ChantRant

What FSU can learn about a HCIW transition from Wisconsin's experience

In July 2005, Barry Alvarez announced he'd step down as Wisconsin's head coach at the end of the season and D-coordinator Bret Bielema would succeed him. During our Q and A's with Matt Lepay, the veteran voice of Wisconsin football, we asked about any pitfalls to be concerned about as FSU goes through its transition.

A potential problem with a head coach-in-waiting would be what the rest of staff will look like. Will Jimbo Fisher retain everyone and make that clear right away, or will he bring in new assistants? And how are some of those assistants handling the news? At Wisconsin, there were some hard feelings with some assistants because they knew Bielema was going to make some changes. It made for some uncomfortable days, but to their credit, the coaches were able to stick together, and they had a very good final season under Alvarez. Of course, the big difference in this case is we don’t know when Bobby Bowden will step down.  Alvarez made it clear that 2005 was going to be his last year. I certainly don’t know Coach Fisher, but if I were him, I would give Barry a call and pick his brain about this type of transition.  It probably would be wise to chat with Bret as well.

Tony Barnhart: "Florida State is ready to win an ACC championship in 2009"

In what must be the earliest pre-season prediction in college football history, Tony Barnhart likes the Noles to take home the conference championship trophy next season. Writing in his Mr. College Football blog, Tony said: "When I visited with the Florida State coaches this summer, I came away thinking that 2008 was the setup year to make a serious run at the ACC championship in 2009. After watching Florida State dominate Wisconsin 42-13 in the Champs Sports Bowl, it looks like the Seminoles are right on schedule."

FSU hoops improve to 12 - 2

by Bill from Tampa

Chris Singleton lost his starting job. For one game anyway.

Leonard Hamilton sat the talented freshman due to a violation of team rules. Singleton responded with a career high 18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 blocked shots, and 2 assists.

In fact, it was Singleton who made four tremendous plays in a matter of seconds that gave FSU the lead for good, helping the Noles come from behind to beat a tough Western Kentucky team 82-69.

Trailing 51-48, Singleton picked off a pass to the right wing and immediately got the ball to Toney Douglas for a fast break lay up. A Hilltopper defender was able to change Douglas’ shot enough causing him to miss. Singleton however did not give up on the play and slammed in the offensive rebound.

On the other end the freshman wing swatted away a shot and then hustled down the court again to set up for a  three from the right corner to give FSU a lead they would not relinquish, 53-51 with 10:42 to play.

The Hilltoppers who were a Sweet Sixteen team last season made it hard for FSU though. The Noles were immediately on their heels with the extended pressure defense of WKU, giving the ball away six times in the first eight minutes.

A wide open three pointer from Orlando Mendez-Valdez put FSU down 16-4 at the 11:57 mark forcing Hamilton to call timeout.

The Seminole starting group of Douglas, Jordan DeMercy, Luke Loucks, Ryan Reid, and Solomon Alabi had difficulty dealing with the smallish and quick lineup of the Hilltoppers on defense. The offense struggled greatly as well.

But once Hamilton inserted a three guard lineup of Douglas, Kitchen, Loucks, with Singleton in the center spot, and Uche Echefu, the offense found its rhythm. Ball handling improved dramatically as well as FSU did not  turn the ball over the rest of the half but defensively forced 7 turnovers by Western Kentucky.

FSU may have been the faster team, but it started slower than a Yugo on a cold morning

Dynasty deja vu. Not only the score, but the way FSU won against Wisconsin. Veteran Nole fans will recognize it as a signature Jekyll and Hyde game. The kind that Bowden's teams seem to play at least two or three of every season. It's been that way through the dynasty years and right up to tonight.

You knew it was one of those games by the way the offense went sleep walking through most of the first half. Then, just as Mickey looks like he's about to go Chernobyl, a big play turns momentum 180 degrees. That opens the floodgates. And suddenly the team that was tripping over its own shoelaces is pummeling the opponent like a heavyweight champ wasting an unworthy contender just out for a big payday.

Hey, but who's complaining? The thrill of seeing the Noles hitting on all cylinders is worth all that agony of "OMG, we're gonna get creamed" -- though it may not seem like it when your stomach feels like it's full of fire ants.

