FSU Seminoles

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Jimbo Fisher got his wish, and the ACC will move forward with an eight-game conference football schedule, the league announced Wednesday.

Fisher had railed against the proposed nine-game slate, which would severely limit non-conference scheduling for teams like Florida State, Clemson and Georgia Tech, who already play an annual rivalry game against an out-of-conference foe.

With Notre Dame coming on board as a partial member of the ACC -- set to play five games a year against ACC opponents -- another wrinkle was added to the mix, making it financially problematic for member schools who want to maintain seven home games each season for revenue purposes.

But while the change of course back to the current eight-game slate offers Florida State more flexibility, it also means the Seminoles will need to find at least one more opponent to fill out their 2013 schedule.

Currently FSU has non-conference games against Wofford, Nevada and Florida scheduled for next season, but losing the ninth ACC game opens up a vacancy. Meanwhile, Nevada is hoping to withdraw from its scheduled trip to Tallahassee next season and is working with Florida State to find a viable alternative opponent.

The Seminoles endured similar last-minute scheduling issues this season when West Virginia pulled out of a planned Week 2 meeting in February, forcing FSU to scramble for a replacement. The school eventually settled on Savannah State, an FCS program that won just one game last year. The game had low attendance and FSU won in a route, despite weather putting an end to the contest midway through the third quarter.

With the tepid response to the Savannah State game among fans and questions swirling about how Florida State's lackluster schedule will affect its chances at a national championship, it seems likely AD Randy Spetman will want to avoid scheduling a second FCS foe for 2013, but he said the process of filling out next year's slate is only in its infancy.

"The change in the ACC's schedule plans obviously happened very quickly over the last few days," Spetman said. "We are immediately assessing what that will mean for Florida State, but speculating about potential opponents is premature right now. It is particularly difficult to plan too far in the future without knowing where and when Notre Dame is going to fit into schedules."

The plan for Notre Dame at this point would be for each ACC team to play one home game and one road game against the Irish every six years. When and where the first of those meetings would take place for Florida State remains a mystery.

Things will be a bit simpler in basketball, where the new schedule -- which includes Notre Dame as a full member -- will be an 18-game slate that includes one game annually against every other ACC team. Each team also will play an annual home-and-home series against two partner teams, which for FSU will be Clemson and Miami.

The ACC’s decision to stick with an eight-game conference schedule for the foreseeable future was the result of one main factor: Notre Dame.

Considering the new agreement in which Notre Dame will play five ACC opponents annually beginning in 2014, the majority of league athletic directors believed it would best serve the conference if there were more flexibility in scheduling. A nine-game league schedule, which the ACC planned to adopt in 2013 with the addition of Pitt and Syracuse, would have left little to no wiggle room, especially for Clemson, Georgia Tech and Florida State, which have built-in SEC rivalries.

This move wasn’t catering only to Florida State and Clemson, though. It was approved by a close 8-6 vote of league athletic directors, including Pittsburgh and Syracuse, according to a source who voted at the fall meeting in Boston.

While this change will likely benefit Florida State, Clemson and Georgia Tech the most, it certainly isn’t going to hurt the rest of the ACC. It will, however, force everyone to scramble to fill a Saturday in 2013. The good news is it’s still only October, and filling the open date with a home-and-home agreement should still be an option for a lot of programs. The bad news is we’re probably going to have to watch more FCS games than we’d like to next season. It’s not nearly as disastrous of a scenario though as in February, with FSU scrambling to replace West Virginia. There is no need to panic, there just might be a few more snoozers next season.

Overall, though, this shouldn’t affect the ACC’s strength of schedule moving forward in the new playoff system. The ACC has had one of the country’s best lineups, and with Notre Dame added to the mix, it will have a guaranteed opponent no other conference in the country will have. The eight-game schedule is likely what the Big Ten and SEC will stick with, too, so it’s not like the league has taken a step down. Instead, it’s remaining the same while adding Pitt and Cuse to the mix. ACC teams will play their six divisional opponents and two cross-divisional teams. This will also allow ACC schools to have the same number of home games, so it will be a fair lineup across the board.

Wednesday’s news shouldn’t come as a surprise. The majority of league coaches have voiced their support for an eight-game league schedule next seasonr, and ACC commissioner John Swofford said it was up to the athletic directors if they wanted to stick with it.

