Florida St. Goes From 'Bad' to Good
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, October 16, 2003; Page D03

For most college football teams, winning eight or nine games in a season is an achievement. At Florida State, it's a disappointment.

Thus the Seminoles' 8-4 and 9-5 records the past two seasons provoked questions as to what was wrong. In the previous 14 seasons, FSU had won two national championships and 89 percent of its games, never losing more than two games in a season. It wasn't used to single-digit win totals.

But as this season pushes past its halfway point, Florida State is 5-1, ranked seventh in the nation. And though last weekend's error-plagued, 22-14 loss to undefeated Miami suggested they still have room for improvement, the Seminoles remain, unquestionably, the best in the ACC -- unbeaten in four conference games entering Saturday's night game at Virginia.

"You can tell that every player on that team wants to improve, wants to get back to some of those championship-caliber teams that they've had in the past," said Duke Coach Carl Franks, whose team was buried by FSU three weeks ago, 56-7.

Florida State defensive tackle Darnell Dockett, part of a unit that leads the nation in scoring defense, said the past two seasons gave the Seminoles more than enough motivation.

"It was bad," said Dockett, a fifth-year senior. "We didn't reach our expectations. We got a lot of criticism. We had our down years. So the main thing is to try to prove it right now, that those two years were down years, they were a fluke. . . .

"Everybody was spoiled. Spoiled of winning. Figured we were Florida State; we could just go out there and they'd fold. It didn't happen like that."

Despite those nine losses, the Seminoles remained the gold standard in the ACC, returning to the top of the standings last season after surrendering the crown to Maryland in 2001.

"When we go a few years at a time -- two, three, four years -- and other teams than Florida State have won the conference championship, then I think it'd be fair to say that things have changed," said Virginia Coach Al Groh, whose team would tie FSU for first in the conference with a victory Saturday. "That hasn't happened yet. So until that happens, things look pretty much the same."

That's been especially true for the Cavaliers (4-2, 3-1), who have lost their past seven games against Florida State -- most by a sizable margin.

"Every year it hasn't been a pretty contest, so they're not looking any extra spectacular to me this year," Virginia wide receiver Ottowa Anderson said. "They're still a good team. They've been a good team in the past [two years] -- just a couple bad breaks every now and then. They're still as dangerous as before."

With the loss to Miami, Florida State flubbed an opportunity to announce their return to the national elite. Yet as North Carolina, Maryland, Colorado and Duke -- four teams FSU beat this season by an average of 37.8 points -- surely will attest, so far the Seminoles seem headed in that direction.

"You know, I wish that's correct," said Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden, who could tie Penn State's Joe Paterno this weekend for the Division I-A wins record.

"Are we there yet? I don't know. I guess after that game last week, we got to wait and see again."
 

Stop with the ACC lawsuits already
E-mail Tony Barnhart

Reasonable people can disagree on the subject of ACC expansion. Those for it can call it a necessary step to ensure the league is major player in the future of college football. The anti-expansion folks can claim that it changes the very fabric of a formerly tight-knit conference. Both arguments have merit. Both arguments are acceptable.

What is not acceptable are the actions Richard Blumenthal, the Connecticut attorney general, who is trying to haul the ACC into court for the second time this year over the expansion issue.

On Tuesday Blumenthal filed a lawsuit against Boston College athletics director Gene DeFillippo, ACC commissioner John Swofford and three other league officers. Blumenthal charged that the parties conspired to weaken the Big East, Boston College's current conference.

"It's the story of betrayal and treachery that violates the law," said Blumenthal in filing his 82-page complaint.

Please, spare us the drama.

Here are the facts. Last Friday Mr. Blumenthal got his hand slapped over his first lawsuit against Miami and the ACC. The judge in that case told Blumenthal that his office had no jurisdiction over the ACC and then removed the ACC as a defendant.

Undeterred, Blumenthal went back into court and again brought suit against ACC officers who didn't even cast a vote in the process. Swofford advised the league's presidents while the others are lifetime educators. Blumenthal referred to them as "lawbreakers."

"This latest tactic is outrageous," said Erik Albright, the lead attorney for the ACC.

It's more than outrageous. It is political grandstanding at its worst. In the past 12 years Blumenthal has received more than a little criticism for overstepping his authority. He has even been checked by his own State Supreme Court. His critics believe he is using his office to expand his power base for a potential run for governor.

