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Cam Newton Not Only Quarterback Looking to Impress at Combine

February 25, 2011   Andy Kent   No comments

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Blaine GabbertINDIANAPOLIS — Two of the intriguing quarterbacks in town this week also happen to be close friends now, which will be put to the test somewhat once the drills begin.

Missouri‘s Blaine Gabbert and Florida State‘s Christian Ponder have been working out together in preparation for the combine and the NFL Draft. They also have gone fishing together and although Gabbert likes the idea of having another quarterback to bounce things off of, he and Ponder are aware that it’s a unique dynamic.

“It’s been great for the both of us because it’s the kind of deal where we can each talk to somebody that’s going through the same process together,” Ponder said. “We’ve become pretty close and it’s hard to find someone that you’re so similar to. At the same time we obviously know that we’re competing against other but we’ve formed a close bond in such a short time and we’re there to support each other.”

Gabbert (above, right) is projected to be one of the top two quarterbacks in the draft so he is facing a little more scrutiny than Ponder, who has to answer questions about his injury history. They don’t look at all alike, as Gabbert is 6-5 and 240 pounds while Ponder is 6-3 and 227. Ponder was initially going to join Gabbert as the only two quarterbacks not to throw at the combine but he changed his mind. He also claimed to be the better fishermen of the two.

 

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Though the Regular Season Is Over, All-Star Season Is Only Beginning

January 12, 2011   Jim Henry   No comments

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Now that the college football season has finally declared a national champion — the Auburn Tigers, please take a bow — the focus for elite college seniors quickly shifts to their future. Many will be looking to boost their profiles for the NFL Draft in upcoming all-star games.

The East-West Shrine game, scheduled for Jan. 22 in Orlando, is the nation’s oldest All-Star game, played every year since 1925. It will be followed a week later by the more prestigious — at least in player name recognition — Under Armour Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., on Jan. 29.

Both are regarded as important interviews and auditions for players looking to impress.

 

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Florida State, Turnovers Beat South Carolina in Chick-fil-A Bowl

December 31, 2010   FanHouse Staff   No comments

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ATLANTA — Florida State knocked South Carolina freshman sensation Marcus Lattimore out of the Chick-fil-A Bowl on the opening possession. Things didn’t get better for the Gamecocks.

The Seminoles followed Lattimore’s fumble by intercepting Stephen Garcia on South Carolina’s next three possessions Friday night and bad memories were relived for Gamecocks, who were blown out by Auburn in the SEC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome nearly four weeks ago.

Despite losing senior quarterback Christian Ponder to a concussion, Florida State survived a South Carolina comeback bid and won 26-17 to cap Jimbo Fisher’s first year as coach with a 10-win season — something not done by the Seminoles since 2003.

Backup quarterback E.J. Manuel hit Taiwan Easterling for a 7-yard touchdown pass with 5:27 remaining after the Gamecocks had pulled within 19-17 on a 7-yard TD run by Brian Maddox early in the fourth quarter.

Greg Reid leveled Lattimore after a short pass on the Gamecocks’ sixth play, causing the first fumble of the running back’s career. Lattimore, who set a school record with 19 touchdowns and was SEC freshman of the year, was knocked out by the hit and suffered a cut to his mouth that sent him to the hospital for stitches.

 

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Florida State vs. South Carolina: Chick-fil-A Bowl 2010

December 31, 2010   FanHouse Staff   No comments

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Christian PonderThe South Carolina Gamecocks (9-4) and Florida State Seminoles (9-4) will take each other on in the last college football game of 2010, the Chick-fil-A Bowl. The teams come in looking somewhat similar. They have identical records and are coming off losses in their respective conference championship games (S.C. in the SEC, FSU in the ACC). South Carolina comes in ranked 19th, Florida State is 23rd.

The Gamecocks enter the game with a strong defense, especially against the run and getting after the passer. Offensively, the Gamecocks have a star running back and wideout. Marcus Lattimore enters with 1,198 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground. Alshon Jeffery is the aerial threat, having set school records in catches (79) and yards (1,387). He’s also brought in nine touchdowns.

The X-factors in this game are easily the quarterbacks. South Carolina’s Stephen Garcia has enough talent to shine nearly as well as anyone out there, but he’s also erratic and has proven to be turnover prone throughout his career. Florida State has one of the more talented signal-callers in the nation in Christian Ponder, but he’s battled injuries this season and even missed the ACC Championship Game after blood was drained from his elbow. Backup E.J. Manuel was intercepted twice in that game.

