Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich
Of the 119 ranked FBS schools, only Texas Tech averages more penalty yards per game (95.25) than Florida State (88).
And it doesn't look like the Seminoles are going to be moving up anytime soon.
FSU defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews said rather than worry about penalties, he wants his players to continue to play hard until the whistle blows.
Florida State has now played back-to-back games with 12 penalties for over 100 yards.
Against Wake Forest, it put quarterback Christian Ponder in tough passing situations. Against Colorado, it hurt the defense.
"Sometimes it's youth, sometimes it's emotion, and sometimes it's just not using your heads," Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said. "You say, 'Men, under this circumstance, don't do this.' And then that circumstance will arise and some will invariably go ahead and do it. Just as you're fixin' to block a guy head on, and he turns his back to you to change direction and you end up blocking him in the back. We say if he turns his back to you, if you can't get your hand to the front numbers, don't touch him. It's too inviting. It's too tempting.
"A lot of it is not using your head," he said. "A lot of it is inexperience, and lot of it, sometimes it's aggressiveness, you're too darn aggressive."
Emotions should be high against rival Miami on Saturday, and the speed of the game will be conducive to the penalties. But if the Noles' are just playing hard and smart -- and winning -- it sounds like something the staff can live with.
Heather Dinich covered ACC and Big Ten football for five seasons before joining ESPN.com in November 2007. She's an Indiana grad but somehow her favorite day of the week is Saturday.
