FSU has a win, needs an offense

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Posted 8:11PM on Tuesday, September 6, 2005

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) Florida State has a win, but still doesn't have an offense. The defense, and good fortune, helped the No. 11 Seminoles to a 10-7 victory over Miami on Monday despite managing a paltry 170 yards of offense 167 of those coming from tailbacks Lorenzo Booker and Leon Washington. Only a botched Miami snap on a late field goal attempt likely kept the game from going into overtime. ``We've got to figure out what our problems are,'' coach Bobby Bowden said Tuesday. ``If we can get our quarterbacks ironed out, we've got a chance to be a pretty good team.'' Nothing captured the offense's ineptitude more than a third quarter scoring opportunity that Bowden thought would cost them the game. With a first and goal at the Miami 1-yard line following a blocked punt by the Seminoles' Lawrence Timmons, Florida State tried the middle three straight plays, losing a yard each time. And then Gary Cismesia missed a 30-yard field goal, igniting the first chorus of boos from the homecrowd frustrated at the ongoing lack of offensive creativity. Bowden said Tuesday he could not remember ever failing to score on his homefield before with a first down at the opponent's 1. ``When you fail to score when you get down there like we did, it might haunt you sometime,'' Bowden said. ``I'm sure that 'Well here we go again,' entered my mind.'' Bowden said the offensive coaches (youngest son Jeff is the coordinator) wanted to run one of the plays wide with either Booker or Washington, but he vetoed it. ``It was probably a case of me meddling,'' Bowden said. ``Naw, naw, we'll lose yardage. Straight ahead.'' The win moved the Seminoles up three notches in the weekly AP poll while Miami fell from No. 9 to 14. Both teams went into Monday's opener with new quarterbacks. Miami's Kyle Wright seemed to settle in as the game went along, finishing with a respectable night statistically despite being sacked nine times by a Florida State rush led by defensive end Kamerion Wimbley, who created a tough evening for Miami offensive tackle Eric Winston. ``He's got tools,'' Bowden said about Wimbley, who came to Florida State from Wichita, Kan., after not being heavily recruited by homestate schools. ``He's fast, tall, rangy, great desire, great human being.'' And while defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews has seemed to once again plug any holes on the defense, the problems continue on an offense that can no longer finger graduated quarterback Chris Rix for its problems. Florida State never untracked Monday behind its new quarterbacks. ``Our quarterbacks could not hit receivers,'' Bowden said. Although Drew Weatherford struggled in his first start, he'll likely have the assignment again Saturday against The Citadel, Bowden said. ``I don't think anybody proved anything,'' he said. However, Xavier Lee was in for just one series and managed to complete a pass for 7 yards. Weatherford was 7 of 24 for 67 yards and intercepted once. ``When you've got a young inexperienced quarterback, the first thing you think of is 'Son don't lose the game,''' Bowden said. ``He didn't lose the game. He kept us from losing.'' The defense, however, could have a rebuttal. (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)