Hard to Figure Out...

...where this team will go next. For the third year in row FSU played the sort of bowl game that should bode well for momentum going into the next year but it's yet to happen.

• The offensive line is much improved from the beginning of the season and this final showing was without the starting left side of the unit. Rick Trickett is the best assistant on the staff right now.
• Speaking of Trickett and the offensive line, I finally see why the coach has been touting Rodney Hudson all year -- he is the tackle of the future.
• It'll be interesting to do what FSU does with the quarterback position. You get the feeling that Bowden wants a fourth year with FSU while Jimbo really wants to make sure that Ponder and/or Richardson aren't a better option.
• Antone Smith, when healthy, is a very effective running back.
• I'm very excited to see next year's crop of receivers. Bert Reed, Taiwan Easterling and Brandon Paul are not the tall, rangy guys FSU has been running out there recently. They are 5'11, 6-foot speedster types that should help FSU get more big plays.
• The FSU secondary is in the pits. With the exception of Patrick Robinson, the group is completely in shambles. Myron Rolle plays a little too smart sometimes and it doesn't put him in position to make the plays that change the game. Tony Carter can still cover decently but Michael Ray Garvin is a returning, not a cornerback. Lots of work needs to be done here.
• Same issue with the linebackers. Are they aggressive? Absolutely. But the aggression is very much a directionless, random aggression that doesn't always lead to good tackling. Much like the secondary, the linebackers are rarely in position to make the type of plays that change the momentum of the game.
• Everette Brown is a very impressive defensive lineman. I just hope he remains healthy.
• Meanwhile the defensive tackle position needs someone to step up. Kendrick Stewart? Bud Thacker? Letroy Guion? Someone has the best the guy to lead the interior next year.
• This team has a lot of work to do in the offseason and don't let an "almost victory" over a pretty average Kentucky team make you think otherwise. This program is LONG past the "moral victory" stage.