stander (who sees the game either way but wants to cheer as loudly as possible) gets nothing. Seems kind of selfish to me. In actuality, many standers would prefer to stand the entire time. Standing only while on defense while sitting on offense is actually a unilateral compromise, wherein Standers have given up 50% percent of their territory in exchange for absolutely nothing. How many more one-sided concessions can the Standers make?

Point 9: Paternalism, It's Good for You, That's Why We Call It Paternalism

While I'm a live and let live kind of a guy, standing is good for your health. I may not know you, but I don't want to see you die either. Standing strengths the leg muscles, prevents blood clots, strengthens the abdominals, is good for your back, tones your butt, and is positively correlated with reduced risk of heart disease and obesity. Sitting burns less calories than chewing a stick of gum. You are welcome.

Point 10: What is a Manifesto Without a Whimsical Solution?

If I were Athletic Director/Booster President for a day, the first thing I'd do would be to implement a standing preferred section. It makes sense for a number of reasons. The day that Doak actually institutes some type of anti-standing policy will be the day that I give up my season tickets and discontinue my booster contribution. I'll simply watch from home, as there will be no point in physically attending.

Point 11: Okay, How About a Band-Aid?

Until the Revolution occurs (which will in the age of media not only be televised, but also will be blogged, tweeted, facebooked, foursquared, and woofed) to show that Standers like myself are not unreasonable, and to reward those Proud Sitters for having the courage to examine the morally bankrupt nature of their position and the unjustified importance they tend to place upon their own personal comfort level, I am willing to offer a compromise. If asked, I will attempt to restrict my standing to the following defensive situations, provided that no one is standing in front of me:

a) non-standard, non-garbage time 1st and 2nd downs.

b) third downs.

c) fourth downs.

In exchange, I require nothing personally. You don't even need to know the difference between non-standard and standard downs, or when a game is in garbage time for this Great Compromise to apply.

However, I'm sure that the team would appreciate it if you would forget about the nachos for a few minutes and urge on the Defense with the same intensity you show when willing plucky Bobblehead Number 1 to victory. If you can do that, I can be somewhat accommodating to your personal needs. After all, I'm a generally considerate guy. Absent that, it is business as usual for this Stander.

The Shame of College Sports

fsu44 — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 18:59:03 -0000

The Shame of College Sports

Very long, must read article from Pulitzer Prize winning author Taylor Branch slamming the NCAA for its legacy of greed and feigned concern for "student-athletes".

FSU Freshman Impact: Nick O'Leary

fsu44 — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:06:08 -0000

Back in January, when Nick O'Leary committed to the Seminoles, Tomahawk Nation had this to say:

O'Leary stands 6'3" and weighs 235 lbs. Nick does everything on the football field well. He is an excellent blocker for his size. His hands are well above average, making difficult catches regularly. His athleticism is unquestioned (he has scholarship offers for multiple different sports, including lacrosse offers at elite Northeastern schools). He plays the game smart, running precise routes and separating in the seam. Great body control and balance. His agility and low center of gravity help him to get open underneath. O'Leary is a match-up nightmare for opposing defenses. He is too big for a safety and much too quick for a college linebacker. Think Dallas Clark of the Indianapolis Colts. Coach Fisher is delighted to have O'Leary aboard and he will certainly be used in a variety of formations and plays very early in his career.

O'Leary chose Florida State over offers from Florida, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Miami and Ohio State. With the exception of USC and Texas, O'Leary was offered by every major program in the country.

As you can see from the video below, that analysis would appear to be spot on.

Keeping in mind that the coaches have been fairly generous with their praise about O'Leary's practice performance, notwithstanding the staff's normally reserved approach toward players who have yet to actually contribute in game situations, there is great reason to be optimistic that O'Leary will be a significant contributor this season. But what does that mean in the context of FSU's offense? Jump to find out.

Take a look back at tight end production at FSU over the past five seasons. I've excluded marginal contributors.

		FSU Tight End Production 2006-2010

Name	Year	GP	Rec.	Yards	Yards Avg.	TD	Rec./G	Yards/G

Brandon Warren	2006/F	13	28	301	10.75	1	2.2	23.2
Bo Reiliford	2010/Jr.	13	17	198	11.65	1	1.3	15.2
Caz Piurowski	2009/Sr.	6	13	182	14	2	2.2	30.3
Charlie Graham	2007/So.	12	11	84	7.64	1	0.9	7
Bo Reiliford	2009/So.	13	11	89	8.09	2	0.8	6.8
Caz Piurowski	2008/Jr.	10	8	83	10.38	1	0.8	8.3
Caz Piurowski	2006/F	11	7	55	7.86	0	0.6	5
Charlie Graham	2006/F	8	3	42	14	0	0.4	5.3
Bo Reiliford	2008/Fr.	3	1	8	8	0	0.3	2.7

A couple of things stand out. First, Florida State has not had a true pass-catching tight end since Brandon Warren (who was a third team Freshman All American). Second, had Caz not gotten injured his senior season, he was on track for around 25 receptions and 4-5 touchdowns. This would have been far and away the most productive season out of the tight end position in the last five years, and would have been even more impressive considering Caz was shifted back and forth between offensive line and tight end during his career at Florida State. Third, under Jimbo Fisher, only one tight end has averaged more than 1.5 catches per game (Caz in his abbreviated senior season @ 2.2).

Given FSU's historical utilization of the tight end, where does O'Leary fit in? Without coverage, O'Leary appears to enter and exit his break smoothly, and catches the ball with good technique. In terms of pure pass-catching ability, he is without question the most talented player FSU has had on the roster since Brandon Warren.

With coverage, O'Leary sells the route down the pipe, gets good separation from the middle linebacker, and adjusts to make a catch on a late ball that was thrown slightly behind him. This would have been a much cleaner catch if EJ had been on time.

Of course, chemistry and timing with the Quarterback plays a role in how much a true freshman tight end or receiver is able to contribute. On balance, EJ and O'Leary seemed to have it, notwithstanding the video below.

As far as intangibles go, O'Leary appears to be an old school, hard worker. He doesn't wear gloves. During open practice, if he wasn't in the play, he was near Jimbo, listening to what he had to say. And during the water break, he took a knee on the sideline basically by himself, and appeared to be reflecting on what had happened on the field.

Bottom line, if O'Leary can stay injury free, and considering lack of a clear play maker ahead of him on the depth chart, he projects to have in the neighborhood of 20 catches and average around 12.5 yards per catch. Numbers like these would be an excellent result, and would make him a significant threat in the passing game. If he exceeds those numbers, or has a disproportionate number of his catches also result in touchdowns, he could end up being a freshman All-American. As a point of reference, 2010 Freshman All-American TE Ted Bosler (Indiana) caught 27 passes in 12 games for 407 yards (15 yards/catch) and 5 touchdowns.

Hit the poll and use the comments to discuss your projections.

Poll

How many catches will Nick O'Leary have this season?

0-5

10 votes

6-10

37 votes

11-15

150 votes

16-20

293 votes

21-25

295 votes

26+

231 votes

1016 votes | Poll has closed

FSU Fall Open Practice Discussion Part 2

fsu44 — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 13:23:19 -0000

Once you are done savoring the delicious radioactive fallout served up by the Nuclear Assassins over at Yahoo Sports, jump for some links to additional open practice video.

If you missed Tomahawk Nation's earlier "award winning" open practice coverage, click here.

Enjoy.

FSU Fall Open Practice 2011 (G5 pass break up) (via uvm44)

Chris Thompson up the Middle

EJ to Reed (10 Yd TD)

Los Williams and T. Hunter PBU

Coker to Little

FSU Fall Open Practice 2011 (Haulstead Square in TD) (via uvm44)

Coker to Abram

Haulstead Deep TD

Hopkins works on longsnapping

Jernigan offsides, Oline freeze play

Coker Slant to Greene

FSU Fall Open Practice 2011 (EJ Sprint out to Dent) (via uvm44)

G5 Endzone breakup

Dline Stunting and Getting Pressure

Bert Reed "Jet Sweep"

Jernigan Spin Move

EJ Play Action to Smith

Chris Thompson Outside Zone

Sean Powell Punting

EJ to Haggins

EJ/Freeman Zone Read

Coker throws fade to Christian Green

EJ to Pyror, another G5 Int

Various QB's Throwing Square Ins

FSU Fall Open Practice 2011 (EJ to NOL, Square Out) (via uvm44)

EJ to Little

NOL Runs over coach

Various TE Square In Work

CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF THE VIDEO!

Opinion: Tennessee Street Proposed Narrowing- Bad for Florida State Football

fsu44 — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:59:19 -0000

Every Florida State media outlet has basically beaten to death over the past few years the less than impressive attendance at Doak. If you wish to revisit the specifics of these issues in excruciating detail, read this post by our friend Andrew Carter over at the Chopping Block.

Every Florida State fan who has considered the issue probably has an opinion as to the root cause of the problem. The economy generally, disgruntled fans who were upset with the way Coach Bowden and FSU parted ways, gas prices, the improved HDTV viewing experience, lack of booze (for sale) inside the stadium, too many early games, too many games against marginal cupcakes, poor product on the field, etc. Realistically, some or all of these have contributed to the below capacity attendance.

Whichever reason you may have favored in the attendance debate, it is beyond dispute that the issue does not need to be exacerbated.

Enter the City of Tallahassee. Find out what they are doing to help supress attendance at Doak after the jump.

