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 Friday, December 13, 2002
A Minnis to Gator society
By Marc Connolly
BCSfootball.com
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- You look at Snoop Minnis and might think of Jimmie Walker from "Good Times." Or perhaps a touch of Merton Hanks, as you gape at his size and awkward gyrations. How 185 pounds is spread through his 6-foot-1 frame is a great mystery. He makes even Randy Moss look thick. Minnis is all arms and legs with a Cross pen for a neck that holds his head in the same manner a stick holds a marshmallow for toasting.
His waifish size and herky-jerky shifts not withstanding, he has become an unstoppable cog in Mark Richt's offense -- so much so that Florida's defensive plan against the senior speedster seemingly centered on holding his jersey or grabbing his arm. And it was the only way Minnis could be stopped throughout what amounted to a career performance in No. 3 Florida State's 30-7 victory over No. 4 Florida at intimidating Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday night.
|  | | Snoop Minnis was too much for the Florida defense, finishing with eight catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns. |
"I was in a zone," said Minnis, while being showered by an arsenal of oranges being catapulted onto the field after the game. "I felt like anything that came my way I was going to make the play. My team needed me and I stepped up for them."
When sophomore corner Lito Sheppard wasn't conducting a clinic on Pass Interference 101 in the third quarter, using Minnis as his prop, the FSU flanker was catching balls at an alarming rate. By halftime, Minnis had already hauled in seven passes -- to tie his career high -- for 136 yards. He ended the evening with eight catches for 187 yards, including two touchdown receptions on similar bombs down the right sideline that were created purely on speed and Allen Iverson-like studder steps in mid-stride.
"I knew if they were going to cover me one-on-one, I was going to have a great game," said Minnis, who know has totaled 63 catches for 1,340 yards and 11 TDs this season. "I feel like if one man is on me, I can beat him every time.
"The QB was sick, the running backs were down, so we knew the game was going to be won by us (receivers). I told Chris that I was in a zone, so just get me the ball."
He did just that, though he waited to pull the trigger on the long ball -- an FSU staple -- throughout the first few series. The longtime brilliance of offensive coordinator Mark Richt showed as he constructed a plan to lull Florida's corners to sleep by going with quick-hitters early on, many to Anquan Boldin.
But late in the first quarter with the score knotted at 7-7, he let his fifth-year senior use his 4.4 speed on a simple go route up the right sideline on first down from the Florida 34.
"The corner was getting ready to jump one of them," said Richt. "So Snoop just ran by him."
"We were running short routes all game, then they bit on them," said Minnis.
FSU ran virtually the exact same play in the third quarter, after the Gators were forced to switch to zone due to their inability to contain Minnis, Boldin or Atrews Bell. Ultimately, Minnis' second TD put the dagger in the heart of Gainesville as it put the score at 27-7.
"The second one was a two-deep zone where Weinke pumped it off to the left to get the backside safety out of position and then turned back and turned to Snoop," said Richt. "He threw it a little flat, but the safety took a bad angle, so we were able to score."
He failed to mention that Snoop had blown past corner Robert Cromartie -- one of many secondary folk who took a turn at stopping Minnis -- like he was a fire hydrant before turning on the gassers to outsprint free safety Lester Norwood to the end zone.
Minnis could have easily toppled the 200-yard mark to become only the fourth receiver (Peter Warrick, Ron Sellers and Kez McCorvey) in FSU history to accomplish that feat, but he sat out most of the fourth quarter as the 'Noles moved into ball-control mode.
But, for Minnis, it was the end of a day that started with an announcement that he'd been named one of three finalists for the 2000 Biletnikoff Award, that goes to the nation's top receiver. His competitors being Freddie Mitchell (UCLA) and Antonio Bryant (Pittsburgh), it's an honor that a Seminole wideout has never claimed. That includes Warrick, whom the media snubbed last season in favor of Stanford's Troy Walters in one of the largest postseason injustices in recent memory.
Rather than take an "Aw, shucks" attitude out of the Peyton Manning school of playerspeak, Minnis told the media exactly who he felt the award should go to.
"I work very hard and I think I'm deserving of it," said Minnis. "I waited in line for my turn, and now it's working for me."
That he did. With burners like Warrick, Laverenues Coles, Ron Dugans and E.G. Green in front of him throughout the past five years, the bright lights have not shone on No. 13 all too often. Even with a starting role during Warrick's Dillard's-sponsored vacation last fall, he only totaled 19 catches for 257 yards. One of the more popular and well-liked players on Florida State's campus, Minnis has flourished in the go-to role this year, much to the delight of his teammates.
"His biggest attribute is his enthusiasm," said Bell. "When you're down, Snoop just keeps talking and talking -- like all Miami guys do -- and it helps us. He's gotten better and faster every year."
"I'm proud of Snoop," said Boldin. "This was his last game, and he deserves it. He's worked hard all year and he's finally reaping all the benefits."
His biggest fan of all is definitely Richt.
"Snoop just loves football. He loves to practice. He loves the game. The bigger they get, the more excited he gets. He's a joy to be around and he's been a great inspiration to us."
That inspiration comes from his All-American type play, despite his diminutive size. It's the reason he wears a wrist band on his left arm that reads, "Against All Odds."
"I've been against all odds all my life, people telling me I can't do this or that because of my size," said Minnis, who played at Miami powerhouse Northwestern High. "I've overcome all of them."
In overcoming them, he's even taken the coaching staff by surprise.
Back in September, after another eye-opening performance from his flanker, Richt yelled down to receivers coach Jeff Bowden on the headset.
"Has Snoop always been so great?" said the former Miami quarterback. "Then I just wondered if we just missed out on an opportunity to use him a little more."
Too bad for Florida the coaching staff's epiphany came two months too early.
Marc Connolly is a senior writer for ABC Sports Online.
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