This news will make the ACC coaches happy, and it should certainly make Florida State fans happy knowing the Noles won’t have to get through nine ACC teams, Notre Dame and Florida in any given year in order to have a shot at the national title. They’ve got NC State in Raleigh on Saturday, and even that is hard enough.

Florida State heads on the road to face a reeling N.C. State team that just dropped a heartbreaker to Miami. The Wolfpack are reshuffling their offensive line, trying to find answers for a defense that has been torched by the Hurricanes and Tennessee this season, and still haunted by the memories of last year's 34-0 loss to Florida State.

So, how is NC State planning on staying competitive this year? For some insight, we checked in with David Morrison, who covers the Wolfpack for the Greensboro News & Record.

NoleNation: Jimbo Fisher and EJ Manuel both rave about how talented Mike Glennon is, but he didn't find much success against FSU a year ago. What has Glennon said about last year's meeting, and how's he planning on improving this time around?

David Morrison: Glennon has said that FSU is the fastest team he’s ever faced, before or since. To the point where he wasn’t really prepared last year for that speed. He said he’ll have a better idea of how much time he’ll have to throw this year before the rush gets to him.

NN: David Amerson got plenty of hype after recording 13 INTs last year, but he's been picked on routinely this year, including a pretty bad performance last week against Miami. What's been the difference for Amerson?

Morrison: Amerson's a very intuitive player that makes his living guessing and jumping routes. When he's right, he comes up with interceptions. When he's wrong, he gets torched. He's been wrong much more often this year and has yet to compensate in his aggressiveness.

NN: Speaking of that Miami game, from a defensive standpoint it was pretty much a disaster for N.C. State. How much do you think the Wolfpack will be looking to tweak from a technical standpoint this week, and what did the outcome do to the team from an emotional standpoint?

Morrison: It'd be a mistake to change too much schematically in the week leading up to the toughest game of the year. From an emotional standpoint, it has to wear on the defense that, in both of State's losses this year, it has gotten shredded. Saturday's loss bothered the teams' captains enough to call a players only meeting Sunday to make sure everyone is on the same page.

NN: Amerson's flair for INTs was a big help last year, but this season it's been N.C. State's penchant for giving the ball away that has been front and center. Through five games, Glennon has six INTs and the team has seven fumbles lost (and another seven they put on the ground but managed to hang on to). How big of a focus have the turnovers been, particularly going against a defense like FSU's this week?

Morrison: It's got to be a big emphasis, especially after giving the ball up six times to Miami. Cutting down on mistakes, in general, seems to be the focal point this week. The Wolfpack had an uncharacteristically high amount of penalties and turnovers last week and were still in it. Things could get ugly if Saturday's a repeat of that.

NN: Given what you've seen of N.C. State so far, what do you think are the two or three biggest keys to the Wolfpack pulling the upset?

Morrison: First, find a way for the piecemeal offensive line to give Glennon enough time against a scary front. Second, keep Manuel in the pocket, because bad things happened when Stephen Morris broke contain. Third, find some way to negate the sizable speed advantage the Seminoles enjoy. Good luck with all three...

A big thanks to David for all the insight. You can read more of his N.C. State coverage HERE or follow him on Twitter at @DavidCMorrison.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The playing time comes in spurts -- a series here and there, a few more snaps the next week.

The time Karlos Williams spends on the field is sacred but fleeting. They are a handful of snaps that mean everything, yet he knows the results must be quickly excavated from his memory.

"The snaps go by like a blink of the eye," he said.

Williams loves being on the field. He wants more playing time. He wants to fulfill his immense promise, blossom into a star, play a significant role in Florida State's championship aspirations.

That's the dream. The reality, for now, is that he is a back-up.

Williams speaks of Florida State's starting defense with reverence. He talks of his own play as a work-in-progress. He has goals, but he's not interested in maintaining the facade that they are close at hand.

"There's room for improvement, and as the season goes on, I'll mature more, and the playing time is definitely going to increase the more I mature and am prepared to play," Williams said.

Slowly but surely, that playing time has crept upward, and Williams said last week's game against USF represented a high-water mark for meaningful snaps.

"Going into camp, everything was a lot more comfortable for me," Williams said. "[Defensive coordinator Mark Stoops] is trusting me more to go in the game and there's no fall off."

