# 2010 Florida State Seminoles football team

The 2010 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Seminoles were led by first-year head coach Jimbo Fisher and played their home games at Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium. They were members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, playing in the Atlantic Division.
They finished the season 10–4, 6–2 in ACC play, and won the Atlantic Division to earn a spot in the ACC Championship Game where they were defeated by Virginia Tech. They were invited to the Chick-fil-A Bowl where they defeated South Carolina.
The 2010 season marked the Seminoles' first ten win season since 2003 and their first appearance in the ACC title game since 2005.

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | 20 | 17 | RV | RV | RV | 23 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 24 | RV | RV | 22 | 20 | 23 | 17 |
| Coaches | 20 | 18 | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 24 | RV | RV | 21 | 20 | 23 | 16 |
| Harris | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 17 | 17 | 16 | 24 | RV | 25 | 22 | 20 | 23 | Not released |
| BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 17 | 16 | 24 | — | 25 | 22 | 21 | 23 | Not released |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 4 | 12:00 p.m. | Samford* | No. 20 | Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL | ESPNU | W 59–6 | 68,438 |
| September 11 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 10 Oklahoma* | No. 17 | Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, OK | ABC/ESPN2 | L 17–47 | 85,630 |
| September 18 | 3:30 p.m. | BYU* | | Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL | ESPNU | W 34–10 | 68,795 |
| September 25 | 3:30 p.m. | Wake Forest | | Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL | ABC | W 31–0 | 61,647 |
| October 2 | 12:00 p.m. | at Virginia | | Scott StadiumCharlottesville, VA (Jefferson-Eppes Trophy) | ACCN | W 34–14 | 47,096 |
| October 9 | 8:00 p.m. | at No. 13 Miami (FL) | No. 23 | Sun Life StadiumMiami Gardens, FL (rivalry) | ABC | W 45–17 | 75,115 |
| October 16 | 12:00 p.m. | Boston College | No. 16 | Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL | ESPN | W 24–19 | 75,301 |
| October 28 | 7:30 p.m. | at NC State | No. 16 | Carter–Finley StadiumRaleigh, NC | ESPN | L 24–28 | 56,807 |
| November 6 | 3:30 p.m. | North Carolina | No. 24 | Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL | ABC | L 35–37 | 70,157 |
| November 13 | 8:00 p.m. | Clemson | | Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL (rivalry) | ABC | W 16–13 | 72,228 |
| November 20 | 8:00 p.m. | at Maryland | | Byrd StadiumCollege Park, MD | ABC | W 30–16 | 48,115 |
| November 27 | 3:30 p.m. | Florida* | No. 22 | Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL (rivalry) | ABC/ESPN | W 31–7 | 82,324 |
| December 4 | 7:45 p.m. | vs. No. 12 Virginia Tech | No. 20 | Bank of America StadiumCharlotte, NC (ACC Championship) | ESPN | L 33–44 | 72,379 |
| December 31 | 7:30 p.m. | vs. No. 19 South Carolina* | No. 23 | Georgia DomeAtlanta, GA (Chick-fil-A Bowl) | ESPN | W 26–17 | 72,217 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||

## Recruits

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40$^‡$ | Commit date |
| Chad Abram DB | Lakeland, Florida | Kathleen Senior HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 183 lb (83 kg) | N/A | Mar 24, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Terrence Brooks DB | Dunnellon, Florida | Dunnellon HS | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | 4.44 | Jul 18, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Darious Cummings DE | Titusville, Florida | Astronaut HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 245 lb (111 kg) | 4.8 | Jul 14, 2008 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 81 |||||||
| Greg Dent Jr. ATH | Belle Glade, Florida | Glades Central HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 4.5 | Nov 26, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Cameron Erving DT | Moultrie, Georgia | Colquitt County HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 285 lb (129 kg) | N/A | Aug 26, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Dan Foose OL | Paramus, New Jersey | Paramus Catholic HS | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 310 lb (140 kg) | 5.3 | Feb 3, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Christian Green ATH | Tampa, Florida | Tampa Catholic HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 4.5 | Feb 3, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 82 |||||||
| Jarred Haggins ATH | Lakeland, Florida | Lakeland HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | N/A | Jul 22, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Mike Harris DB | Torrance, California | El Camino College | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | N/A | Dec 3, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: N/A |||||||
| Damien Jacobs DT | Houma, Louisiana | H. L. Bourgeois HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 295 lb (134 kg) | 5.1 | Sep 11, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| De'Joshua Johnson WR | Pahokee, Florida | Pahokee HS | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 155 lb (70 kg) | 4.45 | Jun 22, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Christian Jones LB | Winter Park, Florida | Lake Howell HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | 4.7 | Feb 3, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 83 |||||||
| Lamarcus Joyner DB | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | St. Thomas Aquinas HS | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | 4.4 | Dec 9, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 87 |||||||
| Jeff Luc LB | Port St. Lucie, Florida | Treasure Coast HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | 4.7 | Dec 5, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 85 |||||||
| Anthony McCloud DT | Fulton, Mississippi | Itawamba Community College | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 295 lb (134 kg) | N/A | Nov 18, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: N/A |||||||
| Holmes Onwukaife LB | Cedar Park, Texas | Cedar Park HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | 4.5 | Jul 23, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Tank Sessions TE | Decatur, Georgia | Columbia HS | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | 4.8 | Jul 29, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 74 |||||||
| Kenny Shaw WR | Orlando, Florida | Dr. Phillips HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | 4.5 | Jan 2, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 81 |||||||
| Debrale Smiley RB | Fulton, Mississippi | Itawamba Community College | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | 4.7 | Jan 29, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: N/A |||||||
| Telvin Smith LB | Valdosta, Georgia | Lowndes HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 196 lb (89 kg) | 4.85 | Jul 31, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 81 |||||||
| Nigel Terrell LB | Pelham, Alabama | Pelham HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | 4.5 | Aug 27, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 81 |||||||
| Clint Trickett QB | Tallahassee, Florida | North Florida Christian HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 4.8 | Sep 2, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Will Tye TE | Salisbury, Connecticut | Salisbury HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | 4.4 | Jan 16, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 8 Rivals: 1 ESPN: 9 |||||||
| ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Florida State 2010 Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 18, 2011. "2010 Florida State Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved January 18, 2011. "2010 Player Commitments – Florida State". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 18, 2011. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved January 18, 2011. "2010 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 18, 2011. |||||||

