Seminoles Chant

Bjoern Werner Aims to Replace Dwight Freeney in Indianapolis

Dwight Freeney has a shadow that will loom large in Indianapolis. In 11 seasons as an Indianapolis Colt, the Syracuse alum racked up 107.5 sacks and was oftentimes the lone star on defenses that were habitually outshined by Peyton Manning's offense.

Last year Freeney found a new role as the senior statesman- alongside Reggie Wayne- when Manning left for Denver and Andrew Luck arrived.

But as is the case with most NFL teams, age and atrophying ability creeped up and after tallying just 5 sacks in 2012 (the second lowest total in his career) Freeney was not resigned in Indianapolis this past offseason.

On Thursday night with the 24th pick in the 2013 NFL Draft the Indianapolis Colts tabbed Freeney's replacement, Florida State defensive end Bjoern Werner. 

Werner, a 6-4 255-pound junior, became the highest draft German in NFL history when he heard his name called at Radio City Music Hall. He walked across the stage, put his arms around the Commissioner (in a much more genteel fashion than he typically does with quarterbacks) and made history in his native Germany and his hometown of Berlin.

Werner is an anomaly, a European-bred football wunderkind. After finding a passion for the game during a childhood that often saw him attending NFL Europe games, he started playing flag football in Germany before heading to a prep school in Connecticut to pursue a college scholarship. After a head-turning senior season the offers started rolling in from across the country and Werner and his new wife chose to become Seminoles because of the school's location- Florida.

Three years and 23.5 sacks later Werner was back in the northeast on Thursday night, but this time in New York hoisting a Colts jersey on stage next to Roger Goodell.

In Werner the Colts hope they have found their next great pass-rusher.

And despite seeing his draft stock take a hit in the months following his 13-sack junior season, Werner hasn't given the Colts much reason to doubt that he will be.

“Bjoern is one of the great players in Florida State history and one of the most instinctive players that’s ever been around,” FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher said. “He’s going to be a great professional player. He’s another great ambassador for this university. He stands for all the right things, and I couldn’t be happier for him and his family.”

Despite still not having extensive experience as a football player (Werner has essentially only ever played five years of competitive football), he has a very high football IQ. Coupled with an intense work ethic, Werner has grown on the field every year he's played. At Florida State he got playing time as a key reserve as a true freshman, got on to the field full time as a sophomore. As a junior he lead the ACC in sacks.

A lot of times, as you get further and further away from actually seeing the players competing live, teams get distracted by the miutia of the draft and tend to overrate a lot of little things that might not have a huge bearing on how a player will actually perform in the NFL.

One needs only pop in the tape of Werner against Florida- a top-notch SEC opponent- to see what kind of player he is against NFL quality competition. He's smart. He's a self-motivated guy who was willing to leave his family and country to pursue an NFL career. He has a good NFL mind and is a high-character individual.

I was frankly surprised to see Werner slip as far as he did. But if his collegiate performance and intangibles are any indication, Indy should like what how he fills Dwight Freeney's shoes. 

 

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EJ Manuel is the First QB Taken in the 2013 NFL Draft

The NFL Draft plays out in funny ways sometimes.

Headed into the 2012 season Matt Barkley and Landry Jones seemed the odds-on favorites to be the first quarterbacks drafted.

Then when the season started and West Virginia’s offense steamrolled through the early months it was Geno Smith that pulled ahead.

And as the draft cycle wound on from January through early April it seemed as though Barkley and Smith had settled in as the top quarterbacks from the 2013 class. Other QB's would occasionally flit through, catch the interest of scouts and pundits and then fall back down draft boards just as quickly.

By the time mid-April rolled around it was all but assumed Geno Smith would be the first one to hear his name called at Radio City Music Hall in New York come April 25th.

Then on Thursday night a funny thing happened.

As EJ Manuel- and not Geno Smith- walked across the stage at Radio City Music Hall, gave a bearhug to the commissioner and grabbed a Buffalo Bills jersey as the first QB picked in the 2013 NFL draft, everyone was a bit shocked.

Well, almost everyone.

“It wasn’t a very big surprise,” said Manuel moments later. “I knew there was an opportunity for me to go early in the draft, I knew teams that needed a quarterback were very interested, it was just a matter of what happened that day.”

