2009 Florida State Seminoles football team

2009 Florida State Seminoles football
Gator Bowl Champions
Gator Bowl vs. West Virginia, W 33–21
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Division	Atlantic Division
2009 record	7–6 (4–4 ACC)
Head coach	Bobby Bowden (34th season)
Offensive coordinator	Jimbo Fisher
Offensive scheme	Pro Style
Defensive coordinator	Mickey Andrews
Base defense	4-3
Captain	Christian Ponder (junior) Jamie Robinson (senior) Recardo Wright (senior)
Home stadium	Doak Campbell Stadium (Capacity: 82,300)
Seasons

2009 ACC football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Atlantic
#24 Clemson x		6	–	2					9	–	5
Boston College		5	–	3					8	–	5
Florida State		4	–	4					7	–	6
Wake Forest		3	–	5					5	–	7
NC State		2	–	6					5	–	7
Maryland		1	–	7					2	–	10
Coastal
#13 Georgia Tech* x†		7	–	1					11	–	3
#10 Virginia Tech		6	–	2					10	–	3
#19 Miami		5	–	3					9	–	4
North Carolina*		0	–	4					0	–	5
Duke		3	–	5					5	–	7
Virginia		2	–	6					3	–	9
Championship: Georgia Tech 39, Clemson 34 December 5, 2009 (vacated)
† – BCS representative as champion North Carolina vacated 8 wins, including 4 ACC wins. Also, Georgia Tech's ACC Championship Game victory was vacated by the NCAA on July 14, 2011. Rankings from AP Poll

The 2009 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University during the 2009 college football season. The Seminoles finished the season 7–6, 4–4 in ACC play and won the Gator Bowl 33–21 over West Virginia.

Legendary head coach Bobby Bowden retired at the end of the 2009 season after 34 seasons at the helm for Florida State (and 33 consecutive winning seasons). Offensive Coordinator Jimbo Fisher was named the new head coach for the 2010 season.

Previous Season

Florida State entered the 2009 season coming off a 2008 season that ended with a 9–4 record (5–3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) and a Champs Sports Bowl victory over Wisconsin. Florida State also won a share of the ACC Atlantic Division, but due to the head-to-head record versus Boston College, the Eagles represented the Atlantic Division in the Championship Game held in Tampa.

Rankings

See also: 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Template:NCAA Division I FBS football ranking movements

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 7	8:00 PM	Miami (FL)	#18	Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, FL (Rivalry)	ESPN	L 34–38	81,077
September 12*	6:00 PM	(FCS) Jacksonville State		Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, FL	ESPN360	W 19–9	71,420
September 19*	7:00 PM	at #9 Brigham Young		LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT	Versus	W 54–28	64,209
September 26*	12:00 PM	South Florida	#18	Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, FL	ESPNU	L 7–17	83,524
October 3	3:30 PM	at Boston College		Alumni Stadium • Chestnut Hill, MA	ABC	L 21–28	40,029
October 10	8:00 PM	#23 Georgia Tech		Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, FL	ESPN2	L 44–49	76,292
October 22	8:00 PM	at North Carolina		Kenan Memorial Stadium • Chapel Hill, NC	ESPN	W 30–27	58,000
October 31†	12:00 PM	NC State		Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, FL	Raycom	W 45–42	67,712
November 7	7:45 PM	at Clemson		Memorial Stadium • Clemson, SC (Rivalry)	ESPN	L 24–40	76,656
November 14	12:00 PM	at Wake Forest		BB&T Field • Winston-Salem, NC	ESPNU	W 41–28	33,411
November 21	12:00 PM	Maryland		Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, FL	Raycom	W 29–26	66,042
November 28*	3:30 PM	at #1 Florida		Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, FL (Battle for the Governor's Cup)	CBS	L 10–37	90,907
January 1*	1:00 PM	vs. #17 West Virginia		EverBank Field • Jacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl)	CBS	W 33–21	84,129
*Non-Conference Game. †Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.

