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Noles Show Passion Vs. Tide

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By SCOTT CARTER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 30, 2007

Updated: 09/30/2007 01:11 am

JACKSONVILLE - The scene outside Florida State's locker room after Saturday's 21-14 victory against Alabama was as you might expect following the Seminoles' biggest win since Bobby Bowden revamped his coaching staff and charted a new course for his once-mighty program.

Bowden emerged for his postgame news conference and was immediately met by a group of National Guardsmen wanting to take a picture. A cheerful Bowden obliged, and then greeted one back-slapper after another on his way to the interview room, relishing the attention after what he said 'felt like a big-time win.' Meanwhile, as FSU's players and coaches strolled out, a different aura engulfed them.

The Noles' third consecutive victory certainly had a different feel than the previous two. The evidence was all around.
Backup quarterback Xavier Lee was all smiles for a change after he ignited the offense in the second half. Much-maligned senior receiver De'Cody Fagg had more catches than drops, including two touchdown catches. And finally, FSU beat a ranked team, something of a rarity lately.

You could say the program's pulse seemed to return, if only for a day.

'We finally got a little passion and excitement on the sideline,' offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher said. 'We sit on the sideline sometimes and act like we're in church and we're not allowed to say anything. You've got to play this game with a little passion and emotion.'

Now the true test comes for the Noles. Can they duplicate Saturday's performance against the Crimson Tide and begin to matter once more on a national scale?

'That's why you come to Florida State to play football, to make big plays and get the fans all rowdy and hyped up,' linebacker Derek Nicholson said. 'It's not an upset. We expect that. This is Florida State.'

While the players may have expected to win, the way they did it was a surprise, led by Lee's entrance midway in the second quarter in place of starter Drew Weatherford (seven of 11, 42 yards). It took Lee a little while to warm up in his first appearance of the season, but on the Noles' opening drive of the second half, Lee directed FSU on a eight-play, 67-yard drive capped by his 7-yard touchdown pass to Fagg to give FSU a 7-0 lead.

'He Lee gave us a big boost,' Fagg said. 'He showed real poise.'

With Lee giving the offense a spark, FSU's defense dominated for 3 1/2 quarters, setting up FSU's second touchdown early in the fourth quarter. On third-and-15 from Alabama's 8, FSU defensive end Everette Brown forced Crimson Tide quarterback John Parker Wilson to fumble. FSU's Letroy Guion recovered, and on the next play, Antone Smith scored on a 5-yard run.

After Alabama cut the lead to 14-7, Lee and Fagg hooked up once again, this time on a 70-yard scoring pass that was mostly the work of Fagg's legs. Following a short catch, Fagg spun free down the left sideline and outran Alabama defensive back Marquis Johnson to the end zone, sending FSU's half of a record crowd (85,412) at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium into a frenzy.

'That was back to my high school days,' said Fagg, who has been under scrutiny from fans for his repeated drops this season. 'Once I saw a sideline and saw the daylight, I was running and I just didn't want him to catch me. I looked up at the Jumbo screen and saw him behind me. There was no way in the world I was going to let him catch me.'

The 21-7 lead was too much for Alabama to overcome, especially against a defense that allowed only 78 yards in the first half and 329 overall.

'One thing we wanted to do was make them one-dimensional,' Nicholson said. 'We wanted to stop the run, and make them pass the ball. Once you get a team one-dimensional, you can win a lot of games that way.'

Alabama entered averaging more than 200 yards a game rushing, but FSU limited them to only 82, forcing Wilson to throw 53 times.

While Wilson struggled to make plays, Lee (12 of 19, 224 yards; a team-high 62 yards rushing) was sharp other than for a third-quarter interception, leading the Noles to their first win against a ranked team since defeating No. 12 Miami in the 2006 season opener.

Fisher, who said he called Lee's number because of his elusiveness against Alabama's blitzes, said Lee most likely will start Saturday's game against North Carolina State.

Lee's relief work gave Alabama native Bowden a win in his first game as a head coach against the Crimson Tide.

'We haven't done this in a while,' Bowden said. 'I won't brag about it, but it beats being 0-1 against them.'

Reporter Scott Carter can be reached at (850) 294-3088 or scarter@tampatrib.com.

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