10
Friday, August 24, 2001
Seminoles Hope to Avoid Topple From Top
Bv lan Gordon
Assistant Sports Editor
The oft-sowed seeds of revolution are
still waiting to take root.
Since Florida State became an ACC
football team in 1992, the rest of the
league’s football teams have been biding
their time, waiting for a chance to rebel
and oust Tallahassee’s titans from the
top of the conference.
Sometimes it’s a key injury that gives
the others hope. Other times, it’s a
Seminole loss during the regular season.
This year, the departures of Chris
Weinke, Travis Minor, Jamal Reynolds
and Tay Cody to the NFL have lent new
optimism to practice fields and coaching
offices from College Park to Atlanta.
But despite losing the nucleus of an
11-2 squad that fell to Oklahoma in last
season’s national championship FedEx
Orange Bowl, FSU coach Bobby
Bowden isn’t running for cover quite yet.
“In the 47 years I’ve been coaching,
this is not the first year I’ve been through
a situation where I’ve lost everyone,”
Bowden said. “I’ve always found it more
exciting when you have a lot of question
marks. We’ve got more question marks
Clemson Needs to Overcome Crucial Losses
tit Clemson
2000 record: 9-3 (6-2 in the ACC)
Head Coach: Tommy Bowden
(33-13 overall, 15-9 at Clemson)
Home Field: Memorial Stadium (81,474)
Returning Starters: 7 offense, 4 defense
Key Returnees: LB Chad Carson, QB Woodrow Dantzler, DT
Nick Eason, C Kyle Young, TB Travis Zachery
Key Losses: LB Keith Adams, DB Alex Ardley, S Robert
Carswell, WR Rod Gardner
Strengths: The Clemson offense will still be potent, despite the
loss of Dantzler's favorite target, Gardner. Zachery was an
All-ACC performer a year ago. Carson is a Butkus Award candidate and leads the defense.
Weaknesses: The secondary returns just one starter, safety Charles Hafley, from a 2000
squad that was second in the ACC against the pass. The kicking game will be a question
mark, as Clemson's punting and place kicking ranked at the bottom of the ACC.
Keys to season: Dantzler and Zachery must continue to put points on the board,
while the defense must do its best to play well with inexperience.
Key Game: Nov. 17 at South Carolina
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this year than in the last four years.”
Many of FSU’s concerns lie with its
usually high-scoring offense. Adding to
Bowden’s worries is the fact that long
time offensive coordinator Mark Richt
took the head coaching job at Georgia.
None more troublesome is the void
Bowden has to fill at the quarterback
spot. The Heisman Trophy-winning
Weinke started for the Seminoles during
the past three seasons and threw for
4,167 yards and 33 touchdowns in 2000.
Bowden has tabbed freshman Chris
Rix as his favorite to start the Seminoles
season opener on Sept 1 at Duke.
At wide receiver, FSU finds itself
unusually thin, as starters Robert
Morgan and Anquan Boldin both sus
tained season-ending knee injuries in the
preseason. Atrews Bell and Javon
Walker will see significant playing time
at wideout for the Seminoles.
Greg Jones and Kannapolis’ Nick
Maddox will battle it out to be the
Seminoles’ primary running back. Jones
is FSU’s leading returning rusher.
On the defensive side of the ball,
senior free safety Chris Hope will lead
an inexperienced secondary.
“My main concern is that they’ll have
HU
Tommy Bowden
Football 2001
Florida State
*Ol Schedule
Sept. 1 at Duke
Sept. 8 UAB
Sept. 15 Georgia Tech
Sept. 22 at UNC
Sept. 29 Wake Forest
Oct. 13 Miami
Oct. 20 at Virginia
Oct. 27 Maryland
Nov. 3 at Clemson
Nov. 10 N.C. State
Nov. 17 at Florida
to stay focused,” Hope said. “Coming
from high school and being the best
player on the field, they didn’t get beat
too many times.”
