2009 Florida State Seminoles football team

2009 Florida State Seminoles football
2009 Florida State Seminoles football
Gator Bowl champion
Gator Bowl, W 33–21 vs. West Virginia
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
	Atlantic Division
Record	7–6 (4–4 ACC)
Head coach	Bobby Bowden (34th season);
Offensive coordinator	Jimbo Fisher (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Mickey Andrews (26th season)
Base defense	4–3
Captains	Christian Ponder ; Jamie Robinson ; Recardo Wright;
Home stadium	Doak Campbell Stadium
	Seasons ← 2008 2010 →

Last updated September 18, 2025

2009 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Atlantic Division
No. 24 Clemson x	6	–	2	9	–	5
Boston College	5	–	3	8	–	5
Florida State	4	–	4	7	–	6
Wake Forest	3	–	5	5	–	7
NC State	2	–	6	5	–	7
Maryland	1	–	7	2	–	10
Coastal Division
No. 13 Georgia Tech * x$	7	–	1	11	–	3
No. 10 Virginia Tech	6	–	2	10	–	3
No. 19 Miami (FL)	5	–	3	9	–	4
North Carolina *	0	–	4	0	–	5
Duke	3	–	5	5	–	7
Virginia	2	–	6	3	–	9
Championship: Georgia Tech 39, Clemson 34
$ – BCS representative as conference champion North Carolina vacated 8 wins, including 4 ACC wins. Rankings from AP Poll

The 2009 Florida State Seminoles football team represented the Florida State University as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by Bobby Bowden in his 34th and final season as head coach, the Seminoles compiled an overall record of 7–6 with a mark of 4–4 in conference play, placing third in the ACC's Atlantic Division. Florida State was invited to the Champs Sports Bowl, where the Seminoles defeated West Virginia. The team played home games at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 7	8:00 p.m.	Miami (FL)	No. 18	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL (rivalry)	ESPN	L 34–38	81,077
September 12	6:00 p.m.	No. 23 (FCS) Jacksonville State *		Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ESPN360	W 19–9	71,420
September 19	7:00 p.m.	at No. 9 BYU *		LaVell Edwards Stadium Provo, UT	Versus	W 54–28	64,209
September 26	12:00 p.m.	South Florida *	No. 18	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ESPNU	L 7–17	83,524
October 3	3:30 p.m.	at Boston College		Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA ( College GameDay )	ABC, ESPN2	L 21–28	40,029
October 10	8:00 p.m.	No. 23 Georgia Tech		Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ESPN2	L 44–49	76,292
October 22	8:00 p.m.	at North Carolina		Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	ESPN	W 30–27	58,000
October 31	12:00 p.m.	NC State		Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	Raycom	W 45–42	67,712
November 7	7:45 p.m.	at Clemson		Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC (rivalry)	ESPN	L 24–40	76,656
November 14	12:00 p.m.	at Wake Forest		BB&T Field Winston-Salem, NC	ESPNU	W 41–28	33,411
November 21	12:00 p.m.	Maryland		Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	Raycom	W 29–26	66,042
November 28	3:30 p.m.	at No. 1 Florida *		Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL (rivalry), College GameDay)	CBS	L 10–37	90,907
January 1	1:00 p.m.	vs. No. 17 West Virginia *		Jacksonville Municipal Stadium Jacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl)	CBS	W 33–21	84,129
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

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Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:**██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP ^{[ citation needed ]}	18	—	—	18	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Coaches ^{[ citation needed ]}	19	—	—	25	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Harris ^{[ citation needed ]}	Not released				—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Not released
BCS ^{[ citation needed ]}	Not released							—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Not released

Game summaries

Miami (FL)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Miami	7	7	3	21	38
#19 Florida State	7	3	13	11	34

Miami's defense stops Florida St. to back up Harris' final TD drive

Jacksonville State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Jacksonville State	6	3	0	0	9
Florida State	7	0	0	12	19

Florida State steals win from lower-division Jacksonville State

BYU

	1	2	3	4	Total
Florida State	7	23	14	10	54
#9 BYU	0	14	7	7	28

Ponder drives Seminoles to decisive win over No. 7 Cougars

South Florida

	1	2	3	4	Total
South Florida	0	14	0	3	17
#25 Florida State	0	0	0	7	7

Daniels steps in for injured Grothe, lifts USF to first ever win over FSU.

Boston College

	1	2	3	4	Total
Florida State	3	3	7	8	21
Boston College	7	14	0	7	28

BC blows 18-point lead, barely holds off FSU.

Georgia Tech

	1	2	3	4	Total
#23 Georgia Tech	14	14	14	7	49
Florida State	14	21	3	6	44

Nesbitt, Yellow Jackets hand third straight loss to Bowden's Seminoles.

North Carolina

	1	2	3	4	Total
Florida State	3	3	14	10	30
North Carolina	14	3	7	3	27

Ponder rallies Seminoles from deficit to knock off North Carolina.

