Vegas is picking up!! Strange that the Vegas Bowl invited BYU … what Mormons are going to come to Sin City and gamble?? Not many is the answer. We have seen many Oregon Duck fans but few Cougar fans. We have answers to our questions to Florida State blogger ChantRant in part 2 of our Q&A. Great info from inside Seminole Nation. Big thanks to the folks at ChantRant!

1. Under Bowden, FSU has had one of the greatest runs in college football history, as you all well know. The obvious first question for us at UCLA and DumpDorrell (that we will try to mask) is, now that boosters have gotten rid of his son, does Bobby have any scapegoats if next year is disappointing?

No scapegoats. Especially since he’ll have two and perhaps three new offensive coaches (the RB coach who’s been on the staff for 30 years retired today but will stay on in an admin. job). Many FSU people think Bobby became too complacent. He was once known as the Riverboat Gambler, because his innovative offenses kept opposing defenses off-balance. But little-by-little he let assistant coaches run the show. He became more of a CEO who supervised game plans but was no longer hands-on. When key assistants like Amato and Richt left to be head coaches, their replacements didn’t measure up. His son was a mistake as O.C., but Bobby had blinders on. Meanwhile, talent in the ACC began to catch up with FSU. Suddenly, we could no longer beat opponents on talent margin, especially with an offense that had become predictable.

Another son, Terry Bowden (former head coach at Auburn) says his Dad is ready to get out of his comfort zone of hiring assistants from among friends and family. In fact, according to Terry, he’s ready to re-invent himself and even give a new O.C. free (or virtually free) rein. As much as he says he’s not driven by the competition with JoPa to be winningest college coach of all time, it apparently does mean a lot. So it appears that Bobby will do what it takes to stay ahead of Paterno and salvage his legacy. All of which make next year very interesting.

2. What’s the real story behind this year’s awful season for you guys (recruiting, OC, Bobby)? And, is it being considered the worst of Bobby’s teams at FSU (we know there is only 1 worse record - his first year)?

On offense, several things: 1. An OL that was supposed to be improved at run blocking and take some of the heat off QBs. It wasn’t and they didn’t. Which is why many believe our OL assistant will be gone after just two seasons (though Bobby has only outright fired three assistants in 30 years). 2. Spotty play by QBs, both of whom were blue chippers out of high school. Again, blame goes to an assistant: this time, a QB coach with a lousy track record of developing young signal callers. 3. Predictable offense that ESPN’s Lee Corso (a former FSU player) ripped as “a high school offense.” Blame goes to Jeff Bowden, though nobody outside the program knows how much of the underachievement was due to
Jeff and how much blame goes to his Dad for meddling in game plans and play calling.

Defense: Injuries, injuries and more injuries. We lost four or five starters for the year, and four or five more for big chunks of the season. It’s a testament to defensive coaches and backups (often true Freshmen) that despite the carnage, the Noles still rank #15 nationally in Total Defense and #8 in Rushing Defense.

3. More on history, since you have so much … all those wide-rights, and losses in national championship games, did that hurt the program in the end? In other words, are you paying for it these last few years?? Do you think a new coach would be able to bring you back to the top, living in the shadow of a legend?

The missed field goals and national championships only seemed to fuel the Bowden legend. He’s still one of the best, if not THE best, recruiter in the business. But the Nole nation is probably split 50/50 on whether Bobby should step down or not. Half believe that as much as he’s done for the program and the school, the game has passed him by. The other half are convinced that because of his achievements he’s earned the right to stay on as long as he cares to.

4. Onto the game. You have QB problems. We hear that Weatherford is going to start, and that sounds like the better decision since experience, even if slow, beats us (ex. Brady Quinn, Notre Dame). How can Weatherford and your OL beat our blitzing D? When will Bowden pull him? How will Xavier Lee be any better if he gets the nod? How will your offense beat our D and with what weapons?

I imagine Bobby and Jeff will try to beat blitzes with quick outs, screens, etc. Maybe some draws to Californian Lorenzo Booker, who’s not big but can fly — IF the OL can open up a hole (a somewhat bigger, more productive back is out with an injury). If neither of those is successful, look for Xavier Lee in the second quarter. Lee is a 6′4″ QB with a cannon for an arm who, if he’s on, can hit a streaking WR 60 yards downfield. While not exactly Mike Vick, he’s mobile and can scoot for good yardage. But Bobby seems to favor Weatherford’s experience. So Lee will have a short leash. If he doesn’t produce, it’s back to the slower Weatherford.

To win, we’ll need to hit some jump balls to 6′6″ WR Greg Carr. This sophomore outjumped and outwrestled shorter DBs for 11 TDs this year. Senior Chris Davis will need to catch some bullets over the middle and produce YACs. And I believe the defense or special teams must score at least one TD, or produce a turnover near the goal line.

5. We agree with you that this will be a defensive battle. Your rush defense, like ours, is highly ranked. Who are your guys on D that we should stay away from? Who are your weak links? How will our offense beat your D?

DE Lawrence Timmons is a huge, fast kid who reminds me a lot of your talented defensive bookends. LB Buster Davis is undersized, but moves like a waterbug and hits like a Mack truck. True freshman Myron Rolle became a starting safety at midseason and can run, hit and think (he’s a 4.0 pre-med student).

6. You’ve had some close losses, and could have beaten a good Florida team. But you lose to hapless NC State (yeah we know Chucky had your number) and get blanked by Wake Forest. What happened? Aside from the Wake game, could it be that you are a one-loss team disguised as a .500 team?

No way. This is Bowden’s worst team on offense in 30 years. Though the defense held up admirably with all its injuries, it still had some letdowns. In the past, our offense could put up 40 or more, even if the D allowed 20-something. Now that 20-or-so points is getting us beat. So I’d say even if we had a little better luck, 7-5 or 8-3 is about the best we would have finished.

7. We hear that Jeff Bowden will still be calling plays on the sideline. Is this true? How has Jeff sucked it up, and how can your offense do better without him?

Actually, Jeff will be in the pressbox. And it’s unclear how much of a role in play-calling that the QB Coach has. Most FSU fans are resigned to another underachieving performance by Jeff. But we’re hoping that since it’s his last game, Dad will let him go crazy and, with the pressure off, make his swan song memorable. He does have a few bright spots in his checkered career. Games that made us wonder, “was that REALLY Jeff calling the plays?”

8. College Football News picks you to beat us. They say you will get some pass protection and move the ball, and stuff our weak offense. And, of course, you got Bobby Bowden in a bowl game. They predict 20-13. What do you think of that?

Not optimistic, but gotta be hopeful. I know you guys have been practicing hard and the game means a lot. It’s a mystery how much this game means to FSU’s players and coaches. If it’s the team that came close to tying and even beating Florida (one toe out of bounds on a kickoff return for a TD, and a missed field goal), we could have a winning performance. Right now, not knowing how motivated we are, I’d say it’s a toss-up.

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