Despite the departure of legendary head coach Bobby Bowden, Florida State football has a lot to look forward to this fall.  Much of this optimism starts with new head coach Jimbo Fisher and the talent he has on offense.  College FootBlog takes an in-depth look at the Seminole offense, and when analyzing the 2010 FSU offense, it is quite evident that Fisher may be putting a winning formula together that helped LSU win a national championship in 2003.

In this edition of College FootBlog, we take a closer look at four specific areas that Fisher and the FSU staff have focused on, and we compare those areas to the successful season he had in Baton Rouge a few years ago.

For the first time since arriving at Tallahassee, Jimbo Fisher has two things that made his dominant offenses at LSU go, and he has two things he didn’t have in his time as Nick Saban’s offensive coordinator for the Tigers.  Let’s start with the things he didn’t have while at LSU.

If Senior QB Christian Ponder stays healthy, he should make a serious run at the Heisman this fall (google images)

A Heisman Trophy-caliber quarterback

Fisher had a solid QB in 2003 for the National Champions, but Matt Mauck was far from a Heisman hopeful.  Fisher is known for his ability to develop quarterbacks, and he has done a fine job so far with Ponder.  If Ponder can put up over 300 yards/game with a 4:1 TD/Int ratio (which is what he was doing last season until his injury in week 9), sportswriters will have to take notice.  And more importantly, for Fisher and FSU fans, that will likely translate to a solid season.

Christian Ponder enters his third full year as the starting signal-caller for the ‘Noles.  If one of two variables worked out in his favor last season, he would be mentioned by all major sports writers as a logical choice for a preseason candidate for the coveted award.  Those variables that were out of Ponder’s control were:  1)  Ponder separated his shoulder at Clemson last season, ending his season after eight games, missing the final three regular season games and  2)  FSU’s defense was downright atrocious last season and was the key contributor to another .500 season.  This season, as long as the defense improves, that should translate to more wins, which should keep Ponder on the national radar screen.

FSU should have the best offensive line in the ACC and one of the best in the nation

At LSU, Fisher had a solid O-line, but he did not have Rick Trickett, who is arguably the best offensive line coach in the country, and he did not have a combined 142 starts from their OL.  What was supposed to be a weakness for FSU three years ago, when Trickett was forced to start three true freshmen and two sophomores, not only ended up being a strength of the team, but it also established the base for a deep and battle-tested O-line going into this season.  FSU will send two seniors who are on the Outland Trophy watch list and three talented juniors.  One of those juniors, left tackle Andrew Datko, is up to 300 lbs now, after starting as a true freshman at a hair under 270. 

This kind of talent and experience in the trenches will give Fisher and Trickett a lot to work with and bodes well with a difficult game against Oklahoma in Norman in their second game of the season. 

Now let’s take a look at what Fisher finally has this year that he had at LSU, but has not had the luxury of in his short time in Tallahassee:

Diversity at wide receiver

From the moment he and receivers coach Lawrence Dawsey stepped foot on campus, they have attempted to overhaul the WR corps.  Primarily through recruiting, Fisher and Dawsey finally have a similar variety of wide outs that fit Fisher’s scheme.  On the 2003 National Championship team, Fisher had a nice blend of size (Michael Clayton, 6’4,” 215lbs., Dwayne Bowe, 6’2′” 221 lbs.) and speed and illusiveness (Devery Henderson, Skyler Green, etc.).

It is no coincidence that FSU’s wide outs are looking very similar these days.  Junior receiver Jarmon Fortson checks in at 6’3,” 221 lbs., and sophomores Willie Haulstead and Rodney Smith are 6’3,” 215 lbs. and 6”6,” 220 lbs., respectively.  At the other end of the spectrum are 5’11″ junior Bert Reed, who is the fastest player on the roster and newcomer De’Joshua Johnson who is known for his quickness in the open field.

Sophomore RB Lonnie Pryor will line up at fullback and tailback this fall (google images)

Depth at Running Back

 In LSU’s championship season, Fisher showed had the luxury of a deep and diverse stable of running backs.  It was very common to see four or more different backs carry the ball in a game that year.  Justin Vincent and Joseph Addai were the main two backs, but there were two other running backs who had 78 or more carries that year.

Last year because of depth issues and a nagging injury to starting RB Jermaine Thomas, Fisher had to rely heavily on a pair of true freshmen–the smaller, quicker Chris Thompson and the versatile RB Lonnie Pryor.  Along with the other three backs, FSU has Ty Jones, who has shown some flashes, but more importantly, the ‘Noles have the big, physical back that has been lacking in their offense since the departure of Greg Jones.  Juco transfer Debrale Smiley checks in at 5’11″ and 237 lbs, giving Fisher a legitimate power back.  The combination and diversity of running backs, in addition to the experienced offensive line should produce a solid running game for FSU this fall.

These additions and improvements should result in an explosive offense in 2010 and ultimately put FSU back in the ACC Championship hunt.  Big non-conference games against Oklahoma, BYU and Florida give the Seminoles a legitimate shot at getting back into the national picture, after several years of underachieving.  Only time will tell, but it appears that Fisher has successfully replicated a winning formula, at least on offense.

