Corey Clark covers Florida State for the Tallahassee Democrat.


You can find his work at:http://www.tallahassee.com/section/FSU/


Clark can also be found on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/#%21/Corey_Clark


Baltimore Sports and Life thanks Mr. Clark for answering a few questions about the Seminoles, prior to the Maryland vs. Florida State game Saturday night.


Baltimore Sports and Life: “Starting QB Christian Ponder missed the Clemson game Saturday due the ruptured bursa sac in his right-elbow. Is he expected to play against Maryland, or will the Seminoles again be starting EJ Manuel? (Terp fans saw Manuel beat MD last-year in Tallahassee) Was there a difference in how FSU ran their offense against Clemson with Manuel under Center?”


Corey Clark: “Ponder will be starting. He was actually cleared to play by the team doctor before the Clemson game, but Jimbo Fisher wanted to go with Manuel since he had gotten all the reps in practice. I do think there was a difference in the gameplan. Much more option. Especially in the second half. With Ponder,the offense is a lot more pass-happy. Ponder is a talented runner and scrambles for two or three first downs every game, but he isn’t nearly as adept running the option as Manuel is. But Ponder is a better pocket passer. At least right now in their careers.”


Baltimore Sports and Life: “Florida State is averaging 400 yards of offense a game, including 186 on the ground. I know that LG Rodney Hudson, and LT Andrew Datko are highly regarded. What else can you tell me about the blockers up-front for the Seminoles?”


Corey Clark: “The center, Ryan McMahon, is a four-year starter like Hudson. And the right tackle, Zebrie Sanders, is a three-year starter like Datko. So there is a lot of experience there, but due to a rash of injuries at the position, the Seminoles are currently on their fourth-string right guard.That’s a bit of a problem, obviously. And while this O-line has plenty of experience, it’s not a dominating O-line by any means. Good defensive lines have given them plenty of trouble the last couple of years.”


Baltimore Sports and Life: “There are 3 running-backs on FSU with at-least 62 carries, and 444 yards rushing.Tell me about Chris Thompson, Jermaine Thomas, and Ty Jones and what each brings to the table.”


Corey Clark: “Ty Jones is probably the best all-around back on the team, but he’s been in and out of Fisher’s doghouse at times this season. He didn’t play at all against UNC despite being healthy. Thompson is the home-run guy – he already has two of the six longest TD runs in FSU history this season (83 yarder vs. BYU and a 90-yarder against Miami). Thomas won’t play on Saturday because he sprained his knee in the second half of the Clemson game.”


Baltimore Sports and Life: “Whomever starts at QB for Florida State, apparently has a wealth of weapons to throw to. Four receivers for FSU with at-least 21receptions, and 300 yards receiving. Of that group of four Wideouts, the lowest totals belong to the 6’6, 220 lb Rodney Smith who exploded on Clemson. What doyou think about this group as a whole?”


Corey Clark: “Decent. Not great. Willie Haulstead is the most physically gifted and he had a huge game against UNC two weeks ago (10 catches for 154 yards), but he suffered a concussion against Clemson. He is expected back. Smith has struggled at times this year, but did make some big-time catches on Saturday night.Reed and Easterling are the two veterans.They’re dependable enough, but neither are really game breakers.”


Baltimore Sports and Life: “The Seminoles were rocked in September when they visited Oklahoma. No shame in losing to the Sooners,but the 47-17 score surprised me. Did Florida State lack the athletes necessary to match-up, or was FSU just not ready to go into Norman in Week 2 of the season and compete?”


Corey Clark: “Definitely answer No. 2. They just weren’t ready. If they played out there in Week 10 instead of Week 2 it would have been much more competitive. Honestly, I think FSU was over-confident (if you can believe that) heading out to Norman. They had no idea what they were in for and the Sooners’ hurry-up offense completely obliterated them in the first half. Plus, the young WRs (Haulstead and Smith) just weren’t ready for that stage. FSU has the requisite athletes to compete with the elite programs – just not the experience.”