A lot happened.

After a run on offensive linemen, Buffalo was able to capitalize on the Jets’ stated interest in West Virginia WR Tavon Austin and trade down with St. Louis- who came up to select Austin 8th.

The move sent Buffalo back to 16th, where they felt comfortable selecting the 6-5 237-pound QB given what else was available.

Manuel was the first quarterback selected and also the first player taken from Florida State. The last Seminole selected in the first round of the NFL draft was the man Manuel replaced at FSU, QB Christian Ponder who went 12th overall to Minnesota in 2011.

Now Manuel will try to lead the offense up in Buffalo and hopefully- at least for Manuel- be a thorn in the side of Miami sports fans for a few more years.

As the Seminoles’ starter Manuel finished his career with a 25-6 mark including a 2-0 record against the University of Miami. He is the most accurate passer in Florida State history, second all-time in the ACC. He threw for 7,736 yards, 47 touchdowns and 28 interceptions in his time at FSU.

On Thursday night though, Manuel was just living in the moment.

"I’m just thinking about my mom, what she’s battled through and what she’s gone through,” Manuel said.

As EJ was playing through his senior season, his mother Jackie was undergoing chemotherapy for stage one breast cancer. EJ- despite the emotional toll- never once discussed it, and never let it affect him while leading FSU to a conference title and an Orange Bowl win.

“I’m extremely happy for EJ,” FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher said. “He’s a tremendous young man who has been a great representative of Florida State University. He’s worked extremely hard to get to this goal. He’s one of the main reasons that this program has been able to get back to national prominence because of the sacrifices he’s made through his career as well as his development as a player. I’m extremely happy for him and his family. This couldn’t have happen to a better group of people.”

On Thursday night, with his mother in remission, holding a Buffalo Bills jersey with the number one on it- indicative not just of his first round selection, but also of being the first QB taken- Manuel couldn't help but get a little emotional.

“I know I’m not the only guy who’s parents have battled through something like that, made it through something like that, but I’m just so proud, I’m just thankful, it’s just a dream come true,” said Manuel. “She’s back there smiling and everyone’s crying and all that stuff.

“I’m just so proud to be a Buffalo Bill, I can wait to get started. Get working.”

 

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Five Seminoles Vying for First Round

The NFL draft kicks off in a little over an hour and Florida State figures to factor heavily into the round one festivities. As many as five Seminoles could hear their names called tonight, the most first rounders FSU has ever had in a given year was four (1997, 2006). If all five are taken in the first 32 picks the 2013 Florida State draft class would become the most prolific in terms of NFL first round talent in school history.

Quite a distinction when you consider- as Jimbo Fisher recently put it- "[FSU has] as much tradition in the last 25 years in college football as anybody."

Tonight Bjoern Werner, Xavier Rhodes, EJ Manuel, Menelik Watson and Tank Carradine all have a shot to be taken in the first round. If ever there was a perfect example of the way that nearly four full months of draft over-scrutinization can affect a player's stock, the 2013 Seminoles draft class is it.

At the end of 2012 Bjoern Werner was a consensus top-5 pick. Tonight some draft pundits have him falling out of the back of the first round. Meanwhile Tank Carradine- who blew out his ACL in FSU's regular season finale against Florida and then seemed destined to lose millions- could potentially sneak ahead of Werner and go in the mid-to-late first.

That's more a testament to Carradine than a mark against Werner. Despite injuring himself just five months ago, Carradine has been a workout warrior and will likely be full-go at the start of NFL training camp. He has a high motor, he's extremely hungry and he matched Werner sack-for-sack at FSU while also leading the team in tackles before his injury.

If he goes tonight, it will be one of the most impressive recoveries I have ever seen.

EJ Manuel has watched his draft stock quietly sneak up as the draft has approached. Teams haven't watched a live snap in months and have begun to fall in love with measurables and workout figures. That helps Manuel immensely. The 6-5 230-pound dual-threat (when he wants to be) QB is an NFL prototype who is coming along right as the QB position could potentially be seeing a paradigm shift. 

But it is interesting that the further away from watching live football and the deeper into the draft cycle that teams get, they also seem to be getting caught more and more in the minutia that surrounds the players as well.