As we say in the South, Mr. Blumenthal, you don't have a dog in this fight. Surely, there are more important things you can be doing for the good citizens of Connecticut.
 

Midterm: Bowden grades 'Noles
By Steve Ellis
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

The midway point of Bobby Bowden's 28th season at Florida State finds his Seminoles still in the national-championship hunt. Bowden likes the way his team has reacted to its 22-14 loss to Miami, and he gives his team (5-1) mostly good grades in his annual midterm report card for the Tallahassee Democrat.

Team attitude and unity, deserving of low marks a year ago, received an A from Bowden. The players have not needed team meetings following the loss, and any grumbling has been kept out of earshot of the public and media.

Bowden gave his team a B after a 4-0 start in the ACC while splitting its early non-conference schedule of Colorado and Miami.

"There have been a lot of individual A performances," Bowden said. "But as far as the team, if we had won that ballgame (against Miami) I naturally would give them a good A.

His son, offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden, has taken heat from fans this week but his father handed him a B-plus.

DEFENSE

Bowden's Grade: A

Tallahassee Democrat's grade: A

Key stat: Opposing offenses have averaged 7.6 points per game. Even with touchdowns scored by opponents included in the mix, FSU's 9.8 points allowed per game ranks No.1 nationally.

Bowden: "They have played good enough to win every week."

OFFENSE

Bowden's Grade: B

Tallahassee Democrat's grade: B-

Key stat: FSU has 13 turnovers, including eight lost fumbles, to 24 touchdowns.

Bowden: "The thing that keeps them from getting higher is their errors. If they could eliminate turnovers, they could be graded mighty high."

SPECIAL TEAMS

Bowden's Grade: B

Tallahassee Democrat's grade: C

Key stat: Xavier Beitia's longest field goal is 27 yards.

Bowden: "Breakdowns in the punting game. Other than the two blocked (kicks/punts), the coverage has been good."

PASSING GAME

Bowden's Grade: B

Tallahassee Democrat's grade: C-plus

Key stats: Craphonso Thorpe and P.K. Sam have combined for 887 yards, more than 300 than the combined total for last season.

Bowden: "There's enough errors to keep it from being an A."

RUNNING GAME

Bowden's Grade: C-plus

Tallahassee Democrat's grade: C

Key stats: Greg Jones has rushed for a combined 73 yards in the past three games.

Bowden's comment: "Injuries on the offensive line, and the inexperience has shown at times. It's been up and down."

PASS RUSH/RUN DEFENSE

Bowden's Grade: B

Tallahassee Democrat's grade: B

Key stats: After averaging 4.4 sacks a game, was shut out against Miami.

Bowden: "We haven't had as many sacks as I would like to have, especially last week, but we have been in their face more."

PASS DEFENSE

Bowden's Grade: A

Tallahassee Democrat's grade: A

Key stats: FSU has allowed two passing touchdowns after giving up 11 in the first six games last season.

Bowden's comment: "I think that's one of the biggest improvements we have been able to make to eliminate the long ball. I hope we can continue to do that."

Noteworthy

• FSU coaches continue to make it clear that Chris Rix is the No.1 quarterback despite his committing four turnovers against Miami. But backup quarterback Fabian Walker received a good share of the snaps in Wednesday's practice, and the junior said he remains upbeat about his situation. Walker has completed 16 of 23 for 150 yards and one touchdown.

"I've got to keep a positive attitude, and everything it seems will work out for the best," Walker said. "I just want to get the team to get better in practice, and improve my intensity on the practice field. I'll just let the rest take care of itself."

• True freshman John Frady still seems to be the likely starter at center Saturday, but David Castillo practiced Wednesday.
 

Big East schools sue BC, ACC
Conspiracy to weaken conference is alleged
By Michael Vega, Globe Staff, 10/15/2003

Two days after accepting a formal invitation to join the Atlantic Coast Conference, Boston College and its athletic director, Gene DeFilippo, were named as defendants yesterday along with four ACC officers in the second lawsuit filed by four Big East football schools seeking unspecified damages over the ACC expansion.