Still, Williams' game Saturday wasn't perfect. He finished without a tackle, and in the fourth quarter, he missed a big one. B.J. Daniels hit Derrick Hopkins with a 15-yard pass. Williams was there immediately, but whiffed on the tackle. Hopkins sprinted another 22 yards to the FSU 7-yard line. The Bulls scored two plays later.

That's the trouble with those fleeting snaps -- the bad plays tend to be magnified.

But if there's anything that Williams has learned this season, it's that, while those Saturday snaps must be savored, he'll be judged on far more than that.

"He's become a better practice player," safety Lamarcus Joyner said. "If you want to go out there on Saturdays and compete, you have to show the coaches what you can do in practice. It's all about, 'Can I trust you?' [Stoops] wants to know what you can do all the time, not just on Saturdays."

Williams said he talks with Stoops nearly every day. It's a progress report of sorts. And at this point, progress remains the priority. The playing time will follow.

"Me and Coach Stoops talk a lot about that," Williams said. "A lot of the [safety] rotation is prepared to be put in. But for me, I'm just feeling comfortable."

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A week earlier, Jimbo Fisher suggested his punt returner needed to do a better job of ignoring defenders as he fielded a catch. Fisher just didn't expect the defense to be quite so aggressive with Rashad Greene in his next game.

USF's punt coverage unit held Greene without a return, but the Bulls still pressured Greene on each of his fair catches, with defenders setting up just a step or two from Greene as he secured the ball.

"I thought there had to be some room," Fisher said. "But he made some nice [catches], and they were right up on him."

Fisher suggested he might check in with the league for a clarification on how close defenders could be when a player signals for a fair catch -- it was an ACC officiating crew against USF last week -- but also said Florida State may try to pressure returners more now, too.

"We're going to have to do some of that," Fisher said.

Whether or not USF worked the periphery of the rule book was less significant than the job Greene did of avoiding distractions.

After fumbling two punts earlier this season, Fisher made a point of grilling his sophomore on the importance of making a clean catch -- no matter how tight the defense plays him.

"I was more focused on my technique, keeping my nose on the ball, catching the ball first," Greene said. "It doesn't bother me. I'm getting more comfortable catching the ball with defenders around me in traffic."

Greene said he felt USF pushed the envelope in coverage, too, and Saturday's game marked the first time FSU was held without a punt return in more than a year. Still, the lack of negative plays was progress.

"He kept his elbows in, and he was very smooth with it, too," Fisher said of Greene. "His body wasn't out of whack, got squared up on the ball, read the nose of the ball very well and got his angle very well."

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Time to take a gander at the top Heisman contenders from the ACC.

1. EJ Manuel, QB, Florida State. Manuel followed up his breakout game against Clemson with a quiet game this past week against USF. Manuel threw for 242 yards and a touchdown and was not much of a factor in the run game as the Seminoles won 30-17. Still, Manuel completed more than 70 percent of his passes and continues to lead the ACC in pass efficiency. He ranks No. 8 in the nation in that category. On the season, Manuel has thrown for 1,147 yards, with nine touchdowns and one interception. He also has 197 yards rushing. As long as he keeps playing consistently and Florida State keeps winning, he should be in the Heisman mix. He remains a distant second this week in the ESPN.com Heisman Watch.

2. Tajh Boyd, QB, Clemson. Boyd continued his terrific play in a 45-31 win over Boston College. He completed 28 of 38 passes for 367 yards and three scores and added 42 yards rushing and another score. His 409 yards of total offense gave him the sixth 400-yard total offense game in Clemson history. Boyd also tied Charlie Whitehurst for the school's career touchdown mark with 49. It took Whitehurst 44 career games to do it. Boyd has done it in only 26 games. On the season, Boyd has thrown for 1,356 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions and has added 161 yards rushing and another score. Boyd got a vote this week.

Florida State's ugly road win at USF wasn't the type of game that will build many awards campaigns for the stars, but it was a solid overall effort with a handful of standout performers. Here's how the Seminoles' awards hopes stack up after five games:

RISING
DE Cornellius Carradine, Sr. (Bednarik)
Added to the Bednarik watch list last week, Carradine quickly added to his campaign against USF. The senior, who is replacing Brandon Jenkins in the starting lineup, finished with a team-high nine tackles, including 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble that led to a touchdown. Carradine earned ACC defensive lineman of the week honors and is FSU's leading tackler this season.

