As is tradition, the Seminoles and Hurricanes got into a pregame scuffle at the conclusion of warm ups and the 63rd rendition of the rivalry was underway. Florida State’s defense got off to a fast start, forcing Miami into a three-and-out. Special teams followed up with a solid return from D.J. Matthews, giving the offense the ball on the FSU 42-yard line. It wouldn’t take long for Deondre Francois to get reacquainted with the Hurricanes’ defensive front, as they brought him to the ground for

The Cleveland Browns are coming to Tampa for the first game played in Raymond James this preseason, and anthem protests are likely coming with them. Joining several players around the league, 12 members of the Browns took a knee during the anthem of their last game against the New York Giants. Amongst the players kneeling was the first white player to do so since Colin Kaepernick’s initial protest last year, tight end Seth DeValve. A handful of other players stood in solidarity with their hands

North Carolina State quarterback Ryan Finley has been sacked just four times this season. To put that into perspective, Deondre Francois has been wrapped up by opposing defenses four plus times in a single game on four different occasions. Francois took five against Virginia Tech, four against Syracuse, SIX against Miami, and added five more last Saturday against Clemson. The Wolfpack are ranked second in the nation in sacks allowed, trailing only Army. What makes that even more impressive is t

Players on teams that are in smaller markets often don’t get the national recognition they deserve. This rings especially true for a certain linebacker duo in Tampa Bay. In six seasons Lavonte David has only been to the Pro Bowl once. David was snubbed of the honor again this year, but his partner Kwon Alexander was named to the NFC squad as a replacement for Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner. Alexander, who is already familiar with being overlooked on the national stage, didn’t even believe it

Former Bucs head coach Jon Gruden’s name is brought up every time there is a high profile head coaching vacancy, whether it be in college or the NFL. Gruden recently added fuel to that fire when he told Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds that he is preparing for a comeback to coaching, but don’t expect to see Gruden in Oxford coaching Ole Miss this year. Gruden has maintained that, while football is still his life, his return isn’t quite imminent. “I study as if I am a coach,” Gruden said. “I sti

Willie Taggart pulled his trick play out of the bag to give FSU some cushion in the fourth quarter. It looked to Taggart like it was executed to perfection. It looked that way to Florida State fans and just about everyone watching on TV, too. Even a Miami fan might admit that it was a legal play. It looked perfect to everyone but the officiating crew at Hard Rock stadium. Taggart was visibly upset at the call on the sideline, and he talked about the reasoning officials gave him. “That he threw

Florida State’s embarrassing loss to the Clemson Tigers got uglier when wide receiver Nyqwan Murray and backup linebacker Zaquandre White threw punches at Clemson players and were promptly ejected. After the game, Willie Taggart said the pair would be disciplined and he announced that they would both sit out the first half this week against NC State. Unlike targeting, ejections for unsportsmanlike penalties stemming from throwing punches don’t mandate any type of suspension from the NCAA (which

A familiar face was in attendance for Saturday’s scorching Bucs training camp practice. At first glance you might mistake Buccaneer legend Simeon Rice for a current player that did not dress. Rice was at the tip of everyone’s tongues, including of fans, members of the media, and even general manager Jason Licht who could all be overheard commenting on how it looks like the former Pro Bowl defensive end could still play. Rice was known for terrorizing the quarterback during his playing career a

K Graham Gano: continued to show why he is one of the best kickers in the game. Gano was a perfect 3/3 in both extra points and field goals, with a long of 54-yards. Gano leads the league in consecutive made field goals, nailing his 27th straight against Carolina. OT Bobby Hart: was questionable with an injury until he returned to practice on Thursday. Hart has struggled a bit this year, but handled his duties against the Buccaneers and was particularly good run blocking for Cincinnati. WR Aud