Thompson’s Time

By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

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With FSU potentially altering the playbook as the offense transitions from Ponder to Manuel, look for Thompson to be an impact player.

Since 1996, Florida State has won a national championship. They've won seven ACC titles. They've played in the famed Sugar, Fiesta and Orange Bowls eight times. The Seminoles have had multiple All-Americans, countless draft picks and a Heisman Trophy winner. They've seen the end of perhaps the most storied era in college football history. Florida State has seen the exciting beginning of another.

It's been 15 years, however, since 'the Noles have seen a 1,000-yard rusher. That feat was accomplished by all-everything Louisiana-native Warrick Dunn. He has since gone on to a stellar NFL career -- and retired. This past NFL season alone, Florida State had three active NFL running backs: Seattle's Leon Washington, Jacksonville's Greg Jones and Minnesota's Lorenzo Booker. Prior to their emergence, Travis Minor had a lengthy career at the next level. None broke the 1,000-yard mark in Tallahassee.

Diminuitive Chris Thompson entered this past season down on a depth chart that returned dynamic Jermaine Thompson, the team's leading rusher in 2010, and bruising Ty Jones (108 yards vs BYU in '09). Thompson appeared to poised for third-down back status this past fall, especially when he received just eight carries in the team's first two games.

In game three, his decisive style and breakaway speed were on full display. He torched BYU for 123 yards and a touchdown on just nine carries. Three games later, on the road against 13th ranked Miami, Thompson took off in a series known for serving as a springboard, for both players and teams, into national prominence. He ran 14 times for 158 yards; his 90-yard fourth quarter run was the longest-ever against a Hurricane defense.

"It's a real great feeling," Thompson said. "It's great to be in Florida State's history book. You know, that's not a real easy thing to do."

In mid-November, in a crucial game at Maryland the Seminoles had to win, Thompson again showed his worth. He opened the scoring for FSU with a 70-yard touchdown spurt and finished the game a nickel short of one buck.

His best performance of the year game against SEC East champion South Carolina in the Chic-fil-A Bowl. With an ailing Christian Ponder and reserve E.J. Manuel spearheading a more run-oriented offense, Jimbo Fisher, along with Manuel, turned to his tailback. Thompson ran a career-high 25 times for 147 yards, featuring a 27-yard score in the second quarter. Many of the yards came between the tackles against a crowded line of scrimmage, proving that Thompson, much like Dunn, was capable of playing beyond his frame.

While Thomas (832 yards, nine touchdowns in 2009) remains a very viable option now healthy and Jones is also in the mix, Thompson may have raced out in front of a crowded FSU backfield. His skill set appears ideal for the 'Noles' shotgun spread attack and his speed is a trait this offense hasn't had in years. Of players with at least 90 rushes, he led the ACC in yards per carry in 2010. He also added 19 receptions.

Thompson compiled roughly 850 yards rushing in a year where he ran the football more than ten times in a single game just three times. With FSU potentially altering the playbook as the offense transitions from Ponder to Manuel, look for him to continue to be an impact player, perhaps the impact player for a team getting top-ten attention this pre-season. Even if the Greenville-native doesn't become the first 'Nole since '96 to break the famed rushing barrier, his efforts could help this team get back to that era, help this program get back to that mark.