Coach talks FSU in weekly press luncheon
As the favored Florida State Seminoles roll into Folsom Field this Saturday, Sept. 15th, Head Coach Dan Hawkins and the 2007-08 Colorado Buffaloes will be eager for their arrival. The Buffaloes’ main concern for the Seminoles is stopping their electrifying speed.
“They can all run, particularly as you look at them on defense. Their front four get all motor. You look at all 11 guys on defense and they all can run,” Hawkins said in a press luncheon on Tuesday.
Florida State, while showing impressive speed, has been under scrutiny since the start of the 2000 season. Florida State was one of the most impressive college football programs in the 1990s, and they’ve boasted only 13 losses during the past 10 seasons. Since 2000 that number has jumped to 29, the most recent being the season-opening 24-18 loss against Clemson. Despite the downward trend, Florida State is still viewed as a national powerhouse while Colorado seems to be left in the dark.
“We just got to be very detailed and execute. You’ve got a lot of guys who can run the ball on defense, and you need to be real aggressive about what you’re doing.”
The last time the Buffaloes faced the Seminoles was in September 2003, when Colorado suffered a crushing 47-7 loss in Tallahassee. Florida State’s record against the entire Big XII conference is 15-11, with only Oklahoma (4-1) and Baylor (2-1) holding the edge over FSU. The only two teams Florida State hasn’t faced from the Big XII are Missouri and Texas. Despite FSU’s impressive record, Coach Hawkins remains as enthusiastic as ever.
“I’ve never been intimidated by who’ve we played against or who we’ve coached against. But by the same token, as you play against someone who you don’t necessarily know or who hasn’t played you in a long time, you don’t disrespect him, either.”
Respect has always been a crucial part to the Hawkins regime, not just for other opponents, but on his own team.
“I think that they are feeling like if we go out and play like we can play, we can compete with anybody, but also that the margin of error is pretty slim. It is much more on us, and that is really positive this year.”
Contact Staff Writer Justin Sedgwick at justin.sedgwick@thecampuspress.com.
