2008 Florida State Seminoles football team
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University
during the National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football season
. It was Florida State's 17th season
as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference
(ACC).
The previous season
, the Seminoles compiled a 7-6 record. When the Seminoles also went 7-6 in 2006
, that season was head coach Bobby Bowden
's worst since going 6-5 in 1981. The Seminoles were without as many as 12 scholarship players for the first three games of the season because of suspensions carrying over from the previous season for violating team rules, although it has not been disclosed how many of those were involved with an academic cheating scandal at the school. Junior wide receiver Preston Parker
was suspended for the first two games of the season, after pleading guilty to two misdemeanor charges.
The start of the game was delayed almost an hour and a half due to lightning in the area, and then almost another hour during the 1st quarter. The first player to touch the ball for FSU, to start the 2008 season, was Tony Carter who promptly returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown and the game's first score. Sophomore Christian Ponder
started his first game at quarterback. Ponder completed 11 of 17 passes for 196 yards and 3 touchdowns. At the start of the second drive in the second half (when FSU was up 35-0), sophomore D'vontrey Richardson came into the game. Richardson went 5 for 6 through the air with one touchdown and also had two rushing touchdowns, one for over 50 yards. With several players serving suspensions due to the school wide "academic scandal" (several students and athletes were caught sharing answers in an online music class), the Seminoles had 28 freshman play in the game. Two of those freshman had touchdowns in the victory over the Catamounts.
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Pregame Line: Lines are not released when an FCS team plays an FBS team.
In his second start as a collegiate athlete, Christian Ponder threw for 183 yards and three first-half touchdowns before being relieved by D'vontrey Richardson in the 3rd quarter. Richardson threw for 117 yards with one touchdown. Richardson also had a 55-yard rushing touchdown, the longest scoring run for a quarterback in the school's history. The previous record was held by Richardson himself, set in the previous week with a 52-yard touchdown run. Junior Wide Receiver, Corey Surrency, led Florida State in receiving with 87 yards and two touchdowns on just three receptions. Florida State's defense allowed their first score of the season after a 62-yard passing touchdown thrown by Chattanooga quarterback Tony Pastore. This was also the first score by Chattanooga against Florida State all-time, dating back to 1984, the only previous meeting between the two schools in which the Seminoles won in a shutout by 37 points.
#18 Wake Forest
Pregame Line: Florida State -4
Defense, kicking game help No. 18 Wake Forest clip No. 24 (AP Poll) Florida State
Colorado
Pregame Line: Florida State -6
This game was played in Jacksonville, Florida
with Florida State as the home team. This was Bobby Bowden's 500th Career Game.
Bowden gets Florida State past Colorado in 500th game
@ Miami
Pregame Line: Miami -2.5
FSU dumps Miami behind Smith's career-best four TDs
Florida State rides Ponder, Smith past N.C. State
Virginia Tech
Pregame Line: Florida State -6
Carr sets up two TDs in third quarter as No. 25 FSU rallies
@ Georgia Tech
Pregame Line: Georgia Tech -1.5
Georgia Tech snaps 0-12 skid against Florida State
Clemson
Pregame Line: Florida State -7
FSU bowl eligible for 27th straight season on Bowden's birthday
Boston College
Pregame Line: Florida State -7
One day prior to the game, Florida State suspended Wide Receivers Taiwan Easterling, Bert Reed, Corey Surrency, Cameron Wade and Richard Goodman for their roles in an on-campus altercation with members of the Phi Beta Sigma
fraternity at Florida State's student union.
Boston College upends No. 19 Florida State day after five wideouts suspended
@ #25 Maryland
Pregame Line: Maryland -1
Myron Rolle
, Florida State's starting safety, was interviewed in Birmingham, Alabama
at noon for the Rhodes Scholarship
. At 5:00, he received the call that he was accepted. He flew in a private jet to Washington, D.C.
and had a police escort take him to the game in College Park, Maryland
. He arrived at the stadium around 8:30pm (with 11:55 left in the 2nd quarter). He dressed out in the locker room and walked onto the field to the roar of the Florida State visitor section with 6:23 left in the 2nd quarter. After stretching out, he made his game debut with 1:30 left in the 1st half. At the end of the game, his teammates showered him with a bucket of ice water in 26 degree weather, an act usually reserved for the head coach. He is the first Florida State player to ever have the "ice water shower".