A Bowden record breaker. The 29-point margin of victory is Bobby's biggest in a bowl during his FSU career. And it's oddly similar to his first bowl victory, also played in Orlando, a 41 - 17 bruising of Texas Tech.

Maybe they should call it the Nole Bowl. The Citrus Bowl Stadium has been very, very good for FSU. Bowden era teams are 7 - 0 - 1 in Orlando, outscoring opponents by 305 to 119.

Badger fans PO'd about penalties. Our friend at Badgercentric, who we did Q and A's with this month, says two calls by officials turned the game into a rout. The most flagrant was Gano's Oscar-worthy performance when Wisky was flagged for roughing the kicker. He adds that "FSU was probably the fourth best team we played this year," ranking the Noles behind Penn State, Ohio State and Iowa.

Adios, Myron. We hoped that no. 3 would have a big game in his final appearance in Garnet and Gold. But kudos to Rolle for being Florida State's MVP off the field. The great press and goodwill he generated for the school and program are -- like the Mastercard commercial says -- priceless. He's earned a place in the pantheon of Nole heroes, right up there with special guys like Warrick Dunn and Derrick Brooks.

A recipe for how Florida State might shake and bake the Badgers

Back in October, Penn State came to Madison and took no prisoners with its HD Spread Offense. While the Noles may not have the scheme and playmakers to win by 41 points, as did the Nittany Lions, they bring some of the same potential advantages.

Watch how Penn State kept intense pressure on Wisconsin's QB (reminiscent of FSU's rush against Clemson). Then picture a geeked up Everette Brown, playing his final game for FSU, taking a cue from the video.

Next, check out PSU's obvious speed advantage on offense. No doubt Jimbo has taken note and hopefully designed a game plan that creates mismatches for FSU's skill players. Imagine, for example, Bert Reed on the bubble screen and reverse.

Finally, Penn St. was adept at creating turnovers. If FSU's defense plays at a high level -- like they did against Maryland -- they can keep Wisconsin off balance with a few T.O.'s. For what it's worth, FSU is tied for no. 50 in Turnovers Gained (23), while the Badgers are 94th in Turnovers Lost (27).

From Head-Coach-in-Waiting to Head-Coach-Waiting-to-be-Axed?

Bret Bielema is just getting settled in after being  Wisconsin's HCIW, and already some Badger fans want him out the door. Fire Bret Bielema has roasted the third year coach as often as bratwurst at a UW tailgate. You'd think he was a coach's son in over his head the way Bret gets ripped in the Fire Bret blog. A sample commentary from the site's agitated author:
"Every week, the Badger football team is a circus. Yes this team is 7-5, but the win column does not tell the story. It's all about context. You judge a coach by what happens when he has the tools to win. This Badger team entered the season built-to-win, and turned into a train wreck."

FSU's loss is Oregon's gain (but don't blame this one on the coaches)

If you held out hope of Anthony Leon finding his way back to Tallahassee, file it under lost causes. Scout reports that the former Nole committed to Oregon last week.

Leon had a great pedigree -- he's Sean Taylor's cousin -- coming out of Miami's Gulliver Prep. Recruiting gurus penciled him in as a star safety at FSU. But it never worked out, and he ended up at College of the Sequoias in September. Leon quickly caught the eye of West Coast schools, including Southern Cal. The Trojans offered, but Leon chose the Ducks.

Far too many talented guys have come and gone off FSU's roster in recent years. But don't blame this departure on the coaches. An insider source tells us that Leon struggled to pick up the defensive scheme, became frustrated, missed classes, got in academic hot water, and hit the road.

Evidently Leon got his act together -- on and off the field -- at the California JC. The easy thing would be to grind our teeth over what might have been. The classy thing is to wish him the best.

"A win against a program such as FSU would have tremendous meaning" - Q & A with the play-by-play voice of the Badgers

We welcome Matt Lepay, now in his 15th year as the voice of Wisconsin sports. Nobody knows the Badgers better than Matt, so we value his answers to the following questions.

