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'Noles are losing their fight to stay relevant

By JOHN ROMANO
Published October 16, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - By now, you would have thought they'd heard.

After all, they know all about it in Louisville. They've seen it in Chapel Hill and Raleigh, too. It has even made the rounds in Clemson and College Park.

Beating Florida State just isn't that remarkable anymore.

Surely, the thousands of Virginia fans dancing on the field and swinging from the goal posts Saturday night were aware of that.

Your special victories only come against special opponents.

And that hasn't been Florida State for some time.

Oh, every once in a while the Seminoles will fool you. They will act as if they've recaptured the glory, they will appear as if they are on the move.

But it's a tease. A lie. Every time you think the Seminoles are ready to return to their place near the top of the college football world, the truth crashes down around them. Usually, within days.

Since 2001, the Seminoles have made their way back to a No. 4 ranking three times. And, each time, they've fallen apart in their next game.

So once again they are just another team leaving another field with heads hung low. More and more, it is only the details that change.

They are not special. They are not unique. Scratch them, and they bleed. Pressure them, and they crumble. Challenge them, and they lose.

I know, this time they had you. This time, they seemed genuine. You were beginning to believe the kid at quarterback was for real, and you were convinced the old man on the sideline still had it.

I mean, it looked so simple. It seemed so obvious. FSU was on top of the Atlantic Division and no one on the horizon seemed dangerous. The Seminoles would not face another ranked team until Florida.

All they had to do was avoid banana peels. They couldn't even manage that.

Ah, so maybe the Seminoles weren't quite as good as the pollsters had suggested. And few of us figured FSU would have a Rose Bowl date in January.

But they were supposed to be better than this. Better than the schizophrenic team of the past five seasons.

There's a lesson here. Before you start talking about taking on bullies, you need to handle the scrawny kids on the playground.

Did you know, from 1990 to 2000 the Seminoles lost one game against an unranked opponent? One. Since 2001, they've done it eight times.

Eight times in less than five seasons. Either that means you are wildly inconsistent, or it means you're not really a Top 25 program.

Today, that question is open for debate.

Because, based on the performance Saturday night, the FSU defense is not anywhere close to Top 25 caliber.

You give up 24 points to Wake Forest and you can call it a bad week. You give up 26 more to Virginia and you call it a bad defense.

You could point to Virginia's 10 completions of 15 yards or more in the first half, and say FSU's defense was inadequate.

Or you could point to the three pass interference penalties, two personal fouls and one holding call, and say FSU's defense was undisciplined.

Either description will do. The bottom line is the defense failed. For Virginia, the plan was simple. Attack. Show no respect, and no mercy. Remember, this was a team that was ninth in the ACC in passing offense. And yet it shredded FSU's secondary until it came time to sit on the lead.

Maybe Boston College didn't have tight ends. Maybe Syracuse kept them on the bench. Whatever the reason, FSU's defensive backs and linebackers acted as if they had never heard of the position. It is a shame, really, because FSU seems to have a solution for the problem that has held the program back in recent seasons.

For years, the Seminoles had been going backward on offense. Toning it down. Simplifying it. Depending on it less and less.

Yet, lately, it seems as if the missing link has been found. Drew Weatherford had steadily grown more comfortable at quarterback, and FSU coaches had gradually given more slack on his leash.

The Seminoles began returning to the shotgun offense and the four-receiver sets. They piled up passing numbers unseen since the days of Chris Weinke.

Even Saturday, Weatherford began on a roll. He hit 20 of his first 23 passes, and the offense seemed unstoppable.

Yes, the Seminoles have regained their nerve, and that is a good sign. It is also risky with such a young quarterback.

Virginia's blitzes began to upset Weatherford's timing. And, eventually, it impacted his confidence. FSU went nearly 30 minutes without finding the end zone.

Weatherford is not fully formed and, until he is, the Seminoles will not be completely relevant. If you thought otherwise, the mistakes against Virginia were a reminder of how far he and the Seminoles have to go.

They are, once again, just another team.

[Last modified October 16, 2005, 01:33:15]