DT Everett Dawkins, Sr. (Outland)
Dawkins had another strong game and has been one of FSU's most impressive, if altogether unheralded, performers so far this season. Dawkins had three tackles and helped out on a sack while controlling the middle of the line of scrimmage. QB B.J. Daniels found little room to maneuver, and Dawkins stuffed the run game up the middle.

K Dustin Hopkins, Sr. (Groza)
The ACC's specialist of the week had a nice rebound after an ugly game against Clemson. Hopkins converted three of four field goal chances, including a long of 43 yards. His lone miss was from 48. USF also spent the first half with a long field thanks to Hopkins' leg. Its average starting field position in the first half was its own 19.

CB Xavier Rhodes, Jr. (Bednarik, Nagurski, Thorpe)
Rhodes made three tackles against USF and had a crucial interception of Daniels late in the first half, setting up an FSU field goal with just a few seconds left before the break. Rhodes also blanketed USF's top receiver, Andre Davis, holding him to just one catch for three yards.

HOLDING STEADY
QB EJ Manuel, Sr. (Heisman, Maxwell, O’Brien)
It's hard to fault Manuel for his performance against USF. He completed 73 percent of his passes for 242 yards and converted three big third downs in a road win over an in-state rival. The problem, of course, is that Heisman front-runner Geno Smith threw eight TDs and dismantled the record books. Manuel's game was good, but as Jimbo Fisher continues to say, he's the hunting dog when the awards tend to honor the show dogs.

DT Timmy Jernigan, So. (Outland)
Another solid game from Jernigan, who was exceptional against the run once again, helping to control the line of scrimmage against a USF team aiming to negate the pass rush with quick passes and lateral runs. Jernigan finished with two tackles, including one for a loss, and helped stifle the Bulls running game, which managed just 43 yards on the ground after the first quarter.

LB Christian Jones, Jr. (Butkus)
The big tackle numbers needed to win the Butkus simply haven't materialized for Jones, but he had a strong game against USF. He was routinely in good position on misdirections and option runs -- something that wasn't always the case a week earlier against Clemson -- and he scooped up a fumble for FSU's first defensive touchdown of the year.

S Lamarcus Joyner, Jr. (Bednarik, Nagurski, Thorpe)
Offenses are staying away from Joyner's side of the field, which is a strong sign of respect, but also won't help much come awards season. Joyner had three tackles, and both of USF's long passing plays went to the other side of the field.

LB Nick Moody, Sr. (Butkus)
Moody saw more playing time than he did a week earlier against Clemson, and he finished with two tackles in a solid effort.

DE Bjoern Werner, Jr. (Bednarik, Lombardi, Nagurski)
USF attacked Carradine in part because Werner has commanded so much attention on film. The junior mustered just two tackles, but he broke up a pass and was consistently in the face of Daniels.

FALLING
WR Willie Haulstead, Jr. (Biletnikoff)
Haulstead remains buried on FSU's receiver depth chart.

DE Brandon Jenkins, Sr. (Bednarik)
Fisher said Jenkins is making progress in his rehab, but they haven't discussed the possibility of the senior taking a medical redshirt and returning for 2013.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- He hasn't made the immediate impact his recruiting pedigree may have suggested, but Mario Edwards Jr. is slowly working his way into a more significant role as the season progresses.

The former top recruit has seen only limited action on defense thus far, but he was in on several key snaps against USF, including making a tackle on a short screen to running back Lindsey Lamar in the third quarter.

"We've got to continue to make him grow," Jimbo Fisher said. "It was a weird game to get him a lot of snaps because every possession was pretty critical there for a long time. But he's really developing."

Edwards arrived at FSU heralded by scouts but checking in at nearly 300 pounds -- a bit too heavy for the role he was expected to play for the Seminoles.

In the three months since, however, Edwards has dropped nearly 20 pounds and Fisher said it's clear the freshman is making big strides, particularly in defending the run.

"He's really moving so much better right now," Fisher said.

Fisher hopes to get Edwards down to about 275 pounds, but he said as Edwards gets older, it's not unreasonable to think he could add most of that weight back on and still play with the same quickness.

For now, Edwards remains a work in progress, but Fisher said he's making strides each week.

"He's going to be a really good player," Fisher said. "We've just got to keep bringing him."

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