| | Florida State coach Bobby Bowden knows all about good southern quarterbacks playing for small schools. He's been burned by them before. He knows that a certain signalcaller from Louisiana Tech has the ability to do it again.
| |  | | Louisiana Tech's Tim Rattay threw for 590 yards against Nebraska. |
He knows that Tim Rattay is arguably the best quarterback in the country. And he knows what happened the last time he was in a similar position.
It was 10 years ago when Bowden took one of his powerhouse clubs into Jacksonville for a season opener against Southern Mississippi
and a junior quarterback named Bret Favre. The coaches thought his
last named was pronounced 'favor.'
They haven't mispronounced it since. This week they're making sure they get Rattay's name right.
Favre carved up the Florida State secondary, completing 21 of 39
passes for 282 yards and a pair of touchdowns in leading Southern
Miss to a 30-26 upset victory.
"We'd score a touchdown and he'd match us. We'd score another,
he'd match it," Bowden said. "We didn't' realize how great he was
going to be, but we knew he was a heck of a quarterback."
Bowden's top-ranked Seminoles open the 1999 season with
Louisiana Tech Rattay, who at this stage of his
career may be as skilled as Favre was in 1989.
"He is so accurate," Bowden said. "And he knows where
to throw the football because he's been in that system for three
years. And to make it worse, he's a good runner. He doesn't like to
run, but he can."
Rattay's accuracy worries Bowden.
"Anytime I start talking about accuracy, I always go back to
(Joe) Montana," Bowden said. "That's a mighty big order, but he's
got those tendencies about him."
In last year's opener at Nebraska, Rattay threw for 590 yards
and four touchdowns in a losing effort. He led the nation last year
with 4,943 yards and 46 touchdowns passing.
Although most of today's Seminoles were still in elementary
school when Favre led Southern Miss to its surprising upset, Bowden
will remind his players of that game.
"I've mentioned it and I'll mention it again, what a great
quarterback can do to you," Bowden said.
In two seasons at Tech, Rattay has thrown 80 touchdown passes --
one more than former Florida State quarterbacks Danny McManus, Rick
Stockstill and Steve Tensi combined.
"Tim Rattay has been a leader of this team," said Louisiana Tech coach Jack Bicknell III. "He had done a great job with this team, and this offense."
Interestingly, Rattay also has some close-up knowledge of the
Seminoles. A Phoenix resident, he visited the Florida State
practices during the Christmas holiday when the Seminoles were
preparing for their Fiesta Bowl game against Tennessee.
"He is an excellent veteran quarterback and knows the offense
inside and out and can find receivers," Bowden said. "He will
test as us good as we can be tested."
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