Baltimore Sports and Life: “Florida State responded impressively to that beating, coming back to win 5 consecutive wins including a 45-17 demolishing of the Hurricanes at Miami. During that stretch of play, FSU held BYU, Wake Forest, UVA, Miami, and Boston College to an average of 12 points a game. I note that the Seminoles are limiting opposing offenses to 111 yards rushing per game. Tell me about the Front 7 Defensively for FSU. Is the D-line getting a lot of pressure? Are the LB’s too quick laterally to run against?”


Corey Clark: “Florida State leads the nation in sacks with 39, so that helps in the rushing defensive statistics obviously. The defensive ends have played much better this season than last. The tackles are bigger and moretalented – but still not a whole lot of depth up front. Against both UNC and Clemson, the Seminoles struggled to get any kind of push in the second half as the D-line seemed to wear down as the game went on. The linebackers are good, not great. Nigel Bradham and Kendall Smith are both playing better than they ever have,but they still aren’t making any game-changing types of plays. The most talented linebacker on the team is likely Christian Jones, but he’s a true freshman that doesn’t get a ton of snaps.”


Baltimore Sports and Life: “Two weeks ago, North Carolina’s TJ Yates threw for 439 yards against FSU. Are the Seminoles vulnerable in the secondary? Does FSU play a lot of man-to-man defense, or do they utilize zone schemes?”


Corey Clark: “It’s a combination. Against Yates, it looked like they didn’t do either, honestly. He had WRs running wide open all over the field. It’s much more of a zone concept than it has been in recent years – former defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews was strictly a man-to-man guy. And the cornerbacks are actually quite good -especially redshirt freshman Xavier Rhodes, who might be the best corner they’ve had in a decade. Supremely talented kid. But the safeties don’t make a lot of plays in the passing game and when the defensive front doesn’t get pressure, it’s bad news for the FSU defense.”


Baltimore Sports and Life: “Dustin Hopkins showed his leg strength with his 55 yard FG against Clemson.Florida State is typically strong in all-facets of Special Teams. Has that been true this year? Any issues with Punt or Kickoff coverage?”


Corey Clark: “The coverage has been fine. And Hopkins might have the strongest leg I’ve ever seen -including Janikowski. He is second in the nation in touchbacks and his 55-yarder against Clemson would have been good from 65. Truly. The surprising problem for FSU has been in the return game. Even with an electric return man like Greg Reid, the Seminoles have been ranked last in the nation for a majority of the year in kickoff returns. Still, the sophomore is capable of busting a big one at any time.”


Baltimore Sports and Life: “What are the biggest differences you see with Coach Jimbo Fisher now running the program?”


Corey Clark: “Not as many dadgummits. That’s No.1. Also, he is much more hands-on in every aspect of the program, to what they eat, when they sleep, who talks to the media (assistants are all off limits) and on and on and on. It’s his ship. He’s the captain. And he wants to be the lone voice for the program.”


Baltimore Sports and Life: “Maryland needs to win out over FSU, and NCST to win the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Atlantic Division. For FSU to win the division, they have to beat Maryland and need NCST to lose to either North Carolina or NCST. Keeping the focus on the Maryland vs. FSU game, what are your predictions?”


Corey Clark: “I wish I knew. This Florida State team hasn’t really played a good game since Miami. It’s been a month since the Seminoles were impressive on both sides of the ball. So I really don’t know what to think here. If FSU plays well, it should win by a couple of scores. If it doesn’t, it will likely lose. Great analysis, right? I do think Ponder will play well – and the offense will move the ball. But the defense has been mediocre to very bad each of the last three games and has had trouble getting off the field. Even though the Maryland QB has had a fine year for a newcomer, this FSU defense has faced four other freshman QBs this season and has tortured all of them. Which is why I would give a slight edge to FSU. We’ll go with FSU 27 Maryland 19.”

Chris Stoner
Chris Stoner

Owner

Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.

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