Deion Sanders In Running For HOF And Barnhart Picks

Former FSU All-American Deion Sanders is one of 75 former college players on the ballot for the 2008 hall of fame class that will be announced Wednesday during a noon press conference in New York City. Defensive lineman Ron Simmons, FSU's first two-time consensus All-American at FSU , is also on the ballot. Simmons (1977-80) was considered to be Bobby Bowden's first nationally visible signee.
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Tony Barnhart, Mr. College Football at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, says FSU and Georgia Tech represent the best of their respective divisions. His picks in the Atlantic Division:
1) Florida State
2) Clemson
3) Wake Forest
4) Boston College
5) Maryland
6) NC State

"They Have Me Excited"

"Whether that's 10 with a bowl game or 11 with a bowl game, that's what I would want to happen. They have me excited. I think the quarterbacks will play better; the offensive line will play better. I think they will be more balanced on the offense. I think Chuck Amato on defense will be an impact and will create a nice working relationship with Mickey (Andrews) like the old days and (it) will result in a few more wins."
Terry Bowden commenting on the upcoming football season

Noles Get Sweep As Rosen Gets 12 Ks

Second-ranked Florida State (42-9, 20-4) earned its first three-game road sweep of the season as the Seminoles held on for a 3-2 victory over Maryland (25-27, 7-20) on Sunday afternoon at Shipley Field on the campus of the University of Maryland. FSU starter Danny Rosen struck out a career-high 12 batters in 7.1 innings as the junior right hander picked up his first win for the Seminoles as a starter.

Rosen faced just two batters over the minimum through the first seven innings as he gave up just two hits while striking out 11. He struck out three batters in the first and third innings and set down the final two batters in the seventh on strikes. He started the eighth striking out Will Greenberg as he set the season-high for strikeouts in a ball game by a Seminole pitcher passing Bryan Henry, who struck out 11 against Tennessee back on opening day.

Ouch! Noles Throttle Terrapins

A season-high in hits plus a solid performance by starter Michael Hyde (9-2) gave second-ranked Florida State (41-7, 19-4) its eighth consecutive ACC series win with a 20-5 victory over Maryland (25-26, 7-19) on Saturday afternoon at Shipley Field. On an unusual cool May afternoon on the campus of the University of Maryland, the Seminoles kept things warm pounding out 26 hits on eight doubles and one home run. Florida State has now won 29 straight over the Terrapins and 21 in a row at Shipley Field.

Shortstop Mark Hallberg became the first Seminole this season to record five hits in a ball game, while every Seminole in the starting line-up recorded a hit in game two. Hallberg's five-hit performance was the first since Tony McQuade went 5-for-5 against the Miami Hurricanes on April 20, 2003.

Mark Gildea was a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI's and Brandon Reichert tallied five RBI's as he hit his second home run in as many days. Travis Anderson, Buster Posey and Reichert each recorded three hits, while Jason Stidham and Ruairi O'Connor both got a pair.

It was the fourth game this year that the Seminoles have reached the 20-hit plateau. The 26 hits was also the most recorded in a conference game by FSU since 2004 when the Garnet and Gold pounded out 27 against Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, a game in which the Seminoles won 27-3.

Long Balls Rule As FSU Defeats Terrapins

Long ball was the name of the game on Friday night at Shipley Field on the campus of the University of Maryland as Florida State hit six home runs to take a 9-3 victory in game one. Five Seminoles registered a home run including designated hitter Travis Anderson who hit two to pace FSU to its 28th straight win over Maryland including 20 in a row on the Terps' home turf. Bryan Henry remained perfect on the year with his 12th win in 14 starts.

The six home runs hit by Florida State were the most since equaling that amount in a 27-3 victory over Wake Forest in Winston-Salem back on May 21, 2004. Anderson became the second Seminole to hit two home runs in a ball game this year as Tony Thomas, Jr. hit a pair in games one and three against Duke. Of the 41 home runs hit by Florida State in 2007, 25 have come away from the friendly confines of Mike Martin Field.

ACC Football And Clemson Violations

Atlantic Coast Conference football coverage on FSN South and SportSouth kicks off with a spring football edition of ACC All-Access hosted by reporter Heather Catlin. ACC All-Access debuts Tuesday, May 8 at 6:30 p.m. ET on FSN South and Wednesday, May 9 at 10 p.m. ET on SportSouth.