Apparently not content with narrowing Gaines Street from four lanes down to two lanes (creating a major problem on gamedays), the City is moving full speed ahead with plans titled "Moving Tallahassee, Cars Optional". This ~~pipedream~~, plan calls for Tennessee Street to shrink from six lanes (3 in each direction) down to four lanes (two in each direction). The additional space will be reserved for busses and bicycles. So far, there is no word on whether final plans for the Tallahassee "Mobility District" will include an air-conditioned dome, whether the City will be giving tax breaks to businesses who provide on-site shower facilities for their employees, or whether the City will be handing out complimentary gas masks to cyclists who are otherwise unwilling to suck in the bus and car exhaust as they enjoy a breezy ride down the Strip. While most metropolitan areas have looked for ways to alleviate traffic congestion, Tallahassee should be given credit for their decision to boldly venture in the opposite direction.

For those of you who may be driving into games (or even work) from the west, your travel time and costs will increase. For those of you trying to exit Tallahassee after a night game, you have my deepest sympathy, and a reminder of the location of Tallahassee's Red Light Cameras, at least one of which you will certainly encounter and probably violate as the game day traffic backs up through the intersection.

Fortunately for Florida State fans, the Tennessee Street Shrinkage is not a done deal.

A meeting is being conducted on Thursday, July 28th, 2011 from 3:30 to 7:30 at the Renaissance Center, 2nd Floor Conference Room, 435 N. Macomb Street. If you cannot make the meeting, or if you plan on attending but simply enjoy flexing your civic rights, the contact information for the City and providing feedback is as follows:

Cherie.Horne@talgov.com

(850) 891-6400

See you (maybe) at Doak this fall!

The Final Word on the Greg Reid Hit

fsu44 — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 22:07:59 -0000

For most FSU fans, the only thing worse than the 14 point swing that resulted from the interception nullifying personal foul called on Greg Reid was the reaction from the ACC coordinator of officials, Doug Rhoads, who took the position when asked that the hit was illegal.

Re-watch the hit after the jump, then dive into the ambiguous world of the NCAA as we try to answer the following questions:

1)What were the officials thinking?

and

2) What can be done to protect the safety of the players without turning football into soccer?

Greg Reid puts the MUSH on Maryland WR (via csmithfsu)

After re-watching the video (over and over again), and reading the NCAA rulebook, points of emphasis, and supplements to the Rule, here is what I've come up with:

A) The receiver was technically "defenseless" as that term is explained in the points of emphasis. (A "pass receiver" whose "concentration is on the ball" is defined as "defenseless"). See p. 11, NCAA 2009-2010 Football Rules.

B) The way I read the Rule, contact must be "targeted" and "initiated" "above the shoulders". See p. 236 (Rule 9-1-3) NCAA 2009-2010 Football Rules

Receiver A83 has just leaped and received a forward pass. As A83 is about to regain his balance, B45 launches and drives into A83 above the shoulder area with his helmet or shoulder.

RULING: Foul by B45 for targeting and initiating contact with a defenseless opponent above the shoulders. Ejection for a flagrant foul.

(bold emphasis supplied).

C) Unless you look like Babe Ruth, the only major body parts which are above the shoulders are the neck and the head.

D) Without getting too legalistic, there are certain principles of "statutory construction" which inform interpretation of statutes or rules. First, words are not placed in a rule to be redundant. Thus, "targeting" would seem to invoke an element of intent/attempt (mens rea), whereas initiating would appear to invoke the concept of succeeding in that attempt (actus reus). Second, an interpretation that would produce an absurd or unjust result should be avoided, in the face of an equally plausible interpretation that does not produce an absurd or unjust result. Finally, statutes or rules, to the extent that might have more than one interpretation, are considered in relation to the other rules that make up part of that same scheme, so that the rules, when read together, are logically consistent. For our purposes, this means that the Rule related to leading with the crown of the helmet and other rules related to intentional contact versus unintentional contact.

E) Given that we are dealing with the NCAA, whose rules are being implemented by equally, if not more incompetent minions (the ACC), it appears as though someone wisely decided that Rule 9-1-3 might be confusing to an official, who might be unsure which parts of the body were "above the shoulders." See paragraph C above. Accordingly, the NCAA issued a statement which "clarified" that rule. See p. 1 NCAA Rules Committee Action Report for 2010.

Strengthening Of Existing Rules Regarding Targeting and Initiating Contact
Editorial clarification for 2010: Current Rule 9-1-3 replaced by 9-1-3- and 9-1-4, as follows:

Targeting/Initiating Contact with Crown of the Helmet
ARTICLE 3.

No player shall target and initiate contact against an opponent with the crown (top) of his helmet. When in question, it is a foul.

PENALTY—Personal foul. 15 yards. For dead-ball fouls, 15 yards from the succeeding spot. Also, automatic first down for Team B fouls if not in conflict with other rules. (Exception: Penalties for Team A personal fouls behind the neutral zone are enforced from the previous spot. Safety if the foul occurs behind Team A’s goal line) [S7, S24, S34, S38, S39, S40, S41, S45 or S46]. Flagrant offenders shall be disqualified [S47]. For Team A fouls during free or scrimmage kick plays: Enforcement may be at the previous spot or the spot where the subsequent dead ball belongs to Team B (field-goal plays exempted) (Rules 6-1-8 and 6-3-13).

Defenseless Player: Contact to Head or Neck Area
ARTICLE 4

No player shall target and initiate contact to the head or neck area of a defenseless opponent with the helmet, forearm, elbow or shoulder. When in question, it is a foul. (See Points of Emphasis for a description of "Defenseless Player.")

(bold emphasis supplied).

F) So, reading the plain language of Rule 9-1-3, as revised by the 2010 Rules Committee clarification, I come up with the following conclusion. In order to violate the rule, and be justifiably penalized, a player must intentionally and successfully strike a blow to the neck or head of a receiver who is focused on the act of catching. But more importantly, that blow must be the primary point of impact, not an incidental or secondary consequence of an otherwise legal hit. Here, it seems that the player's head snapped back, but as Jimbo Fisher pointed out today in his press conference, that was not the result of being hit in the head.

G) Any other construction of the Rule, i.e. that any hit which involves secondary or incidental contact with the neck or helmet of an opposing player is illegal, would serve to penalize players for circumstances beyond their control, and would therefore eviscerate the "targeting" (intent) requirement of the rule. The point of the rule is to deter players from taking headshots/neckshots at players who cannot defend themselves, not to penalize the unintended contact resulting from an otherwise legal hit. Furthermore, it would be inconsistent with the "statutory scheme" (the remainder of the rules) which consider incidental contact to be an exception to actions which are otherwise penalized, e.g. Pass Interference (Rule 7-3-8), Chop Block (Rule 9-1-2).

Conclusion: The call on Greg Reid was wrong, although it is easy to see why in real time, based upon the text of the rule which requires the officials err on the side of calling the play a penalty , the referee threw the flag.

Solution: Make all calls that involve personal fouls for hitting defenseless receivers immediately reviewable. Let the official throw the flag, and let the booth, with the benefit of instant replay, make the decision as to whether the hit was clean. Actually, this might be one of the easier things to decide on replay, since the slow-mo does a better good job of demonstrating the primary point of impact.

Post-Script: There is supposed to be video review by the conference of any Rule 9-1-3 violations that do not result in an ejection. See Rules, p. 135. I suspect that the Reid hit will be reviewed, and there will be no further action taken, nor will there be any retraction from the ACC associated with the comments made by its officiating director. I will consider this conspicuous silence to be an admission that my interpretation of the Rule is correct, and that there should not have been a flag associated with the incidental helmet contact on the play.

See Initiating Contact/Targeting an Opponent

ARTICLE 2.

When there is a foul called for initiating contact/targeting an opponent (Rule 9-1-3) that does not result in a player disqualification, there shall automatically be a video review by the conference for possible
additional sanctions prior to the next scheduled game.

An Open Letter to Coach Vic

fsu44 — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 23:24:09 -0000

[Editor's Note: This letter is intended to be funny and is not serious. Except that obviously we never advocate anyone being kicked in the testicles.]

Dear Coach Viloria,

I am writing you to discuss the safety of one of the most important assets on the 2010 Florida State Football Team. That asset is kicker Dustin Hopkins

You may not be aware of this, but Dustin Hopkins first career field goal was a 52 yard attempt, in his very first college game, against Miami. Hopkins made that kick, and also converted on a 45 yard attempt. While FSU lost that game on a last second drop by Jarmon Fortson, most Seminole fans left that game confident they had a special kicker on their hands who would go on to be a star.

Fast forward to November 13, 2010. Despite missing two critical kicks in the North Carolina game the prior week, Head Coach Jimbo Fisher never lost confidence in Dustin Hopkins. That confidence was justified, as Hopkins converted on all 3 field goal attempts against Clemson, including a historic 55 yard walk off field goal.

As a man who values physical contact and aggression, you'd probably agree that there are two positions in sports which seem to attract a certain brand of oddball. Hockey goalie and field goal kicker. For whatever reason, these positions seem to have more than their fair share of guys who, for lack of a more precise way to explain it, are just plain weird. Perhaps it takes a certain kind of mental makeup (headcase) to decide that you'd rather stick your body in front of a 100 mph slapshot rather than shoot one off your own stick, or that you'd like to play football while avoiding as much physical contact as possible.

While Hopkins doesn't appear to suffer from these personality deficiencies, he does have at least one problem, which if left unchecked, might cause of a serious problem for the Seminole offense.

