Dadgummit! Part 2

What are we to think of Bowden's postgame comments?
Corey Clark/Tallahassee Democrat

I’m going to give a warning right away. These quotes might not be easy for you to read. They might upset you. A lot. They might make you shake your head – and wonder exactly what is going on with this football program. Or they might not. Who knows?

At any rate. Here is the context.

After his team was outscored 19-0 in the fourth quarter on Saturday night, Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden had his postgame press conference in a lounge inside the Clemson football offices.

The presser (which is what we cool kids in the media call them) lasted about eight minutes. Bowden spoke glowingly of Clemson running back C.J. Spiller – how could he not? – and also lamented his team’s rash of turnovers.

But he also kept talking. And he said some things that probably won’t play too well with the people who have to decide whether the 80-year-old living legend will be back on the sidelines next fall.

Here is an exchange he had with reporters.

Bowden: “Both of us made errors. We probably scored on some of their errors -- I didn’t keep up with it. But we’d turn the ball over and they’d go down and score. Then we’d turn it over and they didn’t score. They’d turn it over back. And the game kind of went that way. We felt very comfortable. We knew it was a battle.

“How late was it 24-21 in our favor? How late did it get? Did that get into the fourth quarter?”

Reporter: “Nine and a half minutes left.”

Bowden: “Left in the game?”

Reporter: “Yes.”

Bowden: “So you’re feeling comfortable, but you know that it ain’t won yet. Then of course the dam broke.”


A few minutes later, Bowden was asked this question by another reporter.

Reporter: “In the second half, when it seemed like momentum started to switch, how hard was it to try to reverse that?”

Bowden: “You mean when they got it (momentum)? Well, actually … you know, they had to kick off to us. We had a what? A three-point ….? Did we have the lead at the half?”

(Reporter nods).

Bowden: “We had a three-point lead at the half, I think. Then they had to kick off to us. We needed to take it down and win the darn game right there. We didn’t do it. They stopped us. Then we kicked it to them and then they probably scored.”

Reporter: “They went ahead and then you guys came back.”

Bowden: “Huh?”

Reporter: “They went ahead and then you guys came back again.”

Bowden: “Did we get ahead of them again after that?”

Reporter: “Yeah.”

Bowden: “Then we got back ahead, huh? Umm, it was going that way, you know it? I felt very comfortable that if they could score, we could score. That’s the way I felt, you know it? We’ve done it all year. But then we started turning the ball over.”

I've been standing up for Bowden all season but it's hard to keep waving his flag after an exchange like this. The reporter went on to insinuate that Bowden didn't care about the loss or was lackadasical. I don't agree. I think he's just not control of things and has lost touch. Plus, he probably has a hard time remembering certain points of the game. Either way, the presser was disturbing.

I can't imagine ever wanting to oust Tom Osborne from Nebraska, but at the same time Osborne never allowed himself to be put in that position. I understand now that Florida State probably has to force Bowden out at the end of the year. My hope is that the powers that be are delicate in doing so. But FSU's President is a former Bowden player so maybe that's a possibility. I just hope it all goes well. Bowden is a legend and deserves a legend's exit.