FSU Seminoles

USF has lost two consecutive games, and does not exactly get a pick-me-up this weekend.

As coach Skip Holtz said earlier this week, his Bulls are "looking down the barrel of a shotgun" when it comes to preparing for No. 4 Florida State on Sunday. The Noles come into the game with a supremely talented team that is gaining steam, with playmakers emerging on offense and a defense that has been relentless at times.

USF, meanwhile, has questions just about everywhere. The offensive and defensive lines have underperformed, and there has been no consistency at running back. At least on paper, the Bulls appear to be overmatched.

But they appeared to be overmatched in 2009, too, on the road in Tallahassee. That is, until USF pulled the stunner.

"Looking back on it, I could say it is one of the biggest moments in my career thus far," quarterback B.J. Daniels said. "I’m still looking forward to many things this year, but that moment for me and especially for our team, that was pretty special. That was an opportunity for USF to make a name for themselves especially here in the state of Florida."

USF has been known to get up for its big in-state rivalry games, though Daniels said, "I definitely think our biggest motivation is winning a ball game this weekend, it would mean more to us to make sure we win in all facets -- offense, defense and special teams -- to make sure we don’t have a lot of missed assignments and penalties if we do those thing we’ll be in position to do anything we want no matter who we’re playing."

As for Holtz, this is the way he described the mood of his team this week.

"Determined is the answer. We’re 2-2 and we’re four games into the season and there’s a lot of people on the outside (saying) woe is me, the dam is broke … when it’s the same thing, the ball gets batted up, you intercept it, you win a close game on the road. But right now for this team it’s very determined, it’s upset, it’s a reality check to look in the mirror and watch yourself play in a game where you don’t play at the level your capable of. They’re embarrassed for the way we performed on Saturday and excited for the opportunity to go play a top-10 team."

Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay discuss if Florida State has what it takes to win a national championship.

After two impressive ACC wins, Florida State heads out of conference once again for its first road test of the season, though the Seminoles won't go too far from home.

FSU travels to Tampa for the first time in more than 30 years, and four years after one of the most memorable upsets in the program's history, the Seminoles get another crack at B.J. Daniels and USF.

To get the lowdown on the Bulls and how they're preparing to handle FSU, we checked in with Tampa Bay Times beat writer Greg Auman.

NoleNation: The win in 2009 seemed like a coming-out party for Daniels, but aside from a handful of highlights here and there, he never seemed to really build on that promise. What has held him back, and what is his frame of mind heading into this game?

Greg Auman: Daniels had a great first college start, beating FSU in his hometown. He's on pace to be the Big East's all-time leader in total offense, but I think his legacy is limited because he hasn't been able to lead USF to a Big East title -- or really come close to one. He did a great job of lowering his turnovers last year, got some of his running threat back. A game like this is another chance for him to pull off a big upset -- but for USF to keep up with FSU, he has to play well, throwing and running the ball, with zero turnovers. As far as his mindset, he's a very confident player, so while he has a great respect for the defense he's facing, I think he's looking forward to a challenge like this.

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Todd McShay discusses his top five Heisman Trophy candidates -- Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller, Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o, West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith, Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein, Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones and an honorable mention for Florida State quarterbak EJ Manuel.

Tajh Boyd's third pass went for 60 yards, and with that, the shine was off Florida State's suit of armor.

After a year of hype about the Seminoles' impenetrable defense, Clemson found a work-around, racking up 37 points and 427 yards in a losing effort.

But there's a silver lining to the gaudy numbers, and Florida State's defenders have been quick to point it out.

"They were hitting a lot of big things on trick plays," Timmy Jernigan said. "We knew that was going to come. Teams aren't going to play us straight up."

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- It might have been the most spirited practice in nearly a year for Devonta Freeman, and that was good to see, Jimbo Fisher said.

The sophomore tailback didn't get a touch in Saturday's win over Clemson, which came just days after his brother was murdered near Miami. The emotional toll was immense, and Freeman was absent from the team's meetings Monday to attend the funeral. But Fisher said Freeman returned Tuesday with renewed focus.

"He's doing as well as can be expected," Fisher said. "It's a very tough situation....It's a tragedy and sometimes people don't realize what's going on in these kids' lives....They're 17, 18, 19, 20-year old kids. It's devastation."

The off-field issues certainly sidetracked Freeman's game Saturday, but his role had been reduced even before that.

After leading the team in rushing a year ago, Freeman entered the season as part of a three-man rotation at tailback. In the first two games of the season, he had 18 touches on offense, tops among the running backs. In the past two games, however, Freeman has just six carries and one reception.

Meanwhile, Chris Thompson and James Wilder Jr. have taken off. Thompson has back-to-back 100-yard games, while Wilder has become a second-half workhorse.

The shift in playing time isn't meant as a knock on Freeman, Fisher said, but it's also not guaranteed to change any time soon.

"The other guys are playing really good," Fisher said. "(Thompson and Wilder) are really cranking it up. We had a hot hand going and we didn't want to break the rhythm. It has nothing to do with Devonta doing anything wrong. The other guys are just doing some things really good."

Fisher said he hopes the increased workload for Thompson and Wilder will serve as a springboard for Freeman, too.

"I think that's why you saw him really pick it up (in practice) today," Fisher said.

While the competition has tightened up among the running backs however, Wilder said the group has rallied around Freeman off the field.

"He's been going through a lot of off-the-field issues, and we're his brothers, too, so we're making sure we comfort him," Wilder said. "But he's back and he's ready to go. He's feeling better."

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