Here at Tomahawk Nation, we've highlighted the impressive size gains made under your watchful eye.

via assets.sbnation.com

Beyond hard gains facilitated by the implementation of the Hatch System, it appears you have already developed quite the rapport with your players. As confirmed in the video below, Dustin Hopkins has been known to get pumped up by asking you to smack him around a bit.

FSU player Dustin Hopkins gets slapped (via xfycnxwarrior)

Coach, I'm writing to remind you that the internet never forgets. After the jump, feel free to watch the video and refresh your recollection.

As promised, here is a link to the video:

Coach Vic Punches People in the Face

I've watched this video at least four times (three of which were to confirm that it was you in the video), and my junk still hurts vicariously. Despite the acting job done by the meth-fueled karate guys, it is pretty apparent that you can hit people really freaking hard.

So please Coach Viloria, no matter what Dustin asks you to do, it is not okay to blindfold him and punch him in the face. Nor is it okay to let Punter Sean Powell kick Dustin in the groin. To the best of my knowledge, Dustin is not a karate master, and Florida State would be at a significant disadvantage for the remainder of the season were he to be lost to a motivational accident.

Very Truly Yours,

FSU44

PS- Trading in the red pants for your signature black t-shirt/towel was an excellent decision.

Florida State Responds; Defeats BYU 34-10

fsu44 — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 13:44:30 -0000

After a poor performance against Oklahoma on both sides of the ball, Florida State got back to basics against BYU. Florida State rushed for 278 yards on 44 attempts. Redshirt freshman Henry Orelus started for Andrew Datko who was out with a shoulder injury. Orelus did a decent job as the Noles managed to run for 6.3 yards a carry. The ground game got a strong effort from Ty Jones (15 carries/95 yards) and Christian Ponder (13 carries/50 yards), with Chris Thompson (9 carries/123 yards) showing why he was rated as one of the biggest home run threats in the country during his senior high school season. The bulk of Thompson's rushing yards came on two carries, an 83 yard burst sprung by a great block from fullback Lonnie Pyror, and a 31 yard scamper (with a personal foul tacking on an additional 15 yards to that play).

The real story was the defense, which managed to hold BYU to only 191 total yards (sack yards lost, -61). BYU abandoned the two quarterback platoon system fairly early in the game, going exclusively with Freshman Jake Heaps. Heaps was unable to get much going in the air, and the FSU defense appeared to show the benefits of the improved off-season strength and conditioning program, especially in the second half, where they consistently applied pressure. FSU's defense was able to leverage the down and distance, with BYU converting on just 4 of 15 third downs. Frankly, BYU's line looked slow, fat, and out of shape, and had the officials not decided to swallow their whistles, BYU's offense might have looked even worse, as they consistently held the Florida State front four in an effort to protect their young quarterback. Even with the many called and uncalled infractions, FSU recorded 8 sacks against BYU, a team that had yet to give up one sack coming into the game.

Despite a fumble by Bert Reed inside the red zone, Florida State won the turnover battle 2-1. The FSU defensive line forced and recovered a fumble, and Xaiver Rhodes picked off a pass after a nice play by JuCo transfer Mike Harris to tip the ball.

This was a solid win over a quality opponent, but don't expect Jimbo Fisher and the Noles to be satisfied. The passing game struggled for the most part, and despite adequate protection, Ponder was mostly unable to fine anyone open down the field.

Ultimate Bowl Tour

fsu44 — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 11:42:26 -0000

Ultimate Bowl Tour

Pretty awesome contest.

Win tickets, hotel accommodations, and private jet travel for you and 3 of your friends (or better yet, you, two of your friends, and your favorite Tomahawk Nation editor whose eternal debt you are in for his having brought this contest to your attention) to all 5 BCS bowl games, courtesy of Cooper Tires.

Ponder Pre-Season Heisman Watch: Will a 2008 FSU Receiving Redux Hurt His Chances?

fsu44 — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 18:51:23 -0000

While many of us at Tomahawk Nation like to look at advanced metrics of performance, and the QB position is no exception, many Heisman trophy voters have never even heard of a statistic like yards per attempt. When considering quarterback performance, their vote is going to be based upon several things: hype/highlight reel type plays, team record, school stature, passing yards, touchdowns, and td/int ratio.

There is little dispute that Ponder has the tools to become Florida State's third Heisman Trophy winning quarterback.

Christian Ponder Highlights (via bzotheman)

Florida State finished the 2009 season with 3523 receiving yards, an improvement of over 1,000 yards from 2008 on just 50 more attempts. While much of this increased production can be attributed to the explosive, accurate play of Christian Ponder (pre-injury), the experience and depth of the 2009 receivers far surpassed what Ponder had to work with in 2008.

With the dismissal of Jarmon Fortson, and the departures of Rod Owens and Richard Goodman, certain parallels have emerged between the 2010 Seminole receivers and the 2008 group. Will this drag down Ponder's Heisman campaign?

Come explore, starting with the conclusion of the 2007 season, after the jump...

2007 FSU Receiving Statistics (courtesy of www.cfbstats.com)

	Name	Yr	Pos	G	Rec.	Yards	Avg.	TD	Rec./G	Yards/G
1	Greg Carr	JR	WR	12	45	795	17.67	4	3.8	66.3
2	Preston Parker	SO	WR	13	62	791	12.76	3	4.8	60.8
3	~~De'Cody Fagg~~	SR	WR	13	54	~~758~~	~~14.04~~	5	~~4.2~~	~~58.3~~
4	Antone Smith	JR	RB	12	22	203	9.23	0	1.8	16.9
5	~~Richard Goodman~~	JR	WR	9	20	~~184~~	~~9.20~~	2	~~2.2~~	~~20.4~~
6	~~Joslin Shaw~~	SR	WR	8	15	~~113~~	~~7.53~~	0	~~1.9~~	~~14.1~~
7	~~Charlie Graham~~	SO	TE	12	11	84	~~7.64~~	1	~~0.9~~	~~7.0~~
8	Caz Piurowski	SO	OL	9	5	57	11.40	0	0.6	6.3
9	Rod Owens	SO	WR	11	6	55	9.17	0	0.5	5.0
10	Marcus Sims	SO	RB	4	5	43	8.60	0	1.3	10.8
11	Damon McDaniel	SO	WR	6	4	35	8.75	0	0.7	5.8
12	~~Russell Ball~~	SO	RB	3	2	20	~~10.00~~	0	~~0.7~~	~~6.7~~
13	Seddrick Holloway	SO	RB	13	2	3	1.50	0	0.2	0.2
14	Jamaal Edwards	JR	RB	9	3	2	0.67	0	0.3	0.2
	Total			13	256	3143	12.28	15	19.7	241.8

With the departure of Fagg,

De'Cody Fagg Highlights (via Qpsijoker3)

dismissal of McDaniel, graduation of Shaw, and medical redshirt for Goodman, questions about the depth of the receiving corps abounded following the 2007 season. Popular speculation at the time posited that Preston Parker and Greg Carr were poised to pick up the slack and break out to have dual 1,000 yard seasons.

As it turned out, neither Carr nor Parker matched their 2007 levels of productivity. For Carr, perhaps it was the transition away from the jump ball passing attack favored by Jeff Bowden. For Parker, maybe he was too busy with the sticky icky. Whatever the reasons, their production totals declined substantially, with Carr amassing roughly 300 yards less in 2008, and with Parker on pace for a similar 300+ yard drop in production (had he played a complete season). Had FSU fans known that the production would drop from Carr and Parker, their cause for concern would have even been greater.

Fortunately, the 2008 season was one which saw significant contribution from true freshman, Bert Reed (322) and Taiwan Easterling (295), and to a lesser extent, Jarmon Fortson (137). Newcommer and JuCo Transfer Corey Surrency pitched in with 237 yards.

2008 FSU Receiving Statistics (courtesy of www. cfbstats.com) (significant newcommer contributions in bold).

	Name	Yr	Pos	G	Rec.	Yards	Avg.	TD	Rec./G	Yards/G
1	Greg Carr	SR	WR	13	39	542	13.90	4	3.0	41.7
2	Preston Parker	JR	WR	10	40	372	9.30	2	4.0	37.2
3	Taiwan Easterling	FR	WR	12	30	322	10.73	1	2.5	26.8
4	Bert Reed	FR	WR	10	23	295	12.83	3	2.3	29.5
5	Corey Surrency	JR	WR	12	12	237	19.75	4	1.0	19.8
6	Rod Owens	JR	WR	13	15	183	12.20	0	1.2	14.1
7	Jarmon Fortson	FR	WR	11	8	137	17.13	1	0.7	12.5
8	Antone Smith	SR	RB	13	10	101	10.10	1	0.8	7.8
9	Caz Piurowski	JR	TE	10	8	83	10.38	1	0.8	8.3
10	Cameron Wade	FR	WR	5	3	59	19.67	0	0.6	11.8
11	Jermaine Thomas	FR	RB	12	6	48	8.00	0	0.5	4.0
12	Marcus Sims	JR	RB	9	8	45	5.63	0	0.9	5.0
13	Louis Givens	SO	WR	11	4	44	11.00	0	0.4	4.0
14	Josh Dobbie	SR	TE	5	1	14	14.00	0	0.2	2.8
15	Joe Surratt	SR	RB	4	1	11	11.00	0	0.3	2.8
16	Bo Reliford	FR	TE	3	1	8	8.00	0	0.3	2.7
17	Seddrick Holloway	JR	RB	11	2	5	2.50	1	0.2	0.5
	Total			13	211	2506	11.88	18	16.2	192.8

However, between the extremely young offensive line, the lack of experienced playmakers (and seeming regression of Carr and Parker), and a switch to the more mobile but less experienced Ponder, FSU for the first time in recent memory became a team whose yards were spread nearly evenly between the run and the pass. FSU's receiving yards dropped below 3,000 for the first time since 2004.

