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DEL.ICIO.USBowden struggles to match past
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
Tallahassee � This is Bobby Bowden’s 30th anniversary at Florida State, which Hallmark would tell us calls for a strand of pearls.
Granted, Bowden, like the gem, is a pale grayish white, with occasional hints of blue (depending on the latest Tallahassee arrest report). But he’s not one to accessorize. So the Seminoles would rather give something more traditional for the typical 75-year-old who finds himself being pulled toward north Florida shuffleboard tournaments.
Late-career redemption.
FSU won a football game over Miami 10-7 Monday night. With more turnovers (four) and missed field goals (four) than actual scoring drives (three), it certainly wasn’t a classic. But this was the kind of a game that has gone against Bowden in recent years.
Lose 10-7, and the cries for him to retire get a little louder. Win 10-7, and suddenly the fan base views you as a tough, high-character survivor. Benefit from a botched field goal, for a change, and suddenly life is wonderful again.
“We finally stole one from them like they’ve been stealing them from us the last five years,� Bowden said.
To translate: They’ve still got problems. The Seminoles had only 177 yards in total offense. Starting quarterback Drew Weatherford went 7-for-24. But problems don’t seem as big when your defense registers nine sacks. They certainly don’t seem as big when you end a six-game losing streak to an in-state rival.
Florida State and Miami have been on relative declines of late. But there’s a greater sense of urgency this season for Bowden than the Hurricanes’ Larry Coker.
Bowden is the one whose team has lost nearly as many games in the past four seasons (15) as in the previous 14 (19). He is the one who had to fight off suggestions that he fire his own son, Jeff, the Seminoles offensive coordinator, after the team’s worst offensive season in 25 years.
It’s one thing to be an every day high-profile coach under pressure, like Coker. It’s another to be Bowden � college football’s all-time winningest coach who is trying to prove to the doubting masses that the Tuesday senior citizen discount at Denny’s can wait.
It wasn’t a great offseason for Bowden. One starting outside linebacker, A.J. Nicholson, was arrested for DUI and had to be tasered by police. The other starting outside linebacker, Ernie Sims, was arrested for domestic battery. (Both played Monday night. We’ll save the Bowden-soft-on-crime column for another day.) Defensive tackle Clifton Dickson was declared academically ineligible. Cornerback Antonio Cromartie was lost for the season with a torn knee ligament.
Finally, there is quarterback Wyatt Sexton, who was found screaming in the streets and claimed to police that he was God. Nobody was even convinced he was a quarterback, let alone a deity. He since has been diagnosed with Lyme disease.
Florida State strung together 14 consecutive seasons of double-digit wins. But this season, it was considered no better than third best in the ACC, behind Virginia Tech and Miami. Bowden tried to fix some problems by shuffling coaching duties. He wouldn’t fire his son, but he imported Mark McHale from Marshall.
But for most of the night, offense was still a problem. After taking a 10-0 lead, the Seminoles went scoreless the rest of the night. They had a first-and-goal from the Miami one in the third quarter. But three runs lost yardage, and the drive ended with a missed field goal attempt.
A Miami win seemed inevitable. The ’Canes drove down the field in the final minutes, converting four times on third down, and was set up with a first down from the 2. But this time it was Miami that folded. The drive stalled and holder Brian Monroe dropped the snap on a 27-yard field goal attempt.
Bowden, once known as an offensive innovator, rode his defense. But given recent history, he’ll take it. The Seminoles finished ranked in the AP’s top five every year from 1987-2000. The past four seasons they finished 15th, 21st, 11th and 15th.
This is year 30 at Florida State for Bobby Bowden. And he’s looking for a reason to celebrate.
Permalink | Comments (12) | Categories: Jeff Schultz, Tech / ACC
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By Pete
September 6, 2005 12:16 AM | Link to this
And celebrate he does! It wasn’t pretty… but it was the win he’s been looking for the past 6 seasons. FSU 10, Miami 7. Wow! What a game. But, I think the Dawgs could’ve beaten either team this weekend. With Oklahoma out of the way (they won’t get a shot this year at the big dance, and I see USC dropping one too), this could be a surprising year for a number of teams. There might be plenty to celebrate this season for Georgia’s teams, college and pro. I love it!
By Island Dawg
September 6, 2005 12:39 AM | Link to this
Jeff, I’m no lover of Free Shoes U, but Rix has been gone since ‘03. That was Sexton who came down with “Lyme Disease” after throwing down at Bon(g)aroo this past summer. Can’t believe they finally won though, especially after Miami misses an easy FG, WOW!
By Bill
September 6, 2005 12:40 AM | Link to this
First you guys in the media will never make Bowden responsibe for the law breaking of his players.Anyone with a brain knows you pepole give Ol’Bobby a pass when it comes to trouble in the FSU program.
Second Bowden is not the all time winningest college coach.There is even some debate if he is the all time winningest D-1A coach.Look up the wins he had at Samford.What division were they in at the time.Then do some Math.
Finally that was not Chris Rix that was proclaiming to be God.Rix is gone from FSU.It was Wyatt Sexton who the cops picked up.Rix justed acted like he was God,skipping exams,parking in handicapped zones and getting other people to take his tests for him.
By jcwfalcon
September 6, 2005 02:37 AM | Link to this
If you are going to write columns for a living you could at least get the names of the players right. Rix?
Since you, like Rix, obviously stink at your job Jeff maybe you should join him in taking up a profession where you wear you name on your shirt and ask “would you like fries with that?”
Bobby may not be being quite as successful as he once was, but it had to happen at some point. Considering all the great programs/coaches of the last 50 years and how long they were able to keep up THAT level of success, I think Bobby can still be very proud of what he is accomplishing.
