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Noles Again Let Foe Score On 1st Drive

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 16, 2008

Updated: 11/16/2008 12:57 am

TALLAHASSEE - Score first and win. That's the way it was for the Boston College football team entering its game with Florida State on Saturday night. The Eagles scored first in every game but two - Georgia Tech and Clemson. BC lost both of those games.

After falling behind 14-0 and trailing 14-10 at halftime, FSU went into the second half trying to change that.

On the flip side of that, it was the fourth consecutive game that the Seminoles allowed an opponent to score on its first drive. Contributing to FSU falling behind at halftime was Boston College's six third-down conversions. That was more than FSU had allowed in an entire game this season. Previously, the most allowed were four by Colorado.

The Seminoles came into the game 2-2 when trailing at halftime.

Another Big Play For Moffett

Teammates of Neefy Moffett have spotted a sense of urgency in the Florida State defensive end as his final season as a Seminole winds down.

"He's really come around," junior DE Everette Brown said. "He knows the clock is ticking."

And it is showing on the stat sheet. A week ago against Clemson, Moffett became the first FSU interior defensive lineman to return an interception for a touchdown since Toddrick McIntosh accomplished the feat in 1991 against Michigan.

When Moffett makes a play this season it's usually something big. Of his six tackles entering the Boston College game, four were tackles for loss. Moffett was at it again when he forced a fumble at FSU's 34-yard line Saturday night.

"It's really just a lot of hard work paying off and opportunities being presented," Moffett said last week. "That's what I prepare for."

Another defensive lineman, Budd Thacker recovered a fumble to stop another Boston College drive late in the second quarter.

In The House

Former FSU defensive standouts Ron Simmons and Mario Edwards were honorary captains on Saturday night. Former Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke was also in attendance.

Pronunciation Isn't Ganomatic

Graham Gano is becoming a household name this season. But not every household has learned to pronounce the FSU kicker's name correctly. FSU graduate Lee Corso mispronounced it three times during the ESPN "College GameDay" telecast from the Florida A&M campus on Saturday.

Gano (ga-KNOW) will likely give Corso many more opportunities to get it right.

As he reeled off 18 straight field goals, Gano has picked up a few nicknames this season. They include Ganomatic, Ganokowski and Ganomite.

The streak ended in the third quarter Saturday night when he missed a 50-yard attempt. Gano's only other miss this season was also from beyond 50 yards.

Wind proved to be quite an adversary for Gano, whose two punts in the first quarter averaged 32 yards. Gano did kick his 18th consecutive field goal with a 39-yarder that cut Boston College's lead to 14-10 at halftime.

Steve Ellis

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