Tag: FSU Seminoles

The 2024 Georgia team has shades of 2014 FSU

There’s a lot of similarities between the 2024 Georgia Bulldogs and 2014 Florida State Seminoles

The 2024 edition of the Georgia Bulldogs reminds me of the 2014 Florida State Seminoles.

Both teams entered the season with high expectations following outstanding seasons. Both Florida State and Georgia returned veteran quarterbacks and had supremely talented teams, but something just wasn’t right.

Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston had a mistake-filled 2014 campaign after winning a Heisman and national title in 2013. Winston threw for 3,907 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and 18 interceptions as FSU went miraculously went 12-0 in the regular season. Winston led the Seminoles on countless clutch drives in the second half.

Georgia quarterback Carson Beck has had a similar campaign in 2024. He entered the season as a Heisman favorite, but has struggled to take care of the ball at times. Beck has 3,429 passing yards for 28 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Beck has played better in the second half of almost every game this season.

Florida State played a very challenging schedule, but always emerged on top in the regular season. The Seminoles went an impressive 7-0 in one-score games including a 37-35 ACC championship win over Georgia Tech.

Speaking of Georgia Tech, Georgia also beat the Yellow Jackets with a two-point win in 2024.

Florida State went on to have 11 players drafted in the 2015 NFL draft. I would expect a similar number of Bulldogs to go in the 2025 NFL draft (Georgia has seven players ranked in the top 100).

In 2014, FSU’s averaged 33.7 points per game and allowed 25.6 points per game. This season, Georgia is posting similar numbers. The Bulldogs are scoring 34.1 points per game and allow 20.5 points per game.

A future first-round pick patrolled the Seminoles’ secondary in Jalen Ramsey. Georgia safety Malaki Starks is also expected to be drafted in the first round.

Florida State’s magic ran out in the College Football Playoff semifinals in a 59-20 loss to the Oregon Ducks. The Seminoles coughed up five turnovers against Oregon and were outscored 41-7 in the second half of one of the biggest blowouts in the playoff era.

Will Georgia’s inconsistent play catch up to the Bulldogs like it did for 2014 Florida State? Well, Georgia already has suffered two losses on the Dawgs’ extremely challenging schedule. At times the wheels fell off in UGA’s road losses to Alabama and Ole Miss. However, one thing this Georgia teams has showed is that it won’t quit no matter what the circumstances are.

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Georgia plays against Texas in the SEC championship on Dec. 7. Win or lose, it is hard to envision this Georgia team putting all the pieces together for three or four consecutive games in the playoff to win a national title.

Todd Golden talks after road win at FSU on Friday night

Todd Golden did not have too much to say, but what he noted after Friday night’s game was pertinent.

Florida basketball traveled to Tallahassee on Friday evening to take on their in-state rivals, the Florida State Seminoles. The Gators came away with an 87-74 victory after leading most of the way, giving Todd Golden’s team a 4-0 start to the 2024-25 campaign.

Walter Clayton Jr. led all scorers with 25 points on an 8-for-15 effort from the field, including a 4-for-10 tally from beyond the arc; he also finished with five free throws in as many attempts. Two other Gators — Alijah Martin (17) and Same Alexis (12) — also scored in double figures while nine total team members made the scoring sheet.

Following the big rivalry win Golden spoke with the sports media. Here s what he had to offer.

Handling FSU’s full-court press

“You know, I honestly thought we handled the press well. It was more the halfcourt pressure that we had issues with. And, you know, we did a good job staying organized. I think we only had like one or two turnovers in regards to them trying to keep us from getting the ball inbounds.

“But, you know, we had lapses, you know, I thought early in the game we struggled, which can happen especially the first time you play a team like Florida State with their athleticism, their length, their quickness.

“Middle of the first half, I thought we were really, really good. We got up 18 points, and a big part of that was just taking care of the basketball. We had eight turnovers at halftime. We got 11 in the second half. And if the end of that game would have gone differently, that would have been the issue. That would have been what we pointed at and said, ‘This is what cost us the game.’

“We had some guys step up and made some big shots late, kind of saved us, but we obviously, we have to do a much better job taking care of the ball, especially as we will see more teams that guard like this when we get into SEC play.”

On winning rebounding battle on both ends

“That was the offset for us, right? We lost the turnover battle by 11, but we won the boards by 18. And, you know, sometimes it’s as simple as that. Both teams, you know, we shot 52% from the field, but they won the shot battle. They got nine more attempts than we did, and four more free throws than we did. That’s usually a losing proposition, but the glass is what saved us tonight.”