Bjoern Werner produced on the field for three years. He got better each year. Against arguably FSU's best opponent in 2012 (Florida) he turned in a 3-sack performance. Everything on the tape shows a player that's productive on the field. But as Werner has been picked apart more and more, his stock has dropped. 

It's almost as if you start with too many positives on a player, the tendency is to look for- and over anaylyze- every negative you can find. 

With Manuel on the other hand, you can pop the tape in and see plenty of good things, but also inconsistencies and holes in his game that would not lend themselves to being considered a first round prospect. But as time has gone on, other players have been picked apart and teams start to overthink, a lot of the positives that have emerged from Manuel's interviews and workouts may be getting weighted more heavily.

Some mock drafts have Manuel going as high as four- to Philadelphia. While that's unlikely, it's definitely within the realm of possibility he goes in round one. 

Werner likely will too, though not as high as he would have gone if that draft was held January 15th and they only had college film to go by.

The other two Seminoles vying to be selected tonight are Menelik Watson and Xavier Rhodes. Both of whom have taken a spin on the draft's wheel of fortune in the past few months themselves.

Watson went from off the radar when he started the season at Florida State as a JuCo with almost no competitive football experience to potential late first round pick. He combines impressive athleticism with an unrelenting work ethic. While he's still very raw in terms of football experience, he's got a blue-collar mentality that NFL offensive line coaches should love and he has a very high ceiling.

Some NFL team could very well see fit to take a shot on him later tonight.

Xavier Rhodes has the size and athleticism that is a hot commodity after big-bodied corners like Richard Sherman have started having success in the NFL. Of all the Florida State players hoping to hear their names called tonight, Rhodes is probably the safest bet. He could even end up back in his hometown of Miami playing for the Dolphins if they go that direction at 12. 

It could just be a couple players, or it could be a record five, but Florida State figures to be well represented on night one of the NFL draft.

Keep checking back here all night for updates and analysis of how Florida State fares in this weekend's draft.

 

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Trickett Done at FSU, Winston Likely 2013 Starter

Breaking news out of Florida State as the Seminoles and Jimbo Fisher have released Clint Trickett from his scholarship and the junior will explore other options next year.

“After a long meeting with Clint, he expressed he’d like to explore another playing opportunity," said Jimbo Fisher. "I’ve signed off on his wish. Clint has not only been a great player for our program, but a great young man and ambassador for Florida State who will graduate in a few weeks. He’s been a part of this program for a long time and we wish nothing but the best for him in his future endeavors.”

That leaves Jameis Winston the de facto winner of the QB competition. Winston managed to create some distance between himself and Jacob Coker and Sean Maguire during Spring practice. But a 12/15 205 yard, 2 TD spring performance against the FSU first team was likely enough to send Trickett packing.

All things equal, Winston had a much higher ceiling and even if Trickett could have held Winston off for one year, he never would have beat him next Spring. I would bet Trickett looks somewhere like USF for a transfer.

He will graduate in May, enter a grad program and avoid having to sit out a year.

As for Winston, he look as if he will be the guy come next September. That's what Seminoles fans wanted. That looks like what they'll get.

 

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(Photo courtesy of Ryan Syrkus)

Peter Miller Pitches FSU to 2-0 Win over South Alabama

Coming off a three-game sweep of Duke over the weekend and heading into a three game set against top 5 Virginia this upcoming weekend, it would have been easy for no. 6 Florida State (31-6, 13-5 ACC) to overlook South Alabama (27-11).

But with an RPI of 16 and a scrappy lineup filled with tough outs, the Jaguars were not a team to be taken lightly.

"I really don't think that Florida State baseball can use that- ever- as an excuse because everytime we play a game, if we're playing each other, they're going to be scrapping to win," said FSU head coach Mike Martin. "This one was one of those that I was very proud of the way we approached it."

Florida State was able to find just enough offense to go along with a stellar outing from starter Peter Miller and beat South Alabama 2-0 on Tuesday night at Dick Howser Stadium in a very quick game that lasted exactly two hours.

"That was one of the quickest games on record," joked Martin. "Two hours on the button, we could have put 1:59 to make it look better."

When a reporter joked that the game would have been even faster if South Alabama's final hitters hadn't fouled so many balls off in the ninth inning, Martin just flashed his trademark grin and chuckled.