Reporter Paul Crane highlights all 12 conference squads in a spring football round-up and provides key insight and commentary on the Atlantic and Coastal Divisions.
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Clemson revealed seven NCAA secondary violations Friday, including an instance in which an athlete's brother received free transportation, lodging and meals from an athletic booster while attending one of his sibling's road games last September.

That was among the two most serious, Level I violations the athletic department reported directly to the NCAA between July 1 and Feb. 1, according to documents released by the school. The names of those involved and the teams were not released, as per school policy, sports information director Tim Bourret said.

FSU On The Road Against Maryland

MARYLAND SERIES

Florida State ventures north to face Maryland in a three-game conference set beginning Friday, May 4. FSU leads the all-time series 48-3, including a 20-1 record in games played in College Park. The Seminoles enter this weekend's series winners of 27 straight games over the Terrapins including 19 consecutive victories on Maryland's home turf. The Terps last victory over Florida State came on March 26, 1998 in Tallahassee. Maryland defeated FSU 5-2 back on May 2, 1993 in the Terps' lone home win over the Seminoles. Florida State has won all 15 series against Maryland since joining the ACC in 1992. FSU's .941 winning percentage over Maryland is the second highest among ACC opponents trailing only Boston College, who the Seminoles have defeated in all six games since the Eagles joined the conference in 2006.

THE TERRAPINS IN 2007

Maryland currently sits in sixth place in the Atlantic Division with a league mark of 7-17. The Terrapins moved back to .500 on the season with a 1-0 shutout over Towson on Tuesday. They faced Maryland Eastern Shore in a mid-week match-up on Wednesday. Maryland has lost six of its last seven games including five straight in ACC play. The Terps finish their regular season schedule at home with a pair of three-game sets against Florida State and North Carolina. Maryland is 13-8 overall at Shipley Field and 3-6 in league play. AJ Casario leads the team in batting with a .320 average, while Mike Murphy and Dan Melvin are tied for the team lead with five home runs. Roger Clemens Award Watch List candidate Brett Cecil heads up the Maryland pitching staff as he leads the team with five wins, eight saves and 53 strikeouts.

AGAINST THE TERRAPINS

Jack Rye and Tony Thomas, Jr. are the only two players on the 2007 roster that has played in all six games against Maryland over the past two seasons. Rye is a career .316 (6-for-19) hitter against the Terrapins with a double, two runs scored and two RBI's. Thomas has also collected six career hits against Maryland.

On the mound, the Seminole pitching staff has posted an ERA of 2.67 the last two years. Bryan Henry is 2-0 as a starter throwing seven innings in each of his two starts. Michael Hyde and Brian Chambers are the only other pitchers on the current staff to have at least two appearances against Maryland. Luke Tucker earned two saves in as many appearances last year pitching a combined two innings of shutout baseball. He gave up just one hit and struck out two over those two innings of work.

FLORIDA STATE IN ACC PLAY

Florida State is 17-4 in the ACC and has won all seven, three-game series to start the 2007 season. The series against Maryland is the fourth three-game set on the road for the Seminoles this season. FSU is 6-3 away from home in 2007 collecting series victories over Duke, NC State and Miami. The Seminoles have posted series sweeps against Wake Forest, Boston College and Virginia Tech. With the two victories over Miami last weekend, Florida State surpassed last year's ACC win total of 16. Since joining the league in 1992, FSU is the only team in the ACC to post 14 or more league wins in each of the last 16 seasons. The school record for the most ACC victories in a season is 22 set in 1999 that year the Seminoles finished league play at 22-2. The Seminoles lost at home for the first time in league play to North Carolina and now stand with a record of 11-1 in Dick Howser Stadium. FSU started a season 9-0 at home for the fifth time overall and for the first time since 2002. In 2001 and 2002, the Seminoles went undefeated at home in conferece play posting a perfect 12-0 record. This year Florida State won its first seven conference games before falling at Duke in game two of the series. It was the Seminoles' best start in ACC play since 1999 when the Garnet and Gold started 13-0. Since joining the ACC in 1992, FSU started league play winning its first six games just three times.

