They'll mess up, but they'll be dangerous

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By GARY SHELTON

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 2, 2001

DURHAM, N.C. -- They lack the polish of their predecessors. They lack the cohesion of those who have worn their colors before them. As yet, they do not possess the recognition, the respect or, especially, the resume of those who have played before them.

But, man, are you going to love these kids.

They are raw, and they are vulnerable. They are thoroughbred colts, awkward and spindly, unsure of their steps. They will fall and, occasionally, they will fail. Yes, they are the furthest thing from a sure thing their university has seen in a decade.

But, unless you have loyalties that forbid it, unless you have been spoiled beyond reason, you're going to smile at the new faces of Florida State. Eventually, the kids are going to be a lot better than all right.

The Seminoles turned their program over to the next generation Saturday night. At FSU, there has been a changing of the guard ... and the quarterback and the receiver and the running back and the offensive coordinator and darned near everyone else. All that remain are the standards. And the deed to Wallace Wade Stadium.

See the kid move to his right, the play turning into an ad lib, then flick the ball downfield for a touchdown pass? That's Chris Rix, the freshman quarterback. See the running back cut sharply left, then glide downfield for a 51-yard touchdown run? That's Nick Maddox. See the lanky receiver cut across the field and pull it down, the way FSU receivers have done for decades? That's Craphonso Thorpe. Don't worry. You'll learn to pronounce his name. Before it's done, you'll get to pronounce all their names.

"You can see the kinds of things the kids can do," FSU coach Bobby Bowden said. "If you had to grade us by performance, it's about as bad as we've had. But you can see the potential. We can improve from here."

This is a new look for FSU, where the program has grown used to experienced, proven players who seem to star for years. For some time, FSU's idea of rebuilding was to plug in a talented junior who has grown hungry from the wait. This year, the Rugrats have taken over. Eleven true freshmen played for FSU Saturday night. More might have, but it was past their bedtime.

Okay, okay. I know what you're thinking. FSU was playing Duke, which is about as close to a preseason game as a college team can get. If Duke's program were any worse, they'd give it a directional name, like Northeast Duke State.

This was the 10th straight time FSU has beaten Duke, and it has scored at least 44 points every time. In seven of the past eight meetings, FSU has scored at least 50. If Duke ever does beat FSU, school officials are expected to rush out and add a couple of 'Zs" in the middle of coach Carl Franks' name, just like Mike Krzyzewski has. Introducing: Carl Fzrankz.

Despite the mismatch, FSU struggled mightily for a quarter. It trailed 6-0, and you began to worry if Bowden would be able to stand it. Bowden stood there for a quarter staring ahead as if it hurt his eyes to watch. If his hair had not turned gray, like, 40 years ago, it would have during the first quarter when Rix was wild and kept misfiring and the offensive line couldn't figure out the blitz.

"If we ran 20 plays in the first quarter, 12 of them didn't look like anything we've ever practiced," Bowden said.

Alas, true nature is true nature, and Duke is Duke, and before long, the Blue Devils were eaten up with self-awareness. They began handing touchdowns to FSU right and left, unable to get out of their own way, or their punter's. Before the night was over, FSU had the first punt-return team in NCAA history that could be accused of running up the score.

But if you know FSU history, you know the Seminoles always do their share of sputtering in their opening game. That was true this time, too. If you think about that first quarter, when it was difficult to tell which team was Duke and which was FSU, it's hard to argue that FSU is the No. 6 team in the nation. Other teams are going to get a look at the film, and it's going to be like a program hanging a pork chop around its neck and inviting the wolves of autumn to come and get it.

"For us, there are three levels," Bowden said. "If we lose to Georgia Tech, then you start talking about the Gator Bowl. But if we can get by them, you get to Miami. If we can get by them, then we've got a chance."

Is that dreaming? Perhaps. There will be times the kids show their age. And that's the fun of it. For the first time, you don't know what to expect of the Seminoles quarterback, or tailback, or offensive coordinator. Bowden doesn't, either.

Then there are times you see the snapshots of what Rix could be, or Maddox, or Thorpe. You see players running free, and it looks like the shape of things to come. Yes, the kids look as if they can be had. But opponents should be warned: Get them now, before they ripen.

Someday soon, they're going to be something.

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