"Ain't that the truth? That's just the type of club they are. They'll battle you and battle you, it was a good win and I told the guys that."

Peter Miller (4-1) was excellent for the Seminoles on Tuesday night, pitching 6.2 innings while holding the Jaguars scoreless. The South Alabama hitters could not solve the junior RHP as he scattered a couple of hits and a walk across his start while striking out four.

"I've had some rough outings the past few weeks," said Miller after the game. "But the ball kind of bounced my way this time. I still feel like I had good stuff just like all the other outings but it went my way this time, that's just baseball."

"If he's had a better outing I don't know who it was against," added Martin. "Great outing, great outing for him."

Opposite Miller, South Alabama starter Payton Gardner (0-1) was also superb in keeping the Seminole bats in check. He gave up just five hits and two runs over six innings while striking out seven. 

"We were dominated by that guy," said Martin. "He struck out seven but I think we'll all agree it felt like 14."

The Seminoles broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth when they were able to parlay three singles into the only two runs of the ballgame.

1B John Nogowski started things off with a one-out single and advanced to second after Nick Zaharion fumbled with it in left. 2B John Sansone went the opposite way and dropped a ball in front of the right fielder to score Nogowski in the very next at-bat. After Sansone stole second, SS Giovanny Alfonzo singled to put men on the corners for Seth Miller who brought Sansone in on a fielder's choice.

That would be all the offense the Seminoles needed. Miller handed the ball to the bullpen with two down in the 7th and Billy Strode came on to get the final Jaguar out of the inning. He returned to retire two more in the 8th before Gage Smith came in and required just two pitches to record the third out.

In the 9th Florida State turned it over to Robby Coles who closed out the game for his 8th save of the year.

FSU heads on the road next for three games with Virginia over the weekend.

 

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(Photo courtesy of Ryan Syrkus)

Jameis Winston Wins over Fans in FSU Spring Game

There are plenty of storylines to consider from Saturday's Garnet and Gold game. Jacobbi McDaniel played well for the first time since breaking his ankle agaisnt Duke in 2011. PJ Williams stood out on the first team. The receivers all looked impressive.

But nobody dropped as many jaws on Saturday as Jameis Winston.

The 6-4 218-pound QB couldn't have made much more of an impression on the Florida State fanbase than he did when he entered the game and immediately threw a 58-yard touchdown pass on his first play from scrimmage. 

Florida State called a play with four vertical passing routes, Winston went with his second read and dropped a beautiful ball over the shoulder of David Tyrell for 58 yards and a touchdown. It was an electric moment that brought everyone in the stands to their feet.

Jimbo Fisher mentioned the degree of difficulty that throw takes for someone coming off the bench, but the more impressive compliment that was paid to Winston was in regards to his second touchdown pass- a back-shoulder throw to Rashad Greene from 20 yards out.

“If you watch the NFL, if you ever watch the real deals, those guys you’ve got to beat them deep and beat them back, you’ve got to throw them open," said Fisher. "And that’s open. When you play big time people, against good people, that’s going to be open. I mean you’re going to have a couple inches here and there and you’re going to have to put the ball on the right shoulder. That’s why arm strength and accuracy are so important when you’re going to high levels of ball.

“I mean to the average person that doesn’t look open but in real football that is open.”

When you talk to players about how the Spring has gone and you ask them about Winston, they all say the same thing. He's got "it." It's more than just athleticism or accuracy or intelligence, Winston is a playmaker. That's just something that comes naturally to some guys and if you ask the people close to this program, they'll tell you Jameis was born with some to spare.

"He’s athletic so every time he drops back to pass he’s a threat to run. He’s just a playmaker," said LB Christian Jones. "He’s a shifty guy, he can move so when you come down to the backfield you’ve got to be ready to get on him because he’ll get out of there.”

Winston's skillset is extremely similar to EJ Manuel's. He's a big, strong, athletic passer with good intelligence and accuracy. Manuel even took Winston under his wing when Jameis first stepped on campus. 

But there's a couple of major differences between Winston and his predecessor.

“EJ had the same ability as Winston has but EJ he prided himself more on being just a true quarterback in the pocket," said Jones. "Winston, he’s more of a [playmaker], he’s going to run it a little bit more. EJ had the same qualities that Winston had, they just play different.”