NC State

	1	2	3	4	Total
NC State	7	14	7	14	42
Florida State	7	14	10	14	45

Florida St. edges NC State late in barnburner

Clemson

	1	2	3	4	Total
Florida State	17	0	7	0	24
Clemson	6	8	7	19	40

Spiller rushes for 165 yards, touchdown as Clemson routs Florida St.

FSU starting quarterback Christian Ponder was injured in the 4th quarter and had to leave the game. His injury required surgery and he did not return to participation until the teams non-contact drills in the spring of 2010.
Redshirt Freshman E.J. Manuel took over for the injured Ponder, getting his first start the following week against Wake Forest.

Wake Forest

	1	2	3	4	Total
Florida State	14	17	3	7	41
Wake Forest	7	7	7	7	28

Thomas, Manuel help Florida State roll past Wake

Maryland

	1	2	3	4	Total
Maryland	0	13	0	13	26
Florida State	7	7	0	15	29

Florida State edges Maryland on last-minute TD to become bowl eligible

Florida

	1	2	3	4	Total
Florida State	0	0	3	7	10
#1 Florida	7	17	6	7	37

Tebow accounts for five TDs in final home game as a Gator

West Virginia—Gator Bowl

	1	2	3	4	Total
#16 West Virginia	14	0	0	7	21
Florida State	3	10	10	10	33

The final game for Bobby Bowden, Mickey Andrews and Chuck Amato.

Bowden goes out a winner as Seminoles dispatch Mountaineers

Personnel

Recruits

College recruiting information
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	40^‡	Commit date
Justin Bright DB	Duncan, South Carolina	Byrnes HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	184 lb (83 kg)	4.5	May 20, 2008
Justin Bright DB	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: (75)
Christopher Hord OL	Panama City Beach, Florida	J.R Arnold HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	317 lb (144 kg)	5.2	May 3, 2008
Christopher Hord OL	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: (77)
Gerald Demps DB	Valdosta, Georgia	Lowndes HS	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	4.6	Apr 9, 2008
Gerald Demps DB	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: (82)
Willie Downs ATH	Tallahassee, Florida	Godby HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	192 lb (87 kg)	N/A	Feb 11, 2008
Willie Downs ATH	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: (80)
Jajuan Harley DB	Tallahassee, Florida	Rickards HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	4.4	Feb 13, 2008
Jajuan Harley DB	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: (76)
Willie Haulstead WR	Titusville, Florida	Titusville HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	4.5	May 15, 2008
Willie Haulstead WR	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: (79)
Dan Hicks TE	Oxford, Mississippi	Oxford HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	242 lb (110 kg)	4.6	Feb 4, 2009
Dan Hicks TE	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: (76)
Dustin Hopkins K	Houston, Texas	Clear Lake HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	4.6	Jun 25, 2008
Dustin Hopkins K	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: (80)
Brandon Jenkins DE	Tallahassee, Florida	Florida State University School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	218 lb (99 kg)	4.7	Mar 1, 2008
Brandon Jenkins DE	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: (80)
Demonte McAllister DE	Tampa, Florida	Alonso HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	263 lb (119 kg)	N/A	Jul 20, 2008
Demonte McAllister DE	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: (83)
Jacobbi McDaniel DT	Greenville, Florida	Madison HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	267 lb (121 kg)	4.8	Feb 7, 2008
Jacobbi McDaniel DT	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: (91)
C.J. Mizell LB	Tallahassee, Florida	Leon HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	212 lb (96 kg)	4.5	Feb 20, 2008
C.J. Mizell LB	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: (79)
Henry Orelus OL	Belle Glade, Florida	Glades Central HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	292 lb (132 kg)	5.5	Jul 25, 2008
Henry Orelus OL	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: (76)
Aubrey Phillips OL	Olive Branch, Mississippi	Olive Branch HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	310 lb (140 kg)	5.1	Feb 3, 2009
Aubrey Phillips OL	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: (75)
John Prior OL	Portsmouth, Ohio	Portsmouth HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	283 lb (128 kg)	N/A	Jul 12, 2008
John Prior OL	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: (76)
Lonnie Pryor RB	Okeechobee, Florida	Okeechobee HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	4.5	Jul 26, 2008
Lonnie Pryor RB	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: (79)
Greg Reid DB	Valdosta, Georgia	Lowndes HS	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	4.5	Feb 3, 2008
Greg Reid DB	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: (85)
Xavier Rhodes WR	Miami, Florida	Miami Norland HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	187 lb (85 kg)	4.47	Jul 26, 2008
Xavier Rhodes WR	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: (77)
Will Secord QB	Frisco, Texas	Wakeland HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	4.7	Feb 3, 2009
Will Secord QB	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: (75)
Rodney Smith WR	Miami, Florida	Archbishop Carroll HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	4.53	Jul 26, 2008
Rodney Smith WR	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: (80)
Bryan Stork TE	Vero Beach, Florida	Vero Beach HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	5.0	May 23, 2008
Bryan Stork TE	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: (76)
Chris Thompson RB	Greenville, Florida	Madison HS	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	4.4	Feb 28, 2008
Chris Thompson RB	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: (79)
Overall recruit ranking:
‡ Refers to 40-yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, 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 2009 Football Commitments". Rivals. Retrieved January 18, 2011. "2009 Florida State Commits". Scout. Retrieved January 18, 2011. "2009 Player Commitments – Florida State". ESPN. Retrieved January 18, 2011. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout. Retrieved January 18, 2011. "2009 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved January 18, 2011.

