FSU Seminoles

When summer workouts began a year ago, players like Menelik Watson, Demonte McAllister and Nick Waisome were flying under the radar with little in the way of expectations. By season's end, however, they were among Florida State's most productive players.

It happens every year that a few relatively obscure names find their way into bigger roles, and as the Seminoles get set to start another summer NoleNation is counting down five under-the-radar players who could be in line for breakthrough seasons.

Next up: Willie Haulstead (Jr./WR)

Career arc: Haulstead burst onto the scene as a sophomore in 2010, finishing second on the team in receptions (38) and receiving yards (587) while hauling in a team-high six touchdowns. He seemed poised for stardom, but a serious concussion suffered during fall camp in 2011 ended his junior campaign before it ever began. Haulstead returned in 2012 overweight and out of shape, and he saw only limited playing time, catching just three passes all year.

Why he's overlooked: It has been two full years since Haulstead was last a productive member of the offense, and by the end of 2012, he was buried on a depth chart that included an ample amount of talent. With established veterans like Kenny Shaw and Rashad Greene along with potential stars like Kelvin Benjamin and incoming freshman Lavonte Whitfield, it's been tough to envision Haulstead rebounding as a senior.

Why he'll produce: Haulstead's path to regular playing time still isn't entirely clear, but he might be in for a bigger role than many have assumed. For one, he has shed the extra weight that plagued him last season. Haulstead has dropped 15 pounds and now checks in at a slim 217 -- and he's working to get down to 210. That has helped his speed, and it allowed him to be a much bigger part of the scheme this spring. Add that Benjamin has struggled with consistency and Rodney Smith is gone, and it stands to reason Jimbo Fisher would be looking for a productive receiver who can match up physically with bigger corners, and Haulstead could fit the bill.

Projection: Haulstead might never get back to the numbers he posted as a sophomore, but he won't be an overlooked piece of the offensive game plan this year. While Fisher figures to still spread the ball around, it wouldn't be surprising if Haulstead earned a sizable slice of the pie this year, potentially sliding into a starting role when FSU opens in three-receiver sets. He might not match the numbers Smith posted last year (38 catches, 524 yards) but a 25-catch, 400-yard season is certainly possible.

With two-thirds of the season finished, the opportunities for Florida State players to showcase themselves for postseason awards are diminishing. Last week's win over Miami provided only small steps forward for a handful of Seminoles stars. Here's how the awards races stack up through eight games.

RISING
DE Cornellius Carradine, Sr. (Bednarik)
Carradine recorded his first sack in three weeks and added seven tackles in the win over Miami. For the season, Carradine leads all FSU tacklers with 48, and only Miami's Shayon Green has more among ACC defensive linemen.

K Dustin Hopkins, Sr. (Groza)
Hopkins connected on four of five field goal tries Saturday, with his lone miss coming by mere inches. Two of his kicks were from 40 yards or more, and he's now third in the nation -- and tops among BCS automatic qualifier schools -- in field goals for the season with 16.

QB EJ Manuel, Sr. (Heisman, Maxwell, O’Brien, Unitas)
Saturday was a relatively mundane performance by Manuel's standards -- 211-of-31 passing for 229 yards and no touchdowns -- but he wasn't asked to do much. Three potentially big passes were called back due to offensive pass interference calls, and he did connect with Kelvin Benjamin on a 39-yard bomb that set up a game-securing touchdown. He was named one of 16 finalists for the O'Brien Award this week.

CB Xavier Rhodes, Jr. (Bednarik, Nagurski, Thorpe)
Despite being in significant pain with an ankle injury he continued to reaggravate, Rhodes turned in a stellar performance against Miami, helping out in the run game and finishing with two tackles, including one for a loss, and a pass break-up.

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Florida State got a handful of impressive performances in its bounce-back win over Boston College, which won't go too far in erasing the damage done in a loss the previous week, but should help bolster the cases for a number of Seminoles still in the hunt for postseason awards.

RISING

DE Cornellius Carradine, Sr. (Bednarik)
Carradine didn't record a sack, but he did have two QB hurries and racked up five tackles.

K Dustin Hopkins, Sr. (Groza)
Hopkins connected on all three of his field-goal tries and was perfect on PATs, giving him 15 points for the game to establish a new Florida State and ACC record for career scoring.

DT Timmy Jernigan, So. (Outland)
Jernigan was in on his first sack of the season and recorded 1.5 tackles-for-loss in the win over Boston College. He had three tackles overall. His 41 tackles this season ranked second among defensive linemen in the ACC.

LB Christian Jones, Jr. (Butkus)
For the second straight game, Jones was Florida State's leading tackler. He made eight tackles, giving him 39 for the season -- just two behind Carradine for the team lead. More importantly, Jones and the linebacking corps handled BC's short passing game far better than it did a week earlier against NC State.

S Lamarcus Joyner, Jr. (Bednarik, Nagurski, Thorpe)
Joyner's interception of a Chase Rettig pass at the end of the second quarter likely sealed the win for FSU. Boston College had driven to the Seminoles' 21-yard line and was aiming to trim the FSU lead to 14 when Joyner picked off the pass, returned it 33 yards and set up a last-second field goal for Florida State.