Manuel never wanted to be known as a dual-threat quarterback. Winston- who is a dual-sport athlete- could care less how people perceive him. 

And that fits into the second difference between Manuel and Winston. Both were excellent at blocking out other people's impressions of them, but Winston is wired differently than Manuel.

A lot differently.

“He’s a guy who the harder you press him, the better he plays," said Fisher. "He wants it, he’ll walk by and ask me, 'what? You can’t get on me enough?' He loves to be challenged.”

Manuel was a tough kid, but he wasn't the kind of guy who invited Fisher's harshest criticisms and thrived on being ridden by him.

Winston seems to. And that may make all the difference in terms of his development under Fisher's tutelage. The reason for that may be that Winston is his own sharpest critic. Case in point, after finishing the Garnet and Gold game 12/15 for 205 yards and the only two touchdowns thrown against the first-team defense, Winston wasn't happy.

"I got to get better," he said after the game. "I still have to get better on my reads and play recognition, it's just so many different things and different aspects of my game that I have to improve on. I don't really have a comfort zone with my performance right now."

Then he hurried across the parking lot to Dick Howser stadium to join the baseball team as they took on Duke in a doubleheader.

Part of the reason Winston has been able to take Florida State by storm is he's a very mature young man. He's still in his freshman year, next season he will be classified as a redshirt freshman, but he's already years ahead.

“He’s further along than any redshirt freshman [I've seen]," said WR Rashad Greene. "And that’s good for a guy like Jameis, he’s got a lot of humor about him, always excited, get you going. And that’s what you need out of a quarterback, someone who can get you excited.”

“For younger guys you really don’t see that much," added Jones. "It usually takes them awhile to catch on a bit, especially at the QB spot you’ve got to be able to be confident, to take control of the offense so he’s done a great job of doing that this Spring.”

Winston may have done a good enough job this Spring to win himself the job as the starting QB. Seminoles fans would love to see that, but Jimbo Fisher has a quick word of caution before anyone runs out and gets a Jameis Winston tattoo.

"Let’s let the guy play," said Fisher. "What I fear about all that stuff is it’s great to write but you build a guy up to be so great he can’t live up to it and then all you do is build disappointment for the guy. It’s unfair to the player, but just be careful and let him play.”

Fisher is trying to protect Winston from reading his own press clippings or buying into his own hype. But sometimes that's easier said than done in the digital age of social media.

“You just keep him realistic and tell him what’s real and what’s not real," said Fisher. "Let everyone else be legends and hype."

Fisher is more interested in a hunting dog than a show dog. That's something he repeated over and over last year. 

So far Winston looks like he can hunt.

 

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(Photo courtesy of Ryan Syrkus)

Gameday: Garnet and Gold Game

The Garnet and Gold game is just a couple hours away. 

I just got set up in the press box and I'll have updates for you on the Seminoles' Spring finale all day on the Miami Herald FSU blog. 

A few items, first of all you'll notice the new circular-cut pattern on the field emanating from the Seminole logo on the 50. It's a nice touch. I'm not sure if it will still be the look come Fall, but it works given the shape of the logo.

Aesthetics aside, today's Spring game will feature the first team offense and second team defense on one squad and the second team offense and first team defense on the other. That way the first team goes against the first team and the twos face off against the twos. 

Clint Trickett and Jameis Winston are the quarterbacks working with the first team, Jacob Coker and Sean Maguire will work with the twos.

Without Devonta Freemand and James Wilder, this is going to be an extremely pass-heavy afternoon. That's fine with Jimbo Fisher though. With four quarterbacks currently competing for the starting job, the more Fisher and his coaching staff can see from each the more they'll have to go on when they make their decisions.

But don't get too far ahead of yourself thinking anyone could still win this job. If the Spring has been any indication, Trickett is still up at the top and even with splitting time between two sports, Jameis Winston has put some distance between himself and the other QB's. 

At this point it could be either of them. But I wouldn't wager on a decision being announced until closer to Labor Day.

On the other side of the ball expect a fairly vanilla day from the defense. Jeremy Pruitt and the new coaches have installed most of the new wrinkles, but given the nature of today's exhibition and the fact Florida State is trying to see players, not what schemes work, don't expect many exotic looks or packages today from the FSU defensive unit.