Notre Dame is just a haze of what they once were. Nebraska cant even get ranked. Florida’s Zook era hasnt been erased as of yet. Oklahoma now seems destined for a mediocre season after losing at home to the ‘Horned Frogs.’ Penn State and Joe Paterno seem lucky to have winning seasons. I’ll take FSU’s success in the long haul in comparison.
Also, before you go writing that article about Bowden being ‘soft on crime.’ Be sure to read the actual police reports in your own backyard of Athens, GA. So much gets swept under the rug there due to support for the football team from local media and officials its not even comparable to players with diseases and ‘free shoes.’ When Richt does suspend players he picks what games to suspend them for, like the next softest opponent. We all know all these football players at bigtime programs arent the classiest bunch of young citizens, so just give it a rest unless you want to start with the ‘hometeams’ first.
If you want to write a column, write one on that, or maybe how Miami can get a crackhead like Michael Irvin to be a positive influence on the sidelines and even a job with the major media…or should I even ask how tough that is considering you cant even get the names of players you discuss in your articles correct.
Man am I glad I did not pay for these garbage articles!
By MeatCleaverDawg
September 6, 2005 10:33 AM | Link to this
Chris Rix? Law suit on the way i bet. Really know your stuff i see.
By Jeff Schultz
September 6, 2005 03:10 PM | Link to this
We have some very touchy people in Tallahassee. Actually, I guess we have some very touchy people everywhere. One note: The above column reads, Wyatt Sexton, not Chris Rix. Corrections were made from the earlier version. My apologies. Thanx JS
By keith
September 6, 2005 08:50 PM | Link to this
Glad to see Bobby being run down by a Gator (Schultz) after a great, if ugly, win. Also, all Dawg fans have no room to talk when it comes to players getting arrested and getting into trouble the last 2 years now do they.
By Glenn
September 7, 2005 02:28 PM | Link to this
MIAMI ???? not the boogey Man Team, the Press thinks it is. CLEMSON Beat them AT Miami last year. NC State did also.
Maybe they weren’t looking, or looking ahead, but Miami is in a rebuilding stage like never before.
Mook6666
By Mark
September 8, 2005 08:47 AM | Link to this
If finishing in the Top 15 is a disappointment, I’ll take it. No team ever finished in the Top 5 15 years running prior to FSU’s run. What was the point of your article? Bowden was great and now he’s still finishing in the Top 15 but that’s bad? He has disciplinary problems that equaled roughly 1/3 of UGA’s, not including Kearney slapping a TA. We had a QB with a mental illness and that’s funny? A CB tears his ACL and it’s a poor reflection on Bobby? Give me and the Noles a break. I’m sorry Richt didn’t start Shockley years ago so the Bulldogs could win something big, too, but we all know Dawg fans prefer one of their own (white, ATL suburbanite frat boy).
By Eddie Cook
September 8, 2005 12:09 PM | Link to this
Originally from Thomasville GA, I’m an FSU grad and a big Bobby Bowden fan. In addition I am fan of FSU’s, UGA’s, & GA Tech’s football programs.
My Dad bought and the family has maintained FSU season tickets to FSU football games since the year Bobby became FSU’s head coach in 1976.
I saw nothing wrong with Jeff’s article. (By the time I read it, the Rix/Sexton mistake in the article had been corrected, but the reader’s reference to Rix leaving in ‘03 has not been corrected. Rix’s last year at FSU was 2004.)
I would be willing to bet that Bobby Bowden himself would have found nothing wrong with the article.
As for the reference to Shockley, UGA, and the Gators by previous contributors, I see no relevance to Jeff’s article. The only reason I mentioned UGA above was to show I like UGA too.
Jeff’s article was about the FSU-Miami game and Bobby’s “struggles” (and I think Bobby would admit he has struggled) to regain the lofty plateau his teams of the past reached.
I attended the game Monday night, and every FSU fan I know felt fortunate to come out of the game with a win. Bobby himself said something like, “We beat them this time like they usually beat us”.
I’m disappointed with the way the FSU offense has played the past few years, and Bobby’s son Jeff seems to get the lion’s share of the blame, but I remember attending games there and listening to fans rip former FSU offensive coordinator Mark Richt on post-game radio talk shows after the games.
Personally, I don’t think Jeff said anything wrong, and I do not think his appraisal of Bobby and FSU were scathing critiques at all. I don’t think he has a vendetta against FSU.
By Jeff Schultz
September 8, 2005 12:32 PM | Link to this
Keith… Gator? I’m from California, I didn’t go to Florida. So I have no allegiances with any school in the Southeast, nor any grudges or agendas. … Eddie, thanks for the support. Was that $20 or $25 I owe you, I forgot. JS
By Barbara
September 17, 2005 07:05 AM | Link to this
A female weighs in…
This FSU grad (93) experienced the school’s first national championship in person. Came to love and respect Coach. A wonderful family man. Let’s keep an open mind about his son as he just couldn’t work with Mr. Rix. (Though he did beat Florida, that SEC team, three of his four years!! Oh, yes there is that!!)
Now, when you recruit folks who have come from a challenged background you’re going to get that behavior. Football is about talent; it’s not about well-behaved kids from parochial schools. And every school who continually battles for national recognition also experiences this. To say they don’t is just silly.
Do UGA fans not remember that Mark Richt was the offensive line coach from FSU? It seems when people “evolve” into the “real” leagues of SEC, then their past goes away? Please.
Eddie, I agree nothing too harmful in the article. Hey Jeff, you know Rix, who graduated in December of “04, is now working in broadcasting in California. Probably making a ton out of college. How’s that for a funny turn of events!!