Florida State University - Renegade / Tally Ho Yearbook (Tallahassee, FL)

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In the pouring rain, Casey Weldon hands the ball off to third-team fullback Paul Moore. Because of Edgar Bennett ' s in- jury, Moore entered the game and had 23 yards rushing. A.fter getting a four-inch lacera- tion in his knee, center Robbie Baker is wheeled off the field. He came back, however, for the last four plays of the game. Seminoles Toy with Tigers As the number one learn, the Seminoles had lo prove themselves every Saturday. Down m a ramy Death Valley, LSU almost pulled off an upset, but the Tribe overcame hardships to stage a 27- 16 come-from- behmd win. LSU started the scoring, with a 63-yard pass mto the endzone withm the hrst minute of play. On their first possession, Weldon threw an 8-yard pass to Lonnie Johnson, who fumbled the ball. LSU recovered and capitalized by kicking a field goal. The Seminole offense could not get going, and LSU kicker Pedro Suarez once again kicked for 3. Amp Lee dove into the endzone for the Seminole first score, but the Tigers had another field goal, making the halfiime score 16-7. The momentum changed with the second half, as the tribe scored on its first possession with a 22- yard pass from Weldon to Lee. During the fourth quarter, William Floyd and Lee both scored touchdowns, making the final score 27-16. The defense completely shut down LSU in the second half, allowing no scoring by the Tigers. Marvin Jones led the defense with 14 tackles. Marvin Jones made some plays that you make on ability, things you can ' t coach. He played really well, Bobby Bowden said. Although ram, questionable calls and a number of injuries produced problems for the Tribe, ihey were able to overcom.e and pull off another victory, improving their season record to 8-0. Joanna Sparkman I ' liolo by Ryals l.cc Une of several players injured, Casey Weldon consults with team physician Dr. Henderson before returning to the game. Casey Weldon I knew all of our guys could do the job but I was I wondering, what else could go wrong. The rain, the inju- ries, and the officiating, It was unbelievable. This was definitely a character win. J - Sports- 107

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Bobby ' s Sweet 16 The Seminoles faced the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee State for the annual Homecoming game. The victory enabled the Seminoles to sustain their number one rank. The Seminoles began with a 63 yard scoring play and a TD catch for Shannon Baker. After a Gerry Thomas PAT, they rose above the Blue Raiders. That v as a big one. We scored on the first series and I got to kick. The nerves were there, Thomas said. Dan Mowrey landed a 24 yard field goal and Amp Lee ran a two yard TD vv ' hich increased the Seminole lead 17-7. In the second half, Weldon connected with Kevin Knox v ith a 38 yard pass and Shannon Baker danced into the endzone again, making it a 27-10 lead. With 7:56 left, Weldon stepped out v ith 20-for-33, 294 yards, and two TD ' s. This v as one of those days v hen we v eren ' t too sharp, but we came up with the win and that ' s what matters, Weldon said. Brad Johnson entered the game and launched a 34 yard pass to Marquette Smith vhich the freshman completed for a 39-10 Seminole score. This v in was the sixteenth straight Homecoming victory for Coach Bobby Bowden. Amy Shinn t-M. Hs ' MA fr ' gxXri ' - f photo by Zulma Crespo L efensive players Sterling Palmer and John Davis tackle Mid. Tennessee ' s Joe Campbell. it ' s a case where human nature takes over, not to put an all out effort when you ' re favored by so much. You have a tendency to hold back. It ' s something that happens. OWN BUT NOT OUT Death Valley was an inappropriate nickname for the LSU stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Injury Valley would have been more accurate. In addition to battling rain, referees and a halftime deficit, the Tribe dealt with injuries to several first-string players. Center Robbie Baker received the first injury, a four-inch gash in his knee. Amazingly, he returned for the final four plays of the game. Almost immediately after that episode, offensive tackle Kevin Mancini went down, also with an injured knee. From then on, the situation got worse. Fullback Edgar Bennett and v ide receiver Kevin Knox -were both sidelined with shoulder injuries. Offensive guard Reggie Dixon also had shoulder problems but stayed in the game. Casey Weldon found his name added to the injury list with a troubled knee. Struggling with an opponent they expected to handle easily, the Tribe already faced adverse conditions — a flooding field and questionable calls by the officials. Now they put almost the entire second-team offensive line in a close game. Jeff Deremer, John Flath, Eric Gibbs and Patrick McNeil rose to the challenge and helped the offense score on the next drive. The Seminoles took the victory 27-16, keeping their season record untarnished at 9-0. Brad Scott, offensive line coach, was impressed with the team. IVe probably never been more proud of a group than I am of the second-team line for the way they played with the game on the line. They had the character and determination to go out there and get the job done, Scott said. However, the team had to prepare for the next battle against Louisville. Many wondered who v as out for the week and possibly the season. Jeff Deremer played in place of Robbie Baker. Eric Gibbs and Reggie Dixon both substituted for Mancini, and Brad Johnson stepped in at quarterback . The next game was against South Carolina, and the only starter who remained on the bench was Kevin Mancini, who opted for rehabilitation in order to prepare for the upcoming Miami game. BY JOANNA SPARKMAN Photo by Ryals Lee Photo by Ryals Lee 106 -Shorts

