Florida State Seminoles
ACC
Florida State came into 2012 with high expectations. Not just for the ACC, but on a national scale. This is the first time under Jimbo Fisher and defensive coordinator Mark Stoops that the Seminoles have looked like the Florida State teams of old under Bobby Bowden. Built on defense, Florida State handled their business in the ACC. They had a hiccup against NC State, but other than that, they played spectacularly. Had it not been for Clemson they would have wrapped up the Atlantic title in early November. Bloated expectations did not work against the Seminoles this year. They dominated opposing offenses and wore down defenses with a strong stable of rushers. Florida State is looking to reapply its stranglehold on the ACC for years to come.
2012 Record: 11-2, 7-1
Coach: Jimbo Fisher
Coach Bowl Record: 2-0
Big Wins: 9/22 Clemson (49-37), 10/20 at Miami (33-20)
Bad Losses: 10/6 at North Carolina State (16-17), 11/24 Florida (26-37)
Strengths:
Defense, defense, defense. The Seminoles led the ACC all year in every major statistical category on the defensive side of the ball other than sacks. That is not to say that they did not pressure the quarterback. They had one of the most dominant pass rushing tandems in the country to start the season in Bjoern Werner and Brandon Jenkins. Unfortunately, Jenkins went down early with a season-ending injury to take a little punch away from that pair. Cornellius Carradine has played beautifully in his stead and averages nearly a sack per game. As the fourth ranked rush defense in the nation, the Seminoles gave up less than 90 yards per game on the ground. Couple that with a secondary that gave up just under 170 yards per game, and you have the definition of dominant. What makes Florida State so well-rounded is the fact that they are able to run the ball extremely well. The offense backed up the strong defensive performances this season. Fisher’s squad ranked either first or second in most offensive categories. With runners like Chris Thompson (who went down injured mid-season), James Wilder Jr. and Devonta Freeman defenses have a tough time trying to stop all of them. Each of them can come in at any point with fresh legs and wear down the defensive front seven.
Weaknesses:
There are not many weaknesses to speak of with Florida State this season. As is the general complaint, consistency tends to be a problem. They had fewer letdowns this year than in recent years. Remember in 2009 when they lost three straight? Even in their loss to NC State, they only fell short by one point. It was a low-scoring game and the Wolfpack just got the better of the Seminoles on that particular night. On a micro level, the biggest issue this team will have in the postseason is the play of EJ Manuel. He has played some of his best football in a Florida State uniform this season. At the same time, he has made a few decisions and throws that frustrate Seminole nation. Against NC State he had his fourth lowest yardage total output of the season and only threw one touchdown along with one interception. At the end of the game, he ran around searching for open receivers and could not make plays in the clutch. Though he has 22 touchdowns this year, inconsistent play by Manuel could cost them a shot at bowl win.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Chris Thompson, RB, 687 yards
Passing: EJ Manuel, QB, 3,101 yards
Receiving: Rashad Greene, WR, 696 yards
Tackles: Christian Jones, LB, 85
Sacks: Bjoern Werner, DE, 13.0
Interceptions: Tyler Hunter, CB, 3; Xavier Rhodes, CB, 3
2012 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 203.75 (26th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Passing Offense: 273.67 (34, 6)
Total Offense: 477.42 (19, 3)
Scoring Offense: 41.50 (8, 2)
Rushing Defense: 85.08 (4, 1)
Pass Defense: 164.33 (6, 1)
Total Defense: 249.42 (2, 1)
Scoring Defense: 15.08 (7, 1)
Turnover Margin: -0.50 (95, 10)
Sacks: 2.67 (20, 1)
Sacks Allowed: 1.92 (62, 6)
Recent Bowl Appearances:
2011 Champs Sports Bowl Notre Dame (18-14)
2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl South Carolina (26-17)
2009 Gator Bowl West Virginia (33-21)
2008 Champs Sports Bowl Wisconsin (42-13)
2007 Music City Bowl Kentucky (28-35)
*all team stats through 11/24
