Stopping the unstoppable. Slowing a force of nature that gets what it wants, when it wants.
Theo Lawson | Argonaut
In a nutshell, these are the assignments Paul Petrino has been handed a week leading up to the type of game that normally produces the glimmering paycheck athletic directors drool over — but the lopsided result that produces nightmares.
According to national polls, Idaho has seen better than what they will face this Saturday. The Vandals opened 2007 with a 28-point loss, at then No. 1 USC.
But Pete Carroll’s Trojans, eventually a two-loss team, are a sliver of what Jimbo Fisher and No. 2 Florida State bring to the table. The unbeaten Seminoles are the very team Idaho will visit Saturday when the Vandals march into Tallahassee with a challenge that is, not maybe, not possibly, but undoubtedly the most rigorous in program history.
The Seminoles may have been a No. 1 team any other year, but with two-time defending national champion Alabama rolling through its SEC slate as the Tide have done for three years now, FSU will take the second seat — for now.
If there’s any team with a legitimate shot of dethroning Alabama Nick Sabans, the ACC monsters look poised to do that, with two regular-season games left.
While Fisher’s redshirt freshman, Heisman candidate, all-everything quarterback has garnered the bulk of media attention, it’s not Jameis Winston, nor his quick-strike offense that have made FSU such an impossible task.
The Seminoles have outscored Top 25 opponents 155-28 — the most impressive part of that statistic being the 28 points allowed.
Winston and his offensive counterparts have made a habit of scoring in five plays or less. As a result, the Seminole defense often spends significantly more time on the field than the increasingly efficient offense does. Such was the case during Saturday’s 59-3 rout of Syracuse. The Syracuse offense spent almost 42 minutes on the field, compared to just 18 minutes from the Seminole offense.
If Idaho hopes to keep a 30-point blowout from turning into a 60- or 70-point slaughter, the Vandal offense ought to prioritize possession and maximize James Baker’s production.
Forget about going airborne — the Seminoles have 19 interceptions already, averaging 1.9 per game. Three of those were returned for touchdowns. But the Seminoles have just nine forced fumbles.
Surely, just like Al Golden of Miami, Randy Edsall of Maryland and Dabo Swinney of Clemson, Paul Petrino will be given the “pick your poison” speech.
Scott Shafer was the most recent addition to the list of unfortunate coaches. He saw the Seminoles rack up 28 points before his Orange offense could compile 28 yards.
Some would suggest that Petrino toss the FSU game film and move on to the season finale at New Mexico State. The Seminoles’ wins have all been deafening blows that have come by an average of 38.7 points.
A polite message to the Vandals: collect your paycheck, enjoy the chartered flight and southern hospitality Tallahassee has to offer.
Because games like these are crucial for financially-troubled mid-majors scrapping for every penny, but ultimately demoralizing for those programs.
Here’s to hoping FSU gets Idaho’s best shot and the Vandals’ confidence doesn’t take a shot of its own.
Because the Seminoles aren’t the SC of ‘07 or the LSU of 2012.
This Florida State squad, more than likely, would have blown both of those teams out of the water.
Theo Lawson can be reached at [email protected]