College football

Drew's cool fires up 'Noles

The freshman QB's toughness has won over his teammates.

By BRIAN LANDMAN
Published January 3, 2006

FORT LAUDERDALE - Florida State quarterback Drew Weatherford didn't wince as he tried to lift his bag of gear that afternoon at Clemson, at least not when anyone could see the telltale sign of pain cascading from his left shoulder.

It was so bad, a teammate was asked if he would tote the duffel for him. But then, that scene could have played out after just about every game this season.

The former Land O'Lakes star has absorbed more blows than a heavy bag.

"I can always take a couple more," he said, joking. "It's a long season. It's a lot different than high school. In high school, I didn't get hit at all. But the hitting aspect of the game is really what I love about it. It's what makes it so much fun."

You haven't heard an anguished peep.

You haven't heard a harsh word hurled at teammates who were supposed to protect him.

"People have always said I was a tough player," said senior center David Castillo, he of the seven surgeries and countless injuries. "But that kid's a tough SOB, I tell you what. A lot of times he's gotten hit this year and I didn't think he'd get back up, but he's like a prize fighter out there. He gets knocked down, he gets right back up. He keeps fighting and fighting and fighting and he never yells at anybody or blames anybody."

That stoicism has struck others.

"I can promise you if I was getting hit like that," junior tailback Lorenzo Booker said, "I'm cutting somebody down. But the guy kept getting up and plugging away. You can't help but respect that."

That has enabled Weatherford to weather the incredible highs and lows of this season and lead, despite his youth, the No.22 Seminoles (8-4) to the ACC championship and a spot in tonight's Orange Bowl against No.3 Penn State (10-1).

"To be able to play in big games, be as confident as he's been, and not get frustrated and keep a cool head is something you like to see," said senior nose guard Brodrick Bunkley, the former Chamberlain standout. "One thing everyone has seen is his will, the fire and the heart to win."

Weatherford, unlike fellow redshirt freshman Xavier Lee, whom he beat out for the starting job in August, or his predecessor, Chris Rix, isn't apt to tuck and run.

It's not that he lacks the athletic ability. It's that he knows his job is to give his receivers as much time as possible to free themselves from defenders and try to get the ball to them, even as a defensive lineman or blitzing linebacker is bearing down.

"I've always said it takes more courage to stand back there and throw a ball knowing you're fixing to get drilled than anything I can think of in football," coach Bobby Bowden said.

"When you want something real bad, you can put up with it a little more than you normally would," added former FSU and Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback Casey Weldon, who has befriended Weatherford and has worked with him on footwork and breaking down film. "He wants it real bad. It's been amazing some of the shots he's taken."

The Seminoles have had more problems protecting their quarterback this season than any in recent memory, thanks in part to injuries to senior guard Matt Meinrod (leg/ankle), the former East Lake standout, redshirt sophomore John Frady (shoulder) and redshirt junior tackle Cory Niblock (knee).

Still, Weatherford has thrown for 2,950 yards, 105 shy of breaking the ACC freshman record set in 2000 by North Carolina State's Philip Rivers, a first-round NFL draft pick.

"I just think he has had an amazing year for a freshman," Bowden said. "If we could have protected him all year, there's no telling what he would have done."

Well, let's see. He was sacked only once by Virginia Tech and he completed 21 of 35 passes for 225 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. That was after he had been sacked 11 times and threw seven interceptions in a three-game losing streak. The Hokies also entered the game as the nation's stingiest defense.

"It's probably growing up in a big family. There was really no one to complain to when my older brothers were kicking my butt," Weatherford said of why he doesn't get on his blockers. "No, really, you've got to be that way. They're giving it their all. They're not trying to get you hit. I've come to understand that about this game: You're going to take shots and you have to bounce back, get up and go at it again."

It requires not just physical but mental toughness to play on after absorbing a bruising smackdown or making a mistake the opponent turns into a touchdown, as was the case in the November skid.

"He couldn't get to the practice field quick enough to correct some things and learn from his mistakes," quarterbacks coach Daryl Dickey said.

"He's got a strong character," Bowden echoed.

Teammates noticed the work ethic and attitude, which gave Weatherford the confidence to address them the eve of the ACC Championship Game. Such a stage is usually reserved for seniors.

"If people didn't know he was a redshirt freshman and they just saw the way he played and the way he handled himself, they would think he's a senior," Castillo said.

Former FSU quarterback Peter Tom Willis, now a radio analyst for FSU, said Weatherford has given the Seminoles the type of QB they had during their 14 straight 10-win, Top 5 finishes and have lacked since Chris Weinke's Heisman Trophy-winning season in 2000.

"Our quarterbacks might not have the been the greatest quarterbacks in the world or the best NFL quarterbacks in the world, but they were the guys who knew the offense, could throw the football and were tough," Willis said. "With Drew, we're getting back to what it used to be like."

[Last modified January 3, 2006, 02:00:48]