Seminoles

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Long live the Bowl Coalition, the ingenious playoff format responsible for college football's newest rallying cry, "We're No. 2!"That's what the Florida State players were saying yesterday after their 31-24 loss to Notre Dame. Actually, they were pleading, because dropping to No. 2 is their only hope of returning to No. 1.Confused? Don't sweat it. The national championship now figures to be decided in a Fiesta Bowl rematch of these teams Jan. 1. Two games of the century within seven weeks, what a country.

Sean Mosley was limping, Alex Len was scoreless and in early foul trouble, and the Terps had surrendered way too many second-chance points in the first half against imposing Florida State to suit coach Mark Turgeon. It was evident from the outset that Maryland faced plenty of oversized obstacles -- notably Florida State's inside strength -- Tuesday night at the Tucker Center. Len, the talented but inexperienced 7-foot-1 center, looked somehow diminished against the Seminoles' big frontcourt.

It's quite a short list of Johns Hopkins basketball players who have gone on to coach at Division I college basketball schools in the past 25 years. It's such a small list, in fact, that Florida State assistant coach Andy Enfield -- a prodigious college shooter who is the only player to score more than 2,000 career points at Hopkins -- commands half of the list all by himself. Mike Blaine, a UMES assistant, is the other occupant. "Not a lot of guys that played there went into coaching," said Enfield, who helped lead the Seminoles to 25 wins last season, tied for second-most in school history, and 22 this season.

Before the ESPN College GameDay cameras began rolling, before analyst Dick Vitale bellowed "Are you kidding me?" there was just Deividas Dulkys practicing his 3-pointers. The Florida State guard is known as a gym rat. While some college players must be coerced to play hard, it's the reverse with Dulkys. Coaches habitually tell the senior to ease up so he's not uptight when the game begins. But on Saturday — hours before the Seminoles played North Carolina — Dulkys seemed particularly focused.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The image of the Atlantic Coast Conference is much like a stockbroker's.Efficient, coldly calculating, slow to change, but quietly effective. And, above all, conservative.So, how, many college basketball observers wondered, would the staid ACC welcome the brash and flashy newcomers at Florida State during their inaugural season in the league?A little more than halfway through their first trip around theconference, the No. 23 Seminoles (14-5) have received favorable reviews.

After a straight week of practice before the North Carolina game, Florida State's Charlie Ward scored a career-high 18 points in an 86-74 upset of the Tar Heels. It was the first Atlantic Coast Conference game for the Seminoles and their sophomore point guard.Then, after a straight week of practice prior to the Wake Forest game, Ward had eight steals in Florida State's 88-85 overtime win at Wake Forest. The steals tied Ward with North Carolina's Derrick Phelps for a single-game high by an ACC player this season.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- On a recruiting trip to North Carolina last Monday, Florida State basketball coach Pat Kennedy had dinner with Jim Valvano, for whom he was an assistant at Iona many years ago.Valvano won an NCAA championship at N.C. State before becoming a television analyst. He told Kennedy, whose Seminoles are newcomers to the Atlantic Coast Conference, he would be measured in his new conference by a variety of things but none more important than how he does against Dean Smith. And then Valvano gave his old assistant some pointers on how to deal with Smith and his undefeated, No. 5 North Carolina Tar Heels.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- When the Florida State basketball team checked into its hotel yesterday morning, the Seminoles were greeted with a little Southern inhospitality."

MIAMI -- A year ago, Dan Mowrey played bodyguard for Gerry Thomas after his teammate narrowly missed a 34-yard field goal in the waning moments of Florida State's 17-16 defeat to Miami.It was a class move, considering that Mowrey had lost his job to Thomas after blowing some kicks, but not games, earlier in the season. "He's a friend," Mowrey said at the time.Yesterday, nobody shielded Mowrey after he badly missed a 39-yard field goal with three seconds left that would have tied second-ranked Miami.

The Atlantic Coast Conference must rue the day it admitted Florida State as a member.In football, the Seminoles are too good for the ACC. Actually, they may be too good for anybody. They're 3-0 and ranked No. 1 in the country.Maybe they'll kick better this year and win the national championship that has eluded them -- barely.No doubt you noticed the score of Florida State's game with Clemson last week: 57-0.That's scary. It was Clemson's worst defeat since 1931.L The Seminoles also have beaten Kansas, 42-0, and Duke, 45-7.

