Click on this link for the registration form for the 1st Annual Lucky Stars Reunion to order shirts, coozies, or participate in our events. Please fill it out and return to axofloridastate@gmail.com. Register today to let us know you'll be in town and we'd love to see you on Friday at Potbelly's for the Homecoming Parade or in the evening for the "Decades Waltz" at various local venues including Bullwinkles. Saturday includes the XOX Tailgate at the intramural fields and Seminole football game. Brunch will be hosted at the Beta Eta house on Sunday. Don't miss one or all of these events. Register Today!! Spouses, friends, and guests are welcome to join in the fun too.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Originally posted on October 16. 2010 on http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Good times have returned to Florida State, and it appears the Seminoles' fans have started to return, too.
For the first time in six home games dating back to last season, FSU eclipsed the 70,000 mark at Doak Campbell Stadium for Saturday's exciting 24-19 victory over Boston College.
A fashionably late-arriving crowd of 75,301 filed into the stadium for the sun-drenched noon kickoff. The crowd wasn't as big at kickoff (pictured above) but it arrived in time to watch the Seminoles finish with their fifth consecutive victory to become bowl eligible and take another step toward an Atlantic Coast Conference championship.
Fannies in the seats have plenty of other reasons to cheer.
No. 16 FSU is the highest-ranked team in the Sunshine State for the first time in five years, and the lone ACC representative in the Associated Press Top 25. The Seminoles are 4-0 at home for the first time since 2005, when they last won an ACC title. They improved to 6-1 on the season and 4-0 in the ACC, equaling their best league start since 2003 when they clinched their 10th league title in 11 years.
Happy trails are here again? Well, let's just say the Seminoles are at least on the right trail.
The heavily favored Seminoles couldn't shake the pesky Eagles, however. They overcame four turnovers by battered and bruised quarterback Christian Ponder, who suffered a ruptured bursa sac in his right throwing elbow and showed for post-game interviews with his arm in a sling, and needed Bert Reed's 42-yard touchdown run on a reverse in the fourth quarter to snap their two-game losing streak against the conference's northern-most member.
"Like I've said before, we have not arrived. We have a long way to go as a football team and we have a lot of mistakes we have to get ironed out," FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher said.
"But I did see a football team that would compete, it stayed together, it didn't panic, that made enough plays to win a game. Sometimes great seasons are made on games that you can scratch, crawl, fight and find a way to pull one out. But we have a long way to go."
Fisher and the Seminoles, however, are appreciative that their fans finally appear to be along for the ride.
The decline in FSU's home attendance can be traced to 2008, when the program saw a dip in both season tickets and average home attendance. As recently of 2004, every home game for the Seminoles drew 80,000 or more fans. The single-game record is 84,347 for the 2005 game against Miami.
"Sometimes great seasons are made on games that you can scratch, crawl, fight and find a way to pull one out. But we have a long way to go."
-- FSU coach Jimbo Fisher
A number of factors have been pinpointed as culprits.
There's the poor economy. There's the hot Panhandle weather. There's the lengthy round-trip drive to Tallahassee. Even the early ho-hum home schedule -- Samford, BYU and Wake Forest -- and early game starting times have been cited.
Reality stunned the Seminoles on Sept. 25, when just 61,647 tickets were distributed for the 82,000-plus capacity stadium against Wake Forest. That was the lowest attendance for an FSU home game since 1992, when the stadium's capacity was barely more than 70,000.
"I think there was shock," FSU associate athletic director Rob Wilson told FanHouse as he watched the final seconds tick off the scoreboard on Saturday.
"I think the fans that were here were shocked. Certainly the administration was shocked and I know our players were shocked by how small the crowd was for Wake Forest. I think that probably woke everybody up, including the season ticket holders who sat home for that game and said, 'We have to get out there.' And this team in particular seems really responsive to the crowd."
Road victories at Virginia and Miami last Saturday helped build much-needed momentum for the Seminoles. While FSU's effort might be considered a disappointingly flat performance after a statement victory over the Hurricanes, there were smiles instead of frowns as the Seminoles headed toward their locker room.
Applause filled the air.
"I've seen it all," FSU senior defensive end Markus White told FanHouse.
"I've seen the total opposite of (Saturday) and I've seen sellouts. It's a big difference. When you can hear and can't hear, it's a big difference for the opponents as well. ... it's always a wonderful thing when you have somebody behind your back."
FSU needed the support.
Ponder completed just 19 of 31 passes for 170 yards and three interceptions. He also fumbled once. However, the Seminoles' trio of tailbacks -- Jermaine Thomas, Ty Jones and Chris Thompson -- combined for 104 yards on 25 carries and FSU's offense held possession for the final 8:04 of the game.
FSU's defense also managed to slow down the junior BC tailback Montel Harris when it counted, holding him to only 23 yards in the second half after he ran for 168 in the first half. The unit, which came into the game leading the nation in sacks with 26, added four more against the Eagles.
Winning makes everyone's life easier.
Off next Saturday, three of FSU's five remaining games are at home -- North Carolina, Clemson and state rival Florida. That game, for all intent and purposes, is already sold out.
"It's a blessing," defensive back Greg Reid said of the home crowd. "We just kind of want to have fun. We feel like Tallahassee needs it, and that's why we are working hard."
Florida State Attendance
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| 2000 | 80,831 | 45,927 |
| 2001 | 81,441 | 46,817 |
| 2002 | 81,706 | 47,441 |
| 2003 | 83,149 | 46,738 |
| 2004 | 82,841 | 46,647 |
| 2005 | 82,784 | 45,818 |
| 2006 | 80,594 | 46,098 |
| 2007 | 80,603 | 46,238 |
| 2008 | 77,968 | 43,606 |
| 2009 | 74,345 | 38,964 |
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