On the first team, Jacobbi McDaniel will be getting snaps for the first time in nearly two seasons. Him and Nile Lawrence-Stample are the two starting DT's right now with Tim Jernigan nursing a bum ankle and underclassmen Eddie Goldman and Justin Shanks still developing.

Goldman could blossom this season if he can learn to become more consistent- something he has been working on this Spring- but for now it seems as if Jacobbi McDaniel may have a shot to make an impact in 2013 after all.

Jernigan said a few days ago he felt McDaniel would contribute a lot this season, he'll get his first shot this afternoon.

Three Players to Watch:

CB PJ Williams- Williams has been having a breakout Spring. He's a big-bodied corner who came to FSU thinking he would be a safety but moved to CB when the Seminoles booted Greg Reid last summer. Williams reminds his teammates of Xavier Rhodes, but perhaps with a better nose for the ball. He has the mindset of a playmaker and considering the Seminoles' lack of turnovers on defense last year, some big plays would be a welcome addition to the secondary.

QB Jameis Winston- Clint Trickett is the safe choice at QB, but Winston is the sexy name that fans are interested in. With a rare combination of speed, size and arm-strength, Winston has demonstrated an "it" factor at several points this Spring. With a higher ceiling than Trickett, if Winston can get close enough before the season starts he may be able to win the job based on potential alone.

RT Bobby Hart- Hart came to FSU as a 16 year-old out of Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas. He started games as a true freshman, got the attention of the fanbase and then rode the pine as a sophomore when maturity issues and Menelik Watson conspired to keep him off the field. This year coaches and teammates alike have noticed a more workmanlike attitude from the junior tackle. If he can win the job at right tackle the Seminole offensive line will be better for it.

 

TV: ESPN 3

 

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Florida State Clobbers Duke 16-2 in Series Opener

The Florida State Seminoles (28-6, 10-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) hosted the Duke Blue Devils (21-15, 8-8 ACC) for the first of three games on Friday night at Dick Howser Stadium.

They were not gracious hosts.

Behind a dominant performance by starter Luke Weaver and a couple of four-run innings the Seminoles smashed Duke 16-2 in the series opener.

"Well that was just one of those that you look at the ballgame and you know that Luke Weaver is the story," said FSU head coach Mike Martin. "But we had some very very good at-bats, we scored a lot of runs obviously. It's a credit to our guys and the at-bats that they had. I'm just very proud of them."

Weaver was impressive in his second outing since taking over the Seminoles' Friday night spot in the rotation. The 6-2 170-pound righty picked up his 4th win of the season with seven strong innings and six strikeouts while giving up six hits and an earned run. 

The sophomore kept Duke's batters off balance all day, hitting his spots and using his full compliment of pitches. His lone mistake came on a 2-2 pitch to Duke 1B Chris Marconcini which got hit out of the park. Other than that Weavers was lights out.

"We were liteally going to use him more because he was less than 100," said Martin about the decision to pull Weaver after seven. "But then the [bottom of the] seventh inning got a little long and so we just decided to get him out of there then."

Behind Weaver the Seminoles battered Duke's pitching, plating 16 runs. 2B John Sansone lead the way, going 3-4 with 4 RBI's, RF Josh Delph was also 3-4 with a pair of RBI's. 3B Jose Brizuela and LF Marcus Davis each had three hits a piece too before leaving the game early to enjoy the final innings from the bench.

Florida State drew first blood when Davis singled to drive in Knief in the bottom of the first. With Jameis DH Winston up at the plate next, Davis attempted to swipe second and was gunned out but the throw let CF DJ Stewart score from third to make it 2-0.

The next inning, in the top of the 2nd, Marconcini hit his 8th homerun of the season, a solo shot to right. It was the first homer that Weaver had surrendered all season and it cut the Seminole lead to 2-1.

But Florida State broke things wide open in the bottom of the 4th.

After Winston started the inning by wearing an inside pitch and taking his base, Brizuela singled and 1B John Nogowski walked to load the bases with one out.

Sansone came up next and singled through the left side of the infield to drive in two and push the Florida State advantage to 4-1. Knief added an RBI on a sacrifice fly and DJ Stewart also singled in a run to help the Seminoles push four across in the inning before the Blue Devils could escape trailing by five runs.