QB EJ Manuel, Sr. (Heisman, Maxwell, O’Brien, Unitas)
It probably wasn't enough to make anyone forget his struggles against NC State, but on a Saturday when Heisman favorite Geno Smith came up short, Manuel did his best to get back into the discussion, passing for a career high 439 yards and four TDs.

DE Bjoern Werner, Jr. (Bednarik, Lombardi, Nagurski)
For the fourth straight game, Werner was held without a sack, but his impact was nevertheless felt. On BC's opening drive, Werner was at the center of three of FSU's four stops from inside its own 1-yard line.

HOLDING STEADY

DT Everett Dawkins, Sr. (Outland)
Dawkins had two tackles in the game and was part of a solid pass rush from the middle of the FSU line. Boston College's 75 yards rushing in the first half did keep the Eagles in the game and was one of the more unimpressive efforts by the usually stout FSU run defense.

CB Xavier Rhodes, Jr. (Bednarik, Nagurski, Thorpe)
BC's leading receiver, Alex Amidon, had just 44 yards in the game, including a 22-yarder that represented the Eagles' longest passing play of the day. Rhodes finished with just one tackle, but he was largely effective in keeping Rettig from finding any big plays downfield as BC played catch-up in the second half.

FALLING

WR Willie Haulstead, Jr. (Biletnikoff)
Nine different receivers caught passes Saturday, but Haulstead wasn't one of them.

DE Brandon Jenkins, Sr. (Bednarik)
Jenkins is out for the season with a foot injury.

LB Nick Moody, Sr. (Butkus)
Moody assisted on one tackle, but he saw only limited playing time as Boston College fell behind early and FSU spent much of the game in nickel packages.

There's little in the way of awards talk this week other than a few remaining rumblings about how far the Seminoles have fallen. It's all about dishing out blame right now, which means there are few players rising up the ranks in this week's awards watch.

RISING
K Dustin Hopkins, Sr. (Groza)
Hopkins connected on three field goals for the second straight week, pushing him ever closer to the school and conference scoring titles. But what he'll remember about Saturday's game is the two field goals he never got a chance to try -- the 52-yard attempt early in the fourth quarter in which Jimbo Fisher decided to punt and a potential game winner as time expired that never came to fruition.

LB Christian Jones, Jr. (Butkus)
It wasn't a perfect game for Jones, and the linebackers share a significant chunk of the blame for allowing NC State to effectively use all those dink-and-dunk crossing patterns to great success in the second half. But Jones also defended those throws as well as anyone, breaking up two passes, and he finished with a game-high 14 tackles.

S Lamarcus Joyner, Jr. (Bednarik, Nagurski, Thorpe)
If Saturday's game had ended with a win, Joyner would be hailed as a hero. Because it ended with a loss, the best of his contributions will be forgotten. Joyner made a handful of huge plays in the second half, including stripping a catch near the goal line and making a game-saving open-field tackle to force an NC State punt in the fourth quarter -- but it was all for naught. He finished with seven tackles in the game.

HOLDING STEADY
DT Everett Dawkins, Sr. (Outland)
The goal entering Saturday's game was to get Mike Glennon out of the pocket. That never happened, and part of the reason was the lack of push by the big men up front. But Dawkins was stout in the running game once again -- NC State averaged just 2.4 yards per carry -- and he had three tackles. It wasn't his best game, but there was plenty of blame to go around.

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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.

Florida State was tested for the first time this season against Clemson, and the Tigers exposed a few flaws in the Seminoles' attack. But while the mistakes led to a an early deficit, FSU roared back for the win behind some star-making performances that should be remembered fondly come postseason awards time.

RISING

DT Timmy Jernigan, So. (Outland)
Jernigan had two tackles, including one for a loss, but was a force up the middle in the second half. As Clemson's offensive line wore down, Jernigan turned up the heat, and the pressure he got on Tajh Boyd in the second half helped turn the tide for FSU's defense.

S Lamarcus Joyner, Jr. (Bednarik, Nagurski, Thorpe)
His biggest impact came on special teams -- where his 90-yard kick return in the third quarter helped swing the momentum of the game in Florida State's favor -- but Joyner was also solid on defense. He finished with just three tackles, but it was obvious Clemson had identified Joyner as the biggest danger in FSU's secondary, and the Tigers' passing attack worked to avoid him. He was crucial in keeping Sammy Watkins to just 24 receiving yards on the day.

QB EJ Manuel, Sr. (Heisman, Maxwell, O’Brien)
Manuel turned in the best game of his career on perhaps the biggest stage of his career. His 380 yards passing and 102 yards rushing were both career highs, and it marked the first time since 1992 that an FSU quarterback topped 300 passing yards and 100 on the ground in the same game. For the season, he has eight passing TDs, one rushing, just one interception (on a drop by a receiver) and is completing better than 73 percent of his passes. Manuel was named the national offensive backfield player of the week and the Davey O'Brien player of the week for his performance, and he's vaulted to the forefront of the Heisman race.