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Cold War in Kentucky The Seminoles ran their record to 9-0 and extended the nation ' s longest winning streak to 15 games with a 40- 1 5 win over the Louisville Cardinals on a cold winter s night in Kentucky. The tribe received fine performances from a variety of players. The defense forced seven turnovers, collected six sacks, and held Louisville to 35 yards on the ground. Brad Johnson started as quarterback for an injured Casey Weldon. Johnson completed 16 of 26 passes for 190 yards and a TD. The defense set up three of the Seminoles ' first four scores. Marvin Jones ' interception at the Cardinal 23 set up the first touchdown. Leading 10- 3, Terrell Buckley snared a Cardinal pass to lead to another field goal and a 13-3 lead. Buckley ' s second interception of the game set up a touchdown that gave the Seminoles a 20-3 advantage. The defense closed out the scoring with a big play. Chris Cowart completed a 17 yard interception run late m the game which provided the final margin. The defense played the primary role m this game. We had a real aggressive pass rush and that made a lot of big plays, said Coach Bobby Bowden. Chris Walker photo by Bucky Parrish Amp Lee makes his way past a Cardinal defender, William Blackford. Lee was one of the few first-stringers playing. H PI BRAD Johnson p One of the biggest things that ' s helped me is just sitting back and watching Casey, how he ' s performed and the things he does. I try to add that to my game sometimes. goiNG Did parents really travel to see their boys play ball? You bet! My mother, father, brother and sister come up from Fort Myers to all of the games, and depending on how far It IS, sometimes they attend the away games as well, center Robbie Baker said. Some parents lived far away which made it difficult for them to come to games. Brad Johnson ' s parents hved in Black Mountain, North Carolina, which was a nine hour drive. Brad ' s dad went to all the home games. His mom tried to go also, but she ' s a high school assistant principal and was expected to attend their games as well. It ' s great to see them at the games when they can both make it, Johnson said. For some parents, watching the tackling and roughness was a worrisome experience. I really worry about Casey getting hurt, Diane Weldon, Casey ' s mother, said. At the LSU game, his father and 1 were very concerned. I remember Casey telling me he was scared, not because he was m pain from his knee injury, but because he thought he ' d never be able to play football again. Once 1 saw Casey ' s smile though, 1 knew he would be O.K. Practicing for games takes a lot of time, which left little room for school work. Even though football practice is very demanding, Dan has done well with his grades, Ron Mowrey, Dan ' s father said. Certain incidents made specihc games memorable for parents. The Syracuse game was especially exciting for our family. 1 remember seeing my son kick the field goal that put FSU ahead. I was so proud of Dan, Mr, Mowrey said. 1 remember seeing Casey getting tackled rather hard in the Miami game. 1 was petrihed because it was right after his knee injury, so I yelled ' get off of him ' over and over and eventually everyone around me joined in the chant, Mrs. Weldon said. It seemed that a high-ranked football team would be all glitz and glamour, but that was not true. After the Michigan game, we got some really nasty and hateful messages on our phone. It was distressing for Dan, but he got himself together and went on with his life, Mr. Mowrey said. He also said that too much emphasis is put on winning. ' Winning the game is nice, but it is not all that important to parents. They are proud of their sons no matter what. Dan ' s father summed up the general feeUngs of all parents by saying, the thrill you get when you see the mighty Seminole football team come onto the field is immeasurable! BY Sally Chasey K.ihirt Parker 108 - Sports-