FSU intel, and links

So many storylines to this Clemson-FSU showdown in Tallahassee.

If you're trying to get a better read on the Seminoles, our friends at Warchant.com do a good job of providing insight in this column by publisher Gene Williams, and this tape review of the Wake Forest game by Tom Lang.

Some of the more interesting insights from Williams:

* One of the biggest question marks entering the 2012 season was whether FSU's horrific ground game could get on track. Last year, the 'Noles averaged just 112 yards a game rushing ranking them 104th nationally. So far through the first three games, that average has more than doubled at 279 yards a game ranking FSU 11th in the nation. While it's easy to conclude that the lofty rushing stats are based on weak competition, last year in its first two games FSU averaged just 131 rushing yards versus ULM and Charleston Southern.

* Even with lofty rushing numbers through the first three games, FSU's young offensive line still has a long way to go to prove itself. On Saturday against the first FBS opponent, the offense produced big numbers on the ground thanks mainly to two huge Chris Thompson runs. Nevertheless, EJ Manuel faced a good deal of pressure and was sacked three times. Also, the offense failed to convert a first-and-goal from the 2 in the second quarter, leading some to wonder if FSU's short yardage woes will continue in 2012. Despite two runs from power-back James Wilder and one by fullback Lonnie Pryor, the line was unable to move Wake Forest's undersized defensive front off the ball and the 'Noles had to settle for a field goal.

* With three straight top 10 recruiting classes under their belt, Jimbo Fisher and his staff have established themselves as elite recruiters. But outside of a couple non-BCS bowls and wins over struggling in-state rivals, the Seminole coaching staff doesn't have any significant victories to hang their hat on. Since Fisher took over in 2010, FSU has not defeated a top 10 team and is just 2-4 versus ranked opponents. One of those two wins came in 2010 against a Miami team in that finished the year unranked at 7-6. The other was a bowl win over South Carolina that same year after it lost its best player early in the game.

Some notable insights from the tape review:

* Deacon receiver Michael Campanaro lined up in the slot most of the afternoon, pitting himself against nickel back Tyler Hunter. Hunter was physical at the line of scrimmage and held his zone with consistency, which was a large part that Campanaro only had a pair of catches. The Seminole secondary was a blanket, while its front-four was an assault weapon - a deadly combination.

* Both tackles, Cameron Erving and Daniel Glauser, had learning moments Saturday, getting beat on simple pass rush moves by the Demon Deacon edge rushers. The 3-4 defense does complicate matters for the offensive line assignment-wise, but even still, there were breakdowns that saw completely free shots on Manuel.

* An old source of frustration reared its head again this weekend, as the Seminoles were stuffed in a goal-line situation three straight plays. It's not always easy to see why these things occur, but it would appear that the three plays were a combination of two principle keys. One, the Seminoles simply got beat at the point of attack in a couple of chances. Two, it would appear that Wilder didn't use his eyes to find the right place/hole to attack. Granted, this is merely the end to one series in one game, but goal-line situations against an inferior opponent like Wake Forest should hardly offer a challenge to a straight-ahead rushing attack. The failure of the offense to punch it in this week will also draw attention from coach Fisher, who is a proponent of winning situational football.

A few Tuesday links:

-- UNC president Holden Thorp steps down amid a scandal that keeps getting worse.

-- Caulton Tudor says a sad but old story undermined Thorp.

There’s a case to be argued that Thorp’s remaining time as chancellor might best be served by visiting each college chief executive officer in the land with a warning about what can happen when an athletics program gets get out of hand. That’s a lesson chancellors shouldn’t have to be reminded about, but Thorp is proof to the contrary, maybe because it was too easy to assume the university was immune to scandal and rogue behavior.

-- How can Auburn beat LSU? This Birmingham columnist says bring back Tommy Tuberville for one night only.

Zing.

There is one major difference between the two coaches. Chizik is struggling to handle one area in which Tuberville was the master. It'’s toppling top-five teams. The former Auburn coach was so good at it, this kind of week could be called Tuberville Time.

Look at the numbers. Tuberville was 4-2 against top-five opponents at Auburn. His winning percentage against top-five teams (67 percent) was almost as good as his winning percentage in all games with the Tigers (68 percent).

To make the record even more impressive, every top-five team he beat was coached by a man with a national championship on his resume.

-- Here's the AP story on Florida State's attempts to contain that Sammy guy.

“He’s just a phenomenal player,” Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said Monday.

“The most impactful freshman, maybe since Herschel Walker,” Fisher added, comparing Watkins to the former Georgia star. “Sammy made that kind of impact the day that he came in.”

-- The playoff revenue sub-committee is getting down to the nitty gritty of dividing up the oceans of loot that are coming.

More than two months after major college football's playoff was announced, the hard work has just begun. A revenue sub-committee will continue work later this month on dividing the annual playoff revenue which could approach $600 million per year when the new playoff model debuts in 2014.

At issue, among others, is whether the five remaining non-BCS conferences will receive any money from the three so-called “contract” bowls -- Rose, Champions and Orange – in years when those bowls don't host semifinal or championship games.

“The contract bowls [and] the conferences keep it,” former Big 12 interim commissioner Chuck Neinas said of that scenario. “The conferences were able to go out and contract [bowls] on their own. Whether there's a BCS or not we have a bowl game.”


LW