Can Gators shoot better from long-range?

“Yeah. I mean, obviously we shot it really well in the first half. In the second half, we regressed. We’re only 23%, only three makes. But, you know, I do think to Florida State’s credit, they did a good job of slowing us down in the second half and really kind of getting the momentum of the game shifted.

“They were playing downhill. We were kind of playing on our heels a little bit, but again, you know, we just dug in and found a way, especially in those last four minutes. Tommy’s free throws were huge, and then those two threes from Alijah and Walt back-to-back were the separators.”

On Sam Alexis’s performance off the bench

“Sam’s really good. You know, he’s coming on for us. You know, he’s a guy that’s a young junior. He just turned 20 years old. His best basketball is in front of him, but I think you’re seeing a guy that is really comfortable out there. You know, his field goal percentage is insane.

“He was five for six again tonight. Did a good job, to your point, defensively moving his feet. Good job on the glass, and, you know, he had some minutes in that game where he was a difference-maker.”

Crowd toughness according to Alexis

“I would challenge him. You know, last year at Chattanooga, they played at Auburn, which I would say is probably similar to this. But I think kind of being in our program now, you know, coming in a rivalry game, you know, I think was something that was probably really new and unique to him, and credit him to the way he handled it.”

Next up for Florida

The Gators return home to host the Florida A&M Rattlers inside the O’Connell Center on Tuesday, Nov. 19. That game tips off at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the SEC Network+.

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Instant takeaways from Florida basketball’s win against Florida State

Walter Clayton Jr. takes the Florida State rivalry personally and his 25 points helped the Gators come out on top against the Seminoles on Friday night.

Florida took down rival Florida State on the hardwood Friday night, 87-74, in a game that could have been a 20-point blowout but stayed within range until a pair of dagger threes in the final minutes.

[autotag]Walter Clayton Jr[/autotag]. led all scorers with 25 points, followed by [autotag]Alijah Martin[/autotag] with 17 and [autotag]Sam Alexis[/autotag] with 12 for Florida. Seminoles star Jamir Watkins scored 19, and three other Florida State players reached double figures.

The biggest difference between the two squads was the physicality Florida played with, made evident by an 18-rebound differential at the final buzzer. [autotag]Alex Condon[/autotag] missed his first double-double of the season by three points, but he dominated the boards all night.

Despite the 13-point margin on the scoreboard, Florida did not play its best basketball. The Gators turned the ball over 19 times, giving the Seminoles 16 points off turnovers. [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] set a goal of 12 or fewer ahead of the game, and Florida made this game closer than it needed to be by exceeding that total.

Still, a win is a win, especially when it comes against Florida State — even though the Seminoles haven’t won this matchup since the 2020 season.

The Gators move to 4-0 on the season with a chance to close out the first month of the season undefeated. Florida A&M, Southern Illinois and Wake Forest remain on the schedule.

Walter Clayton Jr. likes playing Florida State

Clayton dropped 19 against Florida State last year and didn’t hold back when discussing his feelings on the Seminoles in the post-game press conference. He followed that performance up with a 25-point outburst, most of which (12) came during the bookends of the game.

A shoot-first guard, Clayton can take over games when he needs to for Florida. The Gators have several scoring options, but Clayton can stroke it from deep and drive the lane when the defense gives it to him. He’s also 12-of-13 this year from the free-throw line, which means there’s no way to stop him from scoring without forcing a turnover.

Against Grambling State and Jacksonville, Clayton seemed more focused on distributing the ball rather than scoring. Tonight, he wanted to outplay Watkins and lead his team to a convincing victory. His team-high plus-minus of 15 confirms he was the X-factor in this win.

Another dominant night on the boards

Florida State has some big bodies down low, and they play defense better than other teams Florida has seen this year. But the Seminoles were no match for the Gators on the boards.

Florida’s 47 rebounds against FSU are the most so far this season, surpassing the 45 grabbed against Grambling State at the beginning of the week. Condon is the biggest contributor, securing 11 defensive rebounds and one offensive. He simply out-physicals the other big bodies in the paint, and those 12 boards came over just 28 minutes.

