Courtesy TheACC.com

Fans looking for the starting times for the games for Week 11 of the ACC Football season are playing a bit of a waiting game. While the starting time for the Thursday Nov. 8 ESPN matchup between Florida State and Virginia Tech has long been set for 7:30 p.m., the kickoffs for the five games slated two days later won't be announced until Sunday, Nov. 4. Michael Kelly, the ACC's Senior Associate Commissioner who oversees Broadcasting, Communications and Football Operations, discusses the factors that go into the conference's football scheduling with ACC Associate Communications Director Steve Phillips.

Is there a basic format that is used in determining the starting times of ACC Football games? 
The networks let us know by May 15 the first three weeks of the season. They make their best projections at that point in time about what games they want to put on what networks. Starting with Week 4, their basic selection process is to choose 12 days out, on the Monday (almost) two weeks prior.

But in the case of next week - and in some other weeks this season and in the past - the window has been only six days. Why is that? 
On four different occasions during the year, they can push that back to a six-day hold. The logic for that is that they've paid their rights fee and certainly want to have as much scheduling flexibility as they possibly can. A lot that goes with that, particularly as we get into this final month of the season, is that they really like to see the games that might have the most impact on the divisional races heading into the ACC Championship Game. Those are the criteria they look at just from an ACC standpoint. They also look at all their platforms from a national perspective on all the different properties that they have rights to.

How many parties are involved when it comes to determining starting times? 
Our ultimate rights holder is ESPN. They usually have three people in their programming department that are in charge of those selections. We have a key contact with the ACC Network who is involved in those discussions in addition to a programmer from our RSN (Regional Sports Network) package as well. Basically, that group of five gets together every Monday morning and determines what fits best in terms of what they want to do. The key part for ACC Football is that they have an obligation to broadcast every game.

How many games are allotted to each network? 
There are a maximum number of games that can be put on ESPN3 - but those games do give the home teams the flexibility to determine the game time. Then every week there is always an ACC Network game that kicks off at 12:30. There is one RSN game as well that can vary anywhere from noon to 3:30 or at night, but it is a mid-afternoon game in most cases. And then ESPN has the full range to put our games anywhere they want.

What are ESPN's options as far as game times? 
They have a noon window for ESPN, ESPN2, ABC and ESPNU, and they have a 3:30 window for all of those same platforms. And then at night, all of those platforms have programming options as well. If you look at it like puzzle pieces, they have three or four platforms they can put a game on in each one of those time frames.

Do they consider only ACC games when looking at potential game times? 
No. They balance the inventory they have from the ACC with other conferences, whether that be the SEC, the Big Ten, the Big 12 or the Pac 12. They look at the schedule in any given week and figure out the games they think will drive the best ratings in each one of the windows.

There is some opinion that the atmosphere surrounding a night game gives the home team a distinct competitive advantage. Has the ACC done any type of studies along those lines, and if so, what did you discover? 
We really haven't looked it that closely from a competitive standpoint. What we hear more of is that fans enjoy game times that might maximize the amount of time that they can tailgate or allow them to travel to a destination. We hear a lot of feedback on that. Unfortunately, there is only so much control that we have in that process.

Is there any way to assure every ACC team gets a shot at a prime-time game? 
I think people ultimately would love a good balance to it, to have a little bit of everything. Sometimes that works out and in some cases it just doesn't. It is important to keep track of what time people end up (playing) each week, and we share that information with the networks so they will have it as part of their considerations when it comes time to making their decisions. But it often comes down not just to what games might be available in the ACC, but the hard balance the networks have to drive with the other conferences. I often get calls that will say, 'Hey, this is the best game in the ACC today. It should have been on at night time.' Well, that could have been the night they had a showcase matchup of higher ranked teams, and they decided they wanted to put that at night. We're still in a national window, but it might be earlier in the day. So we don't get everything we want in that case.

So it sounds like there are times you share in the fans' and the school's frustration when it comes to missing out on a prime-time opportunity. 
There are times we get frustrated. We push for a game if we know it's important to a particular school, and sometimes it just falls victim to what week of the year it falls on and how that compares to the inventory available from elsewhere in our league or from other conferences. Sometimes that just doesn't work in our favor.

