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Bowden Bowl over as Florida State hosts Clemson

Nov 8, 2008 - 11:18 AM Clemson (4-4) at (24) Florida State (6-2), 3:30 pm EST

TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Ticker) -- The Bowden bowl is no more.

Florida State coach Bobby Bowden won't be facing his son, Tommy, on Saturday when the 24th-ranked Seminoles host Clemson.

The Bowden Bowl had been staple of the Atlantic Coast Conference landscape since 1999, when Tommy Bowden took the Clemson job. The elder Bowden won five of the nine meetings against his son.

However with Clemson underachieving, Tommy Bowden stepped down as the Tigers' coach following a 12-7 loss to Wake Forest on October 9 and was replaced by Dabo Swinney.

Picked as the ACC favorite in the preseason, Clemson (4-4, 2-3 ACC Atlantic) has been one of the most disappointing teams in the country. The Tigers snapped a three-game losing streak last week with a 27-21 victory at Boston College, giving Swinney his first win as coach.

Despite missing most of the third quarter with a head injury, C.J. Spiller caught six passes for 105 yards - the most for a running back in Clemson history.

While Bobby Bowden, who turns 79 on Saturday, won't see his son on the opposite sideline, he will be looking to end Clemson's recent dominance in the series, as the Tigers have won three straight meetings.

Florida State never has lost four straight ACC games to a single conference opponent. Prior to 2003, the Seminoles had won 11 straight games against Clemson.

In the last Bowden Bowl in 2006, Clemson posted a 27-20 victory on James Davis' 1-yard touchdown run with eight seconds remaining. The teams did not play last season due to a scheduling quirk.

Florida State (6-2, 3-2 Atlantic) is coming off a 31-28 defeat at Georgia Tech. The Seminoles were three yards away from rallying from a 31-20 deficit in the final six minutes, but fullback Marcus Sims fumbled into the end zone with 45 seconds remaining.

Jermaine Thomas rushed for 130 yards on just nine carries for Florida State.

Despite the heartbreaking loss, the Seminoles remain alive in the Atlantic Division race. However, Florida State is no longer in control of its own destiny as its trails first-place Maryland (3-1) by one-half game.

"We got to improve on a 7-6," said Bowden, referring to the Seminoles' record in each of the last two seasons. "That's the biggest thing. Right now, we still have a chance to have a very good year but we got to win the next game."