If you've been following along at home, you've probably started to notice some parallel story lines at the wide receiver position.

The 2008 FSU squad lost Fagg (758) to graduation, Goodman to injury (184), and got substantially reduced production from Carr/Parker and Antone Smith (700 fewer yards combined), for a total of 1,642 yards "lost". The 2008 WR's returned approximately 130 yds/game of receiving. Despite meaningful contributions from Reed, Easterling, Fortson and Surrency, FSU's passing attempts dropped off (from 466 to 387), and FSU was only able to replace roughly 1,000 of those "lost" receiving yards.

For this season, FSU loses Owens (729) Goodman (355) and Piurowski (182) to graduation (although he was gone most of last season anyway due to injury), and Fortson (610) for repeated violations team rules, Sharia law, and basic human decency. Between those four, that makes 1,876 receiving yards "lost." The 2010 receivers return approximately 90 receiving yards/game.

2009 FSU Receiving Statistics (courtesy of www. cfbstats.com).

Name	Yr	Pos	G	Rec.	Yards	Avg.	TD	Rec./G	Yards/G
1	~~Rod Owens~~	SR	WR	13	61	~~729~~	~~11.95~~	3	~~4.7~~	~~56.1~~
2	Bert Reed	SO	WR	13	60	711	11.85	0	4.6	54.7
3	~~Jarmon Fortson~~	SO	WR	13	45	~~610~~	~~13.56~~	4	~~3.5~~	~~46.9~~
4	Taiwan Easterling	SO	WR	13	35	442	12.63	2	2.7	34.0
5	~~Richard Goodman~~	SR	WR	8	27	~~355~~	~~13.15~~	1	~~3.4~~	~~44.4~~
6	~~Caz Piurowski~~	SR	TE	6	13	~~182~~	~~14.00~~	2	~~2.2~~	~~30.3~~
7	Lonnie Pryor	FR	RB	13	10	132	13.20	1	0.8	10.2
8	Jermaine Thomas	SO	RB	13	17	129	7.59	1	1.3	9.9
9	Beau Reliford	SO	TE	13	11	89	8.09	2	0.8	6.8
10	~~Louis Givens~~	SR	WR	12	7	78	~~11.14~~	0	~~0.6~~	~~6.5~~
11	Ty Jones	SO	RB	6	5	35	7.00	0	0.8	5.8
12	Chris Thompson	FR	RB	11	2	10	5.00	0	0.2	0.9
13	Willie Haulstead	FR	WR	13	1	10	10.00	0	0.1	0.8
14	Rodney Smith	FR	WR	7	1	7	7.00	0	0.1	1.0
15	Ja'Baris Little	SO	TE	8	1	4	4.00	0	0.1	0.5
	Total			13	296	3523	11.90	16	22.8	271.0

More jarring, FSU's returning receivers combined for just 2 touchdown catches all of last season (Easterling had both). By comparison, FSU's returning receivers in 2008 combined for 7 touchdown passes (Carr 4, Parker 3). For an offense that put up 3500+ receiving yards to have only posted 16 receiving touchdowns (and only be returning WR's/TE's with 4 combined touchdown catches) seems low. Checking the stats, that speculation appears to be confirmed.

Here is a list of teams who accumulated between 3300 and 3700 yards (an arbitrary sweet spot based upon the Noles' performance) passing in 2009. Number of passing touchdowns is in bold. As you can see, FSU was dead last in passing touchdowns among this group. The average was 25.5 passing touchdowns. If this chart had been sorted by passing touchdowns, FSU would have ranked 71st nationally (FSU was 20th nationally in rushing TD's with 27).

Rank by total passing yards Passing TD's (courtesty of www.cfbstats.com)

10	Oklahoma	13	519	300	57.8	3760	7.2	15	28	130.68	39.9	289.2
11	Idaho	13	396	240	60.6	3727	9.4	15	28	155.42	30.5	286.7
12	Northwestern	13	531	342	64.4	3725	7.0	14	20	130.50	40.8	286.5
13	Kansas	12	506	320	63.2	3724	7.4	10	22	135.46	42.2	310.3
14	Missouri	13	467	274	58.7	3711	7.9	11	26	139.08	35.9	285.5
15	Boise State	14	458	294	64.2	3698	8.1	3	40	159.52	32.7	264.1
16	SMU	13	472	286	60.6	3666	7.8	14	22	135.28	36.3	282.0
17	Texas A&M	13	509	302	59.3	3661	7.2	8	30	136.06	39.2	281.6
18	Duke	12	501	308	61.5	3660	7.3	10	24	134.66	41.8	305.0
19	BYU	13	419	282	67.3	3657	8.7	14	34	160.72	32.2	281.3
20	Central Michigan	14	478	329	68.8	3577	7.5	9	28	147.25	34.1	255.5
21	Florida State	13	437	296	67.7	3523	8.1	13	16	141.59	33.6	271.0
22	Oregon State	13	478	319	66.7	3520	7.4	7	23	141.55	36.8	270.8
23	Michigan State	13	423	251	59.3	3502	8.3	12	28	145.05	32.5	269.4
24	Miami (Florida)	13	416	246	59.1	3405	8.2	17	25	139.55	32.0	261.9
25	Florida Atlantic	12	445	257	57.8	3356	7.5	7	26	137.23	37.1	279.7
26	Toledo	12	444	270	60.8	3337	7.5	16	21	132.34	37.0	278.1
27	UTEP	12	421	228	54.2	3309	7.9	13	17	127.33	35.1	275.8
28	Western Michigan	12	528	317	60.0	3306	6.3	14	24	122.33	44.0	275.5
29	Florida	14	364	249	68.4	3305	9.1	5	28	167.31	26.0	236.1

Whether it was a philosophical issue, whether it was memories of Fortson dropping the game winning TD against Miami in the endzone (we can all stop pretending it wasn't his fault entirely), whether it was confidence in the running game, or whether it was simply a case of guys getting tackled inside the five yard line, FSU's productive passing attack did not amass touchdowns the way one might have otherwise expected.

To sum up, FSU by at least two very common (albeit statistically simple and somewhat imprecise) measures of returning receiving productivity (yards lost to attrition and returning touchdowns), is arguably worse off than they were headed into 2008. On a team that projects to be between 7-9 regular season wins, 3,000 yards passing and a handful of touchdown passes isn't going to dazzle the Heisman voters.

However, don't switch your kool-aid out for a K-Man approved, sugar-free beverage just yet. There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the receivers, and by extension, Ponder's candidacy.

First, all reasonable expectations have the quarterback play (and the offensive line play) as strengths of this team. There is no need to rehash in this article the expectations for Ponder and Manuel, or for the offensive line. This could not be said about the 2008 squad, when FSU broke in both a young quarterback and an equally young line, getting away from the passing game in the process. The yardage regression is perhaps explainable by these factors alone.

Second, FSU's sophomore receivers, Haulstead and Smith, appear to be showing as much or greater promise than their 2008 dopplegangers (true freshman Fortson, RS freshman Reed & Easterling). Their measurables alone suggest there is no doubt they are physically ready to contribute.

Third, expectations for FSU's incoming freshman wide receiver class are high. Even with De'Joshua Johnson failing to qualify, the 2010 class has the most talent and depth in years. Reports out of camp include significant weight gain by Kenny Shaw, a player who many people believe would be capable of seeing significant playing time if he could add the requisite good weight.

So, will FSU experience a drop in productivity similar to the one experienced in the 2008 season (derailing Ponder's nascent Heisman hopes in the process), or is the comparison unwarranted? Share your reactions in the comments section.

Unofficial 2010 Spring Game Tailgating Thread

fsu44 — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 21:29:53 -0000

“We tell our players, ‘Let’s take Doak back,’” Fisher said. “To take Doak back, we need you. We need to fill the stadium up. We’re going to do our part and you’re going to be proud of the group that’s out there. Let’s do it together. …

“The spring game has never been a big deal around here as much as it has in some other places. I don’t like to read that this stadium has 80,000, 60,000 and 70,000 at their spring game. Why can’t we? Why can’t we come support them?”

--------

The stated public goal is 50k attendance. Per Seminoles.com, parking lots open at 10 a.m. Parking is first come, first served.

--------

So, whose coming to the Spring Game and what are your tailgating plans?

----

PS-

I figure if enough people are interested, we can get a group buy on the:

Carnivore

I'm guessing it doesn't come with the girl in the last picture, but maybe we could ditch the flames and hook up a custom TomahawkNation paint job. I'm down for a 1/25th fractional ownership interest.

--------

The stated public goal is 50k attendance. Per Seminoles.com, parking lots open at 10 a.m. Parking is first come, first served.

--------

So, whose coming to the Spring Game and what are your tailgating plans?

----

PS-

I figure if enough people are interested, we can get a group buy on the:

Carnivore

I'm guessing it doesn't come with the girl in the last picture, but maybe we could ditch the flames and hook up a custom TomahawkNation paint job. I'm down for a 1/25th fractional ownership interest.

FSU Checks in at No.17 in ESPN Preseason Top 25 for 2010

fsu44 — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:09:16 -0000

FSU Checks in at No.17 in ESPN Preseason Top 25 for 2010

FSU moves up in this latest set of rankings on the strength of its signing class.

As our loyal readers know, we have been preaching about smarter scheduling for quite some time.