I am old enough to remember when game times were pretty much set in stone months in advance, but the ACC might have been lucky to get one televised game a week. Do you think it is better this way, even though starting times for most games aren't determined until much later? 
I think so. It think it's great that all of our games are available, so even if you can't go to a game you can still see it, whether that be through mobile technology or on television and the many platforms that our partners bring to the table. Our schools get the revenue from that, and our schools get the exposure from that. What we can't always get, obviously, is the exact time of day we'd like to play it.

Is there a general consensus among everyone that night time is the best time to play a football game? 
What's interesting is that fans, coaches and television executives all look at things differently sometimes. I hear from a great many coaches who say they like the idea of getting right after it, playing early and getting some extra rest on the back end. It seems like everyone enjoys the excitement of a night game at home, but they don't always like the excitement of a night game on the road because it is a tougher environment and it gets them back to campus so much later, sometimes as late as 3 or 4 in the morning. If we could find a way to allow everyone to play a mid-afternoon or night game at home every week it would be well received. Unfortunately, that's not possible.

We are in the midst of a stretch where we play four Thursday night games. What does that allow in the way of scheduling flexibility? 
One of things about being flexible to play a Thursday night game or the Labor Day Monday night game - If playing a night game is important to a school, that is one way we can get that done. We can get it announced well in advance, when the schedule is first released. It really won't matter what your record might be at that point and time or what other conferences might come into play, because you will be the only game in town that night. Look at this part of the schedule - We might only have four games on a Saturday, and it looks like a light day. But then you have to remember that we played on Thursday night those weeks as well. Take Virginia Tech and Miami this week - as good a game as that might be, that might be noon or 3:30 game if we waited until Saturday. Now, instead, they get a prime-time, exclusive opportunity. We have five nights a year where those windows are automatically available.

LINEBACKER - Christian Jones, Jr., Florida State, OLB, 6-4, 240, Winter Park, Fla.

Florida State set the tone from the start on defense vs. Duke, and Jones played a huge role in that  performance. The second-year starter registered eight of his season-high 11 tackles in the first quarter and three of those were tackles for loss, which eclipsed his previous career-high of two. He finished the night with four tackles for loss, while eight of his 11 tackles were solo stops. Florida State's defense, which leads the ACC in every major category and ranks second nationally in total defense, limited the Blue Devils to a season-low 232 total yards.

CO -DEFENSIVE BACK - Ronald Darby, Fr., Florida State, 5-11, 176, CB, Oxon Hill, Md.

Continuing his season-long role as the first corner off the bench for the Seminoles, Darby was instrumental in another shutdown performance by the Florida State defense. He finished with four tackles (three solo stops) and provided solid coverage on a day when Duke's passing game could not get going. Florida state limited Duke quarterbacks to 129 passing yards on a 16 of 37 performance and shut down Blue Devils' receiving star Connor Vernon, who had three receptions for 12 yards. The Seminoles rank fourth nationally in pass efficiency defense (90.89) and sixth in passing defense (154.22 ypg).

Florida State's EJ Manuel is a semifinalist for the 76th Maxwell Award for the Collegiate Player of the Year and Bjoern Werner is a semifinalist for the 18th Chuck Bednarik Award presented by Cracker Barrel for the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year as announced by Maxwell Football Club President Ron Jaworski Monday morning.

Manuel is nine games into his redshirt senior season at FSU and is third in the nation in passing efficiency. He has thrown for 2,315 yards with 16 touchdowns and just four interceptions as the leader of a Seminoles offense that ranks eighth nationally in total yards per game and fourth in points per game.

Werner is one of the nation's top defensive players and helps pace a 'Noles defense that ranks No. 2 in the country in yards allowed per game, third in rush and scoring defense, fourth in pass efficiency defense and sixth in passing defense. Werner is seventh on the team in tackles 27 and first in tackles for loss with 12 1/2. He's tied with Tank Carradine for the team-lead in sacks with eight and has five pass breakups and five quarterback hurries.

2012 Maxwell Award Semifinalists

2012 Chuck Bednarik  Award Semifinalists

The winners of the 76th Maxwell Award and the 18th Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show which will be broadcast on ESPN on December 6, 2012. Three finalists for each award will be announced on November 19, 2012 and a second round of voting will take place at that time. The formal presentation of these awards will be made at the Maxwell Football Club's Awards Gala which will be held on Friday, March 1, 2013 at the Harrah's Entertainment Complex in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Semifinalist voting for both of the collegiate awards presented by the Maxwell Football Club will begin on Tuesday, October 30th and close on Sunday November 18th. Eligible voters include Maxwell Football Club members, NCAA Head Football Coaches, Sports Information Directors and selected national media. All Semifinalists are listed in alphabetical order with the player's school, position and class designated.