Bradley Jennings and Kendyll Pope
return to FSU’s linebacker corps, and
Clemson
'Ol Schedule
Sept. 1 Central Florida
Sept. 8 Wofford
Sept. 15 Duke
Sept. 22 Virginia
Sept. 29 at Georgia Tech
Oct. 13 at N.C. State
Oct. 20 UNC
Oct. 27 at Wake Forest
Nov. 3 Florida State
Nov. 10 at Maryland
Nov. 17 at S. Carolina
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dmjfkj Florida State
2000 record: 11 -2 (8-0 in the ACC)
Head Coach: Bobby Bowden
(315-87-4 overall, 242-55-4 at Florida State)
Home Field: Doak Campbell Stadium (80,000)
Returning Starters: 4 offense, 4 defense
Key Returnees: WR Atrews Bell, RB Greg Jones,
FS Chris Hope, LB Kendyll Pope, 0T Brett Williams
Key Losses: WR Anquan Boldin, WR Marvin Minnis,
RB Travis Minor, DE Jamal Reynolds,
Strengths: FSU should be able to run the ball behind an
experienced offensive line. The Seminoles also have defensive
stars in Hope, a Jim Thorpe Award candidate, and Pope.
Weaknesses: Once again, the Seminoles lost a lot of talent to the NFL. But FSU was
really hurt in preseason practice, when receivers Boldin and Robert Morgan went down
to knee injuries, weakening an already questionable air attack.
Keys to season: FSU needs to find a back to lighten the load on Chris Rix and his
receivers, and the defense has to score points off turnovers, especially in big games.
Key Game: Oct. 13 vs. Florida
Darnell Dockett will lead the defensive
line. They will try to replicate the suc
cess of last year’s defense, which allowed
a little more than 10 points and 74 yards
rushing per game.
Although they don’t have the experi
Bv Owen A. Hassell
Assistant Sports Saturday Editor
Clemson coach Tommy Bowden is
heavily involved in his team’s offensive
play-calling, but he might focus more of
his attention on defense this season.
The Tigers (9-3 overall, 6-2 in the
ACC last season) are without Keith
Adams, last year’s defensive leader, who
opted to leave early for the NFL. But
despite losing its main defensive threat,
Clemson has been picked by the ACC
media to finish third in the conference
behind Florida State and Georgia Tech.
Expectations in Death Valley remain
high with the return of Heisman Trophy
candidate Woodrow Dantzler, the
Tigers’ do-it-all quarterback. Dantzler’s
running and throwing abilities make
him one of the most potent offensive
threats in the conference.
In 2000, Dantzler threw for 1,871
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Bobby Bowden
ence of past FSU squads, this season’s
roster still is stacked with high school
All-Americans waiting for their chance.
“You don’t have to worry about us los
ing any talent; we have plenty of that,”
offensive tackle Brett Williams said.
yards, including 10 touchdowns, and set
a single-season Clemson record for total
offense with 2,899 yards. He added 13
rushing touchdowns for the Tigers.
But Dantzler will work under center
without his favorite target. Wide receiv
er Rod Gardner graduated, prompting
Dantzler to look for different answers in
Clemson’s passing game.
“I wouldn’t try to fill his shoes with
anyone,” Dantzler said. “It is going to be
more of a team effort with all four
receivers at any given time.”
An inexperienced receiver corps
may place more running assignments
on Dantzler.
And while he had no problem taking
on the role, it could easily lead to an
injury. Dantzler already suffered the same
fate at North Carolina last year on a run
ning play, and the Tigers can ill afford to
have the same happen this season.
Especially with a defense that is
untested and young. Clemson lost nine
defensive players from its 2000 team.
“With defense being the key to a suc
cessful season, that’s the biggest ques
tion mark,” Bowden said. “We lost a lot
of players, and we don’t have as much
depth and experience defensively.”
Last year’s squad ranked second in
the ACC in scoring defense and third in
total defense. But with just four starters
returning, it’s a whole new ball game for
the Clemson defense, a defense that will
be tested in the Tigers’ season opener
against Central Florida.
Bowden will turn to Butkus Award
candidate Chad Carson to lead the
Tigers’ defense. Stepping in for the tal
ented Adams, Carson must fill the void
the second-round draft pick left.
“I think it is positive pressure because
Keith was a great leader, and I’ve
learned from him,” Carson said.