BC, meanwhile, filed a declaratory judgment action against the Big East in Massachusetts Superior Court yesterday, seeking what school spokesman Jack Dunn said was "an impartial judgment on [BC's] withdrawal obligations."

After Miami and Virginia Tech were invited to join the ACC in June, each school to pay $1 million after giving 12 months notice of their withdrawal, the remaining Big East schools reconsidered their withdrawal procedures and agreed to stiffen the exit penalty to $5 million and 27 months notice.

At a press conference Sunday to announce BC's formal acceptance of its invitation to the ACC, school president Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., acknowledged that "there certainly was discussion over the summer about increasing the withdrawal fee," and that BC had endorsed such a proposal, but nothing had been formalized. "We need to let the lawyers look at the documents and see when it does become official," Leahy said. "Whatever the lawyers work out, that is what we will abide by."

BC, however, is alleging that as of late last week, Big East leaders attempted to amend the withdrawal provisions of the constitution through an invalid procedure, a conference call, and not by mail as called for in the conference bylaws.

The Big East's second complaint, was filed by Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal in Vernon Superior Court on behalf of the University of Connecticut, West Virginia University, Rutgers University, and the University of Pittsburgh. The complaint -- which claims civil consipiracy, unfair trade practices, abridgement of fiduciary duty, and breach of contract -- alleges the four Big East schools made considerable capital expenditures to upgrade their programs based on the promises BC and Miami made that they were committed to remain in the Big East.

"They conspired to destroy the Big East football conference so as to reap for themselves TV broadcast revenues and Bowl Championship Series opportunities," Blumenthal said last night. "We claim that Boston College made use of sensitive and confidential information after it reassured the rest of the Big East schools it was committed to remain in the conference."

Asked why Virginia Tech, one of the five original plaintiffs before it dropped out of the suit to accept an invitation to the ACC, was not subject to the same complaint, Blumenthal said, "Each circumstance is different, but if our investigative efforts uncover any evidence of illegal conduct by any other party, then we'll take the appropriate action.

"The difference is that once they left, they were no longer privy to that information," he added. "Boston College first indicated it was leaving, then it reaffirmed its loyalty and its allegiance and purposely sought to allay any suspicion about it staying [in the Big East]. In the meantime, key officers, including its athletic director, had positions of responsibility within the Big East."

Blumenthal indicated that DeFilippo, in his role as president of the Big East athletic directors, was in breach of his fiduciary responsibility to the conference after, "he presided over a number of meetings where the Big East discussed plans for the future and ways to strengthen the conference after the departure of Virginia Tech and the University of Miami.

DeFilippo declined to discuss the matter last night, citing the pending litigation, but deferred to a university statement released by Dunn. "The allegations made against Boston College and its athletic director Gene DeFilippo are unfounded and irresponsible, and some observers suggest that this complaint stems from political agendas and ambitions in the state of Connecticut," the statement said. "In any event, Boston College will vigorously defend itself and its employees against these claims."

The ACC officers also named as defendants included commissioner John Swofford, president Carolyn Callahan, vice president Donn Ward, and treasurer Cecil Huey.

Swofford issued a statement expressing his dismay over this messy turn of events.

"It is a sad day for higher education and intercollegiate athletics," Swofford said, "when universities initiate this kind of unwarranted action -- suing faculty members and conference officials over an institution's freedom to associate itself with whatever conference it chooses. As was the case with the previous lawsuit, which was dismissed last Friday, we feel this one has no merit."

BC and Miami were defendants in a suit filed in June in Connecticut Superior Court when the ACC initially targeted those Big East schools, along with Syracuse, for expansion. Syracuse was never named in the suit because it was never deemed to be complicit in any alleged consipiracy to bring about the demise of the Big East, and BC was later dropped when it was rejected in a 6-3 vote of the ACC's presidents.

Last Friday, a Connecticut judge dismissed the suit against the ACC, leaving Miami as the sole defendant. While no court date has been set in either suit, Blumenthal said it was his hope to have a judge consolidate the two complaints.
 

U.VA. NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch Oct 14, 2003

GLORY DAYS: Football coach Al Groh's staff includes two assistants who played in the Cavaliers' historic upset of second-ranked Florida State on Nov. 2, 1995, at Scott Stadium.

