College football: UF-FSU

'Noles word for the day is 'embarrassing'

A failure to protect Drew Weatherford and a lack of discipline mark FSU's third straight loss.

By BRIAN LANDMAN
Published November 27, 2005

	[Times photo: Stefanie Boyar]
	DE Jarvis Moss holds off tackle David Overmyer, right, to wrap up QB Drew Weatherford in the second quarter.

GAINESVILLE - Florida State redshirt freshman quarterback Drew Weatherford grew up imaging what it would be like to play the Seminoles' most heated rivals, the Florida Gators, in the Swamp.

Reality turned out far differently Saturday.

Not just for him, but for his teammates, who were desperate for a confidence-building win before the inaugural ACC Championship Game on Dec.3 in Jacksonville.

"To be honest, we're embarrassed," said Weatherford, the former Land O'Lakes star, after the 34-7 loss. "To go out and play like that, with the talent that we have, is really embarrassing."

The No.23 Seminoles, sure to drop out of the Top 25 for the first time since late November 2001 after reaching as high as No.4 in October, struggled again offensively and lost for the third straight time.

That's something they hadn't done since 1983 when they lost to Tulane, Auburn and Pittsburgh. Tulane used an ineligible player and FSU subsequently was awarded a win by forfeit. FSU also lost three straight in 1981 and 1976, coach Bobby Bowden's first season in Tallahassee.

"Embarrassing, absolutely embarrassing," echoed senior center David Castillo. "They handed it to us. They're up by 27 points and they're throwing the ball on us. That's disrespect. They can do it; it's their house."

He was more alarmed by the way some of his teammates reacted. Redshirt freshman guard Cornelius Lewis was ejected in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, and his status for the ACC title game is unknown. Others were pushing and shoving so much that the officials asked Bowden to call his team together and tell it to calm down.

"It just shows no class," Castillo said. "You win like a man, you lose like a man."

The Seminoles insist they can rebound, but there are no easy answers for an offense that has scored one touchdown since midway through the second quarter of a loss to North Carolina State on Nov.5. And that one, a 5-yard pass from Weatherford to receiver De'Cody Fagg, came with 6:35 left.

"We couldn't protect the passer," Bowden lamented again. "We had people open, we couldn't protect the passer. We ran the ball better than I thought, but when we cocked that arm, they were there before we were. They just ran slap over us and around us."

Weatherford was 24-of-42 for 285 yards, but 192 came in the final quarter when the game was out of reach. He also threw two interceptions, one on a first down at the UF 14 when a score might have made it interesting. And he was sacked five times and hit countless others operating behind a retooled offensive line.

"We're going to have to find a way to get it done," Weatherford said.

That has been an all too familiar refrain this month.

"We've been saying that for the past three weeks, "Okay, one got away; we'll get the next one,"' Castillo said. "It just doesn't seem to be happening. Yeah, we do have a chance to play for the ACC championship and go to a BCS game. Are we deserving? I really don't know that. I don't think any team that loses three conference games necessarily deserves to play in that game, but that's the way the cards were dealt this year and we have an opportunity and we need to take advantage of it."

Or be embarrassed again.

[Last modified November 27, 2005, 12:33:33]