THE PROBABLE STARTERS FOR FLORIDA STATE

FRIDAY: Senior Bryan Henry will make his 14th start of the season, all on Friday, as Florida State travels to face Maryland for its fourth road conference series of the season. Henry is 11-0 on the year with an ERA of 2.45. He earned his sixth consecutive ACC victory last weekend at Miami, but not before getting some offensive help from his teammates in the top of the ninth to cap a four-run come-from-behind victory over the Hurricanes. Henry pitched eight innings allowing six runs, four earned, on eight hits. He struck out eight while walking just one. The senior right hander has now posted at least seven or more strikeouts in nine of his last 13 starts this season and in eight of his last nine outings. The Tallahassee, Fla., native also pitched eight innings of four hit ball against North Carolina two weeks ago. Against Boston College, Henry also pitched eight innings allowing one run on four hits while striking out 10. He has allowed a run or less in eight of his 13 starts this season. Henry has pitched a season-high eight innings four times this season including consecutive back-to-back games against North Carolina and Miami. He kept Indiana scoreless on six hits, while giving up one run on four hits to both BC and UNC. He has worked three games this year where he has pitched at least six innings without issuing a free pass. Henry has made 25 career starts against league opponents posting a career record of 15-5 with an ERA of 2.73. He has registered 145 strikeouts against ACC teams and just 43 walks. In 2007, Henry is 6-0 in six ACC starts throwing 49 innings and posting an ERA of 2.76. His strikeout to walk ratio is 3.86 to 1 in league play this season. Henry is 2-0 in two career starts against Maryland. Two years ago in College Park, Henry led the Seminoles to a 7-2 victory as he threw seven innings allowing one run on four hits and three strikeouts.

Noles Get Another Verbal Commitment for 2008

The Noles have grabbed their eighth verbal commitment for 2008.Defensive tackle Moses McCray (6-foot-4, 270 pounds) of Tampa Middleton High becomes the seventh high-school prospect to commit to FSU since last month's spring game.

McCray, the seventh defensive player to commit to FSU, confirmed his decision late Wednesday. He said opportunity on FSU's defensive line after the 2007 season figured into his decision. So did defensive-line coach Odell Haggins, who recruited him.

“I've been a 'Nole fan since I was little," McCray said. "(Haggins) is from the same area (Bartow). He's a religious man. He's real cool and nice. He's a good person.”

Henry And Thomas Nominated For Awards

Bryan Henry and Tony Thomas, Jr., were recognized on Tuesday, May 1 for their outstanding play thus far in 2007 as they were named semifinalists for both the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy.

As Florida State's Friday starter all season long, Henry has led the Seminoles on the mound posting a perfect 11-0 mark in 13 starts. He ranks first in the ACC and is tied for second nationally in wins. The senior right-hander currently leads Florida State in games started (13), wins, innings pitched (84.1) and strikeouts (88) while holding opponents to a .227 batting average. The Tallahassee, Fla., native has given up a run or less in eight of his 13 starts, while posting seven or more strikeouts in four straight games and in nine of his 13 starts. Henry has earned ACC Pitcher of the Week and Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week honors once this season.

"It's an honor," said Henry. "These are the top players in the country and to have my name associated with them is definitely special. This has been something that I've worked hard for, so hopefully I can continue to get better and help our team win."

Thomas ranks in the top five nationally in three offensive categories, while leading the ACC in a total of eight offensive categories. Through 46 games this season, Thomas has already surpassed his previous season-highs during his freshman and sophomore seasons in runs scored (70), hits (86), doubles (25), triples (6), home runs (8), total bases (147) and stolen bases (21). The junior second baseman has reached base safely in 45 of 46 games this season, while six of his team-leading eight home runs in 2007 have come on the road. Thomas, a native of Valrico, Fla., has been named ACC Player of the Week three times this season, while earning National Player of the Week recognition from Louisville Slugger and the NCBWA.

"It is just a big accomplishment to be named a semifinalist," said Thomas. "It's a great achievement; hopefully I can continue doing what I have been doing throughout the season and to help this team achieve our ultimate goals."