As a supplement to those arguments, this latest ESPN Top 25 includes the following Florida State opponents:

UF- No. 10
Oklahoma- No. 11
UNC- No. 18
Miami- No. 23
BYU- No. 25

Clemson, while not ranked, is conspicuously absent.

Also, VT is at No. 5 and GT is at No. 24, and the road to the ACC title probably runs through one of these two schools.

Adjust your expectations accordingly.

Free Florida State Baseball Fan Day

fsu44 — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:15:36 -0000

Free Florida State Baseball Fan Day

Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

FREE ADMISSION

Activities at Fan Day include:
10:30 a.m. - Picnic In The Park - featuring Build your own Fajita Bar
11:00 a.m. - Autograph session with players and coaches in Haggard Plaza
11:00 a.m. - Kids Speed Pitch (throw three balls for $1)
11:00 a.m. - Kids Laps Around the Bases
11:00 a.m. - Kids Play Catch in the Outfield (must bring own ball and glove)
1:00 p.m. - Player stretching/Batting practice
2:30 p.m. - Full team scrimmage

Karl Hess is Off My Christmas Card List

fsu44 — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:29:44 -0000

First, take a quick look at this article from NCAA Basketball Fanhouse on points of emphasis in the ACC this season.

To sum it up, the article specifically focuses on the zero-tolerance policy for taunting, and in a supreme twist of irony, features comments from none other than Grievez Vasquez, who the author hilariously describes as the player "informally picked as the player most constrained by the new [taunting] rule."

Later in that same article, the author discusses the implementation of the blocking-charging area (akin to the NBA halo).

So, did you skim the article above? Or even open it and close it quickly? Congrats, I suspect you know more about what the ACC officials are supposed to be focusing on than Karl Hess and his crew. Hess has reputation for interjecting himself into games, so much so that ESPN announcers have taken specific on-air exception with his officiating style. Here is a video, and no, I didn't make up the title.

McDonagh, Raftery, and Bilas agree Karl Hess sucks (via coniel)

To be sure, Hess didn't lose the game for Florida State. However, he certainly flexed his "muscles" and flashed his ego, yet again, at the most critical and inappropriate of times. While perhaps creating temporary satisfaction for some of the student section, the projectiles hurled at Hess & company at the end of the game will be something he will carry with him and hold against FSU every time he comes back to Tallahassee.

First, take a quick look at this article from NCAA Basketball Fanhouse on points of emphasis in the ACC this season.

Later in that same article, the author discusses the implementation of the blocking-charging area (akin to the NBA halo).

McDonagh, Raftery, and Bilas agree Karl Hess sucks (via coniel)

Entirely Too Early Redshirt Projection Thread

fsu44 — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:03:15 -0000

As has been previously alluded to by MattDNole, its post-signing day hangover time. While I'm sure our crackerjack recruiting staff is already hard at work on our 2011 Big Board, the rest of us have an intolerable wait until Spring Practice ramps up.

To that end, here is the Signee chart, courtesy of Seminoles.com. I've put my off-the-cuff redshirt projections into the chart, indicated with a (R) next to the player name.

Please post your projections and comments below, and we can revisit as the offseason progresses:

Signed Time	Name	Ht, Wt, Position	Hometown (High School)
4:36 pm	Christian Green (R)	6-2, 200, WR	Tampa, FL (Tampa Catholic)
4:29 pm	Nigel Terrell	6-2, 215, LB	Pelham, AL (Pelham)
1:13 pm	Christian Jones	6-3, 225, LB	Winter Park, FL (Lake Howell)
1:03 pm	Telvin Smith	6-3, 205, LB	Valdosta, GA (Lowndes County)
12:46 pm	Tank Sessions (R)	6-5, 230, TE	Decatur, GA (Columbia)
12:16 pm	Bjoern Werner	6-4, 264, DE	Salisbury, CT (Salisbury School)
11:58 am	Kenny Shaw (R)	6-0, 160, WR	Orlando, FL (Dr. Phillips)
11:19 am	Mike Harris	6-0, 185, CB	Miami, FL (EL Camino CC/South Miami)
11:19 am	Damien Jacobs (R)	6-3, 294, DT	Houma, LA (H.L Bourgeois)
11:19 am	Lamarcus Joyner	5-8, 175, CB	Ft. Lauderdale, FL (St. Thomas Aquinas)
10:49am	Darious Cummings	6-3, 267, DL	Titusville, FL (Astronaut)
10:41am	Cameron Erving (R)	6-5, 290, DT	Moultrie, GA (Colquitt County)
9:56am	Terrence Brooks	5-10, 180, CB	Dunnellon, FL (Dunnellon)
9:56am	Holmes Onwukaife (R)	6-3, 230, LB	Cedar Park, TX (Cedar Park)
9:41am	De'Joshua Johnson (R)	5-11, 150, WR	Pahokee, FL (Pahokee)
9:25am	Will Tye (R)	6-3, 230, TE	Salisbury, CT (Salisbury School)
8:55am	Greg Dent	6-0, 190, WR	Belle Glade, FL (Glades Central)
8:38am	Dan Foose (R)	6-6, 295, OL	Paramus, NJ (Paramus Catholic)
7:32am	Chad Abram	6-0, 190, S	Lakeland, FL (Kathleen)
7:09am	Jarred Haggins	6-0, 185, WR	Lakeland, FL (Lakeland)
*	Jeff Luc	6-1, 230, LB	Port St. Lucie, FL (Treasure Coast)
*	Anthony McCloud	6-3, 295, DT	Thomasville, GA (Itawamba CC, Thomas County)
*	Debrale Smiley	6-0, 235, RB	Thomasville, GA (Itawamba CC, Thomas County)
*	Clint Trickett (R)	6-2, 175, QB	Tallahassee, FL (North Florida Christian)

To that end, here is the Signee chart, courtesy of Seminoles.com. I've put my off-the-cuff redshirt projections into the chart, indicated with a (R) next to the player name.

Please post your projections and comments below, and we can revisit as the offseason progresses:

Signed Time	Name	Ht, Wt, Position	Hometown (High School)
4:36 pm	Christian Green (R)	6-2, 200, WR	Tampa, FL (Tampa Catholic)
4:29 pm	Nigel Terrell	6-2, 215, LB	Pelham, AL (Pelham)
1:13 pm	Christian Jones	6-3, 225, LB	Winter Park, FL (Lake Howell)
1:03 pm	Telvin Smith	6-3, 205, LB	Valdosta, GA (Lowndes County)
12:46 pm	Tank Sessions (R)	6-5, 230, TE	Decatur, GA (Columbia)
12:16 pm	Bjoern Werner	6-4, 264, DE	Salisbury, CT (Salisbury School)
11:58 am	Kenny Shaw (R)	6-0, 160, WR	Orlando, FL (Dr. Phillips)
11:19 am	Mike Harris	6-0, 185, CB	Miami, FL (EL Camino CC/South Miami)
11:19 am	Damien Jacobs (R)	6-3, 294, DT	Houma, LA (H.L Bourgeois)
11:19 am	Lamarcus Joyner	5-8, 175, CB	Ft. Lauderdale, FL (St. Thomas Aquinas)
10:49am	Darious Cummings	6-3, 267, DL	Titusville, FL (Astronaut)
10:41am	Cameron Erving (R)	6-5, 290, DT	Moultrie, GA (Colquitt County)
9:56am	Terrence Brooks	5-10, 180, CB	Dunnellon, FL (Dunnellon)
9:56am	Holmes Onwukaife (R)	6-3, 230, LB	Cedar Park, TX (Cedar Park)
9:41am	De'Joshua Johnson (R)	5-11, 150, WR	Pahokee, FL (Pahokee)
9:25am	Will Tye (R)	6-3, 230, TE	Salisbury, CT (Salisbury School)
8:55am	Greg Dent	6-0, 190, WR	Belle Glade, FL (Glades Central)
8:38am	Dan Foose (R)	6-6, 295, OL	Paramus, NJ (Paramus Catholic)
7:32am	Chad Abram	6-0, 190, S	Lakeland, FL (Kathleen)
7:09am	Jarred Haggins	6-0, 185, WR	Lakeland, FL (Lakeland)
*	Jeff Luc	6-1, 230, LB	Port St. Lucie, FL (Treasure Coast)
*	Anthony McCloud	6-3, 295, DT	Thomasville, GA (Itawamba CC, Thomas County)
*	Debrale Smiley	6-0, 235, RB	Thomasville, GA (Itawamba CC, Thomas County)
*	Clint Trickett (R)	6-2, 175, QB	Tallahassee, FL (North Florida Christian)

ESPN Mock Draft has Alabi going 14th (Final Lottery Pick)

fsu44 — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:19:14 -0000

ESPN Mock Draft has Alabi going 14th (Final Lottery Pick)

Tallahassee Democrat Reporting that NCAA has denied Florida State's Appeal

fsu44 — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:49:26 -0000

Tallahassee Democrat Reporting that NCAA has denied Florida State's Appeal

Florida State 2009 Kicking Game Recap: The Hangover?

fsu44 — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:21:34 -0000

via cdn.bleacherreport.com

You guys might not know this, but I consider myself a bit of a loner. I tend to think of myself as a one-man wolf pack. But when coach brought Dustin home, I knew he was one of my own. And my wolf pack... it grew by one. So there... there were two of us in the wolf pack... I was alone first in the pack, and then Dustin joined in later. And six months ago, when Dustin introduced me to you guys, I thought, "Wait a second, could it be?" And now I know for sure, I just added two more guys to my wolf pack. Four of us wolves, running around the panhandle together, in Tallahassee, looking for field goals and touchbacks. So tonight, I make a toast! -

Phil the Foot, Pre-National Signing Day, 2009

With sincere apologies to Zach Galifianakis, Florida State's kicking game in 2008 truly was a one man wolfpack, and the sole and managing member of that pack was Graham Gano . In fact, Gano was first player in Bobby Bowden's tenture at FSU to handle the starting punting, place kicking, and kickoff duties in the same season, and became the only player in school history to make more than 90% of his field goal attempts.

