Guest Blogger: Tallahassee.com's Mike Boone

They will be in black uniforms and are coming off two loses, but Florida State is still Florida State. BC needs this win and I think most fans understand how tough it will be to go into Doak. In an effort to get a better understanding of what we can expect on the field, I've asked Mike Boone from Tallahassee.com to answer some questions regarding the matchup. Check out his blog for more on the 'Noles.

1. Jeff Bowden is the whipping boy and blame for all of FSU's woes, but from what I've seen I don't think it is all play calling. I just don't think some of the players are nearly as talented as the guys from the glory years. What's your take?

MB: I’m of two minds on this subject. It is clear to most Seminole observers and almost anyone else who has ever watched a football game, that the offense has declined since Mark Richt left to be the head coach at Georgia. Ironically at the time most FSU fans thought that Jeff Bowden was the right man for the job since he was the coach that Bobby wanted to replace Richt, who had been hugely popular among the Seminole faithful. So the criticism of Jeff is certainly warranted because he is ostensibly the offensive coordinator and is ultimately going to be held responsible for the offensive scheme and the play-calling. Some people have suggested that Bobby is meddling more than anyone realizes, and that in his old age he is becoming more conservative and more willing to trust the defense to win games. Some say that he’s lost his edge. Coaching aside, the talent level entering the program has not declined noticeably. Charlie Ward wasn’t the #1 player in Georgia when he signed with FSU, but he became the most decorated amateur athlete in the history of the US. Lorenzo Booker, Drew Weatherford, Myron Rolle, Xavier Lee, Antone Smith, Chris Davis and Marcus Sims are just a few of the names that have started their careers in Tallahassee as blue-chip recruits, desired by every team in the country. They were all highly-ranked high school players, but for some reason it seems that their skills haven’t translated to the collegiate level. Whatever the reason, Florida State has seen plenty of talented players in the last 5 years whose skills weren’t utilized or just never blossomed fully.

2. Last year, FSU exploited their height advantage at WR to take the lead. Do you see the same thing happening this year and can the O-line give Weatherford enough time for the routes to develop?

MB: FSU comes into this game with some serious, well-documented troubles running the football, same as they did last season. The difference is that this season Weatherford is a known quantity; BC shouldn’t leave him with the time to throw the ball that he had at times last year. He is a much smarter player this season than he was last year, despite his early inconsistency. Against Duke it seemed that Weatherford got on track and showed that he might be ready for another big game against a quality team. I would expect that Florida State will want to try to keep the Eagles from blitzing Weatherford to death and stuffing the run like they did in 2005. The offensive line for Florida State is improved over last season but is still nothing to write home about. Drew is going to have to get the ball out quickly and look for Greg Carr and DeCody Fagg to bail him out of bad plays. Booker has also developed into a quality pass-catching back, so he will see plenty of touches. To answer the question more directly, FSU is going to want to come out and try to establish something on the ground, but if that doesn’t happen early Jeff will pull the plug and turn the reins over to Weatherford and see if he can win another game against BC with his arm. Greg Carr is the X-factor to me. If he runs crisp routes and uses his body he will be awfully hard for anyone from Boston College to cover. The kid is simply a freak.

3. Surprisingly Andrews didn't attack BC much last year. He left the talented Linebacker corp to sit back and make plays (which they did). Do you see him mixing up the strategy this year?

MB: Florida State is in a tricky spot here, because injuries to defensive players have really taken their toll on the depth chart. The linebackers who will most likely be starting are not all as experienced as the amazing trio that took the field against the Eagles last season. While Buster Davis returns as the heart and soul of the team, and is one of the best linebackers in the country. He is a legitimate candidate for the Butkus Award. Timmons is a pure athlete who just happens to play linebacker, he has to be seen to be believed. The depth problems mean that FSU needs to get their defense off the field and not let BC grind out long scoring drives. FSU will have to shelve their popular 3-4 Buck package for this game, just because not enough of the new linebackers will be available to play. Timmons and Davis will be all over the field making plays, no matter what happens. There is no one position on the defense that is more vulnerable than another since they are all thin, so Mickey Andrews will stick with what has been his bread and butter as long as anyone can remember: play Cover 1 and hope that in the long run your athletes make more plays than the other team’s athletes. If Tony Carter is able to go at cornerback, it makes it much easier for the Noles to play man coverage, which is where they are most comfortable. Mickey may try to blitz more often if Matt Ryan is in fact hobbled by his foot problems, or if Crane enters the game at any point. Timmons would be a prime candidate to line up at end and come off the edge on third down. Otherwise, expect the unexpected, and expect to see a ton of younger players in places where they may not be as comfortable as they’d like to be.

4. Finally a prediction: what do you expect for Saturday?

MB: I expect to see Florida State try to score a lot of points, throwing the ball more than they have yet this season. Greg Carr is going to get plenty of work. I also expect that Florida State’s defense will have a hard time getting the Eagles off the field, unless Matt Ryan can’t play. This game is going to be decided in the fourth quarter when fatigue will be a huge factor. Bottom line, if Boston College hits Florida State in the mouth and inflicts their will, it’s going to be hard to keep them from doing the things they want to do with the football. Now, with all of that said it would be easier to pick Boston College to win, but this is the sort of game where a team will rally around one another. This is the sort of game where a team has to decide what kind of team they are, and that goes for both these squads. BC is coming off their best win of the season, and everything in me says that BC is going to win, but I can’t shake the feeling that FSU has heard for a while about how they aren’t as good as they used to be, and that they just don’t have the players to win games that they are supposed to win. It seems likely that BC wins this game, and maybe they will. But maybe the Noles circle the wagons in their new black uniforms and win this game on pure emotion, even though they probably have no business winning. And that, is what I think will happen.

Boston College 27 Florida State 31

Check out Mike's blog for more on Florida State football.