Florida State Seminoles vs BYU Cougars Football Preview

The hope that many Florida State fans felt going into last week’s matchup against Oklahoma was soon crushed after a heartbreakingly lopsided loss. Many fans were left questioning the direction of the program, the effectiveness of the new coaches, and the decision to switch head coaches after the end of the 2009 season. What happened to their Heisman-hopeful quarterback and what caused his meltdown? Many of those questions were answered by quarterback Christian Ponder, who promised to “never have another game like this again” in his weekly press conference. His promise will be put to the test this week as the Brigham Young Cougars (1–1) visit Doak Campbell Stadium in the Seminoles’ third game of the season.

The Cougars are coming off a disappointing loss to Air Force last week, a wobbly performance that has left many analysts with a lack of faith in this young and evolving BYU team. The once-strong team that defeated Oklahoma last year has been left without a clear offensive threat, and the Air Force face-plant has raised numerous questions about the future of the program in Provo. Nevertheless, Florida State (1–1) will face a Cougar team that will be out to prove its legitimacy as a Mountain West Conference championship contender.

For Florida State, many have been disappointed by the performance of senior quarterback and Heisman hopeful Christian Ponder. In his first two games of the season he’s completed just 23 of 42 passes for 280 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. While the Seminole running game (led by Jermaine Thomas and Ty Jones) has improved since last year, the offense still rests on Ponder’s shoulders. As the nation saw last weekend in Norman, Oklahoma, if Ponder has a dismal game, the entire offense falls flat.

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