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Notebook Seminoles want another shot at Hurricanes
By Stewart Mandel, CNNSI.com TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- It's time once again for what's becoming a weekly question among college football gurus: Who's No. 2? Referring, of course, to the Bowl Championship Series standings, where Florida State and Miami have flopped spots each of the last two weeks and are likely to do so again following the Seminoles' impressive victory over the BCS No. 4 team, Florida. "This is the best football team in the country right now," said Chris Weinke. "I believe we are playing as well as anyone in the nation." Maybe so, Chris, but that's not going to prevent 10-0 Oklahoma from retaining the No. 1 ranking if it beats Oklahoma State next week and Kansas State in the Big 12 championship on Dec. 2. As for the other spot in the Orange Bowl, 11-1 FSU can only sit back and watch what happens at this point. The Hurricanes, 9-1, will likely keep things close this week after blowing out a 5-4 Syracuse team on the road, and they play once more next weekend at home against 6-4 Boston College. FSU fans made their opinion felt with the clock winding down Saturday night, pelting the Doak Campbell turf -- and, subsequently, some Florida players -- with oranges. But Miami fans have a legitimate gripe -- their team did beat the 'Noles, after all, 27-24 back on Oct. 7. "We did our part," FSU linebacker Brian Allen said. "We don't control our own destiny, after losing to Miami, but if we didn't get the job done tonight -- I don't know what more we could have done." What they could have done was beat Miami, something many of the FSU players are still kicking themselves about. Some of the circumstances surrounding that game -- 90 degree-plus heat had many of their defenders dehydrated on Miami's final drive -- has them playing the inevitable "What if" game -- as in, what if the teams played again, in a cooler climate, on a neutral field. "I want Oklahoma to lose," said safety Derrick Gibson. "I just want to be able to play Miami again."
Shining secondaryBesides Weinke's doctor, no one in garnet and gold responded better to pressure Saturday night than Florida State's defensive backs. The Seminoles knew Florida would try to beat them through the air -- you expected something different from Steve Spurrier? -- and chose not to focus on the Gators' receivers rather than blitzing the quarterback(s). Needless to say, it worked. After giving Florida 111 yards through the air in the first quarter, FSU settled down and allowed only 165 the next three. Florida QBs Jesse Palmer and Rex Grossman completed 27-of-46, but threw three interceptions, two to FSU's Tay Cody. And star freshman receiver Jabar Gaffney was held under 100 yards (95) for the first time in seven games. "I've been [hearing] all week about Grossman and Gaffney, but you're not going to come into Doak and come away with a victory with only two players," said Florida State linebacker Brian Allen. When your team has the undisputed top offense in the country, it's hard for the defense to get recognition. But the Seminoles' unit unquestionably made a statement after allowing only seven points to a team that had scored no less than 34 its last seven games, all against SEC defenses. FSU was especially strong once a Florida receiver got in the open field, limiting the Gators to no play longer than 29 yards. "If you watched Florida play against people this season, especially that South Carolina game [last week], there were all kinds of long plays they broke, on missed tackles," said Bobby Bowden. "That's something we really made a point of emphasizing this week, was making tackles."
Just pick oneFlorida coach Steve Spurrier was at his zany best again Saturday night, putting Grossman on the field for the Gators' first play, then letting the more experienced Palmer ride most of the way. Grossman finally relieved him when the score got to 27-7. But the Gators had more to worry about than their perpetual quarterback question. Like a running game that, as predicted, never got going against the Seminoles. Florida, which ranks last in the SEC in rushing, gained a measly 54 yards on 20 carries. (Granted, FSU gained only a modest 90). "We needed to play better on offense tonight to win this game," said Spurrier, who fell to 0-5-1 at Doak Campbell. "We played offensively like we did here two years ago." Spurrier needs to be extra sure the next two weeks to keep his team motivated. This is the second straight year the Gators clinched a berth in the SEC championship before seeing their hopes of an even bigger championship vanish at the hands of the Seminoles. Last year, the team responded by dropping the SEC game in Atlanta to Alabama as well as the Citrus Bowl to Michigan State, ending the season with an uncharacteristic four losses. Of course, there are two big differences between last year and this. Florida's offense had been wilting for several weeks before the SEC game in 1999, whereas, before Saturday, it was on fire this year. And unlike the Crimson Tide, who beat UF twice last season, the Gators face an Auburn team in two weeks which they whipped 38-7 during the regular season. "Right now we need to put it behind us because our goal is to win the SEC championship," said defensive tackle Derrick Chambers. "We are looking forward to playing Auburn. We just have to learn from what we did wrong and try to win the SEC championship." The Gators will be playing in the title game for the seventh time in its nine-year history, but has not won the crown since 1996.
Worth notingFSU's senior class, like every one that's arrived since 1991, graduates without a loss at Doak Campbell Stadium ... Before the game, Marvin Minnis was announced as one of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver, along with UCLA's Freddie Mitchell and Pitt's Antonio Bryant ... Gaffney set the SEC record for a freshman with 1,100 yards. He also holds a record with 66 receptions ... Some of Florida's most infamous new political celebrities attended Saturday's game, including governor Jeb Bush and secretary of state Katherine Harris, whose grandfather happens to be Ben Hill Griffin -- you know, the one The Swamp is named after. Also in attendance was noted baseball free agent Alex Rodriguez, who, suffice to say, is having a better year than the previous two ... The attendance of 83,042 was an FSU record.
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