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Something To Remember

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By DOUG BLACKBURN

The Tallahassee Democrat

Published: December 28, 2008

ORLANDO - Christian Ponder didn't get off to a fast start. He rarely does.

But FSU's sophomore quarterback finished strong in the Seminoles' 42-13 Champs Sports Bowl win against Wisconsin on Saturday, proving to offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher that he made the right decision in August when he chose Ponder over senior Drew Weatherford, out of Land O' Lakes High, to be the No. 1 quarterback.

The Badgers opened the second half with a field goal that narrowed FSU's lead to 14-6.

Ponder & Co. responded with a back-breaking 85-yard touchdown drive highlighted by a 20-yard pass from Ponder to Greg Carr on third-and-19.

"As soon as we got that play, you could feel the weight lift off everyone on the sidelines," Fisher said. "Christian did start slow, but it wasn't just him. Everybody was too anxious at the start."

Ponder engineered a 77-yard scoring drive on FSU's next possession that gave the Seminoles a 28-6 lead.

"It took us a while to get in a groove," Ponder said. "It took us a couple of series to get things going. We had to fix some things and we did."

Ponder's numbers weren't dazzling, but they were effective: 18-for-31 passing for 199 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers. He had one 11-yard run and ran for 32 yards, but a pair of sacks left his rushing total at 19 yards.

The numbers that stand out most are nine wins and four losses. With Ponder at the helm, FSU improved significantly on back-to-back 7-6 seasons.

Fisher, asked what he liked most about Ponder's performance, responded with a one-word answer: "Consistency."

Walk-on wide receiver Louis Givens, who had two catches for 33 yards, noted that Ponder seemed unsteady in the early going.

"We told him early in the game to just relax, that we were behind him," Givens said. "He was holding his composure real well. He stayed cool and played awesome."

Ponder will have two more seasons to try to improve on what he did in his first year as the team's starting quarterback. He knows there's plenty of room for improvement.

"It feels good ending on this note," Ponder said. "It leaves a good taste in my mouth. There's still a ton of things I have to work on, but this is a great springboard for next season."

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