BODYBUILDING.COM AND MUSCLE PHARM SALUTES ERIN PETTY AS THIS WEEK'S WINNER OF "YOU'VE BEEN SPOTTED". ERIN RECEIVED A PRIZE PACK FROM BODYBUILDING DOT COM AND IS NOW REGISTERED FOR A GRAND PRIZE ANNOUNCED LATER THIS SEASON. SHOW YOUR SEMINOLE AND BODYBUILDING DOT COM SPIRIT BY WEARING YOUR "WE BUILD CHAMPIONS" TEE SHIRT AROUND CAMPUS AND YOU MIGHT BE THE NEXT ONE SPOTTED. BODYBUILDING.COM. INFORMATION. MOTIVATION. SUPPLEMENTATION.

FORT WORTH, Texas - Narrowed down from all 124 starting quarterbacks from NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision schools, semifinalists were selected by the Davey O'Brien National Selection Committee, with the Fan Vote accounting for five percent of the total vote. The committee was asked to consider the following criteria: quarterback skills, athletic ability, academics, character, leadership and sportsmanship.

The 2012 Davey O'Brien Semifinalists represent schools from the following conferences: Big 12 (5), SEC (3), ACC (2), Big Ten (2), Pac-12 (2), Big East (1) and WAC (1).

The list features returning semifinalists Matt Barkley (USC), Tajh Boyd (Clemson), Seth Doege (Texas Tech), Landry Jones (Oklahoma) and Denard Robinson (Michigan).

2012 Davey O'Brien Semifinalists

Matt Barkley, USC, Pac-12

Tajh Boyd, Clemson, ACC

Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville, Big East

Colby Cameron, Louisiana Tech, WAC

Seth Doege, Texas Tech, Big 12

Nick Florence, Baylor, Big 12

Landry Jones, Oklahoma, Big 12

Collin Klein, Kansas State, Big 12

EJ Manuel, Florida State, ACC

Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M, SEC

Marcus Mariota, Oregon, Pac-12

AJ McCarron, Alabama, SEC

Braxton Miller, Ohio State, Big Ten

Aaron Murray, Georgia, SEC

Denard Robinson, Michigan, Big Ten

Geno Smith, West Virginia, Big 12 

Fans may now help determine which three quarterbacks will advance as finalists by voting as often as once daily at www.VoteOBrien.org. Fan voting will close at noon (CT) on Nov. 18.

The three Davey O'Brien finalists will be announced on Monday, Nov. 19 and the 2012 Davey O'Brien winner will be announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards airing Thursday, Dec. 6 on ESPN. The 36th Annual Davey O'Brien Awards Dinner will be held on Feb. 18, 2013 in Fort Worth, Texas.

About the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award^®

The Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award is presented annually to the nation's best college quarterback and is the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award. The Davey O'Brien Award honors candidates who exemplify Davey O'Brien's enduring character while exhibiting teamwork, sportsmanship and leadership in both academics and athletics. The award is overseen by the Davey O'Brien Foundation, which is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, and has given away more than $850,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.

The Davey O'Brien Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game's predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association's official website, www.ncfaa.org. 

American Airlines is the official travel partner of the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award.

Injury Report

Out

DB Justin Bright (head)

LB Ukeme Eligwe (hand)

OL Garrett Faircloth (hip)

WR Josh Gehres (hamstring)

DT Moses McCray (head)

DT Derrick Mitchell (back)

OL Trey Pettis (head)

Out for the Season

DB Colin Blake (shoulder)

DE Chris Casher (knee)

OL Daniel Foose (back)

TE Dan Hicks (knee)

DE Brandon Jenkins (foot)

DT Jacobbi McDaniel (ankle)

RB Mario Pender (sports hernia)

Courtesy of the Allstate Sugar Bowl:

The Manning Award, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, announced 10 additions to its 2012 Watch List on Wednesday. The winner will be announced after the bowls in January and will be honored at a banquet in New Orleans.

Manning Award Watch List 

The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It is the only quarterback award that includes the candidates' bowl performances in its balloting.

