| Duke coach David Cutcliffe (blue hat) received a Gatorade shower after the Blue Devils beat rival North Carolina on a last-minute touchdown Saturday night. The win gave Duke its first bowl berth since 1994. (Chuck Liddy/News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) / October 23, 2012) |
TALLAHASSEE -- Another Tuesday morning is upon us. We are now one more day closer to Florida State's final game before next week's "Bye."
Speaking of the off week, we will have a story later this week on the impact of having such a late bye week. FSU coach Jimbo Fisher was pretty adamant late Saturday night about wishing it could have come earlier in the season. Following the Seminoles' physical, draining 33-20 win over Duke, he could sense where the long road thus far had beaten down his team.
But, like it or not, he and players do realize that they still have another week to go before their bodies can be rested, and their minds relaxed and away from the daily football grind for a few days.
That's because this week, they have a true test ahead of them.
This week, it's all about the Duke Blue Devils.
Much like FSU shocked the ACC in men's basketball last season, the Blue Devils have been the surprise conference darlings in football this year. Of course, FSU's hoops team was expected to compete near the top of the conference pack last season even before claiming its first ACC title. The Blue Devils, though, in football at least, haven't had a six-win season since 1994.
That all changed Saturday night when they beat rival North Carolina, 33-30, on a last-minute touchdown.
For the first time in 18 years, the Blue Devils were bowl eligible. At at 3-1 in the ACC's abysmally poor Coastal Division, they are very much in control of their conference destiny. There still is a very real chance that they could represent the division at the ACC Championship game in Charlotte, N.C. the first weekend of December.
There's ?very real chance FSU could represent the Atlantic Division there, too. For that reason, some are terming the regular-season game the two are playing Saturday afternoon in Tallahassee a precursor to what could come later this year.
As for being bowl eligible and remaining this late in the season in the conference championship discussion, Duke coach David Cutcliffe over the weekend said that after five years of trying to make all of that happen, there is a "burden gone."
Check out the story that references that quote and a few other links down below:
---Cutcliffe's comment about the burden being gone was part of this blog from the News & Observer's (Raleigh, N.C.) Laura Keeley, who also has a couple of links in it to columns and features about the construction of this six-win team. This moment of relief was initiated on a winter day in 2007, she wrote. Back when Cutcliffe, a former SEC sideline general was hired by the Blue Devils, it had been his intention to turn around the school's fledgling program as soon as he could.
Once you read all of that, you'll know why Cutcliffe is quick to say "there is a burden gone."
---Thanks to last weekend's win, the Blue Devils earned their share of praise and attention from the ACC and abroad. Multiple Blue Devils earned player of the week honors and the team itself was recognized as the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Team of the Week, as recognized by the Football Writers Association of America. You can read about those accomplishments in this by The Herald-Sun's (Durham, N.C.) Steve Wiseman.
---One more link for you on the Blue Devils (and this actually comes from a website). Our friends at the ACC Sports Journal have this column from Barry Jacobs, who writes that at long last, Duke is relevant on the gridiron. For the first time in many Octobers, the chatter on the Durham end of Tobacco Road isn't about Mike Krzyzewski's basketball team. There is a buzz about what the football Blue Devils are doing. For the people living in North Carolina, it's a welcomed buzz.
---Finally, turning our attention back to FSU, here are a couple of stories from the Orlando Sentinel that you may have missed Monday night.
The first is about running back Chris Thompson, who received the unsettling news Sunday afternoon that he had torn the ACL in his left knee. The senior's season -- and possibly college career -- is over. While the NFL remains a possibility, the fact of the matter is, the Seminoles are about to be without one of their veteran leaders who many turn to as a voice of inspiration, guidance and understanding. The thing is, he'll continue to be all of those things. Much like he did after breaking vertebrae in his back last season, Thompson was around his teammates much of Monday. In meeting rooms and at practice. He was there with his new crutches.
---Next is this story on the ACC's reprimand of officials. After the crew handling Saturday's FSU-Miami game messed up a 10-second run-off that occurred near the end of the first half, the conference slapped each official with letters of reprimand. The crew chief, David Epperley, was suspended.
While Seminoles fans are rejoicing because of that, most also are bitter that no action was taken on what they feel were other instances of questionable officiating. There were three of four pass interference penalties that they were upset about, as well as a few other poor calls. In all, FSU was penalized 12 times.
The crew at the North Carolina-Duke game also was disciplined for not seeing a blatant personal foul as a Tar Heels defender intentionally blindsided a Blue Devils receiver as the players were jogging into position for a play.?
---Lastly, there is this blog (returning back to Chris Thompson) from Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi, who argues Thompson and other college athletes deserve better. The running back put his career, his livelihood, his body, on the line for the game and for FSU. Bianchi argues cases like Thompson's proves even more that college athletes need compensation for their play.
Email me at coharvey@orlandosentinel.com, and follow on Twitter at @os_coleyharvey.
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