Florida State Seminoles Football 2011: Week 1 Analysis

The opening weekend of Florida State Football has come and gone with a strong win against the Warhawks of ULM at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Saturday’s win is a part of a three-game home stand that culminates with Oklahoma visiting on September 17^th.

FSU opened this season with E.J. Manuel as the full-time starter poised with high hopes for his first season as the No. 1 starter at quarterback.

Another aspect of this ‘Noles team many were looking forward to was the defense which did not disappoint in the opener by blanking the Louisiana-Monroe offense, allowing less than 200 yards of total offense and picking off quarterback Kolton Browning.

The FSU defense also helped the Seminoles win the field possession game along with help from the play of Greg Reid on special teams. Reid looked as dangerous as ever with four returns for a total of 71 yards and a long of 30.

The offense looked less than sparkling at times, but overall it had a good day where it could work out some of the kinks before the big prime-time showdown with the Sooners in two weeks.

The following are the standouts of the games: 

Offensive Standout - Devonta Freeman

Freeman has been mentioned as one of the stronger recruits coming out of this past year’s recruiting class. It didn’t look as if he would get too many snaps this season with the stable of running backs ahead of him, but he showed his great ability as a runner. Freeman got his first touchdown as a Seminole after some strong runs in the third quarter.

Defensive Standout - Lamarcus Joyner

Joyner snagged an interception in the second quarter to start off his sophomore campaign. He was moved to safety from cornerback and has found praise from Jimbo Fisher along the way. The interception is proof of his ability at the new position.

Special Teams Standout - Greg Reid

The junior cornerback looked as dangerous as ever returning kicks in the ‘Noles debut. He will continue to be a major threat in the return game and on defense.

Gameball - The Tricketts

Clint Trickett, in his first pass as a college quarterback, threw a 28 yard pass to Rashad Greene with his father, offensive line coach Rick Trickett, watching on who got choked up in the moment. It was a touching moment to wrap up the day for the Seminole offense.