Gano with his trophy, via www.grahamgano.com

At the conclusion of last season, TomahawkNation broke down the numbers and opined as to what the departure of 2008 Lou Groza Award Winner Graham Gano might mean for the 2009 Seminoles.

To summarize, that article made a couple of predictions concerning the Seminoles' Kicking Game in 2009:

A) FSU will work to limit the kicker's attempts. While this is usually an unspoken goal of any good offense, FSU had the luxury of falling back on Gano, especially in long yardage situations. This should make for more "exciting" football, with FSU going for it more often on marginal fourth downs. A shift toward a more aggressive approach should be compounded by the fact that Gano's punting was a serious weapon in and of itself, which had above average potential to pin opposing offenses deep inside their own territory.

B) All other things being equal, FSU will likely lose at least one close game in 2009 which could have been put in the win column if the place kicker had delivered a clutch field goal. Earlier in this post, three conference games where Gano's perfect kicking was the catalyst to victory were identified (Miami, VT, NCST). The laws of statistics and averages are strongly against this kind of repeat performance, particularly in light of the fact that Gano made field goals of 50 yards or longer in each of those wins.

C) FSU fans heartbeats will once again become dangerously critical on or around Labor Day, 2009.

Note: Ironically, it is possible that in 2009, FSU might be expected to score more points with a similarly capable offense and kicker who is less accurate, since it has been well documented that teams who are aggressive in these situations (i.e., going for it on fourth down in marginal field goal territory) should expect to score more. For a more detailed discussion of this hypothesis, see http://www.econ.berkeley.edu/users/dromer/papers/PAPER_NFL_JULY05_FORWEB_CORRECTED.pdf.

Did those predictions come true? After the jump we explore these areas and more:

via cdn.bleacherreport.com

You guys might not know this, but I consider myself a bit of a loner. I tend to think of myself as a one-man wolf pack. But when coach brought Dustin home, I knew he was one of my own. And my wolf pack... it grew by one. So there... there were two of us in the wolf pack... I was alone first in the pack, and then Dustin joined in later. And six months ago, when Dustin introduced me to you guys, I thought, "Wait a second, could it be?" And now I know for sure, I just added two more guys to my wolf pack. Four of us wolves, running around the panhandle together, in Tallahassee, looking for field goals and touchbacks. So tonight, I make a toast! -

Phil the Foot, Pre-National Signing Day, 2009

Gano with his trophy, via www.grahamgano.com

At the conclusion of last season, TomahawkNation broke down the numbers and opined as to what the departure of 2008 Lou Groza Award Winner Graham Gano might mean for the 2009 Seminoles.

To summarize, that article made a couple of predictions concerning the Seminoles' Kicking Game in 2009:

A) FSU will work to limit the kicker's attempts. While this is usually an unspoken goal of any good offense, FSU had the luxury of falling back on Gano, especially in long yardage situations. This should make for more "exciting" football, with FSU going for it more often on marginal fourth downs. A shift toward a more aggressive approach should be compounded by the fact that Gano's punting was a serious weapon in and of itself, which had above average potential to pin opposing offenses deep inside their own territory.

B) All other things being equal, FSU will likely lose at least one close game in 2009 which could have been put in the win column if the place kicker had delivered a clutch field goal. Earlier in this post, three conference games where Gano's perfect kicking was the catalyst to victory were identified (Miami, VT, NCST). The laws of statistics and averages are strongly against this kind of repeat performance, particularly in light of the fact that Gano made field goals of 50 yards or longer in each of those wins.

C) FSU fans heartbeats will once again become dangerously critical on or around Labor Day, 2009.

Note: Ironically, it is possible that in 2009, FSU might be expected to score more points with a similarly capable offense and kicker who is less accurate, since it has been well documented that teams who are aggressive in these situations (i.e., going for it on fourth down in marginal field goal territory) should expect to score more. For a more detailed discussion of this hypothesis, see http://www.econ.berkeley.edu/users/dromer/papers/PAPER_NFL_JULY05_FORWEB_CORRECTED.pdf.

Did those predictions come true? After the jump we explore these areas and more:

POINT A,

Did FSU kick the ball less without Gano?

The answer, at least on the surface, is yes. Dustin Hopkins, the nation's top kicking recruit in 2009, won the starting place kicking job and held it for the entire season. Hopkins had 27 attempts in 13 games, converting on 19, for a 70.4 % conversion ratio. This works out to 2.1 attempts/game. To put Hopkins' accuracy into perspective, Hopkins was, as of the date of this article, 67th in the nation.

In contrast, Gano had 26 attempts in just 11 games, and made 24, for a success ratio of 92.3%, which was tops in the nation. This works out to approximately 2.4 attempts/game. FSU was second in the country in field goal attempts/game in 2008. They dropped into a multi-team tie for 9th in 2009, as of the date of this article.

For reference, here is a list of recent Seminole kickers, their accuracy, and corresponding national rank:

2009: Hopkins, 70.4%/67th nationally

2008: Gano, 92.3%/ 1st nationally

2007: Cismesia, 79.4%,33rd nationally

2006: Cismesia, 70%, 60th nationally

2005: Cismesia, 70.8%, 52nd nationally

2004: Beitia, 64%, 67th nationally

Conclusion:

Hopkins averaged fewer attempts per game than Gano, while attempting one more field goal overall. Nevertheless, with 4 attempts in the Gator Bowl, Hopkins boosted his average to 2.1 attempts per game, which actually put him just inside the top ten in the country in attempts per game. This slight decline, however, does not appear to be statistically significant. While Hopkins was less accurate, he had the leg to kick long field goals, and FSU was not shy about letting him try.

All in all, Hopkins did an excellent job in his freshman season, and the future of the place kicking game is extremely bright.

Brief Detour: While these statistics are interesting, they obviously tell an incomplete picture and are for information purposes only. A kicker may have a stronger leg, which allows the coach to attempt field goals in more marginal situations, reducing his overall accuracy. A kicker may have several attempts in a game with unfavorable weather conditions, which could also distort his overall accuracy. So, as with any cross year measures of comparison using statistically invalid sample sizes, take these numbers with a healthy measure of skepticism.

Case in point, had Graham Gano's 2008 statistics been compiled in 2009, he would have dropped from 1st to 7th in national accuracy, with Steve Aponavicius of all people (a kid Boston College found a couple of years ago in the student section) missing just one field goal. However, "Sid Vicious" only had 14 attempts all season, and if he had more than 1 attempt from 40 yards or more, I'd be shocked.

Now that we've talked about the dangers of statistics abuse, back to the main article.

POINT B

Did losing Gano cost FSU at least one game this season?

This part of the hypothesis speculated that based on sheer number of clutch kicks from Gano, the law of averages would create a game where FSU missed a field goal that may have been the difference between winning and losing. Obviously, one missed field goal over the course of the game does necessarily cost a team the game, but let's face it, missed field goals are some of the most obvious points a team can leave on the board, especially if the miss comes towards the end of the fourth quarter. Fairly or unfairly, kickers are easy to single out. With that in mind, we turn to the games themselves:

In the Miami game, Hopkins did just fine. He made two critical field goals, one of 52 yards and one from 45 yards. While he missed an extra point, FSU made those points up on a subsequent two point conversion.

Against USF, Hopkins missed a 44 yard field goal in the third quarter. FSU only managed a late touchdown the entire game, and lost 17-7. While a field goal would have been nice at that point in the game, it was receiver fumbles and a defense that made BJ Daniels look like Vince Young that cost FSU.

Against BC, Hopkins went 2-3, missing a 37 yarder in the fourth quarter that would have put the Noles up 24-21. Again, while the field goal would have been nice, it didn't break FSU. Even with a made field goal, assuming everything else played out, FSU still would have needed a touchdown on their final drive.

Against GT, Hopkins went 1-2, missing from 45 yards out. A make would have put FSU up 10 after the GT fumble. Ultimately, all other things being equal, FSU would have been going for two on their last drive to tie the game. While this game seems easy to extrapolate, since everyone scored on pretty much every possession, again, Hopkins gets a pass. In reality, FSU was only chasing these points after it failed to answer GT's subsequent touchdown and had to settle for a field goal, a kick which Hopkins made.

Anytime a team scores 44 points at home and loses, it seems pretty safe to say the problem isn't your field goal kicker. Nevertheless, even with one of the worst performances that anyone can remember from a Mickey Andrews defense, an automatic Gano might have been enough to at least force overtime. Then again, GT would have gotten the ball back with 4 minutes left after FSU's final touchdown, which would have been ample time to steamroll FSU's defense one last time and crack the 50 point mark.

Against Clemson, Hopkins missed a 58 yarder to close out the 1st half. I'm not even sure Gano would have made this one. Free pass. Even if he should have made it, Hopkins didn't give up 3 touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Against UF, Hopkins went 1 of 2, missing from 41 yards. No issues here.

