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Thomas, Seminoles happy his offensive punch is back

Associated Press file photo

Florida State running back Jermaine Thomas runs in the first quarter Oct. 10 during an NCAA college football game against Georgia Tech in Tallahassee.

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By COREY CLARK

The Tallahassee Democrat

Published: October 21, 2009

TALLAHASSEE - Finally. That's what Jermaine Thomas was thinking during Florida State's shootout with Georgia Tech last Saturday night.

The sophomore running back, the one who wowed fans as a backup during 2008 and had lofty goals for his first season as the starter, was a major weapon for the Seminoles' offense in the 49-44 loss to the Yellow Jackets.

Finally.

"It made me feel like I was in the rhythm of the offense again," Thomas said. "And I'm feeling a lot more comfortable. So everything else should be able to come to me."

He rushed for over 100 yards and scored two touchdowns in the first half against Georgia Tech. After he was tackled for a loss twice in the second half, he still finished with 98 yards on 19 carries. Both were season-highs.

Both were great signs for a running game that has had trouble getting started this year.

Both were great signs for a running back that had become a forgotten man through the first month of the season.

According to Thomas, he has been able to carry over that much-needed success (he also had 42 receiving yards against Georgia Tech) onto the practice field.

"I've been a little more focused than I had been," he said.

The Jacksonville native was slowed by nagging injuries and a bit of a mental funk earlier in the season, and had just 26 carries for 77 yards through the first five games of 2009.

"I thought his mind was in the game a lot better," offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher said. "And his enthusiasm, his tenacity - he had that energy level again. And I thought he ran pretty hard and ran pretty good."

Especially where it mattered.

Thomas has scored three touchdowns in the last two games for the Seminoles and all three came from an area on the field that had been like a black hole for the Seminole offense - inside the opponent's 3-yard line.

Against both South Florida and Boston College, FSU had the ball first-and-goal inside the 5-yard line in the first half. The Seminoles didn't score a single point either time.

Which is why Thomas' resurgence could be such a big lift to the Florida State offense. He barreled in from three yards out in the fourth quarter against Boston College. A week later, he plowed over a Georgia Tech defender at the 1-yard line and stretched into the end zone on the first drive of the game and then made a terrific athletic move - on a screen pass from quarterback Christian Ponder - to reach the ball around the pylon for a touchdown right before the half.

"Basically down there you've just go to man up and it's whoever wants it more," Thomas said. "It's about want. Whoever wants it the most. You've got to have a nasty kind of attitude to know that you're getting into the end zone regardless."

It's those kinds of plays - and that kind of attitude - that Fisher had been expecting from Thomas when the season began.

"He's starting to get in that groove hopefully," Fisher said.

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