The Seminoles chased Swart and tacked on four more the next inning too. After Brizuela singled to drive in Davis and put men on the corners for Nogowski, a single scored both runners to push the Seminole advantage to eight. Nogowski would later score on a throwing error to push the lead to 10-1.

Swart finished the day after 4.1 innings pitched, gave up 10 hits, nine runs, eight earned while both striking out and walking three. 

An inning later in the bottom of the 6th Davis made it 12-1 when he clobbered a ball well over the rightfield wall. It was Davis' 6th homerun of the season and there was never any doubt. Davis has displayed impressive power all season, but of the six he's hit out, none have left the yard as quickly as his homer on Friday night.

"I noticed the pattern of these guys throwing 1-0 fastballs," said Davis. "They were trying to get back into the count with fastballs so I saw one he just put it where I could handle it.

"It feels pretty good [to hit one that hard] because it doesn't happen often. It always feels good to get a hit but when you hit one that hard it just feels special."

The Seminoles kept tacking on more and more runs in the late innings too. Knief and Seth Miller both drove in runs in the bottom of the 7th to make it 14-2. In the bottom of the 8th- the last time the Seminoles would bat- Sansone drove in two more to make it 16-2 and all but empty the stands at Dick Howser Stadium.

Florida State plays a pair with Duke tomorrow. The threat of severe weather on Sunday has forced FSU to push game one up from 6 PM to 4 PM and game two will start 45 minutes after the conlusion of the matinee game.

 

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The Miami Herald All-You-Need-To-Know Florida State University Spring Football Primer

With the Florida State University Spring Game now less than 36 hours away it's time to roll out this year's Miami Herald All-You-Need-to-Know Spring Football Primer. 

Over the course of the past few weeks the FSU football team has been back to work as they prepare for the 2013 season. Last year the Seminoles finished 12-2, won the ACC and beat Northern Illinois in the Orange Bowl. But the offseason brought a multitude of coaching changes with it and Florida State will also have to reload after losing a number of players to graduation and the NFL draft. 

Fortunately for Florida State fans, solid recruiting and good coaching connections seem to have the team headed in the right direction, though a lot is still undecided heading into Saturday's Spring finale.

From the Quarterback competition currently taking place to the adjustments being made under new defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, there's been plenty going on in Seminoles camp. That's why I've got your primer. Below you can find everything you need to get you ready for the Florida State Garnet and Gold Game. Click around. Read. Become an expert on all things Florida State as the Seminoles prepare to put the finishing touches on the Spring.

2013 "Garnet and Gold" Spring Football Game Preview

QB Competition a Four-Man Race
Profile: Clint Trickett
Profile: Jameis Winston
Profile: Jacob Coker
Profile: Sean Maguire 

 

Seminole Run Game Depleted Heading Into Spring Game

Mario Pender Looking to Break Out After Lost Year

 

Two Years Later Offensive Line Looking Veteran 

Bobby Hart Feeling Hungry Again After Sitting Most of 2012

 

Receivers Finding Themselves in a New Role

Kenny Shaw Happy to Fly Below Your Radar

After Taking His Lumps in Year One, Kourtzidis Ready for Year Two

 

Jeremy Pruitt is Implementing an Attacking, NFL-Style Defense at Florida State

 

Sal Sunseri Brings Lunch-Pail Approach to Florida State Defensive Line

Mario Edwards Ready to Live Up to the Hype

Tim Jernigan Ready to Lead

Jacobbi McDaniel Aiming to Take Out His Frustration on Opponents

Chris Casher Bouncing Back After Blown Knee

NCAA Has DeMarcus Walker Caught in the Rye

 

Lamarcus Joyner is On His Own Now

PJ Williams Making Most of His Opportunities

 

Telvin Smith Enjoying New Role as Leader

 

Berto and Beatty, Seminole Kickers Ready to Toe the Line in 2013

 

Scrimmage Reports:
Scrimmage 1
Scrimmage 2

 

Pro Day:
Recap from Florida State Pro Day
More Observations from Florida State Pro Day

 

Seminoles 2013 Schedule Leaves Something to Be Desired
2014 Could be Brutal

For all the latest Florida State news and updates follow Patrik Nohe on Twitter... 

