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Noles Never Stop Fighting

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 5, 2008

Updated: 10/05/2008 01:47 am

MIAMI - There was way too much to remember. There was plenty he'd like to forget.

So when Florida State coach Bobby Bowden finally found shelter at rain-soaked Dolphin Stadium, looking like a kitten that had just been plucked from a lake, he would have welcomed a hot bath.

Better that than the scalding his team nearly received on Saturday night.

The game was unraveling. The Seminoles were one more botched play away from blowing a 24-point lead, staring at what could have been one of FSU's most horrendous losses ever.

Then it didn't get away.

Then FSU took it back.

"That was one of the best Florida State-Miami games that I don't want to see again," Bowden said.

In time, Bowden might rethink that sentiment. When things get tight again, the Seminoles will want to summon up that spirit of perseverance.

FSU's wet-and-wild 41-39 standoff against the Miami Hurricanes was filled with ridiculous game-losing mistakes. "I'm happy that we won, but I'm going to be mad about a lot of the things we did," FSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher said.

Through it all, the Seminoles fought and fought.

"I think I grew up," FSU sophomore quarterback Christian Ponder said.

"I think we all grew up," FSU freshman receiver Bert Reed said. "This one, we're going to look back on. Maybe not tonight. Maybe not next week. But down the line. This was the one we needed."

Turning The Corner?

The Seminoles (4-1, 1-1 ACC) are far from perfect.

They have two victories against Division I-AA teams, another against an average-at-best Colorado team and a brutal home loss against Wake Forest.

Now there is this:

A quarterback (Ponder) who looks like a leader, who has great instincts as a runner (144 yards, most by an FSU quarterback in 60 years), who has come so far since his dismal three-interception night against Wake.

A runner (Antone Smith) who provided the ground game FSU has needed since, what, forever? That's 246 yards and seven touchdowns in two weeks for Mr. Smith.

A defense that was often placed in impossible situations, but still limited the Hurricanes to 256 yards (111 in the desperate fourth quarter, when UM freshman Robert Marve threw 25 passes).

A special-teams unit that ... um ... well, let's skip that one.

"We managed to keep it interesting, didn't we?" Bowden said.

FSU punter Shawn Powell dropped a snap deep in his territory, then he whirled and kicked it through the end zone for a UM safety.

Another time, with FSU leading 34-29, the snap glanced off up-back Nigel Bradham, and UM gained possession at the FSU 4-yard line (then the Hurricanes, remarkably, were forced to settle for a field goal).

But the Seminoles, when all signs pointed to a catastrophic collapse, gathered themselves at the right moments.

"I learned that we have a chance," Bowden said.

Ponder's Big Run

Ponder is the reason for that optimism. Some wondered, rightly so, why senior Drew Weatherford is buried on the bench. Weatherford, after all, has two victories against UM.

But Ponder has attractive qualities - mobility, escape-artist qualities and toughness - that clearly have piqued Fisher's interest.

In the fourth quarter, with FSU ahead 34-32 and facing third-and-11 from its 49-yard line, Ponder sprinted toward the right sideline. UM linebacker Sean Spence gave chase, closing quickly. Ponder, losing his feet, saw the first-down marker.

He dived ahead.

First down - 13 yards.

"That's Christian," Reed said. "It doesn't look like he's running that fast. But you can't get him down. He just has that special quality."

Does FSU has enough special quality to reach the ACC Championship Game in Tampa? It's way too early for that. But Bowden knows how gigantic leads somehow can get away. Everybody remembers the 1994 "Choke at Doak," when FSU scored a quartet of fourth-quarter touchdowns to tie Florida, 31-31.

Bowden's bigger reference point was a game from 1970, his first season as West Virginia coach, when the Mountaineers led Pitt at halftime, 35-8. Final: Pitt 36, WVU 35.

"This was a good time for a quarterback to panic, and I didn't see that from Ponder," Bowden said. "When you play Miami or the University of Florida at their place, you don't get in much tighter situations than that."

That's why Bowden, despite the mistakes, can smile. That's why Ponder said FSU will carry this victory through the season. It looked like the ultimate giveaway. Then the Seminoles showed their special quality. They took it back.

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