Recruits

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Justin Bright DB	Duncan, SC	Byrnes HS	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)	184 lb (83 kg)	4.5	May 20, 2008
	Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 75
Gerald Demps DB	Valdosta, GA	Lowndes HS	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)	190 lb (86 kg)	4.6	Apr 9, 2008
	Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 82
Willie Downs ATH	Tallahassee, FL	Godby HS	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)	192 lb (87 kg)	N/A	Feb 11, 2008
	Scout:File:4 stars.svg.png   Rivals:File:4 stars.svg.png   ESPN grade: 80
Jajuan Harley DB	Tallahassee, FL	Rickards HS	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)	190 lb (86 kg)	4.4	Feb 13, 2008
	Scout:File:4 stars.svg.png   Rivals:File:4 stars.svg.png   ESPN grade: 76
Willie Haulstead WR	Titusville, FL	Titusville HS	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)	210 lb (95 kg)	4.5	May 15, 2008
	Scout:   Rivals:File:4 stars.svg.png   ESPN grade: 79
Dan Hicks TE	Oxford, MS	Oxford HS	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)	242 lb (110 kg)	4.6	Feb 4, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 76
Dustin Hopkins K	Houston, TX	Clear Lake HS	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)	175 lb (79 kg)	4.6	Jun 25, 2008
	Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 80
Brandon Jenkins DE	Tallahassee, FL	Florida State University School	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)	218 lb (99 kg)	4.7	Mar 1, 2008
	Scout:File:4 stars.svg.png   Rivals:File:4 stars.svg.png   ESPN grade: 80
Demonte McAllister DE	Tampa, FL	Alonso HS	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)	263 lb (119 kg)	N/A	Jul 20, 2008
	Scout:File:4 stars.svg.png   Rivals:File:4 stars.svg.png   ESPN grade: 83
Jacobbi McDaniel DT	Greenville, FL	Madison HS	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)	267 lb (121 kg)	4.8	Feb 7, 2008
	Scout:File:5 stars.svg.png   Rivals:File:5 stars.svg.png   ESPN grade: 91
C.J. Mizell LB	Tallahassee, FL	Leon HS	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)	212 lb (96 kg)	4.5	Feb 20, 2008
	Scout:File:4 stars.svg.png   Rivals:File:4 stars.svg.png   ESPN grade: 79
Henry Orelus OL	Belle Glade, FL	Glades Central HS	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)	292 lb (132 kg)	5.5	Jul 25, 2008
	Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 76
Aubrey Phillips OL	Olive Branch, MS	Olive Branch HS	6 ft 6 in (198 cm)	310 lb (140 kg)	5.1	Feb 3, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:File:4 stars.svg.png   ESPN grade: 75
John Prior OL	Portsmouth, OH	Portsmouth HS	6 ft 6 in (198 cm)	283 lb (128 kg)	N/A	Jul 12, 2008
	Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 76
Lonnie Pryor RB	Okeechobee, FL	Okeechobee HS	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)	195 lb (88 kg)	4.5	Jul 26, 2008
	Scout:File:4 stars.svg.png   Rivals:File:4 stars.svg.png   ESPN grade: 79
Greg Reid DB	Valdosta, GA	Lowndes HS	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)	175 lb (79 kg)	4.5	Feb 3, 2008
	Scout:File:4 stars.svg.png   Rivals:File:5 stars.svg.png   ESPN grade: 85
Xavier Rhodes WR	Miami, FL	Miami Norland HS	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)	187 lb (85 kg)	4.47	Jul 26, 2008
	Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 77
Will Secord QB	Frisco, TX	Wakeland HS	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)	205 lb (93 kg)	4.7	Feb 3, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 75
Rodney Smith WR	Miami, FL	Archbishop Carroll HS	6 ft 6 in (198 cm)	200 lb (91 kg)	4.53	Jul 26, 2008
	Scout:File:4 stars.svg.png   Rivals:File:4 stars.svg.png   ESPN grade: 80
Bryan Stork TE	Vero Beach, FL	Vero Beach HS	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)	260 lb (120 kg)	5.0	May 23, 2008
	Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 76
Chris Thompson RB	Greenville, FL	Madison HS	5 ft 8 in (173 cm)	175 lb (79 kg)	4.4	Feb 28, 2008
	Scout:   Rivals:File:4 stars.svg.png   ESPN grade: 79
Overall recruiting rankings:
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout and Rivals may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, an average of the two was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Florida State 2009 Football Commitments". Rivals.com. http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/commitments/2009/alabama-3. Retrieved January 18, 2011. "2009 Florida State Commits". Scout.com. http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=16&p=9&c=8&yr=2009. Retrieved January 18, 2011. "2009 Player Commitments – Florida State". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/college-football/recruiting/school/_/id/52/class/2009. Retrieved January 18, 2011. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=16&p=9&c=14&yr=2009. Retrieved January 18, 2011. "2009 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. http://www.rivals.com/TeamRank.asp?type=0&sort=0&year=2009. Retrieved January 18, 2011.