Maryland picked apart by unranked Florida State
#4 Florida
Pregame Line: Florida -16.5
Florida wins 8th straight while continuing dominance in intrastate rivalry
Wisconsin
Pregame Line:
Ponder powers Seminoles' offense, defense routs Badgers
class="wikitable" style="white-space:nowrap;">
Team Opp
Punts-Yards
2-93
8-272
Avg per Punt
46.5
34
Time of Possession/Game
27:44
32:16
3rd Down Conversions
3
3
4th Down Conversions
0
0
Touchdowns Scored
10
0
Field Goals-Attempts-Long
0-1-0
0-1-0
PAT-Attempts
9-10
0-0
Attendance
73024
0
Games/Avg per Game
1/73024
0/0
Defense
Special Teams
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
during the National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football season
2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 28, 2008, progressing through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Miami Gardens, Florida on January 8, 2009, where the #2...
. It was Florida State's 17th season
2008 Atlantic Coast Conference football season
The 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference football season was the 56th season that the Atlantic Coast Conference participated in National Collegiate Athletic Association college football...
as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
(ACC).
The previous season
2007 Florida State Seminoles football team
The 2007 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University during the 2007 college football season. Florida State entered the 2007 season coming off a 2006 that ended with an overall record of 7-6, which was head coach Bobby Bowden's worst record since going 6-5 in 1981,...
, the Seminoles compiled a 7-6 record. When the Seminoles also went 7-6 in 2006
2006 Florida State Seminoles football team
The 2006 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University during the 2006 college football season. Florida State entered the 2006 season as the defending ACC Champion, coming off an 8-5 record in 2005...
, that season was head coach Bobby Bowden
Bobby Bowden
Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons...
's worst since going 6-5 in 1981. The Seminoles were without as many as 12 scholarship players for the first three games of the season because of suspensions carrying over from the previous season for violating team rules, although it has not been disclosed how many of those were involved with an academic cheating scandal at the school. Junior wide receiver Preston Parker
Preston Parker
Preston Parker is an American football wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Northern Alabama.-High school:Parker graduated from Atlantic High School in 2006...
was suspended for the first two games of the season, after pleading guilty to two misdemeanor charges.
Rankings
| Poll | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP | NR | NR | NR | 24 | NR | NR | NR | NR | 24 | 16 | 24 | 20 | NR | 23 | NR | NR | 21 |
| Coaches | NR | NR | NR | 25 | NR | NR | NR | NR | 23 | 16 | 24 | 19 | NR | 24 | NR | NR | 23 |
| Harris | Not released | NR | NR | NR | NR | 23 | 18 | 24 | 20 | NR | 23 | NR | NR | ||||
| BCS | Not released | 25 | 15 | 22 | 19 | NR | 20 | 24 | NR | NR | |||||||
Schedule
Recruits
Game Capsules
Please Note:- The records in parenthesis indicates the opposing team's record at the time Florida State played them, NOT Florida State's record.
- The USA Today Coaches Poll rankings are used through week 7. Starting with Week 8 (the Virginia Tech Game), the BCS Rankings are used.
- All pregame lines are based on what the game opened at and does not include any betting influence.
Western Carolina (1-0)
Pregame Line: Lines are not released when an FCS team plays an FBS team.The start of the game was delayed almost an hour and a half due to lightning in the area, and then almost another hour during the 1st quarter. The first player to touch the ball for FSU, to start the 2008 season, was Tony Carter who promptly returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown and the game's first score. Sophomore Christian Ponder
Christian Ponder
Christian Ponder is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Vikings with the twelfth overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, and signed with them on July 31, 2011, shortly after the 2011 NFL lockout ended...
started his first game at quarterback. Ponder completed 11 of 17 passes for 196 yards and 3 touchdowns. At the start of the second drive in the second half (when FSU was up 35-0), sophomore D'vontrey Richardson came into the game. Richardson went 5 for 6 through the air with one touchdown and also had two rushing touchdowns, one for over 50 yards. With several players serving suspensions due to the school wide "academic scandal" (several students and athletes were caught sharing answers in an online music class), the Seminoles had 28 freshman play in the game. Two of those freshman had touchdowns in the victory over the Catamounts.
University of Tennessee at ChattanoogaUniversity of Tennessee at ChattanoogaThe University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is a public university located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The University, often referred to as UTC or simply "Chattanooga" , is one of three universities and two other affiliated institutions in the University of Tennessee System; the others being in...
