Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/50205
GAME PREVIEW: FLORIDA STATE began. Sophomore Tommy Rees will start against the Seminoles, but Hendrix is expected to see the field as well. The "change-up" sophomore played the entire second half against Stanford after the offense floundered early. Whoever is in the game will be looking to get the ball to senior Michael Floyd, who enters the game five receptions away from breaking 100 in his last season for the Irish. Floyd has consistently been the team's biggest weapon this fall, racking up 1,106 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Sophomore cornerback Xavier Rhodes (6-2, 215 pounds) matches up best with Floyd and will prob- ably be charged with trying to slow him down. Up- perclassmen comprise the rest of the Seminoles secondary, which finished the season as the 32nd- ranked pass defense (192.8 yards allowed per game) in the country. They get a lot of help from a speedy front seven that averages three sacks per game. Offense Pos. No. Name X 83 Bert Reed 81 Kenny Shaw 80 Rashad Greene 12 Jarred Haggins LT 77 Zebrie Sanders C With uncertainty at quarterback for Notre Dame, Florida State takes the edge in this category. Advantage: Florida State SPECIAL TEAMS With two defenses that are expected to control the game, field position becomes a huge factor. That doesn't bode well for the Irish. Notre Dame finished the regular season 104th in net punting, while Florida State was No. 1. Senior punter Shawn Powell averages 47.0 yards per kick and has pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line 21 times this season. On the other end, junior Greg Reid (11.4 yards per return) was one of only 26 players in the country to average double-digit yards on punt returns this season. Both teams have a "go-to" guy as a field goal kicker. Notre Dame's David Ruffer missed a chip shot at Stanford, but had hit eight in a row before FLORIDA STATE DEPTH CHART Ht. Wt. Cl. Pos. No. Name 5-10 183 Sr. 5-11 170 So. 6-0 175 Fr. 6-1 191 So. 6-6 307 Sr. LG 60 Jacob Fahrenkrug 6-4 315 Jr. 70 Josue Matias 52 Bryan Stork 62 Austin Barron RG 79 David Spurlock RT 51 Bobby Hart TE 35 Nick O'Leary Z 53 Sterling Lovelady 6-2 285 Fr. 6-5 320 Fr. 6-4 299 So. 6-3 295 Fr. 6-4 308 Sr. or 76 Garrett Faircloth 6-7 295 So. 54 Tre' Jackson 6-4 310 Fr. 6-5 303 Fr. or 88 Beau Reliford 85 Ja'Baris Little 84 Rodney Smith 89 Christian Green 15 Greg Dent QB 3 EJ Manuel 9 Clint Trickett TB 76 Garrett Faircloth 6-7 295 So. 6-4 240 Fr. 6-6 260 Sr. 6-3 245 Sr. 6-6 216 Jr. 6-2 205 R-Fr. 5-11 191 So. 6-5 245 Jr. 6-2 180 R-Fr. or 38 Jermaine Thomas 5-11 192 Sr. 33 Ty Jones 8 Devonta Freeman 5-8 200 Fr. 5-10 210 Sr. FB 24 Lonnie Pryor 21 Debrale Smiley Pos. No. Name PK 18 Dustin Hopkins KO 18 Dustin Hopkins 45 Shawn Powell 29 Dillon Kidd P LS 64 Dax Dellenbach 75 Philip Doumar www.BLUEANDGOLD.com 6-0 230 Jr. 5-11 230 Jr. Special Teams Ht. Wt. Cl. 6-2 190 Jr. 6-2 190 Jr. 6-4 235 Sr. 6-1 211 Fr. 6-1 235 Jr. 6-1 215 So. Pos. No. Name H 45 Shawn Powell 29 Dillon Kidd 5 Greg Reid PR KR 9 or 80 Rashad Greene Karlos Williams 5 Greg Reid Ht. Wt. Cl. 6-4 235 Sr. 6-1 211 Fr. 5-8 186 Jr. 6-0 175 Fr. 6-2 220 Fr. 5-8 186 Jr. 20 Lamarcus Joyner 5-8 204 So. LE 95 Bjoern Werner DT 93 Everett Dawkins 98 Cameron Erving Defense Ht. Wt. Cl. 6-4 273 So. 91 Cornellius Carradine 6-5 267 Jr. 6-2 295 Jr. 6-5 305 R-Fr. NG 92 Anthony McCloud 6-2 311 Jr. 8 Timmy Jernigan SLB 7 Christian Jones 28 Nigel Terrell MLB 11 Vince Williams or 22 Telvin Smith WLB 13 Nigel Bradham 48 Jeff Luc BC 27 Xavier Rhodes 1 Mike Harris SS or 10 Nick Moody FC RE 49 Brandon Jenkins 6-3 265 Jr. 58 Dan Hicks 6-3 297 Fr. 6-4 275 So. 6-4 240 So. 6-2 230 R-Fr. 6-1 245 Jr. 6-3 216 So. 6-3 240 Sr. 6-0 245 So. 6-2 211 So. 5-11 195 Sr. FS 20 Lamarcus Joyner 5-8 204 So. 31 Terrence Brooks 5-11 193 So. 4 Terrance Parks 9 Karlos Williams 5 Greg Reid 21 Avis Commack 6-2 215 Sr. 6-2 224 Jr. 6-2 220 Fr. 5-8 186 Jr. 6-3 203 Jr. that. Florida State's Dustin Hopkins is 20 of 25 this season, including a 53-yarder against Oklahoma. Advantage: Florida State COACHING Kelly and FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher enter the Champs Sports Bowl in similar positions. Both are in their second year at storied programs that expect winning at all times. Both came up short this season with teams loaded with BCS-caliber talent. Neither is in any immediate danger of his seat heating up, but a bowl win against a quality opponent could go a long way in either's approval rating. Advantage: Even INTANGIBLES Every person inside the Citrus Bowl Stadium on Dec. 29 will be a little upset they are not elsewhere this bowl season. Nonetheless, these two teams have created some classics in the past quarter cen- tury and seem to genuinely respect one another. A quick start by either side could make the other team turn the page to 2012 in a hurry. The Seminoles have made a habit of building an early lead. They're also playing in their home state, which should give them a home-field advantage despite wearing the away whites. Advantage: Florida State PREDICTIONS Lou Somogyi: Florida State 20, Notre Dame 17 Jason Sapp: Notre Dame 21, Florida State 20 Wes Morgan: Florida State 27, Notre Dame 24 Dan Murphy: Florida State 24, Notre Dame 16 tackles, including nine for loss and two sacks. PHOTO COURTESY FLORIDA STATE JANUARY 2012 39 Senior linebacker Nigel Bradham paced the Seminoles' stingy defense with a team-best 77