Florida State, Miami need to improve on woeful seasons
editor1 |Aug 24,2008
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By Zachary Ingraham
PA SportsTicker Staff Writer
The once mighty Florida State and Miami football programs have
drifted into mediocrity.
There is no quick fix, and both schools are currently in a
rebuilding mode. But the Seminoles and Hurricanes need to
improve on their dreadful 2007 seasons.
Florida State, which did knock off second-ranked Boston College
in early November, has posted back-to-back 7-6 campaigns. The
once-feared Seminoles offense ranked eighth in the Atlantic
Coast Conference with just 23.3 points per game last season.
But at least they went to a bowl game, which is more than Miami
can say.
The Hurricanes endured an awful 5-7 season, which included
losses in six of their last seven games with the lone win coming
against the rival Seminoles.
Miami's maligned offense ranked 11th in the ACC - ahead of only
lowly Duke - and its passing game was the worst in the
conference.
"The quickest way to get over something is just forget about
it," Hurricanes second-year coach Randy Shannon said.
"Everybody always says you always have to fail to succeed. When
you fail, get rid of it, and don't let anyone else know that you
failed."
It wasn't so long ago that these two programs were the most
feared teams in college football.
Florida State and Miami's annual rivalry game used to have
national championship implications nearly every year, and the
contest rarely disappointed in terms of excitement - with it
often coming down to a missed field goal in the final seconds.
Between 1983 and 2002, the Hurricanes and Seminoles combined to
win seven national championships and play in a stunning 15
national title games. But their rivalry game has now taken a
back seat on the national stage to Ohio State-Michigan,
Oklahoma-Texas and Florida-Georgia.
Florida State was the ACC's most dominating team for over a
decade, winning the conference championship for nine consecutive
seasons from 1992-2000 and finishing in the top five nationally
for 14 straight campaigns from 1987-2000.
But it's been a downward spiral for the Seminoles since
quarterback Chris Weinke's departure after his Heisman
Trophy-winning campaign in 2000. Florida State lost to
Oklahoma, 13-2, in the title game that season and has yet to
make it back.
After constantly cycling successful quarterbacks (Casey Weldon,
Charlie Ward, Brad Johnson, Weinke, etc.) for a number of years,
the Seminoles have been plagued by inconsistency at the position
recently with Chris Rix, Wyatt Sexton, Xavier Lee and Drew
Weatherford at the helm.
With the recent struggles and offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher
waiting in the wings, legendary coach Bobby Bowden's job
security is in jeopardy.
"I'm still the head football coach," said Bowden, who is
entering his 33rd season at FSU. "But I know we've got to win
more than we're winning now. I'm not interested in getting out,
though. I plan on getting this thing back to where it ought to
be, and go on from there."
While Florida State's decline was rather steady, Miami's was
much more sudden. The Hurricanes have lacked their patented
"swagger" since losing the national championship game to Ohio
State in quarterback Ken Dorsey's final game in 2003.
Miami, which has collected five national titles since 1983, lost
just two games during the Dorsey era (2000-2003) and strung
together a 39-game regular season winning streak at one point.
The Hurricanes then branded the ACC "the All Canes Conference"
when they joined in 2004, and have not enjoyed much success
since. Kyle Wright, a highly regarded quarterback prospect,
replaced Brock Berlin, who went 20-5 during his tenure but was
often booed by an impatient Miami fan base.
After Wright's mediocre sophomore campaign, Miami endured an
embarrassing and tragic 2006 season, which featured an on-field
brawl with Florida International and the death of defensive
tackle Bryan Pata. The Hurricanes finished the campaign with a
7-6 record.
Both Miami and Florida State have made significant steps toward
improving on their disappointing stretch over the past few
years, mainly through recruiting.
The Seminoles produced a consensus top-10 recruiting class,
acquiring quarterback E.J. Manuel, defensive end Markus White
and linebacker Nigel Bradham. Manuel likely will challenge
Weatherford, a senior, for playing time this season before
taking over full-time duties next year.
The Hurricanes will have to depend on their first-year players
even more, as they could have up to seven freshman starters by
the start of the campaign, including at quarterback where
freshmen Robert Marve and Jacory Harris will likely rotate.
Even with both squads being relatively young, neither program
has much patience with losing.
They must win now - at least more than the past couple years.
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