After announcing 25 quarterbacks to watch during the preseason, the Manning Award opted to increase its focus players based on the many outstanding performances during the first half of the year. While these players have been added to the Watch List, every quarterback in the nation remains eligible to win the honor.

The additions to the Watch List come from eight different conferences with the SEC and Pac-12 each adding two players. The ACC, Big Ten, Conference USA, MAC, Sun Belt and WAC are all represented as well. The newcomers include three juniors, three sophomores, two seniors and two freshmen.

Ten finalists will be determined by a selected panel of national media covering college football, as well as each of the Mannings. That list will be released on Wednesday, Nov. 28. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, Jan. 9.

The Manning Award will be recognizing its ninth winner this year. USC's Matt Leinart was the inaugural winner of the award in 2005, followed by Texas' Vince Young in 2006. Both went on to be top 10 NFL draft picks. In 2007, LSU's JaMarcus Russell earned the award and was the NFL's No. 1 draft pick. Boston College's Matt Ryan claimed the award in 2008 and was drafted No. 3, quickly becoming the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. In 2009, Florida star Tim Tebow earned the honor - he also went on to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. The 2010 winner was Texas signal-caller Colt McCoy, the winningest quarterback in college football history at the time , who was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the draft. Auburn's Cameron Newton earned the award in 2011, prior to being selected No. 1 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. This past season's honoree was Robert Griffin, III, from Baylor, who was also a top NFL draft pick (No. 2 overall by the Washington Redskins).

2012 Manning Award Watch List Additions (stats through 10/13/12)

-www.AllStateSugarBowl.org-

Courtesy of the ACC:

GREENSBORO, N.C.  - NC State has been picked as the favorite in the first Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Basketball Coaches Preseason Poll announced on Monday.

The Wolfpack, which returns four starters from last season's team that posted a 24-13 record and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, received eight first-place votes in balloting among the league's 12 head coaches.

Duke received three first-place votes and placed second in the overall voting, which awarded 12 points for each first-place vote, 11 for each first-place vote, etc. North Carolina received the remaining first-place vote and placed third.

Miami was picked for a fourth-place finish, followed by defending ACC champion Florida State at fifth and Maryland at sixth.

Virginia placed seventh in the voting, followed by Clemson, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest (tied for 10^th) and Boston College.

NC State junior forward C.J. Leslie, who averaged 14.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game last season, was voted the Preseason ACC Player of the Year. Leslie heads up the ACC Coaches' Preseason All-ACC team and is joined by Wolfpack teammate Lorenzo Brown, Duke's Mason Plumlee, Florida State's Michael Snaer and North Carolina's James Michael McAdoo.

NC State's Rodney Purvis, one of three members of a highly-regarded Wolfpack freshman class, was voted the Preseason ACC Rookie of the Year.

This marks this first year that the ACC coaches have predicted a preseason order of finish or voted on individual honors. Media members will vote on their predicted order of finish and other preseason honors during the ACC's annual Operation Basketball, which will be held Wednesday in Charlotte, N.C.

 Listed below are results of the coaches' voting in the ACC preseason poll.

Team Predictions

  1.        NC State (8)             139

  2.        Duke (3)                    130

  3.        North Carolina (1) 124

  4.        Miami                         104

  5.        Florida State           103

  6.        Maryland                     78

  7.        Virginia                        68

  8.        Clemson                       61

  9.        Georgia Tech             40

10.       Virginia Tech             32

             Wake Forest              32

12.       Boston College          25

(first-place votes)

Preseason All-ACC

Lorenzo Brown, Jr., NC State

C.J. Leslie, Jr., NC State

James Michael McAdoo, So., North Carolina

Mason Plumlee, Sr., Duke

Michael Snaer, Sr., Florida State

Preseason ACC Player of the Year

C.J. Leslie, Jr., NC State

Preseason ACC Rookie of the Year

Rodney Purvis, Fr., NC State

Courtesy of the ACC:

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) - North Carolina senior offensive guard Jonathan Cooper and junior safety Tre Boston headline a list of eight players named as the Atlantic Coast Conference Football Players of the Week, announced by the conference on Monday. Boston tallied six tackles, a pass breakup, and an interception, and Cooper helped the Tar Heel offense accumulate 272 rushing yards en route to an 18-14 win at Miami.