Game Capsules

Please Note:

• The records in parenthesis indicates the opposing team's record at the time Florida State played them, NOT Florida State's record.
• The USA Today Coaches Poll rankings are used through Week 7. Starting with Week 8 (the UNC game), the BCS Rankings are used.
• All pregame lines are based on what the game opened at and does not include any betting influence.

Miami (0–0)

Pregame Line: FSU −4

	1	2	3	4	OT
Miami	7	7	3	21	38
#19 Florida State	7	3	13	11	34

Miami's defense stops Florida St. to back up Harris' final TD drive

Jacksonville State (0–1)

Pregame Line: Lines are not released when an FCS team plays an FBS team.

	1	2	3	4	OT
Jacksonville State	6	3	0	0	9
Florida State	7	0	0	12	19

Florida State steals win from lower-division Jacksonville State

#9 Brigham Young (2–0)

Pregame Line: BYU −6.5

	1	2	3	4	OT
Florida State	7	23	14	10	54
#9 BYU	0	14	7	7	28

Ponder drives Seminoles to decisive win over No. 7 Cougars

South Florida (3–0)

Pregame Line: FSU −12

	1	2	3	4	OT
South Florida	0	14	0	3	17
#25 Florida State	0	0	0	7	7

Daniels steps in for injured Grothe, lifts USF to first ever win over FSU.

Boston College (3–1)

Pregame Line: FSU −5

	1	2	3	4	OT
Florida State	3	3	7	8	21
Boston College	7	14	0	7	28

BC blows 18-point lead, barely holds off FSU.

#23 Georgia Tech (4–1)

Pregame Line: FSU −2.5

	1	2	3	4	OT
#23 Georgia Tech	14	14	14	7	49
Florida State	14	21	3	6	44

Nesbitt, Yellow Jackets hand third straight loss to Bowden's Seminoles.

North Carolina (4–2)

Pregame Line: UNC −2.5

	1	2	3	4	OT
Florida State	3	3	14	10	30
North Carolina	14	3	7	3	27

Ponder rallies Seminoles from deficit to knock off North Carolina.

NC State (3–4)

Pregame Line: FSU −7

	1	2	3	4	OT
NC State	7	14	7	14	42
Florida State	7	14	10	14	45

Florida St. edges NC State late in barnburner

Clemson (5–3)

Pregame Line: Clemson −8

	1	2	3	4	OT
Florida State	17	0	7	0	24
Clemson	6	8	7	19	40

Spiller rushes for 165 yards, touchdown as Clemson routs Florida St.

• FSU quarterback, Christian Ponder, was injured in the 4th quarter. He undergwent season ending surgery and was back for non contact drills in the spring of 2010.
• Redshirt Freshman, E.J. Manuel, took over for Christian Ponder and got his first start at Wake Forest the following week.

Wake Forest (4–6)

Pregame Line: Wake −5

	1	2	3	4	OT
Florida State	14	17	3	7	41
Wake Forest	7	7	7	7	28

Thomas, Manuel help Florida State roll past Wake

Maryland (2–8)

Pregame Line: FSU −17

	1	2	3	4	OT
Maryland	0	13	0	13	26
Florida State	7	7	0	15	29

Florida State edges Maryland on last-minute TD to become bowl eligible

#1 Florida (11–0)

Pregame Line: Florida −21

	1	2	3	4	OT
Florida State	0	0	3	7	10
#1 Florida	7	17	6	7	37

Tebow accounts for five TDs in final home game as a Gator

Gator Bowl: #16 West Virginia (9–3)

Pregame Line: WVU −3

	1	2	3	4	OT
#16 West Virginia	14	0	0	7	21
Florida State	3	10	10	10	33

• The final game for Bobby Bowden, Mickey Andrews and Chuck Amato.