Not to be forgotten is [autotag]Thomas Haugh[/autotag], who had five defensive rebounds and four offensive for a total of nine over 20 minutes off the bench. It’s a luxury for Todd Golden to be able to rotate these two in and out, and there’s really no need for them to see the floor at the same time except for the fact that they are best friends.

[autotag]Rueben Chinyelu[/autotag] matched his season-high with six rebounds (three defensive, three offensive), and all three starting guards — Clayton, Martin and [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag] — added five apiece to the team total. When you get that kind of production on the glass from your starting five, it’s pretty easy to find a path to victory.

Too many turnovers

The scary about wins like this for Florida is that the Gators aren’t playing their best basketball. Clayton, Condon and Chinyelu all turned the ball over four times, and Martin added three more. Urban Klavzar traveled on his first touch of the season, and Denzel Aberdeen threw the ball to waste a possession.

And the Gators still won by 13 points.

There’s no doubt that the turnover margin needs to be cleaned up, but there’s reason to be excited about a team that can overcome a 19-8 differential with relative ease.

Richard was the only starter without a turnover tonight and it’s because he’s not a primary ball handler. Clayton’s trying a little too hard to prove he can dish the rock, and Martin is the second option. With Klavzar in the mix, it might be wise to let him take the ball up more, but he only played five minutes tonight. Aberdeen is another option at the point.

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Alabama headlines the ‘Good, Bad, & Ugly’ in college football for Week 5

There is plenty to digest after Week 5. Who made our list for the Good, Bad, & Ugly?

There were several key matchups on Saturday across the college football landscape but none bigger than the top five matchup featuring the Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs. More on that game in a moment.

Plenty of eyes were also checking in on the Colorado Buffaloes as they visited the UCF Knights for a Big 12 showdown. It was about about Travis Hunter, the best two-way college football athlete we have seen in some time. He recorded both an interception while leading the team in receiving in a monster win.

There were two major upsets among the top ten with the Ole Miss Rebels and Utah Utes. One was more impressive than the other given that the Utes were upset with a backup quarterback under center in place of the injured Cam Rising. The pesky Kentucky Wildcats, who gave UGA all they could handle a couple of weeks ago, broke through against Ole Miss.

Without further ado, here are Week 5’s “Good, Bad, & Ugly” across all of college football.

Good: Alabama QB Jalen Milroe

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Despite having a top-five team there was a lot of talk of the Georgia Bulldogs vs Texas Longhorns as the matchup we could see twice. Once in the regular season on Oct. 19 and potentially again in the SEC title game. Former Texas pledge Jalen Milroe made sure the college football world didn’t forget about the Tide. Even with Nick Saban now a part of the media, Alabama’s new man Kalen DeBoer made an impressive debut in SEC play.

What was even more impressive is how Milroe carried the load in the first half that helped build the 30-7 halftime lead. He led the team in rushing with 117 yards and two touchdowns. Milroe added two more touchdowns through the air with 374 yards, completing 81.9% of his passes.

That was a Heisman statement. After all, these stats via Pro Football Focus are video game-like:

The Bad: Florida State Seminoles

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I am not usually one to sound the alarm on a team in September, but the Florida State Seminoles‘ month was about as bad as it gets. They sit at 1-4 overall and 1-3 in ACC play. Meanwhile, the Miami Hurricanes and Clemson Tigers feel like they are on a collision course. Clemson is blowing everyone out, not named Georgia, and they invade Tallahassee next week.

Transfer QB D.J. Uiagalelei hasn’t looked anything like a Power Four passer and that doesn’t bode well for this team. While Mike Norvell might want to stick with his guy, he might not have any choice but to go with another quarterback. They stayed with DJ for long enough to see that whatever promise he showed at Oregon State, didn’t follow him back to the ACC.

The season could be salvaged but they have to find some juice and I am afraid they won’t have any with No. 4 under center.

The Ugly: Houston Cougar’s offense

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Bringing in a new head coach doesn’t always equate to immediate success, the Houston Cougars are a prime example. This past offseason they opted to part ways with Dana Holgorsen and bring in former Tulane head coach Willie Fritz after what he did with the Green Wave.

Outside of the matchup in the Bayou Classic against the Rice Owls, the Houston offense has been missing in action. They are one more poor performance from having their pictures plastered on milk cartons and ‘Have you seen me’ flyers posted around town.

Against the UNLV Rebels and Oklahoma Sooners, UH scored a combined 19 points before the 33-point outburst against their cross-town rivals. Since then the Cougars have been shut out by Cincinnati and Iowa State. The same Bearcats team just gave up 44 to Texas Tech.

