BYU Is Thinking BCS—Florida State Has Other Plans

Florida State's chances to redeem themselves from their first two weeks of poor outings begin at 7 PM on Saturday night in Provo, Utah.

The Mountain West Conference has been looking for a chance to showcase themselves, and gain a leg up on some of the other BCS conferences. BYU made it's case by taking care of Oklahoma last week, and now is looking to secure another page on their resumé by defeating FSU in their first home contest.

It will be loud, it will be fun, and it will be different.

To know a bit about FSU's matchup with BYU this weekend, it is important to first take a glimpse into the brief history of the FSU-BYU series. 

ANAHEIM, CA.

Aug. 29, 1991—The Pigskin Classic.

Heisman Trophy Winner Ty Detmer was at the helm of a very talented Cougar team. BYU was flirting with a Top 25 ranking to start the season, coming off of back-to-back 10 win seasons. Expectations were certainly lofty in Provo.

Entering the season at the top spot, the Florida State Seminoles showcased a talent-laden squad that featuring the likes of Casey Weldon, Amp Lee, Terrell Buckley, Edgar Bennett, and even backup QB/Super Bowl-winner Brad Johnson.

BYU had a shot, for about the first five minutes. From that point on, FSU would make touchdown drive after touchdown drive en route to a 44-28 beatdown.

An opening-week loss is always tough on a football team, and the sting of that particular opening week loss would be hard to shake off for BYU over the next two weeks, as they would go on to lose to UCLA and Penn State in succession. BYU would not win 10 games in 1991, and would hobble their way to an 8-3-2 season, tying Iowa in the Holiday Bowl, 13-13.

JACKSONVILLE, FL.

Aug. 26, 2000—The Pigskin Classic: Part II.

Again with national title implications on the line for the 'Noles, Brigham Young would this time head east hoping to get another shot at FSU in this classic matchup of the "Latter-Day Saints vs. Labor Day Sinners."

There was nothing classic about it. 

The core of FSU's 1999 National Championship team would return to attempt to reclaim its stake as one of America's elite programs.

From the start, FSU dominated the contest. BYU's squad featured two quarterbacks who rotated between quarters. Bret Engemann and Charlie Peterson were definitely not the reincarnation of Steve Young and Jim McMahon. While they managed to penetrate deep in FSU territories on a few occasions, they came away point-less. 

FSU would lead 22-0 at the half, and a score late in the fourth would cap the contest off at 29-3. The Cougars would finish the season at 6-6, and miss a bowl game for only the third time in 23 years.

PROVO, UT.

Sept. 19, 2009—The equalizer.

With little history between these two teams, BYU is finally looking at a shot for redemption. After 2 successive shots in the mouth to open their season, FSU is now the team hoping for a miracle. Meanwhile, BYU has managed to catch the attention, accolades, and zeal of the country.

Max Hall and the Cougars have a completely different look coming off an impressive win over a top-five Oklahoma Sooner team, during which they often punished Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford and the OU line. They are hungry and energized, not only by their offense—which has averaged 34 points a game so far—but also by a defense that held arguably the best offense from the 2008 season to a mere 13 points.

Some pundits might argue the BYU win was a fluke. With Sam Bradford injured so early in the first half, the score was not indicative of BYU being the better team, but of a lacking capability in the pocket by Oklahoma. Either way, BYU flew up the charts, all the way into the top ten.

Meanwhile, nearly 1,500 miles away, No. 18 Florida State was preparing for its epic Monday night slugfest with arch-rival Miami (FL). 

While the 'Noles and the 'Canes played for one of the most memorable games in recent memory, the outcome would be much like it always has been in the often storied rivalry between these two programs.

FSU came up just short, on the last play of the game. For a while, the Seminoles looked poised for one last rally to dramatically cap off an incredible opening weekend.

It never happened.

FSU would leave Doak Campbell stadium defeated, and rather than finishing the night as the opening-weekend predator, they had become the prey.

The hangover of a tough—and perhaps controversial Labor Day loss—would lead FSU back to the gridiron just 120 hours later, maybe still a bit shell-shocked, to face Jacksonville State.

With a skeleton crew containing numerous young players on both sides of the ball, FSU at times displayed some flashes of capability, but for most of the game lacked any enthusiasm. The Seminoles moved the ball up the field series after series, but fumbles, and missed routes would plague FSU deep into the fourth quarter.