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It was a big week for the bulk of Florida State's starters as the Seminoles cruised to their third straight blowout victory. Here's how the dominant win may affect several of FSU's stars at the end of the season.

RISING

DT Everett Dawkins, Sr. (Outland)
Dawkins was a monster in the middle of the line against Wake Forest. A first-quarter 34-yard run by Josh Harris accounted for nearly 80 percent of Wake's ground gains for the day, and Dawkins finished with three tackles, including one for a loss.

K Dustin Hopkins, Sr. (Groza)
Hopkins connected on a short field goal and all seven of his PATs while burying Wake Forest with one exceptional kickoff after another. The Deacons average starting field position was its own 19.

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The cupcake games to open a season usually give stars a chance to pad their resumes for postseason awards. That wasn't the case for Florida State's marquee players, who have seen only about three quarters of work through two games. Here's how their postseason awards chances were effected by FSU's 55-0 win over Savannah State.

RISING

QB EJ Manuel, Sr. (Maxwell, O'Brien): It was a ho-hum first week for Manuel, who took a backseat to Florida State's running game. It took just two plays in the Seminoles' second game for the senior to step up. Manuel set a career mark with a 61-yard touchdown throw to Rodney Smith for FSU's first score, and despite playing just the first quarter, he notched his second career three-touchdown game.

DE Bjoern Werner, Jr. (Lombardi, Nagurski): Another game, another sack for Werner. Despite playing just 12 snaps against Savannah State, Werner added another 1.5 tackles for loss, meaning all seven of his tackles this season have been behind the line of scrimmage.

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What can you take from a 55-0 game against a bad FCS team that was played with a running clock for 11 minutes then abruptly called for weather reasons with nine minutes to play in the third quarter?

The answer: Not very much. But Jimbo Fisher will watch film on it anyway, so we're pushing forward with this week's grades.

QUARTERBACK

Florida State scored 124 points in its first two games, so it's tough to offer much in the way of insightful criticisms of EJ Manuel's play, but we did note a few loose ends after the Murray State game that offered some minor cause for concern. It took just two plays for Manuel to provide a rebuttal Saturday.

Manuel connected with Rodney Smith for a 61-yard TD pass on the second play of the game, and it was all easy from there. His final numbers -- 11-of-13 for 161 yards and three TDs -- illustrate both how small an obstacle Savannah State was and how sharp Manuel looked in dismantling the Tigers. The only two incompletions of the day for Manuel were a drop by Rashad Greene and a ball he threw away while avoiding pressure.

What was most encouraging, Fisher said, was the fact that Manuel was in complete control of the game, looking off his first and second reads and finding an open man on all but one play.

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There was little doubt this would be a blowout, but the onslaught started early, and the bulk of Florida State's starters were off the field by the end of the first quarter.

The Seminoles breezed through the Savannah State defense, racking up 376 yards of total offense and scoring on their first seven drives while building a 48-0 halftime lead. The only thing that slowed Florida State's dominance was the weather, as lightning suspended play for nearly an hour late in the second quarter. Play resumed with an announcement that the rest of the game would be played with a running clock.

Stat of the half: It's hardly worth noting all the huge offensive numbers, as Savannah State hardly put up a fight against the Seminoles' first-stringers, who all had early seats on the bench. The most noteworthy number of the half was probably the one negative moment for Florida State, when senior kicker Dustin Hopkins had his streak of 145 consecutive successful PATs snapped with a miss following FSU's seventh touchdown of the game.

Player of the half: EJ Manuel only played the first quarter, but he made the most of his time. Manuel completed 11-of-13 passes for 161 yards and three touchdowns before exiting in favor of Clint Trickett. It marked just the second time in Manuel's career he'd thrown for at least three touchdowns in a game.

What's working for FSU: Everything. Florida State's first four touchdowns required just 12 total plays, and the offense moved the ball at will. Defensively, the starters were virtually all on the sideline by the start of the second quarter, after holding Savannah State to minus-20 yards in the first.

What's not working for FSU: The weather. The stands were already only half full with rain throughout the day and a mismatch on the field dampening much in the way of fan enthusiasm. The combination of the lopsided score and the lightning delay in the second quarter emptied a majority of the fans.

Noteworthy: Freshman Kelvin Benjamin scored his first career touchdown, a 9-yard fade pass from Manuel in the first quarter. … Senior running back Chris Thompson scored his first touchdown in nearly a year in the first quarter. Thompson broke his back last October and missed the remainder of the season. … Junior receiver Willie Haulstead had his first reception since the 2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl. ... Tight end Nick O'Leary (thigh) and center Bryan Stork (neck) did not play in the first half. Austin Barron started at center and freshman Christo Kourtzidis and Penn State transfer Kevin Haplea both started at tight end. Kourtzidis made his first career catch in the second quarter. ... Defensive tackle Anthony McCloud got his first playing time of the season after missing the opener with a chest injury.