| Lee's performance for Seminoles earns starting assignment for N.C. State and ACC accolades |
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| Written by Admin |
| Monday, 01 October 2007 13:02 |
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -Roughly a month after nearly giving up on his dream of playing quarterback for Florida State, Xavier Lee got a second chance Monday. The redshirt junior will make his fourth career start Saturday when Florida State hosts North Carolina State, coach Bobby Bowden said. Lee saw his first action of the season Saturday when he came off the bench to pass for 224 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-14 victory over Alabama after starter Drew Weatherford failed to get the team into the end zone despite favorable field position. ``Nothing was happening,'' Bowden said about changing quarterbacks early in the second quarter of a scoreless game. ``Lee made things happen with his running ability, plus the strength of his arm, plus he was getting the ball to the right people,'' Bowden said. ``He won the job. Drew is the backup now. He'll have to play the role Xavier's been playing the past couple of years.'' In less than three quarters against the Crimson Tide, Lee also added a game-high 59 rushing yards against Alabama to become the Seminoles' third leading rusher for the season. And the starting job wasn't all Lee won. He's also sharing the Atlantic Coast Conference's offensive back of the week honors with Maryland quarterback Chris Turner. Offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher said Monday that the second-half offensive breakout shows what the team is capable of doing. But if not for Fisher's heart-to-heart talk with Lee just before the season opener at Clemson, the one-time Florida prep player of the year might have transferred. ``He was too good of a player and good of a talent to let get away,'' Fisher said Monday. disappointing year in Tallahassee. When he was first told Saturday to grab his helmet and start warming up, Lee initially thought it was a joke. ``(Now) I've got my shot and hope to make the most of it,'' said Lee, who has passed for 1,575 yards and a dozen touchdowns during his career at Florida State. Florida State (3-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) will be trying to end an eight-game losing streak against Atlantic Division teams. N.C. State, meanwhile, is trying to end an 11-game losing streak against Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) teams dating back to last season's win over the Seminoles. |
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