Statistics

Team

	Team	Opp
Scoring	338	332
Points per game	30.73	30.18
First downs
Rushing
Passing
Penalty
Total offense
Avg per play
Avg per game
Fumbles-lost
Penalties-yards
Avg per game

	Team	Opp
Punts-yards
Avg per punt
Time of possession/game
3rd down conversions
4th down conversions
Touchdowns scored
Field goals-attempts-long
PAT-attempts
Attendance
Games/avg per game

Scores by quarter

Updated after the Maryland game on November 21.

	1	2	3	4	Total
Florida State	86	81	71	100	338
Opponents	68	111	52	101	332

Offense

Passing

Name	GP-GS	Effic	Att-Cmp-Int	Pct	Yds	TD	Lng	YPA
Christian Ponder	9–9	147.70	330–227–7	68.8%	2717	14	98	8.23
E.J. Manuel	7–4	124.7	106–69–6	65.1%	817	2	43	8.11
Total	13–13	141.8	437–296–13	67.7%	3147	16	98	8.22
Opponents

Rushing

Name	Games Played	Carries	Yards	Fumbles Lost	YPC	TD	Long	Avg/Game
Jermaine Thomas	11	163	832	0	5.1	9	54	62.73
Ty Jones	6	51	251	0	4.9	5	47	41.83
E.J. Manuel	7	44	195	0	4.4	2	24	19.8
Christian Ponder	9	72	179	0	2.5	2	30	19.89
Lonnie Pryor	9	27	156	0	5.8	4	50	15.11
Chris Thompson	8	23	120	0	5.2	2	49	12.5
Bert Reed	11	18	94	0	5.2	2	42	6.82
Louis Givens	6	8	58	0	7.3	1	15	9
Tavares Pressley	3	9	40	0	4.4	0	12	13.33
Rodney Hudson	11	1	9	0	9	0	9	0.82
Taiwan Easterling	10	2	8	0	4	0	7	0.10
Jarmon Fortson	11	1	4	0	4	0	4	0.36
Rod Owens	11	1	3	0	3	0	3	0.27
Total	11	352	1635	0	4.6	24	54	148.64
Opponents

Receiving

Name	GP-GS	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD	Long	Avg/G
Rod Owens
Bert Reed
Jarmon Fortson
Taiwan Easterling
Richard Goodman
Caz Piurowski
Lonnie Pryor
Jermaine Thomas
Beau Reliford
Louis Givens
Ty Jones
Chris Thompson
Willie Haulstead
Rodney Smith
Ja'Baris Little
Total
Opponents

Defense

Name	GP	Tackles				Sacks	Pass defense		Interceptions				Fumbles		Blkd Kick
Name	GP	Solo	Ast	Total	TFL-Yds	No-Yds	BrUp	QBH	No.-Yds	Avg	TD	Long	Rcv-Yds	FF	Blkd Kick
Total

Special teams

Name	Punting								Kickoffs
Name	No.	Yds	Avg	Long	TB	FC	I20	Blkd	No.	Yds	Avg	TB	OB
Dustin Hopkins
Name
Total

Name	Punt returns					Kick returns
Name	No.	Yds	Avg	TD	Long	No.	Yds	Avg	TD	Long
Name
Total

References

↑ "Florida State Seminoles Schedule 2009". ESPN . Retrieved September 6, 2025.
↑ "2009 Florida State Seminoles Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference . Retrieved September 6, 2025.
↑ "2009 Football Schedule". Florida State University . Retrieved September 6, 2025.

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[1] "Florida State Seminoles Schedule 2009". ESPN . Retrieved September 6, 2025.

[2] "2009 Florida State Seminoles Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference . Retrieved September 6, 2025.

[3] "2009 Football Schedule". Florida State University . Retrieved September 6, 2025.

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v t e Florida State Seminoles football
Venues	Centennial Field (1947–1949) Doak Campbell Stadium (1950–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Florida Cup Clemson Florida Miami Virginia: Jefferson–Eppes Trophy
Culture & lore	Osceola and Renegade The War Chant Marching Chiefs FSU Hymns Sod Cemetery Wide Right I Wide Right II 1993 'Game of the Century' Choke at Doak 2015 Georgia Tech game Bob Crenshaw Award Tomahawk chop
People	Alumni Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders Annual awards
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National championship seasons in bold