Even in his down time, EJ Manuel wanted to remember. While preparing for offseason workouts, as often as he could this summer, the Florida State quarterback tapped into the very same humiliation, frustration, anger, disappointment, shame and embarrassment that he and his teammates first experienced the second Saturday in September a year ago. He wanted to remember what it was like to see his predecessor get roughed up in the backfield by...

Before Wednesday night's game against Florida State, coach Gary Williams said his Maryland team probably wouldn't face an opponent as tall as the Seminoles all season. The task Maryland faced was steep as well. The Terps were trying to hold serve at home against the Seminoles, then post another quality win at No. 19 North Carolina on Sunday to distinguish themselves with the NCAA tournament selection committee. Phase One of Maryland's plan went according to plan as the Terps' guards aggressively challenged a potent defense in a 78-62 victory that pushed Maryland above .500 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.

Maryland plays a Florida State team Wednesday night that is top-ranked in the nation in defense and features a 26-year-old shot blocker who never played in high school or the Amateur Athletic Union but honed his game on military bases in the Middle East, where the temperature climbed above 115 degrees. The Seminoles (19-7, 9-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) build themselves around size and length — attributes that are an integral part of the coaching staff's plan of complicating life for opposing scorers.

As No. 12 Virginia Tech prepares to play No. 20 Florida State tonight in Charlotte, N.C., for the Atlantic Coast Conference championship, Hokies coach Frank Beamer has been in the unusual position this week of hearing Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher and his players discuss the game as an opportunity to get back on top. Florida State seemingly has always had Beamer's number, winning eight of nine games against him, including the 2005 ACC championship game....

The Maryland Terrapins will have to settle for college football respectability this year, which isn't such a bad thing when you consider the lesser alternatives. It's not very satisfying, however, when your circumstances changed so dramatically in the space of a few months that the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game suddenly seemed to be within reach. That's where the Terps found themselves on Saturday night at Byrd Stadium, facing Florida State with a chance to advance into an Atlantic Division showdown with North Carolina State next week for a spot in the conference title game.

The Atlantic Coast Conference's coordinator of officials on Sunday backed the replay decision that sustained a contested fourth-quarter interception by Florida State in the Seminoles' 30-16 victory over Maryland. Coordinator Doug Rhoads said in an interview that while "it looks like the ball may have moved," there was not enough evidence that it was trapped to reverse the call. The interception by cornerback Greg Reid gave Florida State possession at the Maryland 43 with the Seminoles ahead, 20-16.

COLLEGE PARK -- One week before its "game of the century" against Notre Dame, Florida State came to Maryland last October with a No. 1 ranking and a "get it over with" attitude. jTC Apathy ran high among the Seminoles, with one exception: It was the biggest game of the year for Danny Kanell.It was Kanell's turn at second-team quarterback when Florida State came to Maryland last year, so he got the start when coach Bobby Bowden decided to rest Charlie Ward."Some of our guys were overlooking Maryland," Kanell said, "but I know I did all I could.

ATLANTA -- Charlie Ward's return to the Florida State basketball team will be put off a few days, Seminoles coach Pat Kennedy said during yesterday's Atlantic Coast Conference weekly teleconference.The Heisman Trophy quarterback and starting point guard was expected back for Florida State's game against Maryland a week from tonight in College Park, but now it appears he won't play until a week from Saturday against North Carolina State.Ward's return was delayed by a bruised left shoulder suffered in the Seminoles' 18-16 Orange Bowl win over Nebraska.

Maryland was nearing the end of its 2-10 season a year ago when a fan asked coach Ralph Friedgen why more Terps games weren't being televised. "To be honest with you, we've got to win more games," the coach replied. A year later, Friedgen and the fan both got their wishes. Maryland (7-3, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) has more than tripled its win total from last year. Its game against Florida State (7-3, 5-2 ACC) Saturday night to try to remain in its ACC divisional race will be televised by ABC in prime time.

Soccer Clarksville woman pleads guilty in Davies crash A Clarksville woman pleaded guilty in Alexandria, Va., federal court Tuesday to two alcohol-related charges in connection with a one-car crash that killed University of Maryland classmate Ashley J. Roberta , 22, in October 2009 and severely injured U.S. star forward Charlie Davies . Maria Alejandra Espinoza , 23, faces sentencing Feb.18 before U.S. District Judge ...