One is his son Mike Groh, who coaches U.Va.'s receivers and quarterbacks. He passed for 302 yards and two touchdowns in that game, the Seminoles' first ACC loss.

The other is Anthony Poindexter, U.Va.'s graduate assistant for offense. Poindexter was a freshman safety in 1992 when he teamed with Adrian Burnim to stop FSU tailback Warrick Dunn inches from the line on the game's final play, preserving Virginia's 33-28 win.

"They're getting so old, they're getting to be ancient history," Al Groh said of his elder son and Poindexter. "I'd forgotten about them in that respect."

Virginia (3-1, 4-2) entertains seventh-ranked Florida State (4-0, 5-1) on Saturday night at Scott Stadium. Asked if Mike Groh and Poindexter would bring up the'95 victory to the current team, Al Groh said, "That'll be up to them. All the players know - or most of them know - what both of them did, but it certainly is nice to have some 'living legends,' if I may, around here as models of that."

ESPN will televise Saturday's game, which will start at 7:45 p.m.

COMING AND GOING: Sophomore tailback Wali Lundy, the ACC's leading rusher, isn't expected to play against FSU. Lundy hurt his right foot three days ago in a loss at Clemson and is out indefinitely.

Good news for the Cavaliers: Reserve tailback Marquis Weeks, who hasn't played since Sept. 27, said yesterday that he hopes to be cleared to face the Seminoles.

A junior from the Philadelphia area, Weeks had arthroscopic surgery to repair cartilage damage in his left knee two weeks ago today. He practiced twice last week but felt some pain in his knee and didn't travel with the team to Clemson. Weeks said his knee began bothering him Sept. 6 against South Carolina.

Weeks, who rushed for 129 yards against N.C. State last season, watched the Clemson game with another injured Cavalier, wideout Michael McGrew (broken leg).

In Lundy's absence, junior Alvin Pearman, who ranks second on the team in all-purpose yardage, will start at tailback. If Weeks isn't available, Al Groh has said he might play Michael Johnson, who's been redshirting this season.

"I'm trying to get back to help Alvin out and trying to spare Mike" from having to play, Weeks said.

LOST OPPORTUNITY: With 22 seconds left in the fourth quarter Saturday, U.Va. faced third and five from its 49 and needed to gain about 15 yards to move into Connor Hughes' field-goal range. On the left, Ottowa Anderson ran a deep route, and another wideout, Ryan Sawyer, cut back in front of the Clemson secondary.

Sawyer was open around the 35, but quarterback Matt Schaub's passed sailed over his roommate's head into the waiting hands of Tigers cornerback Tye Hill.

"Just like sometimes a guy's a little high with his fastball, Matt was a little high all day, and he was a little high on that one," Groh said.

Schaub completed 33 of 48 pass for 271 yards and two touchdowns. He was intercepted twice.

CLOSING IN: Hughes has made 13 consecutive field-goal attempts dating to last season, the second-longest streak in U.Va. history. Jake McInerney made 14 consecutive in 1989.

Hughes (10 for 10) is one of only four kickers in the country to have made all of his field-goal attempts this season.

TWO-DEEP: Redshirt freshman Kai Parham, who became a starter at inside linebacker after Rich Bedesem suffered a minor knee injury, recorded a team-high 14 tackles against Clemson. Parham has started the past two games but may return to a backup role against FSU.

Bedesem, who didn't play Oct. 4 against North Carolina after hurting his knee Sept. 27, was in for two snaps against Clemson in goal-line situations, where "I thought he could function very well without necessarily having all his speed back," Groh said.

"We're anticipating a pretty good leap forward. He was good [Sunday] when I spoke with him, so it's our hope and his expectation that by Saturday he'll be zipping along pretty much like normal."

Groh added, however, that "obviously Kai has earned more playing time."

Parham is averaging 6.2 tackles per game. Among ACC rookies, only U.Va. inside linebacker Ahmad Brooks (7.8), a starter all season, is averaging more.

WELCOME ADDITION: Groh lived in the Boston area from 1993 to'96, when he was an assistant with the New England Patriots. He was pleased to learn Sunday that Boston College had received and accepted an invitation to join the ACC.

"I think it's a wonderful institution to have in the league," Groh said, "and I think they'll be a very worthy opponent and a strong competitor in the league." - Jeff White