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FSU in much better shape than they were in 2011

A solid running game, a competent offensive line and a QB in the Heisman race? This isn't last year's Florida State.

Streeter Lecka - Getty Images

Jimbo Fisher has spent the week following this year's Clemson game trying to manage the media expectations of his quarterback as a Heisman contender. Florida State is No. 5 in both national polls, they're running the ball with authority behind a rebuilt, disaster-free offensive line and oh yeah -- they beat Clemson.

That's why the media collective is summing up the Seminoles in just one quote:

"What a difference a year makes," Fisher said.

More so than the play of quarterback E.J. Manuel, the real turnaround for the Seminoles from a 2-2 2011 to a 4-0 2012 is the running game, as mentioned by the Orlando Sentinel: FSU has rushed for 1,124 yards through four games, while they had just reached 300 at this point last year.

But running back James Wilder Jr. is on the E.J. for Heisman bandwagon after the QB totalled 482 yards rushing and passing against the Tigers:

"I've gotten very tired of the people saying, 'Can y'all do it? EJ's so inconsistent.' Man, EJ's one of the hardest workers on the team," Wilder said. "He just showed everybody up [Saturday]; at least all the people who were saying he was so inconsistent and that he bursts under pressure."

Photographs by cstreet.us, thelastminute, turtlemom nancy , fesek, kthypryn, justinwright, sue_elias, pointnshoot, and scrapstothefuture used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.