College football

FSU: A little fun, then get down to business

DAVIE - Florida State arrived in South Florida on Wednesday, ready to reap the rewards for a surprising Orange Bowl berth.

That means a week in the big city - and a crack at No. 3-ranked Penn State on Tuesday night.

"I'm quite sure we'll have a little fun," running back Leon Washington said. "We have a lot of guys on the team from this area. I'm sure they'll take us out and show us things around here. But when it's time to take care of business, we're going to take care of business."

In a game matching coaches who rank first and second in career victories - Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno - Florida State is an underdog against Penn State.

At No. 22, the Seminoles are the lowest-ranked team in the Bowl Championship Series. They lost their final three regular-season games and earned the Orange Bowl berth - Bowden's eighth - only by upsetting Virginia Tech in the ACC title game.

"People were doubting us," cornerback Pat Watkins said. "They may have questions still, like we have to prove something. But we won the ACC championship. What can you ask for?

"We're here now, and we look at it as an opportunity to show the world we're good."

The Seminoles took the field Wednesday in clear, 75-degree weather for their first workout since breaking camp in Tallahassee last week. The Nittany Lions have been in South Florida since Dec. 20.

"They're good, and that's probably why," Watkins said with a laugh. "They probably practice longer than anybody else in the nation."

PENN STATE: With the beach, the bikinis, the balmy climate and their first bowl appearance in three years, the Nittany Lions don't seem upset that they missed out on the holidays at home.

"Sure, I wish I was with my family," defensive tackle Scott Paxson, a Philadelphian, said Wednesday night as he stood near the Sheraton Bal Harbour's pool and watched a perfect day turn to dusk. "But I'm not going to complain about being on a beach when it's 80 degrees."

The families of a few players came down for Christmas, but most of the Lions did nothing special on the holiday.

"It was funny coming out of the water and laying down in your beach chair and having people come up to you and say, "Hey, have a Merry Christmas,' " said Paxson, who has been wearing a Santa Claus hat much of the week.

"We played beach volleyball for about two hours," Paxson said, "and that's not something we usually do on Christmas back home."

Some Nittany Lions gathered in informal groups Sunday night to celebrate the holiday.

"It's good, and it's bad," linebacker Tim Shaw said. "It's strange being away from your family. But last year, I was sitting at home with them on Christmas wishing I was somewhere else."

[Last modified December 29, 2005, 01:23:27]