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Florida State Seminores Preview 2

Florida State finished the 2010 season ranked No. 16 in the AP top 25 poll and closed the year with an impressive 26-17 victory over South Carolina in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.  Expectations are even higher in Tallahassee this year in Jimbo Fisher's second year as head coach.

A 10-win season and an ACC Atlantic division title is not going to cut it this year, as eight starters on both offense and defense return.  The team will undoubtedly enter its Sept. 7 showdown with Oklahoma with a 2-0 record, facing UL Monroe and Charleston Southern to open the season.

Revenge will be on the team's mind in Week 3, as the Sooners trounced the Seminoles 47-17 in Norman last year.  It's highly unlikely that Oklahoma slinger Landry Jones will repeat his 321-yard first-half performance this year.

Quarterback E.J. Manuel replaces NFL-bound Christian Ponder and has already gained experience in his two years as the No. 2 signal caller.  He has compiled a 4-2 record as a starter and has completed 67.3 percent of his passes.

The Seminoles will have plenty of options in the backfield, returning all three of their top rushers from a year ago.  Chris Thompson leads the group after gaining 845 yards and gaining 6.3 yards a carry.

Thompson serves as the home run threat with scoring runs of 90, 83 and 70 yards, but don't be surprised if Jermaine Thomas is getting the most touches in the fourth quarter.  The senior enters the season as the conference's No. 2 active rushing leader with 1,804 yards.

Paving the way for the talented backfield is a pair of senior offensive tackles, leading a group of four linemen that have gathered 105 career starts on campus.

Defensively, the conversation immediately turns to an incredible secondary, led by the cornerback tandem of Greg Reid and Xavier Rhodes.  The two combined to leads the nation in passes defended last year.

Creating pressure is also a key factor in the unit's success in pass coverage, led by defensive end Brandon Jenkins.  Florida State ranked third nationally in quarterback sacks a year ago, averaging 3.43 per game. Jenkins contributed a large portion of those by getting to the quarterback 13 times.

Fisher's squad is seemingly loaded at every position and the proud program welcomes back an ACC-high 57 lettermen.  Expectations are certainly set on a BCS bowl bid in 2011 and extending the nation's longest bowl streak to 30
years.

The schedule is favorable in hosting Oklahoma and Miami at home, but a season-finale in the Swamp may prove difficult on Nov. 26.=