Conclusion:

Prediction B does not seem to have held up. Hopkins really wasn't put in any situations where he had to win the game at the end. In games where FSU had to come back, they almost universally needed a touchdown, and couldn't settle for a field goal to win or tie the game. Correspondingly, FSU had the offensive firepower to score touchdowns and come back in games, thus minimizing the perceived effect of any early game field goal misses.

Reflections on an Improved Scoring Offense with a Less Accurate Kicker (Note):

While most of us at TomahawkNation prefer more advanced metrics to judge offensive competency (which can be misleading), the predecessor to this article did speculate that FSU might be expected to score more points while having a less accurate kicker and similar offense. FSU averaged 33.5 ppg in ACC play, up from 27.9 in 2008. So Florida State did in fact score more with a less accurate kicker, and was less dependent upon the field goal than in 2008. For information purposes, here are the numbers for the last four seasons.

Florida State Scoring Offense- ACC Play Only

2006: 22.5 ppg (5th)

2007: 24.0 ppg (7th)

2008: 27.9 ppg (1st)

2009: 33.5 (technically 3rd, with GT & VT tied at 33.6).

However, it is doubtful that this increase in scoring had anything to do with the decision of whether to go on fourth down or kick the field goal, for several reasons:

1) FSU didn't have too many marginal fourth down situations this season. They were excellent in picking up third downs, converting at a 46.25%= clip, or 13th nationally, even after losing Ponder for the latter part of the season.

2) Scoring in the ACC was up this year, with several teams cracking the 30 point/game barrier.

Additional Observations on the Kicking Game:

1) The Big Hitter Effect:

Mostly because Gano was limited in his kickoff attempts at the beginning of the season, FSU managed only 11 touchbacks in all of 2008. Gano sent 24.32% of his kicks for touchbacks in 2008 (9 total), good for 21st in the country. This average would have been more than acceptable, except that Gano took less than half the kickoffs for the Noles last season. James Esco took 47 out of 87 attempts, managed just 2 touchbacks, averaging 59.54 yards per kick in the process.

On kickoffs, like golf, being a big hitter can be a huge advantage. In Golf, you might be able to drive a short par four, or reach a lengthy par 5 in 2 shots. In football, having a Bubba Watsonesque big hitter to handle kickoffs should theoretically help out your defense (and perhaps mask substandard kick coverage). Over at Advanced NFL Stats, they analyzed this issue using pro data and found that the expected value of a touch back is .8 Expected Points.

via farm3.static.flickr.com

The basic idea is that from every yard line on the field, there is an expected point value for the average team whose offense possess the ball in a 1st and 10 down and distance. Finding that the average non-touchback starting field position as the 32 yard line, (with an expectancy of .9,) the writers at Advanced NFL Stats calculated the net worth of a touch back to be .8 expected points. Depending on the quality of your kick coverage team, this value would necessarily move up or down to some extent. Regardless, over the course of a game, multiple touchbacks can start to add up.

If you are more interested in this idea, I'd highly recommend you read the entire piece, titled, The Value of a Touchback.

Regrettably for Florida State, if we plotted a graph of opponent point expectancy by field position using the 2009 defenses statistics, the slope of the line would be far less gradual than the one shown above. In other words, teams scored from all over the field against FSU's defense, and the defense gave up an absurd amount of big plays. So the big hitter effect probably didn't manifest itself in the box score the way one might expect. It would probably look like the controversial hockey stick graph, if that graph were flipped upside down and the hockey stick were superimposed on the expected points graph.

Conclusion:

While FSU will likely benefit from the big hitter effect as their defense returns to form (hopefully sooner rather than later), FSU squandered this advantage in 2009.

2) Punting Game:

Exemplified by his 1st half precision display in the Champs Sports Bowl, Graham Gano punted the football like it was a GPS guided JDAM. In 2008, Gano averaged 42.68 yards/attempt (he took about half the punts total, splitting time with Shawn Powell).

In 2009, Shawn Powell

via grfx.cstv.com

assumed his role in the special teams pack as sole punter, and averaged 41.83 yards/attempt going into the Gator Bowl. Gano's average in 2008 would have put him in the top 22 or so punters that season, while Powell's average in 2009 would have put him in the top 50. However, neither Powell nor Gano had enough attempts/game to actually qualify.

In fact, Powell was 100th nationally in punt attempts per game prior to the bowl game. To be eligible, a punter must have played in a minimum of 75% of their team's games. Apparently, only 100 punters in Division 1 were eligible in 2009, making Powell last in a category that no coach would ever be upset about.

FSU allowed 8.63 yds/return in 2008, and 8 yds/return in 2009. Not a big difference. Then again, I don't believe that statistic speaks to whether or not a return was attempted.

Conclusion: While Gano certainly had his share of highlights in the punting game, Powell has shown himself to be a competent replacement.

Final Thoughts:

Going into 2010, expect the kicking game to be a strength, not a weakness. Hopkins and Powell both appear to have risen to the challenge.

Readers, did FSU's special teams suffer from a post-Gano Hangover?

Vote in the poll, then post your thoughts in the comment section.

Poll

How satisfied were you with the performance of Hopkins and Powell in replacing Graham Gano?

Extremely Satisfied,

216 votes

Somewhat Satisfied.

520 votes

Somewhat Dissatisfied,.

97 votes

Extremely Dissatisfied.

18 votes

If I were head coach would never kick a field goal or punt, all I know is that Tigers love pepper, but hate cinnamon.

18 votes

869 votes | Poll has closed

SEC Championship Game Day Thread- Florida (1) v. Alabama (2)

fsu44 — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:31:10 -0000

via i49.tinypic.com

In the words of ESPN's Ivan Maisel, "The Florida-Alabama matchup has come to define the SEC championship game". This year, the winner gets a shot at an undefeated season and a National Championship.

Talk about the game after the jump.

via i49.tinypic.com

In the words of ESPN's Ivan Maisel, "The Florida-Alabama matchup has come to define the SEC championship game". This year, the winner gets a shot at an undefeated season and a National Championship.

Talk about the game after the jump.

Bama v. Florida Rammer Jammer

Florida Appeals Court Affirms that NCAA COI Transcripts Are Public Record

fsu44 — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:31:47 -0000

Florida Appeals Court Affirms that NCAA COI Transcripts Are Public Record

For those of you who are interested in FSU's appeal with the NCAA, the First District Court of Appeals, in an opinion by Judge Padavano, ruled that the redacted versions of the transcript of the October 28, 2008 hearing before the NCAA Committee on Infractions and the Committee's June 2, 2009 response to FSU's appeal are public records, subject to disclosure.

In other words, the public at large may actually get to see (for the most part) what the NCAA was discussing when deciding on FSU's punishment.

For those of us who secretly wish the NCAA would hurry up and affirm the COI, and in doing so, drive the final nail into the regime change coffin, the saga continues.

Smart Football Breakdown of BYU

fsu44 — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 22:59:05 -0000

Smart Football Breakdown of BYU

Smart Football is just killing it this week. Chris breaks down BYU's passing response to Oklahoma's attempts to bring pressure, complete with play diagram & video.

Free FSU v. Miami Tickets From Tobacco Free Florida

fsu44 — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:07:55 -0000

Free FSU v. Miami Tickets From Tobacco Free Florida

The Tobacco Free Florida Street Team is giving away prizes, including free tickets to the Miami game, white FSU tshirts great for the USF game, coozies, hats, and other (hella)swag. 6pm tonight (Friday) at Downtown Getdown (Adams Street Commons in Tallahassee).

One Cane Who Deserves Our Respect

fsu44 — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:27:10 -0000

One Cane Who Deserves Our Respect

Tim James, former UM basketball player, 1st round NBA draft pick, enlists to serve America.

2005 Labor Day Game Highlights

fsu44 — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:45:02 -0000

2005 Labor Day Game Highlights

Highlights from the last time Miami came up to Doak on Labor Day.

Post Miami Muff, Labor Day 2005; View from the Student Section.

fsu44 — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:35:55 -0000

Post Miami Muff, Labor Day 2005; View from the Student Section.

Perrilloux 1 game Suspension- Confirmed

fsu44 — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:25:33 -0000

Perrilloux 1 game Suspension- Confirmed

One game, violation of team rules, will serve suspension against Ga Tech.

If you recall, there was disucssion about this earlier, and speculation that he might miss the FSU game. Assuming this is the same issue, expect him on the field.

Tuesday- 8/19/09 Morning Practice Report

fsu44 — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:52:12 -0000

Tuesday- 8/19/09 Morning Practice Report

Bowden blames FSU fall on lack talent evaluation

fsu44 — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:08:04 -0000

Bowden blames FSU fall on lack talent evaluation

From CBS sportsline article ranking FSU as the 12th best program of this decade.

"We probably have not evaluated personnel like we did in those days," Bowden said. "Look at the draft. Where's the Florida State kids in the draft? They ain't in there."

2009 Florida State Place Kicking Preview: How Much Will FSU Miss Graham Gano?

fsu44 — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 21:49:57 -0000

via blog.imgacademies.com

If you are a Florida State football fan and reading this post, it is understandably difficult to think about field goals without the heartbreak of past defeats springing immediately to mind.

Going into the 2008 campaign, those wounds were still fresh as ever. By way of example, this article from TBO.com, titled "As FSU Kicker, Gano Expects Questions" appears to be calculated to remind Graham specifically - and FSU fans generally - of the pressure and legacy of the Miami kicking game debacles.

In the process of shattering this self-defeating spiral (or maybe it was the 2005 Miami Muff that put this one to bed for good) it is almost hard to remember that after losing dependable Senior Gary Cismesia to graduation, Florida State was without a clear-cut frontrunner at the place kicker position.

