Mountaineers and Seminoles meet in Bowden's swan song

NCAA Football Betting Lines

01/01/2010 - Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After 34 years at Florida State, Bobby Bowden will coach his final game for the Seminoles as they are set to take on the 18th-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers in the 65th annual Gator Bowl at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium on New Year's Day.

Bowden will go out facing the team he coached for six seasons prior to taking over at Florida State in 1976. Over the years, FSU has won 22 bowl games in its storied history -- 21 of those with Bowden at the helm -- and the Seminoles are unbeaten in six previous trips to the Gator Bowl. But this year's squad finished just 6-6, marking the third time in the past four years the team has failed to win more than seven games. With the program struggling to return to prominence, Bowden has heard the whispers in recent years questioning whether he should have gone out on top after winning the BCS National Championship in 1999.

"I had some great, enjoyable years after ('99), even though we didn't win as many games," Bowden reflected following his final practice in Tallahassee. "I didn't think we were a lucky team this year. There were too many games where we came out with a loss - because of this or because of that we didn't make it. I hope that they can get that all straightened out next year, winning enough games."

The Mountaineers have certainly found a way to win some games this year, as they went 5-2 in the Big East and are aiming for their 10th win overall. They capped the regular season by winning three of their final four games to finish ranked 18th and earn a New Year's Day bowl invite. WVU is 13-15 all-time in bowl games, including just 1-5 in the Gator Bowl. However, the Mountaineers have won four straight bowl games in the last four years.

FSU holds a 2-0 edge over West Virginia in the head-to-head series, including a 30-18 victory over the Mountaineers in the 2005 Gator Bowl.

After putting up 30 points or more in each of the first five games this season, West Virginia's offense throttled down over the final six weeks. The Mountaineers' season-ending 24-21 win at Rutgers marked the first time since October 24th that they scored more than 21 points in a game. Still, the Mountaineers certainly have players who can inflict some damage at a moment's notice. One is speedster running back Noel Devine, who has rushed for 1,297 yards (108.1 ypg) and has scored 13 touchdowns this season. Another is Jock Sanders, a versatile possession receiver who caught 70 balls for 674 yards. Quarterback Jarrett Brown is the proverbial game manager, as he looks to move the chains with Sanders, get the ball into Devine's hands in open space, and generally avoid turnovers. Brown averages just 177 passing ypg, but threw only eight interceptions this season.

The WVU defense has been a tough unit to move the ball on all year long. The Mountaineers enter the Gator Bowl ranked 24th in the nation in scoring defense (20.75 ppg) and 29th in rushing defense (118.42 ypg). More importantly, they've been gaining steam down the stretch. In the regular-season finale, they held Rutgers to just 218 yards of total offense. The previous week, they held eighth-ranked Pittsburgh to 16 points. Linebacker Pat Lazear leads the team with 73 tackles, while defensive back Brandon Hogan (team-high 10 pass break-ups) and linebacker J.T. Thomas (two INTs) are next in line with 71 stops apiece. Julian Miller has a team-high nine sacks. Despite Florida State's well-documented struggles this year, Mountaineers' head coach Bill Stewart said his team is smart enough not to take anything for granted.

"If (our team) thinks they are going up against a 6-6 bunch of .500 pansies, we are going to get whipped, we are going to get whipped decisively, and we should get whipped," Stewart said. "We are going to get our hats handed to us. I don't have to browbeat my football team."

FSU redshirt freshman quarterback E.J. Manuel, who took over for injured starter Christian Ponder in mid-November, will be starting his first bowl game. And considering all of the hoopla surrounding Bowden's departure, it's obviously not just any bowl game for the Seminoles faithful. One of the nation's most heavily recruited quarterbacks coming out of high school two years ago, Manuel has regressed in each of his three starts. Though he has looked sharp at times and has also made some plays with his legs, Manuel has thrown only two touchdowns and six interceptions in his three starts. Working to his benefit is a solid receiving tandem in Bert Reed (58 rec, 710 yds) and Rod Owens (58 rec, 693 yds, 3 TD). In the backfield is sophomore Jermaine Thomas, who has rushed for 711 yards (5.2 ypc) and has scored seven touchdowns, With those kinds of numbers and with a freshman quarterback under center, Thomas will need a bigger workload than his 11.5 carries per game if the Seminoles want to control the clock and keep Devine and company off the field.

In the Seminoles' heyday, Bowden's defenses were known for their elite team speed and ability to fly to the ball. That hasn't been the case of late, particularly this season. FSU enters this matchup ranked 108th in the nation in run defense and 113th in pass efficiency defense. All told, the Seminoles are allowing 443.5 total yards and just over 30 ppg. In their final game, a 37-10 loss at Florida, the 'Noles allowed Gator quarterback Tim Tebow to complete 17-of-21 passes and throw three touchdowns, while the UF ground game racked up more than 300 yards. It will be up to defensive leaders such as linebackers Nigel Bradham (88 tackles) and Kendall Smith (82 tackles) to step up their efforts against WVU. Defensive backs Jamie Robinson (three INTs) and Ochuko Jenije (four INTs) need to make some momentum-swinging plays in the secondary.