In each of the last two years, just as the heat of summer starts to get to me and I wonder if football season will ever arrive, Fox College Sports Atlantic has given me a glimmer of hope by re-showing classic Seminole games that were important to the school and important to me.
First came a replay of the 1993 FSU/UF game, a pivotal win during my freshman year on the way to FSU’s first national title that was also Warrick Dunn’s coming out party.
Next came the 2003 domination of Notre Dame in South Bend, the worst shut out loss for the Irish in decades and the second greatest game of Chris Rix’s life. I attended in the midst of a move from D.C. to Denver.
However, after these mid-summer highlights the following Seminole seasons were…ummmm…let’s just say ‘not-quite-up-to-expectations’.
So this year I am mixing it up. Today, I am watching the 2000 Florida State/Miami game. One of the 5 most painful losses of my Seminole-cheering life.
I am willing to sacrifice here in July so that the fall will be full of joy for all of Seminole nation.
You might think I am insane for choosing to watch a ten year old college football game on a summer Saturday afternoon but do you know what ESPN is showing today? The Harlem Globetrotters. Now who’s pathetic?
On to the show.
- After the last couple years of having Seminole greats be our hosts, this year it is all Canes, Ken Dorsey, former offensive lineman Joaquin Gonzalez and our host Steve Walsh. I am surprised Dorsey and Walsh were available.
- They start talking about how great FSU is, which sounds very generous, until you remember they win and therefore are basically bragging that they are even greater.
- For the record I watched this game live with the DC Seminole club at a suburban Virginia sports bar. The Mrs. and I shared a table with another couple we hadn’t met before. After three hours of watching in horror as the Mrs. and I screamed and yelled at the television, we would never see them again. Oh well, their loss.
- Hard to believe now that FSU came into this game without a regular season loss in over two years – 26 straight regular season wins as well as a 17 game winning streak in all games. Going into 2010, in the last 25 regular season games the Seminoles have ten losses. Let’s not talk about this further, ok?
- And we have kick-off. Fumble by the Canes on the opening kick-off and the Noles recover on the Canes 25-yard line. I have a good feeling about this game.
- At quarterback, 28-year old Chris Wienke. He played baseball for several years before coming to FSU which explains his age. But seeing his receding hair line, it makes you wonder if maybe he also learned from the latino baseball players to shave a few years off his real age for the media guide.
- Three straight runs leaves FSU with a short 4th down. The Rooster, Marcus Outzen comes in for a quarterback sneak. As with most things involving Outzen on the football field (see: 1998 National Championship game), nothing good comes from it for the Noles. Turnover.
- Starting for the Canes, Ken Dorsey – a young sophomore. I think he might have a bright future in Coral Gables.
- It is strange to see Chris Weinke against Ken Dorsey in an important game. This time of year you would expect to see them only in the 3rd quarter of a pre-season NFL game.
- Canes offense includes Najeh Davenport, Bryant McKinney, Reggie Wayne and Santana Moss. With a decade of NFL experience since this game, the loss seems a little more understandable. It is also allows me to make poop jokes about Davenport.
- Seminole defense holds the Canes to a punt. This time the Noles fumble it on the punt return and the Canes recover around mid-field.
- The Canes are driving with running back James Jackson. Of all the players from Miami, how is some dude I don’t even remember the one that is dominating FSU? I hate the Canes.
- Davenport breaks right up the middle on a little pop pass and Dorsey finds him as he leaves skid marks on the way to an easy touchdown. Davenport lobbies for the Canes to go for 2 but the Canes kick the extra point.
- To add at least a little joy to this painful experience, let’s see if I can make a poop related joke every time I mention Najeh. So far so good.
- We come back to a conversation with Walsh and Dorsey. Apparently play-action passes were the Canes key innovation for this game by offensive coordinator Larry Coker. Gee, way to get creative Larry, no wonder your coaching career was so great after Butch Davis’s recruits graduated. I mean left school. God knows about 4% of Cane players can even spell graduation.
- Junior Robert Morgan drops a deep pass on FSU’s next possession, though we are reminded that he has great hands. Despite all evidence to the contrary apparently.
- Weinke scrambles a little and completes a pass down the sideline to Snoop Minnis. Also known as Marvin. Also known as the best receiver on FSU in 2000. Also known as the guy who is too dumb to stay academically eligible for the national title game later against Oklahoma. But I’m not bitter.
- I had forgotten that Weinke had a sore foot this game. This retro-actively becomes my excuse for the Noles losing this game. Gutty to play it so close against Miami with an injured quarterback.
- FSU doesn’t pick up a long third down but instead of sending in freshman Matt Munyon to kick a short field goal, Ed Reed knocks away a Weinke pass in the end zone on 4th. This fear of the kicker (two red zone trips, no points) for the Noles – I am sure will have no impact later in the game.