Three Virginia Tech Hokies earned recognition for their performances in the 41-20 win over Duke. Marcus Davis, the Receiver of the Week, caught five passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns. James Gayle posted a team-high nine tackles to earn Defensive Lineman of the Week honors, and J.C. Coleman was named the Rookie of the Week after rushing for a career-high 183 yards.

Florida State's EJ Manuel, the Offensive Back of the Week, set a new career best with 439 yards passing in the Seminoles' 51-7 win over Boston College.

Maryland's Darin Drakeford made seven tackles in the Terrapins' 27-20 win over Virginia and was named the Linebacker of the Week. Teammate Stefon Diggs, the Specialist of the Week, returned the game's opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to earn his third weekly award this year.

OFFENSIVE BACK - EJ Manuel, Florida State, R-Senior, QB, 6-5, 240, Virginia Beach, Va. 
Manuel passed for a career-high 439 yards and matched his career-high with four touchdown passes as the No. 12 Seminoles defeated Boston College, 51-7. The senior from Virginia Beach, Va., authored the 10th-best single-game passing yardage performance in program history by completing 27 of 34 attempts. He also established a new career best with a 77-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Shaw to put the Seminoles on the scoreboard first. He connected with tailback James Wilder, Jr. on two scores, and as well as wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin for one. The Seminoles converted all seven trips into the red zone as they moved to 6-1 on the year and 3-1 in ACC play.

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN - Jonathan Cooper, North Carolina, Senior, G, 6-3, 295, Wilmington, N.C. 
Senior offensive guard Jonathan Cooper played all 85 offensive snaps, graded a team-best 93 percent, had 14 knockdown blocks and did not allow a sack in Carolina's 18-14 win at Miami. Cooper helped pave the way for Carolina's 272 rushing yards, which included 177 from Giovani Bernard, 77 from Romar Morris and 14 from A.J. Blue. Both of North Carolina's touchdowns came on the ground. On the first scoring drive, Cooper had key blocks on three plays that went for 10-or-more yards, including the 10-yard touchdown run by Bernard.

RECEIVER - Marcus Davis, Virginia Tech, R-Senior, WR, 6-4, 232, Virginia Beach, Va. 
Davis had a big game as the Hokies rallied to beat Duke, 41-20. The senior hauled in five passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns to spark the comeback, scoring on passes of 42 yards and 47 yards.

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN - James Gayle, Virginia Tech, R-Junior, DE, 6-4, 269, Hampton, Va. 
Gayle was all over the field in helping shut down the Duke offense after a big first quarter en route to a 41-20 Hokie win. The senior tallied a team-high nine tackles, including 2.5 for loss and a sack to go along with three quarterback hurries as the Hokies held the Blue Devils to just 22 yards rushing for the game.

LINEBACKER - Darin Drakeford, Maryland, Senior, LB, 6-1, 240, Washington, D.C. 
Drakeford played a key role on the Maryland defense as the Terrapins held on to defeat Virginia, 27-20. The senior made seven tackles, five of them unassisted, three tackles for loss, and two sacks. He also forced a fumble by Virginia quarterback Phillip Sims midway through the fourth quarter, which the Terrapins recovered.

DEFENSIVE BACK - Tre Boston, North Carolina, Junior, S, 6-1, 190, Ft. Myers, Fla. 
Boston posted six tackles, broke up a pass and intercepted another in an 18-14 victory at Miami. A native of Ft. Myers, Fla., Boston led a Tar Heel defense that held Miami to 235 yards passing, 60 yards less than its season average.

SPECIALIST - Stefon Diggs, Maryland, Freshman, WR/KR, 6-1, 185, Gaithersburg, Md. 
Diggs made his impact right from the start in Maryland's 27-20 win over Virginia by taking the opening kickoff 100 yards untouched for a touchdown. It was just the fourth 100-yard kickoff return in school history and gave Maryland a lead it wouldn't surrender. On Maryland's next drive, Diggs took a short pass 60 yards to setup another touchdown. He finished with 89 receiving yards on four catches and a season-high 239 all-purpose yards. This is the third weekly award for Diggs in his freshman campaign after previously earning Rookie of the Week honors on Sept. 24 and Oct. 8.

