Seminoles coach says team geared to be great

By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune
Published: August 31, 2012 Updated: August 31, 2012 - 12:00 AM

TALLAHASSEE There have been two Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks, NFL-ready runners and more sure-handed receivers than anyone can remember.

But the best football teams in Florida State University history are bound by a common thread.

Defense.

If the Seminoles hit their expectations this season ? winning the program's first ACC title since 2005 and making a serious national-championship run ? defense again will be the catalyst.

"We should be great," said defensive end Brandon Jenkins, who toyed with entering the NFL draft before returning for his senior season. "On paper, we shouldn't have anything to worry about. If the other guys can't score, we win."

Twelve consecutive shutouts are unlikely.

But the Seminoles have eight returning starters from a unit that was fourth in total defense last season and held seven opponents to 289 yards or less. Even with star cornerback Greg Reid dismissed from the team, FSU's outlook remains bullish.

Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher, while appreciating the talent of his defense, already has tempered the massive expectations.

"It's a trait of our society that we try to make things so good that even when you play good, you can't reach (the expectations)," Fisher said. "Everybody thinks, 'Oh my gosh, the (opponent) got a first down, you're playing bad.' Or, 'That team scored a touchdown, they're playing awful.'

"Do I think we can be a heck of a defense? Yeah. That's what we geared it to be. But I don't want to put them on a pedestal where they can't reach what really great is. They can be dominant. There's no doubt about that. They can be as good as any unit in the country. But we shouldn't make them out to be perfect. Nobody's perfect."

Up front, though, the Seminoles are pretty darn close.

With Jenkins (who has 36.5 career tackles for a loss), budding superstar sophomore defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan, junior defensive end Bjoern Werner and senior defensive tackle Everett Dawkins ? and that doesn't touch on FSU's depth ? it's easy for five-star prospect and No.?1 national prep player Mario Edwards to get lost in the shuffle.

"We come at you in waves," said junior defensive tackle Demonte McAllister of Alonso High. "We bring so much to the table. It's not like we have a bunch of fat guys who can't move. We can all run. I'm not saying we're going to shut out all the other teams, but we should definitely shut them down."

"We just need to pick up where we left off last year," Dawkins said. "I think our offense will do a great job and score a lot of points. But our mentality is that doesn't matter. It's about what we do. Worry about what we can control, and that's not giving up anything to the other team."

FSU has engineered a dramatic defensive turnaround since 2009 ? Bobby Bowden's final season, when the Seminoles were 108th nationally ? fueled by defensive coordinator Mark Stoops and the influx of recruiting talent.

The foundation has been laid.

Now the Seminoles need to punctuate things with a championship.

"I've always believed that the defense is like having a great pitcher," Fisher said. "It always gives you a chance to win the game. When certain guys are on the mound, you know the other team is only going to get one or two runs.

"I don't think you're ever great on defense until you control the front. There are more skill guys at tight end and receiver ? they spread you out with those 6-4 guys who used to play in the NBA ? but you've got to control the front. I think we have a chance of that."

A superb chance.

And if that happens, the Seminoles overall should zoom from very good to great.

"I hope we learn from our mistakes," Fisher said of last season's 9-4 record, which included an early three-game losing streak to Oklahoma, Clemson and Wake Forest that derailed FSU's hopes. "If the ball would've bounced right and we could've stayed healthy in some key situations, I believe we could've met our expectations.

"You have to deal with it and move on. We're going to be talented. But how good we are will be decided by the way we can be precise and detailed. When adversity hits, your habits come to the top. And we want the habit of doing things the right way."

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