One item of possible drama is South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier facing off against an old foe. When he was Florida‘s coach in the 1990s, his Gators had a heated rivalry with Florida State. He was going against the legendary Bobby Bowden — not current FSU coach Jimbo Fisher — but it’s likely there’s little love between Spurrier and the ‘Noles.

 

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Texas’ Sam Acho Wears Term Student-Athlete With Honor

December 07, 2010   Joe Lapointe   No comments

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NEW YORK — Not too many massive defensive ends can be found walking around the Waldorf-Astoria dressed in a tuxedo, but that was Sam Acho‘s role Tuesday night.

Few could recite a lengthy passage from Shakespeare upon request, but Acho did that, too, after a morning news conference with 15 other scholar-athletes who were honored by the National Football Foundation as finalists for the 2010 William V. Campbell Trophy — which Acho won Tuesday night.

“But first I’ll turn yon fellow in his grave and then return lamenting to my love,” Acho said, concluding a lengthy portion of a soliloquy from Act I, Scene 2 of “Richard III.”

Acho, a senior from Texas, also quotes Bible verses, one leading to another in a stream of consciousness. If asked, he will tell you about his many visits to Nigeria, where his parents grew up.

Acho travels there with his family and friends on medical and religious missions and has brought some of his Longhorns teammates with him over the last two summers.

A versatile fellow from Dallas who is likely to be a high-round choice in the NFL Draft, Acho speaks a little Spanish and is learning a bit of Mandarin Chinese. According to his father, Acho lacks just one ingredient.

“He doesn’t have any mean streak in him,” Dr. Omyebuchi (Sonny) Acho said. “Referees don’t call fouls on him. He’s not there to destroy, break bones and give concussions. There is no conflict with his faith.”

Acho’s father is a pastor and psychotherapist. But his son smiled, shook his head and politely disagreed when the paternal scouting report was relayed to him.

“That’s not true,” Acho said. “My mean streak has developed.”

In high school, Acho said, “I would feel kind of bad” after knocking an opponent down and “I would help him up.” But at Texas, he said, he broke that habit.

“You’ve got to be in the moment,” Acho said.

 

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Tyrod Taylor Leads Virginia Tech to ACC Championship, Orange Bowl

December 04, 2010   Viv Bernstein   No comments

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Virginia Tech ACC Championship Florida State Tyrod TaylorCHARLOTTE, N.C. — Michael Vick may be the measure of greatness among Virginia Tech quarterbacks, but the legend of Tyrod Taylor is surely gaining on him.

As if to demonstrate why he was named the ACC player of the year in 2010, Taylor dominated Florida State in a 44-33 victory Saturday night in the ACC Championship Game at Bank of America Stadium. It was the 11th victory in a row for Virginia Tech, which opened the season 0-2, and puts the Hokies (11-2) in the BCS Orange Bowl. Florida State (9-4) will play in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl in Atlanta. The teams will learn their bowl opponents Sunday.

It wasn’t just the numbers — Taylor was 18 of 28 for 263 yards and three touchdowns, setting the Virginia Tech single-season record with 23 touchdown passes. And it wasn’t his deceptively pedestrian rushing stats, including a mere 24 net yards on 11 carries that hardly describes a perfectly devastating five-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Taylor, the ACC Championship Game MVP for the second time in his career, simply couldn’t be stopped by a defense that went into the game 11th in the country in points allowed per game at 17.8. Taylor and the Hokies had that topped by halftime with a 21-17 lead in a dominating offensive display that included 13 of 18 third-down conversions and 10 in a row in a stretch when Virginia Tech pulled away from a close game and made it a blowout in the second half.

“He’s just playing like one of the best, if not the best, in the country right now,” said Virginia Tech flanker Danny Coale, who had a career night with six catches for 143 yards and a touchdown. “I can’t wait to watch it again just to be a fan and watch some of the things that he did because he’s just remarkable. The holes he got us out of sometimes were great. I’m just so happy he’s my quarterback.”

 

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Virginia Tech Beats Florida State to Win ACC Championship Game

December 04, 2010   FanHouse Staff   No comments

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Virginia Tech ACC Championship Florida State Tyrod TaylorCHARLOTTE, N.C. — If the Atlantic Coast Conference championship football game was to be a showdown between quarterbacks — the preseason player of the year and the regular-season’s best — then Saturday night’s game between Virginia Tech and Florida State was no contest.