ROOKIE - J.C. Coleman, Virginia Tech, Freshman, TB, 5-8, 192, Chesapeake, Va. 
Coleman moved into the starting lineup and made the most of his opportunity, rushing for a career-high 183 yards on just 13 carries (14.1 yards per carry) with two long touchdown runs. The 183 yards rushing are the most by a true freshman under head coach Frank Beamer. Coleman scored on runs of 45 yards and 86 yards as the Hokies downed Duke, 41-20.

Courtesy of the ACC:

GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Atlantic Coast Conference continues its sportsmanship awareness campaign by recognizing Fall Sportsmanship Week from October 15-21. ACC Sportsmanship Weeks are a campaign to emphasize and promote sportsmanship as it relates to ACC teams, the conference and fans by designating one week during the fall, winter and spring seasons.

At all ACC home competitions during Fall Sportsmanship Week, every league team will showcase its continued dedication to sportsmanship by participating in a pregame handshake. In addition to the teams' efforts, the conference and member schools will highlight the initiative to its fans through releases, social media platforms and on official websites.

"The ACC is committed to upholding the values of sportsmanship," said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. "We are proud that all our member institutions continue to emphasize the importance of sportsmanship through this initiative."

Over 60 intercollegiate athletic events will take place during the 2012 ACC Fall Sportsmanship Awareness Week. All fall sports (men's soccer, women's soccer, cross country, field hockey, volleyball, and football) will be involved.

Updates on ACC Sportsmanship Week will be posted on theACC.com, theACC on Facebook and on Twitter tagged with #ACCSportsmanship.

Established in 2010, the ACC Sportsmanship Weeks is a campaign to recognize and promote sportsmanship. During the 2012-13 academic year, three specific weeks have been tabbed as ACC Sportsmanship Weeks: October 15-21 (Fall), January 21-27 (Winter) and April 8-14 (Spring).

A complete schedule of all events occurring during Fall Sportsmanship Week can be found here: http://www.theacc.com/ot/acc-composite-sched.html

Courtesy of the ACC:

GREENSBORO, NC - The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award announced the 2012 candidates for its award Thursday and five ACC quarterbacks were among its group of 15 signal callers honored from around the nation, fully one-third of the eligible field. 

Honored from the Atlantic Coast Conference were: Tajh Boyd, Clemson; EJ Manuel, Florida State; Bryn Renner, North Carolina; Mike Glennon, NC State and Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech. 

Named after the man many refer to as the greatest quarterback ever to play the game of football, the prestigious Golden Arm Award is presented annually by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc. and Transamerica, a leading provider of innovative business and personal financial services.

The Golden Arm Award encapsulates all that is positive in college sports by going beyond completion percentage and touchdowns to also value character, citizenship, integrity, and those who honor the game. Established in 1987, the award previously has been presented to 25 outstanding young men including Casey Weldon, Florida State (1991); Gino Torretta, Miami (1992); Charlie Ward, Florida State (1993); Chris Weinke, Florida State (2000) and Matt Ryan, Boston College (2007).

Candidates for the Golden Arm Award must be completing their college eligibility or be a fourth-year junior, on schedule to graduate with his class. Candidates are judged upon character, citizenship, scholastic achievement, leadership qualities, and athletic accomplishments.The 2012 winner will be presented with his award on Friday, December 7 at The Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Hotel, Baltimore, Maryland.

The other honorees were: Matt Barkley, Southern California; Nick Florence, Baylor; Landry Jones, Oklahoma; Collin Klein, Kansas State; AJ McCarron, Alabama; Aaron Murray, Georgia; Denard Robinson, Michigan, Geno Smith, West Virginia; Tyler Tettleton, Ohio; and Tyler Wilson, Arkansas.

Courtesy of MacDill Air Force Base:

The U.S. Special Operations Command Parachute Demonstration Team, known as the Para-Commandos, are scheduled to perform a free fall parachute demonstration on October 13, 2012, during the Florida State University football game vs. Boston College at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida. 

The team is comprised of active duty military or Department of Defense civilians assigned to U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, FL.  Most are combat veterans with a Special Operations background.  Many served with the US Army Green Berets or US Army Rangers, the US Air Force's Special Tactics, the US Navy SEALs, or the US Marine Corps Special Operations.    

Special Operations Command was established in 1987 to bring Special Operations from all the services under one command headquarters. Special operators are highly skilled and trained in a variety of military missions ranging from direct combat to humanitarian assistance. 