Jacksonville State was seemingly oozing with D-I transfers from the likes of LSU, Georgia Tech, and Florida. They looked like a team poised to pull off an Appalachian-esque upset. FSU, displaying a bit of its former self, drove half the length of the field in just seven plays to put FSU up for good. 

It wasn't pretty, but in that two minute span FSU suddenly woke up, and became a rejuvenated team.

While it felt like a loss, the look on the players' faces said something else. They seemed determined to turn last week's trap game into an opportunity to focus on this week's contest, rather than fold.

"It's going to be a very physical ballgame and we're going to bring our A-game, toughness and discipline," senior cornerback Patrick Robinson said.

The rust and the frustration will need to be shaken off, and a new FSU team should be prepared and motivated to face the task of a much heavier opponent—one FSU feels is more capable of making the big play.

Jermaine Thomas had the following to say about FSU's struggles leading up to the BYU game.

"As a team, [we] went through a little adversity and overcame it. I think we're going to be able to put this thing together and go out there with everybody on the same page," he said. "We've worked so hard, so we just hate to see that go to waste. We've just got to come together and get the job done."

Focusing On The Weekend Ahead—Position Matchups

From any Provo native's perspective, the roles seem to be reversed and this year's matchup has BYU firmly in the driver's seat, while Bobby Bowden's squad is the team full of question marks.

BYU's team will feature the talented Max Hall, who has already turned heads in his first two games in 2009. Hall has a passer rating of 158.3, and has completed an astounding 71.4% of his passes. The BYU offense has talent in the backfield, complimented by an arsenal of receivers for Hall to choose from, including McKay Jacobson, Dennis Pitta, Bryan Kariya, O'Neill Chambers, Andrew George, Luke Ashworth, J.J. Di Luigi, and Spencer Hafoka. 

FSU's speedy D-lineman and D-backs will have their young hands full, but with Greg Reid emerging as a phenomenal first year Corner/Safety in Mickey Andrews' "Prowler" defense; there is room for optimism. Also returning to shore up FSU's young Defensive line is Budd Thacker, and not a moment too soon, as DT Justin Mincey is battling a knee injury that could keep him out for at least another two weeks.

On FSU's offense, Christian Ponder, while suffering from a lack of TD production, has still managed to throw for over 600 yards in his first two games. If FSU's running back tandem of Carlton Jones, and Jermaine Thomas can break through the defensive secondary early on, FSU's receiving core should be paired thin beyond 10 yards, and more able to gain some opportunities deep.

Paired against FSU's struggling run game, BYU's 3-4 base defense is quickly emerging as a team with talent aplenty, even catching the eye of FSU's offensive coordinator—Jimbo Fisher. If the Oklahoma game was any indication of the difficulty ahead, FSU will certainly need to step up their talented offensive production.

From a matchups perspective, this contest seems almost assuredly a big win for BYU.

"Seems..."

"Almost..."

"Assuredly."

Before BYU phones this one in, something they may want to consider about FSU is this: Since 2004, FSU has played in 36 contests determined by 10 points or less.

Of FSU's four losses in its 9-4 campaign in 2008, three were decided by that margin.

I think the only thing that seems almost assured is a close game.

Sure, FSU is not the team they were in the 1990s, a team once capable of the dominant wins over the likes of Ty Detmer. And no, FSU is not the team that pulls away in contests so early they can play their backup QB in the second half.

FSU is now a team struggles to get the "W" when they need it most. However, one thing is clear—they don't get manhandled often.

Pay attention, Max Hall. FSU has not fallen off. This is your warning. Even a 1-1 FSU team that is unranked and reeling from a disappointing win in Week Two is still not a team to turn up your noses at.

Admittedly, at long last, BYU is the favorite—but this is still FSU.

FSU still has speed, talent, passing, and rushing capabilities to keep up with anyone. If this BYU team doesn't take them seriously, the Cougs could see a win slip through their hands and end up in another December bowl.

Whether the Seminoles who played Miami or the Seminoles who played J-State shows up, they stand a good chance of keeping this game very, very close—win or lose.

To bet on any other result, would be naive.

Good luck to the favored Cougars—you're going to need it this Saturday.