(1-1)
Pregame Line: Lines are not released when an FCS team plays an FBS team.In his second start as a collegiate athlete, Christian Ponder threw for 183 yards and three first-half touchdowns before being relieved by D'vontrey Richardson in the 3rd quarter. Richardson threw for 117 yards with one touchdown. Richardson also had a 55-yard rushing touchdown, the longest scoring run for a quarterback in the school's history. The previous record was held by Richardson himself, set in the previous week with a 52-yard touchdown run. Junior Wide Receiver, Corey Surrency, led Florida State in receiving with 87 yards and two touchdowns on just three receptions. Florida State's defense allowed their first score of the season after a 62-yard passing touchdown thrown by Chattanooga quarterback Tony Pastore. This was also the first score by Chattanooga against Florida State all-time, dating back to 1984, the only previous meeting between the two schools in which the Seminoles won in a shutout by 37 points.
#18 Wake Forest2008 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football teamThe 2008 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team represented Wake Forest University during the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football season. It was Wake Forest's 56th season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference .The Demon Deacons...
(2-1)
Pregame Line: Florida State -4Defense, kicking game help No. 18 Wake Forest clip No. 24 (AP Poll) Florida State
Colorado2008 Colorado Buffaloes football teamThe 2008 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Dan Hawkins and played their home games in Folsom Field.-Pre-season:...
(3-0)
Pregame Line: Florida State -6This game was played in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
with Florida State as the home team. This was Bobby Bowden's 500th Career Game.
Bowden gets Florida State past Colorado in 500th game
@ Miami2008 Miami Hurricanes football team-Roster changes:University of Miami safety Kenny Phillips and defensive end Calais Campbell made the decision to forgo their senior years and declare for the NFL Draft. Phillips was drafted in the first round, No. 31 overall by the New York Giants. Campbell was drafted in the second round, No. 50...
(2-2)
Pregame Line: Miami -2.5FSU dumps Miami behind Smith's career-best four TDs
@ N.C. State (2-4)
Pregame Line: Pick 'emFlorida State rides Ponder, Smith past N.C. State
Virginia Tech2008 Virginia Tech Hokies football teamThe 2008 Virginia Tech Hokies football team represents Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head coach is Frank Beamer. Prior to the season, the Hokies were expected to be in a rebuilding mode, recovering after the...
(5-2)
Pregame Line: Florida State -6Carr sets up two TDs in third quarter as No. 25 FSU rallies
@ Georgia Tech2008 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football teamThe 2008 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology in the college football season of 2008-2009. The team's coach is former Navy Midshipmen and Georgia Southern Eagles coach Paul Johnson...
(6-2)
Pregame Line: Georgia Tech -1.5Georgia Tech snaps 0-12 skid against Florida State
Clemson2008 Clemson Tigers football teamThe 2008 Clemson football team represented Clemson University in the 2008 college football season. The Tigers were led by oft-maligned head coach Tommy Bowden, who resigned six games into his tenth season. The interim head coach was assistant coach Dabo Swinney...
(4-4)
Pregame Line: Florida State -7FSU bowl eligible for 27th straight season on Bowden's birthday
Boston College2008 Boston College Eagles football teamThe 2008 Boston College Eagles football team represented Boston College during the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football season. It was Boston College's fourth season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference . The Eagles were led by...
(6-3)
Pregame Line: Florida State -7One day prior to the game, Florida State suspended Wide Receivers Taiwan Easterling, Bert Reed, Corey Surrency, Cameron Wade and Richard Goodman for their roles in an on-campus altercation with members of the Phi Beta Sigma
Phi Beta Sigma
Phi Beta Sigma is a predominantly African-American fraternity which was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students. The founders A. Langston Taylor, Leonard F. Morse, and Charles I...
fraternity at Florida State's student union.
Boston College upends No. 19 Florida State day after five wideouts suspended
@ #25 Maryland2008 Maryland Terrapins football teamThe 2008 Maryland Terrapins football team represented the University of Maryland in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football season...
(7-3)
Pregame Line: Maryland -1Myron Rolle
Myron Rolle
-Tennessee Titans:Rolle was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He signed a four-year contract on June 14, 2010. However, the Tennessee Titans released him a year later on September 2, 2011.-Personal:...
, Florida State's starting safety, was interviewed in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
at noon for the Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
. At 5:00, he received the call that he was accepted. He flew in a private jet to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and had a police escort take him to the game in College Park, Maryland
College Park, Maryland
College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, USA. The population was 30,413 at the 2010 census. It is best known as the home of the University of Maryland, College Park, and since 1994 the city has also been home to the "Archives II" facility of the U.S...