The command has approximately 63,000 Active Duty, Reserve and National Guard Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and DoD civilians assigned to the headquarters, its four components and one sub-unified command.

On any given day, more than 12,000 Special Operations Forces are deployed to over 70 countries worldwide.

Florida State vs. NC State

Saturday, October 6, 2012

First Half Game Notes

Smith At 31

It didn't take long for senior wideout Rodney Smith to extend his consecutive games with a catch streak. On the second offensive play of the game for FSU, Smith raised his streak to 31 straight games with a reception when he hauled in a 16-yard pass from senior QB EJ Manuel.

Tough At First

There has been talk of the nation's third-ranked defense getting off to slow starts but in six games the Seminoles have allowed just 17 first quarter points and 14 of those points came in the opening quarter of the Clemson game. Tonight marks the fourth time this year an FSU opponent has failed to score in the first quarter. 

Converting Into Points

Florida State's offense put itself in a hole on more than one occasion in the first quarter but on the Seminole offense's third possession of the game they didn't let being behind the down-and-distance marker stop them. FSU converted a 2^nd-and-12 and a 3^rd-and-17 on that drive. Considering FSU was 4-of-14 on 3^rd-and-10 or longer coming into the game, those were big plays by the Noles offense in a drive that led to the Seminoles taking a 10-0 lead.

TE Into The EZ Again

Florida State took a 10-0 lead on sophomore Nick O'Leary's four-yard catch from EJ Manuel to open the second quarter. It was the second TD of O'Leary's career and his first of the season. This is the second week an FSU TE got into the end zone after Kevin Haplea scored versus USF on the road last week.

The Long Of It

Senior running back Chris Thompson helped FSU get on the board first with a 21-yard run in the first quarter that set up a field goal. The rush was the sixth of over 20 yards this season for Thompson. Later in the second he added a 36-yard run to set up more FSU points. Thompson has also caught three passes for 20 yards or more (including one tonight) as well. That totals 10 plays of 20 yards or more in just six games.

CT...Another Half, Another Hundred

For the second time in three ACC contests this year, senior running back Chris Thompson has had a huge half on the ground. Thompson rushed for 197 yards in the first half versus Wake Forest and never saw the field again in the second half. Once again tonight he has broken the century mark in the first half versus an ACC opponent. Thompson has 115 yards and an average of 8.2 yards per rush tonight. There is a good chance Thompson won't be taking the second half off tonight after posting the sixth 100-yard rushing game of his career.

Pick By The Brooks

With the Seminoles up 10-0 and the Wolfpack driving to get on the board, junior DB Terrence Brooks picked off a Mike Glennon pass killing the NC State scoring threat. It was the second pick of his career and his first of the season. Brooks' last interception came versus Notre Dame in the Champs Sports Bowl gives him two in the last seven games. Overall, it was the fourth pick of the year for the FSU defense, which now has 11 interceptions in the last eight games. That is above the total from the previous 11 games where the defense had nine picks. 

Going Backwards

The Seminole defense came into tonight's game among the top schools in the nation in tackles for loss and they showed why in the first half versus the Wolfpack. Florida State recorded four tackles behind the line for a total of 20 yards lost. NC State gained a total of 25 yards rushing in the first half.

D-Hop Back On Track

After going through a tough stretch (by his standards) where he missed three straight field goals, senior Dustin Hopkins seems to have relocated his groove. The Lou Groza candidate has accounted for 10 points tonight on an extra point and three field goals, including a season-long 49-yarder.He has now connected on six consecutive FG attempts and he is back on his climb to the top of the FSU and ACC career kicking charts. He is now just seven points away from breaking the all-time career scoring record for FSU and the ACC.

Glauser Called In To Duty

Senior Daniel Glauser earned his second start of the season filling in for junior Menelik Watson at right tackle. Watson is available to play but listed as under the weather at the start of tonight's game. Glauser filled in at RT for Watson in the Wake Forest game as well. 

FSU Captains Tonight

The captains for the Seminoles tonight are senior WR Rodney Smith, senior DT Anthony "Amp" McCloud and senior LB Nick Moody.

"The change in the ACC's schedule plans obviously happened very quickly over the last few days.  We are immediately assessing what that will mean for Florida State but speculating about potential opponents is premature right now.  It is particularly difficult to plan too far in the future without knowing where and when Notre Dame is going to fit into schedules." -Randy Spetman