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DB intent on doing his part

Responsibility is a big issue for Stanford Samuels, at home with his son, 3, and for the Seminoles.

By BRIAN LANDMAN, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published September 26, 2002

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- It might seem like tonight's Florida State-Louisville game is a mismatch in one regard.

The Seminoles' pass defense is one of the worst in the nation, 104th in yards allowed. Louisville senior Dave Ragone is one of the nation's most accomplished quarterbacks.

"Any time you have a Heisman Trophy-quality quarterback, he can make things happen, he can change the game at any point," FSU cornerback Stanford Samuels said.

It's the kind of matchup Samuels relishes.

Ever since last season when he and the FSU defense struggled to stop teams, Samuels has taken it upon himself to restore the defense's reputation. That wouldn't hurt his own rep, either.

"Stanford's gotten tired of others thinking he was average," said sophomore receiver Dominic Robinson, a converted cornerback. "He's always known he's not average. He wants to be a great player. He's made up his mind that this is going to be the year. He's on a mission."

Samuels, 5 feet 10 and 190 pounds, is fourth on the team with 21 tackles and his five passes broken up leads FSU and is second in the ACC. He has forced two fumbles and recovered one.

"I believe I'm more prepared than I was last year," said Samuels, 22, a fifth-year junior who late last month received a waiver from the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility in 2003. "But honestly, I don't think I'll ever be playing my best. I'm a tough critic. I've made some plays, but I haven't made all the plays I've needed to make. I've let a couple plays slip through my hands."

Such as his gaffe late in the first half against Iowa State in the opener. He didn't play the proper coverage and left the tight end wide open. Touchdown, Iowa State.

But in the waning seconds of that game, Samuels ran down quarterback Seneca Wallace and shoved him out of bounds at the 1. FSU stopped Wallace on the next play to escape with a 38-31 win.

"Stanford's a smart player," said defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews, who likened him to former FSU cornerback Tay Cody, now in the NFL. "The physical part of football is important but the mental aspect is really the deciding factor in how you perform."

Samuels will tell you he has been blessed. He was placed in the gifted program in the second grade. But raw natural ability? Well ... As a sophomore at Miami Carol City, he ran 40 yards in 4.8 seconds. On a good day.

So, he worked to get stronger and faster.

Now, he clocks 4.4.

"He's always worked hard," said his father, Stanford Samuels Sr., a math teacher at Carol City High. "That ethic goes back to making him playing sports contingent on him doing well academically. I explained to him that there were things I could do for him that I want to do, but he has to allow me to do them and the way to do that is by him handling his responsibilities."

The younger Samuels took care of his grades and continued to improve in football. He led Carol City to a state title as a senior and chose FSU ahead of Georgia Tech, Miami and Northwestern.

But he didn't have a seamless transition from high school to college. In the fall of 1998, he needed an appendectomy and later shoulder surgery. The next summer, he tore his right anterior cruciate ligament and missed another full season.

He was a backup in 2000 and then started last season. But he didn't perform as he expected or as a young Seminoles defense needed. He and the secondary, rarely aided by a harassing pass rush, gave up big plays like no FSU defense had in 15 years.

Samuels didn't offer excuses, even a legitimate one like injured thumbs that forced him to wear casts on his hands the first month of the season. He used the criticism as fuel to work harder than ever.

"We had a family reunion last summer and he found himself a place to do his stretches and his drills," said his mother, Doreatha Dukes, a civilian employee for the federal government in Atlanta. "Everyone was saying, 'He's serious.' But that's just the way he is. That's the way he's always been. Stanford has that sense of responsibility. Sometimes, it caused me a little concern about how responsible for things he felt. It's even more so since little Stanford came along."

In recent months, his 3-year-old son, Stanford III, and Samuels' high school sweetheart have moved in with him from Miami. The son is much like the father.

"He is so energetic," Samuels said. "He's not bad, he's just active. He loves to play whatever sport there is. As long as there's a ball, he loves it. So when I come home, 9, 10 o'clock, whenever, he's ready to play."

Samuels gladly obliges, even if he's tired or sore. Having his son around energizes him and has provided a greater impetus to realize his dream of reaching the NFL.

"You can see it in him, that he wants to do well for his son," receiver Anquan Boldin said.

"I know it's made him even more responsible," Andrews said. "You've got to believe the way you live your life, there's got to be some correlation to how you play football. It's hard to be a loser off the field and a winner on it or vice versa."

Samuels is out to prove he's a winner, period.

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