While the question of who would be tapped to replace Cismesia's offensive output (which accounted for 36% of FSU's points in 2007) was not completely settled, Graham Gano appeared to have the inside track. Or he did, at least until he tore the meniscus and some of the cartilage in his right knee, reportedly by attempting a rugby punt off the wrong foot during August practice.

Continue the story and read some (light) statistical analysis from the author, plus excellent commentary and advanced statistics from FSUncensored, after the jump.

via blog.imgacademies.com

If you are a Florida State football fan and reading this post, it is understandably difficult to think about field goals without the heartbreak of past defeats springing immediately to mind.

Continue the story and read some (light) statistical analysis from the author, plus excellent commentary and advanced statistics from FSUncensored, after the jump.

Despite this adversity, Gano battled back, retook the starting place kicking job, and went on have the most prolific season of any place kicker in 2008. Graham captured the Lou Groza Award, made 24 out of 26 field goals (tying him for first nationally in made field goals), lead the nation in field goals per game (2.18), and was tops among all kickers in scoring at 9.55 points/game. Gano's only two misses came on a pair of 50+ yard attempts, against Wake Forest and Boston College respectively.

Nearly as impressive as those raw numbers was the fact that Gano made a Florida State record 18 consecutive field goals, and managed to punch 5 kicks through the uprights at a distance of 50 yards or greater. Lest anyone think that Graham was one-dimensional, he also became the first Seminole in school history to handle all kicking duties (punt, place kicking, and kickoffs) in the same season, pulling down top punter honors in the ACC, and quite possibly the only player in school history to have his own top level domain name website, http://www.grahamgano.com. Gano punctuated his season with a ridiculous display of punting precision, earning him MVP honors, a seat at the post-game Champs Sports Bowl Press Conference, and anecdotal consideration for a Sports Emmy.

College Football - ''Champs Sports Bowl Florida State vs Wisconsin'' (Recorded Dec 27, 2008, ESPN) (via fsujl11)

To sum up Gano's importance, one need only look as far as the words of Florida State Head Coach Bobby Bowden:

"Someone asked me the other day in a television interview, it might have been Bob Griese, what player has meant the most to this team [2008] and it was Gano. He's had something like 18 in a row out there and we won ball games. He gave us field position all year and during the Champs Bowl, that was a great example of field position."

- Bobby Bowden

Having discussed the storybook senior season for Gano, the question looking forward becomes what sort of production should FSU expect from the place kicking position in 2009, and how will these expectations translate into wins, losses, and decision making by the Seminole coaching staff?

As a preliminary matter, I believe we can all agree on the basic premise that FSU will not be capable of completely filling the void left by Gano. Clutch would be a great word to describe Gano, but in the context of his dream season, automatic would probably be better. Gano made kicks in several tight conference victories, including 2 of 2 against Miami (final score 41-39) 3 of 3 against Virginia Tech (final score 30-20), and 4 of 4 against NC State (final score 26-17). Moreover, Gano's accuracy from long-range (and excellent punting ability) had the undisputable effect of altering the calculus of whether or not to go for it on fourth down.

Statistically speaking, Gano made 92.3% of his field goal attempts, making him the most accurate kicker in the country. Only 4 kickers total achieved accuracy of 90% or better in 2008. What is even more remarkable about this accuracy is the fact that Gano attempted more than 2 field goals per game. In contrast, the next most accurate kicker who attempted 2 or more field goals per game was Ryan Harrison of Air Force, who was 19th in the nation in accuracy (converting on 1.8 of his 2.2 attempts/game).

Comparing Gano to previous (recent) FSU kickers, we find that Cismesia made 79.4% of his attempts in 2007, making him the 33rd most accurate kicker in college football that season. In 2006, Cismesia made 70% of his field goal attempts, good enough for 60th in the nation in accuracy. In 2005, Cismesia made 70.8% of his attempts, putting him alone in 52nd place. In 2004, FSU's placing kicking duties were handled by Xaiver Beitia, who converted on 64.0% of his field goal attempts, giving Beitia the inglorious distinction of being the 67th most accurate kicker in the country that year.

FSUncensored jumps in...

I just wanted to express just how good Graham Gano was. Let's ask a guy who studies this stuff for a living, Brian Fremeau:

In the process of calculating Adjusted Offensive Efficiency (AOE) and Ajudted Defensive Efficiency (ADE), recall that I discard all garbage possessions and then extract each drive's offensive points earned based on national efficiency expectations for both the drive start and end field position, adjusting for opponent. Now let's take a closer look at the leftovers. I prefer not to combine the efforts of all traditional special teams units (kickoff, kick return, punt, punt return, field goal, and extra point) into one metric. Instead, I am presenting a special team scoring efficiency and a field position efficiency metric independently.

The Special Teams Scoring Efficiency (STSE) metric is designed to measure the success of each team's " points-after" units, both those that trot onto the field following touchdowns and those that line up after offensive drives that stall in opponent territory. The post-touchdown attempts are pretty straightforward -- an extra-point kick is worth one full point on the scoreboard, but since the national success rate for these kicks is so high, I reward the offense with 6.958 points for their score, leaving 0.042 points to be earned per extra point attempt (and 1.042 points to be possibly earned for each two-point attempt).

Non-touchdown offensive drives are credited for advancing into opponent territory according to both national field goal attempt and punt frequency rates combined. For an offensive drive that stalls at the opponent 34-yard line, for instance, I measure the " points-after" success based not simply on the success rate of 51-yard field goal attempts, but rather divided by the sum of all 51-yard attempts and punts from the opponent's 34-yard line.

Now, admittedly, separating STSE and FPE in this way is not perfectly precise. The decision to punt from an opponent's 30-yard line may be a wise strategic play even when a team has an excellent field goal kicking unit. But it does help outline the decision in score expectation terms. A team with average offense, defense and special teams units can expect to net 1.318 points from an attempt at the opponent's 30-yard line. Giving up the ball at the 30-yard line grants the opponent a drive-score expectation of 1.885 points for their next drive. Punting to the opponent's ten-yard line grants the opponent a score expectation of 1.239 points. If the punt is a touchback, the opponent score expectation elevates to 1.535 points. Factoring the strength of the opponent offense and the team's own defense changes the calculus, but you get the idea.

As of November 12th, FSU led the nation by a huge margin, with a score of .146 The next best score was .081. The difference between FSU and the 2nd best team, was bigger than the difference between the #2 team and the #40 team. Why was that?

Florida State leads the way in STSE, having made all but one of 18 non-garbage field goal attempts this season, including four from more than 50 yards. An average unit would expect to score 30.3 points on those 18 possessions; FSU's Graham Gano has contributed 51 points with his leg.

Here's the season's final chart, with some examples of other BCS conference teams.

1	Florida State	0.107
2	Syracuse	0.086
5	UCLA	0.052
8	Miami	0.045
10	Wisconsin	0.038
11	LSU	0.037
16	North Carolina State	0.021
23	Texas	0.016
29	Pittsburgh	0.012
37	Duke	0.008
44	Florida	0.004
48	Clemson	0.001
51	Virginia Tech	0
52	Vanderbilt	-0.002
53	Maryland	-0.002
56	BYU	-0.004
57	North Carolina	-0.005
61	USC	-0.006
70	Georgia Tech	-0.012
71	South Florida	-0.012
83	Rutgers	-0.021
93	Virginia	-0.029
94	Wake Forest	-0.029
106	Boston College	-0.044
120	Auburn	-0.093

So Florida State still wins by a large margin and are the only team to reach the ".01" threshold.

Okay, now back to the original author...

While it is not the design of this article to speculate on who might the starting place kicking job in 2009, in light of the signing of top kicking recruit Dustin Hopkins, it is worth taking a brief look at some freshman place kicking numbers from last season. Only 8 of the top 50 kickers in the country last season in terms of accuracy were freshman (with only 2 in the top 20), and only 8 of the top 50 kickers in the country in terms of field goals made were freshman. Only one freshman kicker, James Aho of New Mexico, averaged more than 2.0 attempts/game or greater (Aho made a very respectable 75% of those attempts).

Given that unscientific plunge into place kicking accuracy, I would submit that FSU fans should expect to see the following differences between this season and 2008:

A) FSU will work to limit the kicker's attempts. While this is usually an unspoken goal of any good offense, FSU had the luxury of falling back on Gano, especially in long yardage situations. This should make for more "exciting" football, with FSU going for it more often on marginal fourth downs. A shift toward a more aggressive approach should be compounded by the fact that Gano's punting was a serious weapon in and of itself, which had above average potential to pin opposing offenses deep inside their own territory.

B) All other things being equal, FSU will likely lose at least one close game in 2009 which could have been put in the win column if the place kicker had delivered a clutch field goal. Earlier in this post, three conference games where Gano's perfect kicking was the catalyst to victory were identified (Miami, VT, NCST). The laws of statistics and averages are strongly against this kind of repeat performance, particularly in light of the fact that Gano made field goals of 50 yards or longer in each of those wins.

C) FSU fans heartbeats will once again become dangerously critical on or around Labor Day, 2009.

Note: Ironically, it is possible that in 2009, FSU might be expected to score more points with a similarly capable offense and kicker who is less accurate, since it has been well documented that teams who are aggressive in these situations (i.e., going for it on fourth down in marginal field goal territory) should expect to score more. For a more detailed discussion of this hypothesis, see http://www.econ.berkeley.edu/users/dromer/papers/PAPER_NFL_JULY05_FORWEB_CORRECTED.pdf.

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