- Dorsey immediately responds with a deep pass to Santana Moss to flip the field. Watching this game was the worst idea I have ever had not involving the word ‘tequila’ and ‘chubby chasing’.
- Some random senior tight end named Ivan Mercer catches a pass to put the ball inside the ten at the end of the first quarter. Insert your own Rocky 4 joke here. I am sure he was wide open because he was a nobody. If he was a bigger name like Jeremy Shockey or Kellen Winslow, Jr. I bet FSU would have blanket coverage on him.
- Pass Interference called on Tay Cody on a pass to Reggie Wayne. Automatic first down for the Canes on the 7 yard line.
- Bronco linebacker D.J. Williams gets the hand-off to power in a touchdown run from the fullback position. 14-0 Miami. If I had remembered this when he got to Denver, I would have been much less forgiving of his mediocre Bronco career.
- We have skipped the next FSU series and Dorsey and the Cane offense has the ball on the FSU 31-yard line. Having watched the Nole versions of these telecasts before, I know that this can’t be good.
- Wow. Miami stuffed and misses the field goal wide right. I am sure that means all of the bad kicking karma has transferred from FSU to Miami.
- Weinke hits Anquan Boldin who scrambles up the sideline for a nice gain. As great an offense as FSU had, it should be noted Anquan is the only player to go on to a significant NFL career. That is what I love about FSU, the team is made up of overmatched, underdog, feel-good stories.
- A nice gain is followed by a Weinke interception by Ed Reed at the goal line. How did this game come down to the final play?
- We have fast forwarded again to late in the 2nd quarter. Miami ball around their 20.
- The Canes are marching down with long passes to Santana Moss and punishing runs up the middle. I don’t like where this is going.
- FSU defense holds again around the fifteen. But the Canes convert the field goal and lead 17-0. This is looking like the FSU we have seen every year since 2000, I had forgotten that they looked like this in 2000 as well.
- On the ensuing drive, Weinke somehow avoids the rush hopping on one leg and flicks the ball down the field to Snoop who gets across the 50 yard line.
- It is also reported that Minnis has got bitches in the living room gettin’ it on but that is unconfirmed. Seminoles finally showing a little life just before halftime.
- Finally a successful Seminole running play. The dirty secret of FSU’s success in the 90’s: outside of the Warrick Dunn years, the Noles could never run the ball consistently but their passing game was so good it made up for it. Travis Minor came in with a high school reputation of ‘better than Warrick Dunn’. Oh, you don’t remember any big plays by him in a Seminole uniform? Exactly.
- In this game, Minor has been replaced by Jeff Chaney, who sadly has not yet shot any Canes in the face with a shotgun.
- On third and goal from the two yard line, Dan Morgan steps in for an interception to clinch a 17-0 Cane lead at halftime. Amazing, he held on to the ball. With the amount of grease in his hair some of it must have gotten on his hands.
- FSU opens up the second half with a couple strong runs and a long pass to Atrews Bell who gets the ball inside the 10 yard line of Miami.
- Swing pass to Minor, a Minor run up the middle and a Minor off-tackle run are stuffed on 1st, 2nd and 3rd and goal. See, told you so about Minor. And I really did write that comment above before this happened.
- Bowden finally sends in his kicker for a chip shot from the 3 yard line. 17-3.
- Ooh, FSU has the ball back, so we have skipped a Cane offensive series. I love it when that happens.
- Weinke zips a pass down the sideline to Anquan Boldin who sidesteps a Cane corner and glides into the end zone untouched for a 48-yard touchdown. Say what you will about Weinke’s pro career and hair line, the dude could sling the ball. And I think the doctors wanted to amputate his leg before the game but he refused. 17-10 Miami
- – Weinke looks so dominating this quarter it is almost unfair. Sort of like the time I saw him pick a fight at Ken’s Bar in Tallahassee with a guy that might have been 5’6”.
- We take a break from the game to hear about the pro careers of Steve, Ken and Joaquin. Let me summarize much quicker than they did. They have accomplished about as much in the pros as I have.
- Skipping over two drives, the Canes have the ball and begin driving with completions to Wayne and Williams. It is jarring to see the difference in the number of future pros between the two offenses. Ok, forget the ‘future’ part; I am sure most of the Canes are already getting paid at the time of this game.
- Najeh Davenport drops a load on the FSU linebacking corps with a run up the middle
- There is a Seminole corner named Cookie Thomas. I wish he played for the Canes, so I could make a joke or two about his crumbling in the heat.
- Miami kicks a field goal to take a 20-10 lead after Cookie jars up a fade pattern to Wayne.
- We have skipped a couple more drives and the Noles have the ball early in the 4th quarter.