Follow @PatrikNohe_MH

2013 Garnet and Gold Spring Football Game Preview

After 15 practices- including one of the most grueling scrimmages in Jimbo Fisher's tenure as head coach- the Florida State Seminoles are finally ready for their annual Garnet and Gold Spring game.

This year things will be a little bit different than they have been in the past. The Seminoles have scrapped their draft format (where captains pick teams) in favor of putting the one's and two's together so the first-team offense and defense and second-team offense and defense square off agaisnt one another. One's against one's, two's against two's. 

“We’re going to put guys into position and we’re going to try to win the game but I’m also going to make sure so-and-so gets so many chances to run it or throw it at him or you try to direct some balls to see how each guy handles those situations in there," said Jimbo Fisher. "It will still be more that way, but the guys will call the game, [WR Coach Lawrence] Dawsey will call one side and [QB Coach Randy] Sanders will call the other and we’ll try to make some plays and we’ll get a plan of what we’re going to try to do to see how some guys react.”

This isn't going to be all that informative in terms of schemes and play-calling. It will be vanilla. It will not give any of the secrets away.

The team has installed most of its offense and defense. Fisher said the plan in Spring is to throw as much as they possibly can at the players to see what sticks. Then to go back over and iron out the details over the Summer and heading into Fall.

Despite the full installation though, things will be dialed back for the sake of the Spring game.

“These things to me are like NFL exhibitions, your offense is your base stuff, you’re looking how does the guy handle the situation," said Fisher. "You want to throw and catch and win the game, play good defense and tackle and do those kinds of things, the lights are on, people are out there. It’s nothing like a real game but it’s still as close as you can get.”

More than stats or touchdowns, Fisher is looking to see how his players respond to being on the stage at Doak. It's not a real game, but you can still gain quite a it of insight into the make-up of a player by seeing how he responds to certain situations you create in the context of the Spring game. 

“Can you execute and do the same things you were doing in practice and carry them to the field?" asked Fisher. "It’s the first time, even though it’s a simulated game for those guys, it’s the first time they’ve been asked to do action or they’re really being counted on, so you like to see how that atmosphere does it bother them, does it not bother them, and then their execution.”

One thing you will not see done much is rushing. With James Wilder and Devonta Freeman out for the Garnet and Gold game, and with Mario Pender questionanble, this will be a very pass-heavy exhibition.

That's fine with Fisher though. With a QB competition currently playing out, Fisher wants to see as much as he can out of each of his four quarterbacks.

QB Competition a Four-Man Race
Profile: Clint Trickett
Profile: Jameis Winston
Profile: Jacob Coker
Profile: Sean Maguire 

Clint Trickett and James Winston will play with the one's. Sean Maguire and Jacob Coker with the two's.

Thus far Trickett and Winston seem to have separated themselves from the rest of the pack, though the coaching staff has been silent about who the leader is and where the other quarterbacks currently rank in the competition.

Defensively, don't expect to see too much from the aggressive new defense that Jeremy Pruitt is installing. Reports from camp are that the defense has less reading and more attacking. Players are being schooled in the concepts behind the defense instead of just learning their assignments. Players like Christian Jones and Chris Casher are working all over the place as hybrid-style players who can line up standing or with their hands down.

"There’s not much you can do because they hide and disguise a lot of the things that they do," said LT Cam Erving, who admitted the defense has made it difficult to run the offense at times this Spring.

This is going to be a very exciting defense to watch in 2013 and a very scary one to try and play against. 

But fans aren't likely to catch much of a glimpse of it on Saturday.

It's likely the defense will run a fairly vanilla shell version of itself to give the offense some room to compete, as well as to try and save some of their more exotic looks for when the games actually matter.

The biggest thing for fans to look for defensively is how certain players look as they try to fight back from injury. DT Jacobbi McDaniel is back on the field for the first time since the Duke game in 2011. Casher is fighting back from a blown knee. And guys like CB PJ Williams are making names for themselves with starters like Nick Waisome and Ronald Darby on the shelf with injuries.

The game is slated to start at 2 PM inside Doak Campbell Stadium. It will be carried like on ESPN 3.

Afterwards you can read all about it on here. I'll have plenty of coverage for you.

 

For all the latest Florida State news and updates follow Patrik Nohe on Twitter...

Follow @PatrikNohe_MH