Thacker's injury latest blow to Seminoles

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Odell Haggins has been here more times than he cares to count ? and more times than the number players he has available for Thursday night's game at North Carolina.

And that's the issue for the defensive line coach as well as the entire Florida State defense as it prepares for a game that the Seminoles hope can revitalize their season and their program.

Haggins was once again addressing yet another injury after Monday's practice. Starting defensive tackle Budd Thacker will not be available for Thursday's night game after being diagnosed with a grade-three sprained MCL on Monday. Thacker, who underwent an MRI on Monday, injured his left knee during Sunday's practice.



"That's life," Haggins said. "You have to move on. I can't sit here and moan over (it). I dealt with it the last two seasons and all this season. That's life. ? It's hard on him. He's down."

Thacker had been sidelined earlier this season because of a dislocated toe. Thacker's injury leaves FSU with nose tackles Kendrick Stewart and Jacobbi McDaniel and defensive tackles Moses McCray and Everett Dawkins on the interior defensive line. McCray has been hampered by injury but is now healthy. True freshman Demonte McAllister injured his knee early and likely will be redshirted this season.

Defensive tackle Justin Mincey, out the first half of the season with a sprained knee, has not yet made a decision as to whether he'll play this season or take a medical hardship. FSU coach Bobby Bowden said that is a decision for Haggins.

"I haven't talked to Justin about anything," Haggins said.

FSU faces a UNC offense that has been depleted on the offensive line by injury and ranks at the bottom of the ACC in many offensive categories. But UNC features two good running backs in Shawn Draughn and Ryan Houston. Houston (6-foot-2, 245 pounds) is used mostly in short-yardage situations and has scored seven touchdowns this season. All came in the red zone.

What could make the task of stopping UNC's running game more difficult is that the availability of linebacker Dekoda Watson is uncertain. He did not practice Monday because of a groin injury.

"Dekoda's questionable," Bowden said.

It was announced last week that tight end Caz Piurowski and linebacker Maurice Harris will miss the remainder of this season because of respective knee and neck injuries suffered in the Georgia Tech game. Cornerback Dionte Allen dislocated his thumb during that game.

Despite the injuries that a week off could not heal, Bowden said the break came at a good time for his 2-4 team who played and lost to Georgia Tech on Sept. 10.

"I thought it probably worked out about right," he said. "It should have helped us."

Starting cornerback Ochuko Jenije said it allowed the defense to work on becoming more physical and better tacklers.

"That's one thing Coach (Mickey) Andrews has been stressing ? be more physical," Andrews said. "We've had a couple of physical practices."

 

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Carr set for first start

Beau Reliford is not the only Seminole readying for his start because of an injury to a veteran. With Dekoda Watson listed as questionable because of a groin injury, Nigel Carr is expected to start at strongside linebacker.

"Even though I'm second-team I come out there with a starter's mentality," Carr said. "I'm going to have to play that level in the game."

Injury report

While much of the focus this week has been on the many injuries on the defensive side, receiver Richard Goodman is questionable because of a groin injury. In addition to Goodman and Watson, the other players listed as questionable for the game are rover Korey Mangum (shoulder), defensive tackle Justin Mincey (knee), cornerback Patrick Robinson (ankle), cornerback Xavier Rhodes (thumb) and linebacker Vince Williams (back).

Mincey and Williams are both considerations for a redshirt.

Players who could return to action this season but are listed as out for the UNC game are CB Dionte Allen (thumb) and defensive tackle Budd Thacker (knee).

 

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Not going to touch this Game. bol

 

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Offensive Line Benefits From Bye Week

Carolina's offensive front got a chance to nurse some injuries last week


As Carolina comes off of a bye week and into a historic game on Thursday, one question that has been looming over the Heels is whether or not the offensive line will be healthy enough to compete against Florida State. With a season-ending shoulder injury for Carl Gaskins and significant injuries for Lowell Dyer, Kyle Jolly, and Jonathan Cooper, the varied personnel has created many problems for the offense.

When discussing the important keys for Thursday, Davis acknowledged, "One of the things that is very important is getting healthy in the offensive line, getting some of those guys back so that we can get that consistency and continuity of guys playing side-by-side with each other. You cannot play and you cannot win with just a one-dimensional game plan." Without an effective offensive line to protect the rest of the offense, a team cannot make significant improvements on the scoreboard.

Luckily for Carolina, the team had an extra week to recover further from their many injuries. Offensive guard Jonathan Cooper, who was held out of the Georgia Tech and Virginia games due to an ankle injury, noted the importance of a week off both mentally and physically. He said, "It was very important from an injury standpoint, but also mentally, it was very good to just be able to regroup. Now people are coming back, and we're really looking like an offensive unit, so it was a great time for a bye week. Coach Davis said our practice on Sunday might have been one of the best practices from the o-line he's seen in a couple of months. It was very full-energy and hard-hitting."





The team not only used the extra practice days to rest some players but also to specifically prepare for Florida State, a team they have not played in five years. "All the guys that have been nicked up, we pretty much held them out of practice all last week," said Coach Davis. "They got a chance to look at some film, to go through some walk-throughs, to go through some identification of fronts and coverage on some of the blitzes. But as far as actual, physical practice of it, we held most of those guys out and they didn't return until yesterday."

Cooper also mentioned the importance of preparation for this team in particular. "Watching film was very important, because they do have a scheme. It's not very complicated, but they have the personnel to execute it fairly well. Knowing the guy across from you is going to help us immensely."

By spending plenty of time examining Florida State's defense, Cooper had a good feel for what Carolina needs to do to succeed on Thursday. "We need to be aware of our gaps and our assignments," he said. "They do a lot of moving around, so as long as you stay on the track that you know you are supposed to do, you'll eventually end up on the right guy. We can't let what they're doing, coming in as an impressive-looking team, get to your head. We need to just be ready to do what we're supposed to do."

With the unfamiliar opponent comes an unusual game atmosphere. This game marks the first time in Carolina's history that the Heels have hosted a Thursday night game. Although Coach Davis pointed out the difficulties in this time change, Cooper thought the overall mood of the team was positive. "The schedule worked perfectly with classes," Cooper said, "because of the break coming up. It's more exciting than anything. Especially because we're starting to get everybody back, we're just hopeful, thinking that we will be able to advance."

Cooper particularly shares Davis's excitement at the exposure that the unrivaled game will bring. "Even at the beginning of the season, when I found out I was going to start," he said, "that's all I've been talking about: making a big block on national TV during the Thursday night game and making history with it being the first one in Chapel Hill. I'm just ecstatic. I've been telling all my friends to watch for me, I just can't wait."