. He arrived at the stadium around 8:30pm (with 11:55 left in the 2nd quarter). He dressed out in the locker room and walked onto the field to the roar of the Florida State visitor section with 6:23 left in the 2nd quarter. After stretching out, he made his game debut with 1:30 left in the 1st half. At the end of the game, his teammates showered him with a bucket of ice water in 26 degree weather, an act usually reserved for the head coach. He is the first Florida State player to ever have the "ice water shower".
Maryland picked apart by unranked Florida State
#4 Florida2008 Florida Gators football teamThe 2008 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2008 college football season...
(10-1)
Pregame Line: Florida -16.5Florida wins 8th straight while continuing dominance in intrastate rivalry
Wisconsin2008 Wisconsin Badgers football teamThe 2008 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Badgers were coached by Bret Bielema and played their home games at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin....
(7-5)
Pregame Line:Ponder powers Seminoles' offense, defense routs Badgers
Rankings
| Poll | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP | 31 | 30 | 28 | 24 | 41 | 35 | 34 | 29 | 24 | 16 | 24 | 20 | 31 | 23 | 29 | 28 | 21 |
| Coaches | 30 | 31 | 28 | 25 | NR | 32 | 30 | 28 | 23 | 16 | 24 | 19 | 29 | 24 | 29 | 28 | 23 |
| Harris | Not released | 30 | 30 | 29 | 23 | 18 | 24 | 20 | 28 | 23 | 29 | 28 | |||||
| BCS | Not released | 25 | 15 | 22 | 19 | NR | 20 | 24 | NR | ||||||||
Team
| class="wikitable" style="white-space:nowrap;"> | Team | Opp | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoring | 157 | 40 | |
| Points per Game | 39.25 | 10 | |
| First Downs | 24 | 12 | |
| Rushing | 11 | 3 | |
| Passing | 12 | 6 | |
| Penalty | 1 | 3 | |
| Total Offense | 561 | 176 | |
| Avg per Play | 9.8 | 3.0 | |
| Avg per Game | 561 | 176 | |
| Fumbles-Lost | 2-0 | 3-1 | |
| Penalties-Yards | 8-58 | 6-37 | |
| Avg per Game | 58 | 37 |
Scores by quarter
Rushing
| Name | GP-GS | Att | Gain | Loss | Net | Avg | TD | Long | Avg/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Smith | |||||||||
| TEAM | |||||||||
| Total | |||||||||
| Opponents |
Passing
| Name | GP-GS | Effic | Att-Cmp-Int | Pct | Yds | TD | Lng | Avg/G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Smith | |||||||||
| TEAM | |||||||||
| Total | |||||||||
| Opponents |
Receiving
| Name | GP-GS | No. | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | Avg/G | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Smith | |||||||||
| Total | |||||||||
| Opponents |
Defense
| Name | GP | Tackles | Sacks | Pass Defense | Interceptions | Fumbles | Blkd Kick |
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | Ast | Total | TFL-Yds | No-Yds | BrUp | QBH | No.-Yds | Avg | TD | Long | Rcv-Yds | FF | |||
| Total |
Special teams
| Name | Punting | Kickoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Yds | Avg | Long | TB | FC | I20 | Blkd | No. | Yds | Avg | TB | OB | |
| Total |
| Name | Punt Returns | Kick Returns | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | No. | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | |
| Total |
Projected 2008 Depth Chart
Offensive- QB - Christian Ponder so
- TB - Antone Smith sr
- FB - Seddrick Holloway jr
- WR - Preston Parker jr
- WR - Greg Carr sr
- TE - Jonathan Hannah jr
- LT - Rodney Hudson so
- LG - Evan Bellamy so
- C - Ryan McMahon so
- RG - Will Furlong fr
- RT - Antwane Greenlee fr
Defense
- DE - Neefy Moffett sr
- DE - Everette Brown jr
- DT - Budd Thacker jr
- DT - Paul Griffin sr
- LB - Derek Nicholson sr
- LB - Kendall Smith so
- LB - Toddrick Verdell jr
- CB - Tony Carter sr
- CB - Michael Ray Garvin sr
- S - Myron Rolle jr
- S - Darius McClure sr
Special Teams
- K - Zack Hubby so
- P - Shawn Powell fr
- K,P - Graham Gano was expected to start at both positions, but had a knee injury during two a days. He is expected back by the Colorado game.