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Missing link

Without Minnis, Weinke, Seminoles' offense struggle

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Snoop Minnis watched from the sideline while quarterback Chris Weinke searched for other targets, mostly in vain. AP

MIAMI (AP) -- With his favorite receiver on the sideline, Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke struggled to get Florida State on the scoreboard.

The Seminoles' high-powered offense sputtered badly Wednesday night without Snoop Minnis in a 13-2 Orange Bowl loss to Oklahoma. Minnis led the nation in reception yardage during the regular season but was declared academically ineligible in December.

The Seminoles averted their first shutout since 1988 only because of a safety on a punt in the final minute. It was a dismal finale for offensive coordinator Mark Richt, who agreed to coach one more game after becoming head coach at Georgia last month.

With the Bowl Championship Series title at stake, Minnis watched from the sideline in street clothes while Weinke searched for other targets, mostly in vain.

"You would think with Snoop out there, he would have made a play or two," Richt said. "We knew we were going to miss him, and in a game like this, it would have taken only one or two plays to get things going."

Click the image to see more multimedia Head coach Bob Stoops couldn't be prouder of his Sooners. Start Sights and Sounds | Multimedia Central CNNSI.com's TREV ALBERTS Nobody gave this Sooners team a shot. They were 12-point underdogs. They absolutely dominated the Seminoles, held them without a touchdown. Before the game we talked about how Chris Weinke could go down as one of the best quarterbacks in the history of college football; they completely shut him down. I thought head coach Bob Stoops along with Mike Stoops and Brent Venables, Oklahoma's co-defensive coordinators, had great, great game plans. CLOSER LOOK Weinke's season of success deserts him at worst time for Seminoles Three quarters of the Orange Bowl had come and gone with Chris Weinke failing to achieve even a hint of the passing success that had won him the Heisman Trophy and led Florida State to this shot at history. FULL STORY WHAT WE LEARNED CNNSI.com's Stewart Mandel breaks down three things we learned from Oklahoma's 13-2 victory against Florida State in the Orange Bowl FULL STORY HEROES & GOATS HERO GOAT Entire Oklahoma Sooners defense When Florida State is held more than 40 points below its season average, it's tough to single out one guy. The Sooners made play after play to thwart the high-powered 'Noles, forcing three turnovers and holding them to a mere 301 yards. Mark Richt, FSU off. coordinator Richt's last game with the Seminoles was one to forget. Richt, who will become Georgia's next head coach, never found a way to crack the Sooners' defense, as a late safety prevented FSU from being shut out for the first time since 1988. MORE STORIES FSU Locker room: Missing link OU Locker room: Defense rises up Notebook: The pre-Bowden days Statitudes: Orange Bowl BTN | Heisman winners in bowls INSTANT POLL Which was the biggest play in the Orange Bowl? Cimorelli's missed FG Morgan's diving dropped TD pass Strait's tipped pass on 4th down Weinke's fumble Griffin's TD run View Results

The Seminoles dropped half a dozen passes, while Weinke threw mostly short toward the sideline and rarely went deep downfield. They used the no-huddle less than they have in other games this season, partly because Minnis' absence left them thin at receiver, Richt said.

Richt admitted that taking the Georgia job diverted his attention.

"I'm sure that's going to be said," he said. "I did the best I could. I wouldn't recommend it to anybody. It's an awful lot to try to get accomplished for one person. I'm sorry that we just didn't finish on a strong note."

Third-ranked Florida State (11-2), playing for the first time since Nov. 18, looked rusty offensively. Poor field position hurt, too, partly because of the punting of Oklahoma's Jeff Ferguson. In the second half the Seminoles started at their own 20, 15, 6, 19, 6, 20, 20 and 17.

The Seminoles, 10 1/2-point favorites, totaled just 301 yards. They averaged 549 yards and 42 points per game during the regular season.

Coach Bobby Bowden blamed much of the Seminoles' difficulties on Oklahoma coach Bobby Stoops' defensive scheme.

"You don't want to give them four weeks to get ready for you. Bobby's too smart," Bowden said. "He did a magnificent job of confusing us. We couldn't match up. They stayed a step ahead of us."

Weinke finished 25-of-51 for 274 yards with two interceptions.

"I wasn't hitting," he said. "If the quarterback isn't throwing very well, you're not going to be successful.

"We couldn't get on a roll. It was tough. It was frustrating after gaining so many yards all year. It was a combination of everybody not clicking together."

Trailing 6-0, Florida State drove to the Oklahoma 35 early in the fourth quarter. Robert Morgan almost made a diving reception in the end zone, and on fourth-and-10, Derrick Strait batted away a pass intended for Anquan Boldin at the 3.

"A great catch would have helped us a couple of times," Bowden said. "But we didn't make them."

The Seminoles, who led the nation in total offense and passing this season, had the ball 16 times. They punted 10 times, missed a 30-yard field goal attempt, turned the ball over three times and lost the ball twice on downs.

With the game scoreless, a fumble gave Florida State possession at the Sooners 47. But on the next play, Weinke's pass was intercepted by Torrance Marshall.

In the fourth quarter Weinke lost a fumble at the Seminoles 15 after running for a first down, and Quentin Griffin's 10-yard touchdown run gave Oklahoma a 13-0 lead.

Weinke threw an interception into the end zone in the final minute.

Florida State drove 39 yards to the Oklahoma 13 in the second quarter, but Brett Cimorelli shanked a field goal attempt wide right. Place kicks were a problem during the regular season for the Seminoles, who missed eight extra-point attempts and 10 of 24 field-goal tries.

 

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