While the Seminoles’ Christian Ponder sat out with an injured elbow, Virginia Tech’s Tyrod Taylor demonstrated why he was the top player in the ACC this year in a 44-33 victory in front of a mostly friendly crowd of 72,379 at Bank of America Stadium. Taylor was 18 of 28 for 263 yards and three touchdown passes as the Hokies reasserted their position as the dominant team in the ACC. This was Virginia Tech’s third championship in the past four years. The Hokies, who have won 11 games in a row after opening the season 0-2, will represent the ACC in the BCS Orange Bowl.

It was Ponder who was voted the preseason player of the year in the conference and hyped as a Heisman Trophy candidate. But after playing much of the season hurt, he was replaced by EJ Manuel on a near freezing and wet Saturday night in Charlotte.

Manuel was 23 of 31 for 288 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions. Tailback Ty Jones has three rushing touchdowns, but Florida State’s offense couldn’t keep up with Taylor and Virginia Tech. The Hokies scored at will against a defense that was ranked 11th nationally allowing just 17.8 points per game.

Virginia Tech turned a 21-17 halftime lead into a 35-17 advantage with a dominating third quarter. Taylor threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to flanker Danny Coale on the opening drive of the third as Virginia Tech went ahead, 28-17. On the next possession, it was a 21-yarder from Taylor to David Wilson at 4:43 that made the score 35-17. The touchdown pass to Wilson was the 23rd of the year for Taylor, setting a Virginia Tech single-season record.

 

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Christian Ponder Does Not Start for FSU in ACC Championship Game

December 04, 2010   FanHouse Staff   No comments

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Christian Ponder injury not startingUpdate: Christian Ponder is in uniform and went through warmups with Florida State but did not start the game.

Christian Ponder, Florida State‘s star quarterback, will not start Saturday night’s ACC Championship Game against No. 12 Virginia Tech, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

Ponder has been suffering from arm injuries through the majority of the season and had fluid drained from his right (throwing) arm last Sunday. He has been medically cleared and is available, but coach Jimbo Fisher told the Democrat he wants to give Ponder a chance to get healthy.

Sophomore EJ Manuel will get the start in Ponder’s stead.

Ponder began the season with a good amount of hype for the Heisman Trophy. While he has fallen out of contention, he’s had a solid senior year, leading the Seminoles to a 9-3 record and a No. 20 ranking. He’s thrown for 2,038 yards and 20 touchdowns against eight interceptions — also adding four rushing touchdowns.

Manuel has seen action in four games — including significant action in a 16-13 win over Clemson with Ponder ailing. Manuel has completed 31 of 47 passes for 489 yards and two touchdowns. He’s thrown two interceptions and has one rushing touchdown.

 

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Christian Ponder Won’t Win Heisman, But He’s Had Satisfying Season Thus Far

December 02, 2010   Viv Bernstein   No comments

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The Christian-Ponder-for-Heisman Twitter feed hasn’t uttered a tweet since Oct. 13, the Facebook page has moved on to more pressing subjects and the website has been devoid of news for months. All that preseason hype churned out by Florida State turned out to be nothing more than multimedia-platformed overkill.

It was a spiffy logo, though.

As it turns out, Ponder’s last season as quarterback of the Seminoles has been something less than Heisman material. And yet in many ways, this is the most satisfying year of his career at Florida State. Ponder will exit following this season knowing that he helped put the 20th-ranked Seminoles back on the national map.

That’s no small feat given the path this program has followed the last few years.

 

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Florida State Resurgence Takes Big Bite Out of Slumping Florida

November 27, 2010   Jim Henry   No comments

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – It was an emotional moment for head coach and quarterback, an embrace that represented their program’s return to national prominence. On the other side of the field, a disappointed yet determined coach promised to rebuild his program, in the right way and in a hurry.

Florida State and Florida are headed in opposite directions for the first time in many moons following the Seminoles’ convincing 31-7 victory Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium.

FSU snapped its six-game losing streak to its state rivals, and 30 minutes or so later learned it also had captured the Atlantic Coast Conference Atlantic Division crown by virtue of Maryland‘s 38-31 win over visiting North Carolina State. The Seminoles will meet Coastal Division winner Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship on Saturday in Charlotte, N.C.

 

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