Chasing a Fools Dream: Florida State's Regression

Florida State suffered a loss in it's season opener against rival Miami, but it was much more than just a loss. It was a sign, an omen if you will of bad things to come. This entire off-season we've heard nothing but good things coming from the Florida State camp, which came to a crashing halt Monday night.

For starters where in the world did the famous smashmouth Mickey Andrews defense go to? Wasn't this supposed to be his fastest defense ever according to him? I think he may have been pulling all of our legs. If this is the fastest defense he's ever had, why were they getting burnt all night?

Offensively, wasn't Jimbo Fisher supposed to be the answer? His offense was spectacular according to the LSU faithful in which he came from. This was the guy that molded JaMarcus Russell. He's an offensive genius. Did he put his genius on hold tonight?

We can't put all the blame on the coordinators though, I don't want to take anything away from Miami. The resilience that second year quarterback Jacory Harris showed was brilliant. He played like a champion. He showed the poise and leadership of a veteran.

Receiver Travis Benjamin put on a clinic and Graig Cooper finally arrived. Both playmakers helped Harris carry the offense, but it was the secondary of the Noles that failed to show up.

Let's be honest here, this is the worst Seminole secondary in years, by far. It was easy to see how the loss of Tony Carter and Myron Rolle had depleted this secondary.

While the secondary was awful giving up 386 yards passing to Jacory Harris, that's right 386 yards, the linebacking crew wasn't anything special.

High expectations for newcomer Nigel Bradham were met with disapointment. For someone with such a nose for the ball, he was out of position most of the night.

On a positive note, true freshman Greg Reid is the real deal. Used in mostly nickel and dime packages, he was all over the field and was equally impressive in the return game.

Offensively the Noles were above average showing improvement from last season, but did Jimbo Fisher crumble in the fourth quarter?

The last series was a nightmare. An option with 23 seconds to go on the four yard line, who was he trying to fool? Miami clearly recognized the formation and shut it down instantly.

Ty Jones showed the ability to run from the pistol formation, so why weren't the using that more?

If Jimbo is going to be the successor to Bobby Bowden, he needs to practice his game planning. Winning is the tradition, not building up a program.

The bottom line is this, Florida State was supposed to amaze, they were supposed to be eager and hungry to win, but they came up just short to an up and coming Miami team.

Florida State was exposed tonight in the worst way. This could be the beginning to a very long year.