## Regular season
### Samford

In Jimbo Fisher's first game as Head Coach, the 'Noles dominated the Samford Bulldogs. The first points of the game came on a 4-yard pass from Christian Ponder to fullback Lonnie Pryor. Florida State put 35 points on the board in the second quarter, thanks to three TD passes by Ponder (B. Reed, L. Pryor, T. Easterling), a 4-yard run by Jermaine Thomas, and a 74-yard punt return by Greg Reid. Samford kicked a FG as time expired to make the score 42–3 heading into halftime. The 'Noles were on cruise control this game and in the second half FSU's backups hung another 17 on Samford, and only allowed 3 points. Jimbo Fisher couldn't have asked for a better first game. The same can not be said for Week 2's trip to Norman.
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Samford | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| • #20 Florida State | 7 | 35 | 7 | 10 | 59 |

### Oklahoma

After Week 1's blowout victory against Samford, the FSU fanbase started to have a confidence about it. That confidence was quickly shattered and beaten as FSU got man-handled in Norman, Oklahoma by Bob Stoop's Sooners. The defense got shredded, allowing 47 points, and allowing Landry Jones to look like a Heisman candidate. The offense got shut down after scoring a TD on their first possession. The confidence had turned into a gut-wrenching memory of the 2009 team. But, the 'Noles would rebound.
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #17 Florida State | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
| • #10 Oklahoma | 14 | 20 | 10 | 3 | 47 |

### BYU

The 'Noles kicked off a 5-game win streak against BYU after getting routed by Oklahoma a week before. The 'Noles run game was excellent as it accounted for 278 yards and 3 TD's. Christian Ponder bounced back from an awful performance against Oklahoma, completing 66% of his passes, throwing zero interceptions, and adding 50 yards with his feet. Chris Thompson ran for 123 yards, 83 of which came on one touchdown run. Ty Jones added another 95 and a touchdown. The FSU defense dominated most of the game by only allowing 191 yards and 10 points.
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| BYU | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| • Florida State | 3 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 34 |

### Wake Forest

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wake Forest | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • Florida State | 0 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 31 |

### Virginia

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Florida State | 10 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 34 |
| Virginia | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |

### Miami (FL)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • #23 Florida State | 7 | 17 | 7 | 14 | 45 |
| #13 Miami (FL) | 0 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 17 |

### Boston College

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Boston College | 6 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 19 |
| • #16 Florida State | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 24 |

### North Carolina State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #16 Florida State | 0 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 24 |
| • North Carolina State | 7 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 28 |

### North Carolina

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • North Carolina | 14 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 37 |
| #24 Florida State | 7 | 21 | 0 | 7 | 35 |

### Clemson

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Clemson | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| • Florida State | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 16 |

### Maryland

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • #25 Florida State | 10 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 30 |
| Maryland | 3 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 16 |

### Florida

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Florida | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| • #22 Florida State | 3 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
Florida State ended a six-game losing streak to its archrival.

### ACC Championship Game: Virginia Tech

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #20 Florida State | 10 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 33 |
| • #12 Virginia Tech | 14 | 7 | 14 | 9 | 44 |

### Chick-Fil-A Bowl: South Carolina

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #19 South Carolina | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| • #23 Florida State | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 26 |

## Awards
### Watchlists

* Dustin Hopkins
    Lou Groza Award semifinalist
* Rodney Hudson
    Lombardi Award semifinalist
    Outland Trophy finalist
* Brandon Jenkins
    Chuck Bednarik Award semifinalist
* Ryan McMahon
    Lombardi Award watchlist
    Outland Trophy watchlist
* Christian Ponder
    Maxwell Award watchlist
    Davey O'Brien Award watchlist
    William V. Campbell Trophy finalist
    Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award finalist
* Bert Reed
    Fred Biletnikoff Award watchlist

### Players

* Dustin Hopkins
    Academic All-America
    Academic All-ACC
* Rodney Hudson
    Unanimous Consensus All-American
    First-team All-ACC
* Brandon Jenkins
    First-team All-ACC
* E.J. Manuel
    Academic All-ACC
* Ryan McMahon
    Second-team All-ACC
* Christian Ponder
    Senior Bowl MVP
    James Tatum Award winner
    The National Bobby Bowden Award winner
    Academic All-American
    Academic All-ACC
* Xavier Rhodes
    FWAA Freshman All-American
    Rivals.com First-Team Freshman All-American
    ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year
    Second-team All-ACC
* Zebrie Sanders
    Academic All-ACC

## Post Season
### NFL draft

Three seniors would go on and be drafted in the 2011 NFL draft.
| Round | Pick | Overall | Name | Position | Team |
| 1st | 12 | 12 | Christian Ponder | Quarterback | Minnesota Vikings |
| 2nd | 23 | 55 | Rodney Hudson | Guard | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 7th | 21 | 224 | Markus White | Defensive end | Washington Redskins |

### All-star games

| Game | Date | Site | Players |
| 62nd Senior Bowl | January 29, 2011 | Ladd–Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Alabama | Christian Ponder, Rodney Hudson |