It might get worse for Houston before it gets better with their remaining schedule.

Florida embarrassed in Tally as FSU completes sweep

Florida baseball got embarrassed Tuesday night by in-state rival FSU in a run-rule victory to give the ‘Noles the season sweep.

Florida’s low point in 2024 just got a bit lower and there’s no sign of the freefall subsiding after a 19-4 run-rule loss to No. 10 Florida State on Tuesday night in Tallahassee.

Things looked good early on. The Gators wasted no time getting on the board. Cade Kurland and Jac Caglianone hit back-to-back homers off Florida State starter John Abraham to start the game, but it was all FSU from there.

That 2-0 lead evaporated immediately, and Florida State went up 5-2 on a fielding error that knocked starter Ryan Slater out of the game. Fisher Jameson was first out of the bullpen, followed by Alex Philpott in the second, Robert Satin and Grayson Smith in the fourth and Reilly Witmer in the sixth.

Philpott had the worst night, giving up five runs (all earned) on seven hits and a hit batter over 2 2/3 innings. Both Philpott and Smith gave up two a pair of homers. Florida State went deep five times in total. Witmer was the only Florida arm to end the night without giving up a run.

Florida State put up a crooked number in four of the first five innings, jumping out to a 19-3 lead. Florida tacked on a run in the second, but the bats went cold after that.

While it’s usually polite to call a game like this a “run-rule win,” this was truly a “mercy-rule” kind of game. Things aren’t looking good for the Gators, who fall to 17-15 overall.

A weekend series at home against South Carolina is the last chance for Kevin O’Sullivan to get the team right ahead of the toughest portion of the schedule.

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Florida drops midweek matchup with FSU in Jacksonville

Florida couldn’t tie up the season series against Florida State in Jacksonville Tuesday night, and it was an ugly one.

Florida might be one of the best weekend teams in the country, but the middle of the week continues to be a mystery for the Gators. On Tuesday, UF fell, 14-3, to Florida State in eight innings.

A run-rule loss is hard enough to swallow, but doing so to an in-state rival while both teams are ranked in the top 25 makes it even tougher.

Florida, which acted as the home team, kept pace with FSU through three innings, matching a three-run first with a Jac Caglianone home run that snuck over the wall in left field. But the ‘Noles came to hit and added runs in each of the final five innings.

More bullpen woes

Kevin O’Sullivan threw freshman right-hander Alex Philpott again to see Florida State for a second time. Philly went 3 1/3 innings and looked decent, but his final line of five earned runs on seven hits and just one strikeout isn’t ideal.

Ryan Slater took over in the fourth but couldn’t stop that fifth run from coming through. Sully went back to the bullpen in the fifth, using Blake Purnell for one batter and Frank Menendez to close out the frame. Menendez nearly made it through the sixth, but he gave up two runs with two outs, bringing in Fisher Jameson.

Grayson was the final arm out of the bullpen. He gave up five runs, including a grand slam, putting the run rule into effect.

No offense

Meanwhile, Florida couldn’t figure out any of the FSU arms. Caglianone’s homer and a double later on made up two of the three Gators hits, and Florida struck out 13 times on the night.

The series is lost, but Florida can make a statement in Tallahassee by avoiding the sweep on April 9. That game will air on ESPN 2.

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Braden Fiske turns heads with faster 40-yard dash than Patrick Mahomes

Braden Fiske’s stock is rising at the Combine.

Former FSU defensive lineman Braden Fiske was among those making noise at the 2024 NFL Combine on Thursday.

Fiske, among 12 different Seminoles present in Indianapolis for the Combine, turned heads in multiple ways at the event — especially on the 40-yard dash.

The 6-foot-3, 292-pounder ran an unofficial 4.78-second 40-yard dash, which is notable for a player of his size. It was also the fastest time recorded by any defensive tackle who chose to take part in the 40-yard dash.

But the impressiveness of that time expands far beyond those in his position group… and beyond the prospect at this year’s Combine. That 4.78-second 40-yard dash time was 0.02 seconds faster than that of Kansas City Chiefs standout Patrick Mahomes, largely considered by analysts to be the best active quarterback in the NFL.

The NFL took to X (formerly known as Twitter) with a video of Mahomes from the Combine when he was preparing for the 2017 NFL Draft, where he was ultimately selected by the Chiefs with the 10th overall pick.