"Under The Lights" Set To Air

Press Release for Sun Sports Special:

Back for the second consecutive year, Sun Sports' acclaimed UNDER THE LIGHTS: SEMINOLES SPRING FOOTBALL is a one-of-a-kind television show that is sure to have FSU football fans pumped up for this coming fall. Not only does the show offer early insight from the players and coaches on the `Noles upcoming season, it also offers fans a backstage pass to the unique sights and sounds from FSU spring football in Tallahassee. It's a show unlike any other offering rare access with players wearing microphones during scrimmages and letting fans see and hear first-hand what goes on. Sun Sports goes inside the locker room, into the conditioning room, around campus and closer to the action, uncovering the personalities of players and coaches.

Hosted by Sun Sports' Tom Block, this season's UNDER THE LIGHTS: SEMINOLES SPRING FOOTBALL begins by introducing fans to the new, and some familiar, faces on the FSU coaching staff. Jimbo Fisher, offensive coordinator, and Rick Trickett, offensive line coach, are charged with reinvigorating the offense and fans will hear from them first-hand and watch as they guide players through spring practice. Viewers will also hear from former FSU players and now members of Head Coach Bobby Bowden's coaching staff, Dexter Carter and Lawrence Dawsey, as well as Chuck Amato, who has returned to FSU as executive associate head coach and linebackers coach.

Finally, it's time for the big game - the annual Garnet & Gold game. UNDER THE LIGHTS®: SEMINOLES SPRING FOOTBALL follows all the excitement from the tailgaters in the parking lot, to the mood in the locker room during pre-game preparations, to the action on the field. Rolle and receiver De'Cody Fagg wear microphones during the game so fans can listen in.

UNDER THE LIGHTS: SEMINOLE SPRING FOOTBALL premieres statewide 5/4, 6pm with replays scheduled on Sun Sports 5/7, 11:30am; 5/13, 3:30pm; 5/15, 5pm; 5/18, 6pm; 5/21, 9pm; 5/22, 4pm; 5/28, 11:30am; 6/3, 1pm; and 6/11, 11:30am (ET).

Rimington Nominees And USC-Virginia Game

Georgia Tech center Kevin Tuminello has been named to the Spring Watch List for the 2007 Rimington Trophy as the nation's top center.

A senior from Youngstown, Ohio, Tuminello enters his third season as the starting center for the Yellow Jackets. He has helped Tech to productive rushing offenses the last two years, paving the way for Atlantic Coast Conference rushing leader Tashard Choice in 2006.
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The Virginia football team will open its 2008 season at home against Southern California on Aug. 30 at Scott Stadium both schools announced today. Virginia will play the second game in the series during the 2010 season at The Los Angeles Coliseum on September 11. The 2008 match-up will be the first meeting between the Cavaliers and Trojans in football.

"The opportunity to open the 2008 season at home against a team of this caliber is truly exciting," said Executive Associate Director of Athletics Jon Oliver. "Coach Groh has worked hard to create a great college football atmosphere at Scott Stadium and our fans have been tremendous in supporting this effort. They deserve to see this type of game. I can promise we will introduce a couple of game day initiatives to support the excitement around the game."

The game marks a rare trek by USC to an Atlantic Coast Conference venue. The only previous occurrence was in 1998 when USC played at Florida State and lost 30-10 at Doak Campbell Stadium. The Trojans have played at current ACC member schools Miami (1966, L 10-7), Georgia Tech (1973, W 23-6) and Boston College (1988, W 34-7), but none of those games took place while their football programs were members of the ACC.
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University of North Carolina senior center Scott Lenahan has been named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List. The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the nation's top center. Former Tar Heel Jason Brown was a finalist for the award in 2004.

Lenahan started 11 of 12 games last season. The 6-1, 290-pound senior from Marietta, Ga., played on the first-team offense during the spring under new head coach Butch Davis. He will compete with Ben Lemming for the starting spot this fall.

Bobby Bowden Response To Warren Appeal

Bobby Bowden was not present at the Brandon Warren hearing last Friday. He did however submit a letter which in part said:

""When Brandon came by my office in January 2007 to tell me he wanted to transfer from FSU, I told him I would not even consider it. If players are allowed to break a contract whenever they wish, we do not need the national letter-of-intent. Without it, we would allow unscrupulous coaches to steal players from other schools. It would cost thousands of dollars every time this occurs.

"I would like to see Brandon become a man and honor his commitment."

I agree. Commitments and your word should mean something.