- Ooh, before they were stars! Greg Schiano coaching the Cane defense, now head coach at Rutgers. So we might be watching the last time he beats a top five team. And no, I don’t count 2007 when Louisville and West Virginia were briefly in the top five along with about 23 other teams. That year should get an asterisk like Roger Maris’ home run record.
- As far as the Noles have fallen since this game, it is comforting to see some things haven’t changed: an over reliance on the swing pass and no inside running game.
- Wait, that isn’t comforting at all. That is completely depressing.
- Matt Munyon misses a 23-yard field goal after a total jinx by the announcers when they discussed all the misses by him in pre-game warm-ups. Thanks guys. I am going to say that given the Noles’ history they didn’t need the extra jinx.
- Skipping a couple more series, Weinke and the Noles have the ball back still trailing by ten. Weinke leans on a walker with tennis balls on the ends to get to the huddle. Gritty performance.
- Weinke misses an open Boldin across the middle on third down forcing a punt. Weinke hobbles off after the play and appears to replace his own Achilles heel on the sideline by taking a ligament from a freshman walk-on wide receiver. Unfortunately he chose kicker Matt Munyon. The rest of this game is making more sense now.
- Announcers just compared Dorsey to Bernie Kosar. Unclear whether that is a compliment or insult. If Bernie were here, he would be happy to tell you all about his fantastic career while sounding like he had a fifth of Jim Beam. Or he fought Mike Tyson. Or both.
- I obviously know how this game ends, but I don’t remember the final score, so I find myself surprisingly unsure as to what happens the rest of the way. While in the back of my mind knowing that ultimately there is one guaranteed result: pain.
- Canes forced to punt and the Noles get the ball on the ten with a little over five minutes to play.
- First play and Weinke finds Snoop for a 40 plus yard gain across the fifty. Snoop is good for catching those long passes but that doesn’t change the face that he doesn’t love them hos.
- A few plays later Weinke finds Boldin on the sideline inside the 5-yard line. Might be the worst thing to happen for the Noles as they will feel the need to run up the middle for no gain.
- Canes PA just played ‘Who Let the Dogs Out’. Is that song the Ice, Ice Baby of 2000? Close call as to what song from this time had a shorter shelf life: Who Let the Dogs Out or Mambo #5.
- Weinke pass to Boldin over the middle. Touchdown. 20-17 with 3:15 to play.
- Miami seems to be intent on giving the Noles every chance to win this game. I have never seen a team with a strong running game pass the ball more often late in the 4th milking a lead. Shocking that Butch Davis wasn’t more successful in the pros.
- Pass to Davenport over the middle but he dumps the ball and the Noles recover around midfield. I think the Noles can win this thing!
- Pass over the middle and Atrews Bell catches the touchdown pass!! 24-20 Noles with a 1:37 to play. The comeback is complete!
- Canes get the ball and start dinking and dunking their way down the field. First catch of the day by some sophomore named Jeremy Shockey. He looks like a nice, clean-cut kid.
- Canes move to a first and goal with 50 seconds left.
- Oops. Joaquin, one of our hosts, just false-started. Let’s hope Walsh asks him about that play and Joaquin retorts by asking Walsh about that two-point conversion at Notre Dame in 1988.
- Shockey with a touchdown over the middle. First of his career. I wonder if he went out and got his first tattoo after this game? 27-24 Miami.
- They just showed Michael Irvin on the Cane sideline congratulating Shockey. I wonder if he offered the kid strippers or blow as a reward for the touchdown?
- Two short passes and the Noles get past the thirty. Another swing pass to Minor and the ball moves to the 45-yard line.
- Boldin separated from the ball around the Cane 30 by the only corner that doesn’t go on to a pro career – Leonard Myers. Though I think he might have gone on to a recurring role on Curb Your Enthusiasm
- Snoop catches a pass at 31-yard line (he ain’t leavin ‘til six in the morning) and the clock runs down inside ten seconds so the Noles call timeout and bring in the field goal unit.
- I don’t want to watch this.
- Last time I saw this play, I ended up in a heap on the floor, if that gives you some idea what happens on this kick.
- Naturally, the kick is pushed wide right. A decade later and it still hurts.
- Yadda, yadda, yadda a bunch of meaningless babbling by our hosts to end the show. Again, not bitter.
- As they note, the Noles got the last laugh on the Canes when they ended up in the Orange Bowl playing for the National title against some crappy team from the tornado belt.
Ironically, we are in the same boat this year. A couple months after this painful loss, the Noles will again play the Oklahoma Sooners.
Let’s just hope my little act of penance today is enough to change the result of the OU game this time.
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Very nice article, thanks! I’ve subscribed to your RSS feed. Please keep up posting.