Bowden goes out a winner as Seminoles dispatch Mountaineers

Statistics

Team

Team Opp Scoring 338 332 Points per Game 30.73 30.18 First Downs     Rushing     Passing     Penalty     Total Offense     Avg per Play     Avg per Game     Fumbles-Lost     Penalties-Yards     Avg per Game

Team Opp Punts-Yards     Avg per Punt     Time of Possession/Game     3rd Down Conversions     4th Down Conversions     Touchdowns Scored     Field Goals-Attempts-Long     PAT-Attempts     Attendance     Games/Avg per Game

Scores by quarter

• Updated after the November 21st, 2009 Maryland game.

1 2 3 4 OT Florida State 86 81 71 100 338 Opponents 68 111 52 101 332

Offense

Passing

Name	GP-GS	Effic	Att-Cmp-Int	Pct	Yds	TD	Lng	YPA
Christian Ponder	9–9	147.70	330–227–7	68.8%	2717	14	98	8.23
E.J. Manuel	7–4	124.7	106–69–6	65.1%	817	2	43	8.11
Total	13–13	141.8	437–296–13	67.7%	3147	16	98	8.22
Opponents

Rushing

Name	Games Played	Carries	Yards	Fumbles Lost	YPC	TD	Long	Avg/Game
Jermaine Thomas	11	163	832	0	5.1	9	54	62.73
Ty Jones	6	51	251	0	4.9	5	47	41.83
E.J. Manuel	7	44	195	0	4.4	2	24	19.8
Christian Ponder	9	72	179	0	2.5	2	30	19.89
Lonnie Pryor	9	27	156	0	5.8	4	50	15.11
Chris Thompson	8	23	120	0	5.2	2	49	12.5
Bert Reed	11	18	94	0	5.2	2	42	6.82
Louis Givens	6	8	58	0	7.3	1	15	9
Tavares Pressley	3	9	40	0	4.4	0	12	13.33
Rodney Hudson	11	1	9	0	9	0	9	0.82
Taiwan Easterling	10	2	8	0	4	0	7	0.10
Jarmon Fortson	11	1	4	0	4	0	4	0.36
Rod Owens	11	1	3	0	3	0	3	0.27
Total	11	352	1635	0	4.6	24	54	148.64
Opponents

Receiving

Name	GP-GS	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD	Long	Avg/G
Rod Owens
Bert Reed
Jarmon Fortson
Taiwan Easterling
Richard Goodman
Caz Piurowski
Lonnie Pryor
Jermaine Thomas
Beau Reliford
Louis Givens
Ty Jones
Chris Thompson
Willie Haulstead
Rodney Smith
Ja'Baris Little
Total
Opponents

Defense

Name	GP	Tackles				Sacks	Pass Defense		Interceptions				Fumbles		Blkd Kick
		Solo	Ast	Total	TFL-Yds	No-Yds	BrUp	QBH	No.-Yds	Avg	TD	Long	Rcv-Yds	FF
Total

Special teams

Name	Punting								Kickoffs
	No.	Yds	Avg	Long	TB	FC	I20	Blkd	No.	Yds	Avg	TB	OB
Dustin Hopkins
Name
Total

Name	Punt Returns					Kick Returns
	No.	Yds	Avg	TD	Long	No.	Yds	Avg	TD	Long
Name
Total

Projected 2009 Depth Chart

Offensive

• QB – Christian Ponder Jr
• TB – Jermaine Thomas So
• FB – Marcus Sims Sr
• WR – Corey Surrency Sr
• WR – Taiwan Easterling So
• TE – Caz Piurowski Sr
• LT – Evan Bellamy So
• LG – Rodney Hudson Jr
• C – Ryan McMahon Jr
• RG – David Spurlock So
• RT – Zebrie Sanders So

Defense

• DE – Kevin McNeil Sr
• DE – Markus White Jr
• DT – Kendrick Stewart Sr
• DT – Budd Thacker Sr
• LB – Dekoda Watson Sr
• LB – Nigel Bradham So
• LB – Kendall Smith Jr
• CB – Ochuko Jenije Jr
• CB – Patrick Robinson Sr
• S – Jamie Robinson Sr
• S – Korey Mangum Sr

Special Teams

• K – Dustin Hopkins
• P – Shawn Powell

References

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/teams/stats?teamId=52