Edwards Heeds Bowden's Advice

TALLAHASSEE - At halftime of Saturday's 34-24 victory against UAB, Florida State redshirt junior Jamaal Edwards owned nine career carries - eight in his freshman season of 2004 and one in the first half. Edwards then had 11 carries in the second half, splitting the workload with Marcus Sims when starter Antone Smith suffered a concussion in the third quarter.

Edwards finished with 45 yards on 12 carries, while Sims rushed seven times for 34 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown run that gave the Noles their first lead of the season, 24-17, late in the third quarter.

'To have us in there, and to show that we can come through when the team needs us, that was good for us,' Edwards said Sunday. 'It felt good just to be able to contribute.'

Prior to the game, FSU coach Bobby Bowden challenged Edwards to be ready in case Smith should get hurt or needed rest.

'I pointed him out and said, 'Son, we've got to get you into that game tonight and you've got to determine whether you want to be the second-team tailback or not,'' Bowden said.

Ironically, it was against UAB three years earlier when Edwards, then a freshman, got his first college carry. Bowden's pep talk Saturday had him prepared for another chance against the Blazers.

'When he says something to you, you know it's serious,' Edwards said. 'You have to really step up.'

WHAT WENT RIGHT: The home opener didn't start the way the Noles had hoped, but despite falling behind 17-3 in the first half, FSU overcame three turnovers and 12 penalties to win. FSU rolled up 520 yards of total offense and QB Drew Weatherford, after a costly early interception that was returned for a touchdown, finished 22 of 35 for 332 yards and three TDs.

WHAT WENT WRONG: The most glaring problem in FSU's first two games is that it has started slowly on offense and defense and fallen behind. The Noles trailed Clemson 21-0 less than 17 minutes into their season opener, and on Saturday UAB owned a 10-0 barely five minutes into the game.

While the offense has struggled early, so has the defense, which has failed to get a significant pass rush, missed tackles and collected senseless penalties.

'We need to make tackles and stop hurting ourselves with penalties, and taking better angles,' DE Neefy Moffett said Sunday. 'Everybody wants to get a hit on the quarterback. We have to stop that by getting more sacks at the beginning of the game, so that urge to hit him late won't be there at the end of the game.'

INJURY UPDATE: Smith, who lay motionless on the ground for several minutes when he hit the turf awkwardly in the third quarter, reported to the trainers Sunday in good condition. He is expected to participate in non-contact drills in practice and is probable for Saturday's game at Colorado.

Scott Carter