It was a quote post of one of Mahomes’ posts that was clearly a joke.

“As the combine starts this week! All i ask is that [the NFL Network] doesn’t use my 40 overlay anymore,” Mahomes wrote.

Despite the fact it was all in good fun on Mahomes’ end, how well Fiske performed in this drill, among several others, should not be discounted. Especially with the difference in positions between him and Mahomes and the average 40-yard dash times recorded by defensive linemen.

Fiske also led his position group in the vertical jump and the broad jump, recording 33.50 inches in the vertical jump and 9’9″ in the broad jump.

He played five years of college football at  Western Michigan before transferring to Florida State for the last season of his career. He recorded 43 total tackles, 9 tackles for loss, and 6.0 sacks in his lone season with the Seminoles.

Expect him to go in the late first round or early second round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Georgia outscores opponents 128-10 in last 2 postseason games

Georgia crushed Florida State after destroying TCU in the CFP Championship Game last season

Call it Dawg Nation domination.

Georgia destroyed Florida State, 63-3, in the Orange Bowl on Saturday. The Seminoles, who finished 13-1 like the Bulldogs, were without 20 players due to the transfer portal and opt-outs.

Georgia was missing players, too, but it did not matter

The Bulldogs’ margin of victory was the largest in postseason history, topping the 58-point margin in a 65-7 victory over TCU in the most recent CFP Championship Game.

That’s right, folks: In the Bulldogs’ last two postseason games, they have outscored opponents 128-10.

  • In the routs, Georgia had 1,262 yards of total offense compared to 397 for the opponents.
  • The Dawgs had 69 first downs; TCU and FSU had a combined 20.
  • Rushing yardage: Georgia 626, Horned Frogs + Seminoles 99.
  • Passing yardage: Dawgs 636, foes 298
  • Touchdowns Georgia 18, TCU and FSU 1.
  • Turnovers: Horned Frogs + Seminoles 7, Dawgs 0
  • Field goals: Georgia 1, TCU and FSU 1.

The field goals are not a moral victory.

A Georgia player, um, went on Instagram live during the game.

Who’s most likely to survive latest round of conference realignment? Big 12, Pac-12 or ACC?

Of the Power Five conferences not named the Big Ten and SEC, which is most likely to survive realignment?

The Power Five conferences are looking more and more like a “Power Two” these days with the SEC getting Oklahoma and Texas and the Big Ten getting USC and UCLA.

For better or worse, this appears to be the new world order, and it begs the question: With the Big Ten and SEC the clear top dogs, who will be left to stand with them when this realignment craziness subsides?

If the ACC loses Miami and Clemson, that’s a massive problem. If Miami leaves, Florida State will likely follow, most likely to the SEC. Clemson is already considered an SEC program in all but name. If the conference holds on to North Carolina and Duke, it could be alright, but if it loses the Hurricanes, that’s a backbreaker.

The Pac-12 isn’t looking much better.

Let’s just say it: If Oregon leaves, the Pac-12 is as good as dead. According to Sports Illustrated, Oregon booster and Nike co-founder Phil Knight wants the Ducks in the Big Ten.

However, there’s another conference that wants Oregon.

According to Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports, the Big 12 is trying to bring six teams from the Pac-12 to the Big 12. Oregon is among those six, along with Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Utah, and Washington.

After being viewed as unstable after the OU-Texas move was announced, the Big 12 appears to be the most ambitious of the three Power Five conferences hit by realignment in recent years. It already has four schools coming in 2023, and if it can get all of the six programs it wants from the Pac-12, the Big 12 would have 18 teams, spanning from coast to coast.

That would secure the future of the Big 12, leaving the Pac-12 on life support. Who does the Pac-12 get to replace those schools?

The Pac-12 is set to renegotiate its media rights deal, so we’ll see if it can get its schools to stay where they are.

This is an ever-changing situation that seems to be the new norm of collegiate athletics in 2022. The SEC and Big Ten have reshaped the college football landscape. The ACC will have to worry about the Big Ten and the SEC poaching teams. The Big 12 looks to be solidifying its future while the Pac-12 may not have much of a future left if the Big 12 successfully raids it.

A year ago, it looked like the Big 12 would be the Power Five conference to take a back seat, but with their additions of the BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF along with the reported attempted additions of the Pac-12 schools, the Big 12 looks to have a long, bright future ahead of itself.

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