2008 Florida State Seminoles
The Past
Two national championships (1993 and 1999). Top-five finishes in the AP Poll for 14-straight years from 1987 through 2000. An incredible 109-13-1 win-loss record in the 1990s.
Two Heisman Trophy winners: quarterbacks Charlie Ward in 1993 & Chris Weike in 2000.
12 ACC championships.
20-13-2 in 35 bowl games.
50 former Seminoles currently on NFL rosters.
The Present
In 2007, several FSU football players, including some starters, were accused of cheating in a music history class. 22 of the 36 football players missed the Music City Bowl. Additionally, those same players will also miss up to the first four games of the 2008 season.
No. 18-ranked Wake Forest comes to Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday. There was a time in the not-too-distant past when the Seminoles would summarily dismiss the Deacons as not being worthy of their having to break a sweat in order to win.
My, oh my, have times changed. Two straight wins, including a 30-0 shellacking at Doak Campbell in 2006, have both players and coaches using Saturday's game as a measuring stick for the state of the program.
Pundits are saying the Seminoles must win to advance their credibility and their claim of a changed program. "I think it could be a turning point because it would be winning another football game," Offensive Coordinator Jimbo Fisher said.
Offense
The Seminoles' two quarterbacks, Christian Ponder and D'Vontrey Richardson, both redshirt sophomores, rank first and second in the ACC in pass efficiency. However improved their play has been over the Drew Weatherford/Xavier Lee years, it hasn't gone without its hiccups.
The "bad" Ponder has often made the wrong read and thrown to the wrong receiver. The "bad" Richardson has fumbled numerous snaps but managed to turn a negative into a positive with his superior athletic prowess.
The "good" Ponder has six TDs in his first two starts. Those numbers are equal to Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward's first two starts.
Nevertheless, I’ll take their hiccups over the 51 touchdowns and 53 interceptions we got from “WeatherLee”.
The resurgence of the Seminoles offense is further exemplified by the fact that they have already produced five plays of 40 or more yards. A year ago, they had only four such plays all season. Two years ago, they had only two.
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