Are the 2008 Badgers a typical Big Ten grind-it-out team with massive linemen opening holes for big running backs?
Yes, Wisconsin once again is a run-first team. It led the Big Ten with 212 rushing yards per game. The Badgers do have huge offensive lineman, and the two primary tailbacks are in the 235-240 pound range. For much of the year, this truly was more of a grind-it-out offense, especially because of injuries to tight ends Travis Beckum and Garrett Graham. In the second half of the season, the Badgers did display a bit more big play capability. One of the newer weapons in the running game has been wide receiver David Gilreath. The Badgers used him rather effectively on end-arounds. Also, as Dustin Sherer became more comfortable as the starting quarterback, the passing game showed signs of life.

Will Wisconsin have some new wrinkles to spring on FSU?
The Badgers rarely do anything fancy, even with extra time to prepare. Bret Bielema probably is a bit more of a risk taker than Barry Alvarez, but I doubt you will see much that is radically different from what Wisconsin did during the regular season.

Really, how important is this game to Wisconsin, especially after so many recent trips to Florida bowls?
This is the fifth straight year in Florida, and the third time in four years in Orlando (the other two being the Capital One Bowl). While early indications project a low turnout of Badger fans, I believe this game is extremely important for the program. It has been a disappointing season, but clearly the view in these parts is that a win against a program such as Florida State would have tremendous meaning for Bielema and his team. To the players’credit, they didn’t quit after starting conference play 0-4. If the Badgers can beat FSU, it would be a good ending to an otherwise bumpy year.

Noles looking forward to Champs Bowl swag

Ah, Bowl season. That magical time of year when the Scrooge-like watchdogs at the NCAA turn into jolly Santas. See, the organization allows bowls to shower kids with up to $500 in goodies. Forget that if a bowl official bought a player so much as a chili dog any other time, there'd be hell to pay.

So during their stay in Orlando FSU players will plunder the shelves of Best Buy for up to $400 in the swag of their choice. They'll also strap on a cool commemorative watch, receive an additional gift bag, and hit a theme park or two.

Good thing that Champs, the bowl sponsor, isn't treating players to free shoes at one of their Foot Locker stores. That would be just too, too ironic.

In other Champs Bowl news - Wisconsin Badger fans are staying home in droves. And bowl execs were worried that FSU faithful wouldn't buy tickets?

It was the blowout win FSU fans have been waiting for

by Bill from Tampa
Florida State fans had been hoping for a game where they could sit back and relax in the final minutes. knowing that the Seminoles had the victory secured long ago. Unlike the numerous nail biters in the previous eleven games, Thursday night at the Civic Center they finally got, for the first time this season, that blowout win over an opponent FSU was expected to easily beat.

Led by Solomon Alabi’s 16 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 blocked shots all career highs, the Seminoles pummeled the Charleston Southern Buccaneers 71-48.

It didn’t take Alabi long to establish his dominance over the Buccaneers, who had no answer for the Nigerian’s height advantage. By the time 6:30 had elapsed in the game Alabi had 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks in helping the Seminoles build an early 14-5 lead.

Alabi was not alone in controlling every aspect of the game, though. On a night when Toney Douglas had a quiet game with just 5 points on 2 of 11 shooting, it was the younger cast that picked up the scoring.

Chris Singleton added 9 points but also had 5 of the ‘Noles’ 12 steals in the game. Xavier Gibson got into double digits with 11 points. Jordan DeMercy added 9 points with a couple of baskets coming on highlight reel slam dunks. Derwin Kitchen also made significant plays scoring 8 points to go along with his 7 rebounds. Ryan Reid added 9 boards himself.

FSU stretched out the first half lead to 36-20 when Singleton knocked the ball loose into the hands of Brian Hoff who launched a lengthy pass to a streaking Kitchen for the easy slam dunk.

However the Buccaneers’ leading scorer, Jamarco Warren, got open on a screen and Kitchen could not get to him before Warren knocked down the three from the right corner. Warren shortly followed that with a driving layup plus the  foul, closing the margin in less than a minute to 36-26 at the half.

That would be as close as Charleston Southern would get for the rest of the game.