Heading into summer workouts, the Heisman buzz for the 2010 season has already started.  While everyone seems to have players like Mark Ingram, Ryan Mallett and Terrelle Pryor on their watch lists, one name  that you will not see is Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder.  Look for that to change early in the season.

Despite a great season in ’09, college football fans outside of Tallahassee don’t really know about Ponder for two major reasons.  The signal caller  injured his throwing shoulder against Clemson and missed the final four games, which included FSU’s bowl game.   The other reason was that as good as Ponder was, the Seminole defense was worse, making FSU a .500 football team.

Before his shoulder injury last season, Ponder led the ACC's second-ranked offense (google images)

Before his injury at Clemson, Ponder’s stats was completing over 69% of his passes for just over 306 yards per game with 13 touchdowns versus only three interceptions.  In order for FSU to have their talented senior QB even make the trip to New York, at least three changes need to happen in Tallahassee.  College FootBlog will weigh in on what those possible changes and how likely they are to improve Ponder’s chances of bringing home the coveted trophy.

1.  Stay Healthy:  Although the shoulder injury in last season’s rivalry game at Clemson was by far the most severe, the fact of the matter is that Ponder has played most of his FSU career with at least one or two nagging injuries, ranging from a knee sprain all the way to cracked ribs.  That toughness is a key component of why his team looks to him to lead them, but this season, he doesn’t have to prove it.  In fact, head coach Jimbo Fisher has lectured Ponder several times on sliding more instead of taking hits when he is out of the pocket.

Will it happen?  With all five returning starters on the offensive line that includes two 4-year starters and three, 3-year starters, Ponder will be protected by the best O-line in the ACC and one of the best in the country.  More depth at running back should also help keep the pressure off.  Also, Ponder will run if needed this season, but look for Coach Fisher to get the message across this year (i.e. if Ponder lowers his shoulder during a run in 2010, he will get more than an ear-full from his coaches).

2.  Wideouts must step up:  Ponder’s numbers were far superior to last year’s Heisman finalist Tim Tebow, but his statistics could have been much better if his receivers had brought their A-game. 

Junior WR Bert Reed was probably FSU's most consistent receiver last season (google images)

Other than Bert Reed, who returns as a junior this season, every FSU wideout had a severe case of the drops at one point in the season or another.  The Seminoles lost two senior WRs this season to graduation, but the core of the group is talented and diverse, ranging from Reed, who is known for his speed and quickness, to junior Jarmon Fortson, who has drawn comparison to former ‘Nole and current Baltimore Raven Anquan Boldin because of his size (6’3″ and 221 lbs) and athleticism.

Will it happen?  It should.  For the first time since Jimbo Fisher’s arrival, he has solid depth and a nice blend of size, speed and quickness.  If Fortson struggles early on with his consistency as he did last season and during the spring, sophomores Rodney Smith (6’6″ and 220 lbs.) and Willie Haulstead (6’3″ and 215 lbs.) could easily assume his role.  The most consistent players will play.  Look for true freshman De’Joshua Johnson to compliment Reed as another speed receiver who is dangerous in space.

3.  The FSU defense needs to at least be average:  Had the ‘Noles fielded just an average defense last season, they likely would have gone to the ACC title game and had a 9 or 10-win season.  FSU was equally bad against the run and the pass last year, ranking near the bottom in the FBS in each category.  If the defense can’t keep the opposition out of the end zone, Florida State’s record will suffer, and so will Ponder’s hopes for a Heisman Trophy.  Think records don’t matter for the Heisman?  Look at Jimmy Clausen’s numbers from last year.  Despite being on national television countless times and putting up huge numbers, Clausen did not even receive a plane ticket to the ceremony last December.

Will it happen?  After the worst season of his career, legendary defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews (who many credit as much or more than Bobby Bowden for FSU’s dominance in the 90′s) retired.  While Andrews’ resume demanded respect, the others on the defensive staff did not.  Immediately after being named head coach, Jimbo Fisher completely revamped the coaching staff on the defensive side of the ball, most notably hiring two defensive coordinators to turn things around.  Mark Stoops, known for his zone schemes that produced several NFL defensive backs from Miami is the ‘Noles new defensive coordinator.  And former ECU defensive coordinator Greg Hudson takes over as the coach for the linebackers.  While these changes probably will not result in a Top 20 defense next season, there is every reason to believe it will be improved this fall.

Final Analysis:  With an improved defense, one of the nation’s best offensive lines and a deep and talented receiving corps, all signs are positive for Christian Ponder’s race for the Heisman.  As usual, the Seminoles have a difficult schedule, playing non-conference games at Oklahoma and at home against BYU and Florida.  If Ponder can lead his team to an ACC Championship and a 9 or 10-win season, the sportswriters will be forced to take notice, and Ponder’s ability and leadership will be known outside of the Tallahassee and the ACC.