On This Date: Bowden Bowl 1, Clemson-14 (1)Florida State-17

Oct 23, 2020, 8:59 AM

10/23/1999
Death Valley, SC

What are yalls' memories of that chilly October night? The ACTUAL attendance at Death Valley? (ive never seen it so packed. It was absolutely insane). The Ann Bowden Cam in the stands with her House Divide sweater? I can't get over, and will never forgive Tommy Bowden for not going for it on that 4th and 1. This article from the Orlando Sentinel pretty much sums it up:

BOWDEN BOWL LACKS KICK

All game long, he had been his father's son. Until the end.

Then, without warning, with 86,200 fans smelling upset and chanting "Go! Go! Go!" Tommy Bowden turned into Pat Dye. He lost his nerve and went for the tie. Suddenly, he didn't look like a Bowden at all.
Fourth and a short 1 at Florida State's 25. Two minutes left. Clemson trailing by three.
Tommy had gotten his underdog Tigers to this point through gutsy play-calling that, in most other circumstances, would have made his father proud. A fake punt that worked. Offensive razzle that dazzled. But now, with the game on the line, Tommy Bowden went Strom Thurmond conservative on his constituency.

"Go! Go! Go!" the crowd shouted.

No, no, no, was the meek sideline reply.

Out came the field-goal unit. Up went the kick. Down went Clemson.
Freshman Tony Lazzara's attempt came up well short of the necessary 41 yards, partially blocked by Tay Cody.

And that was that, the anticlimactic kicker to a game that put the fear of Death Valley into Bobby Bowden and No. 1 Florida State. The Seminoles sat on the ball, content to escape with an ugly 17-14 comeback win.

This was the ending everybody expected, but it came about in a way nobody could have predicted.
Bobby Bowden got career win No. 300. The Seminoles (7-0) stayed on track for a perfect season and a national championship. Tommy and his 3-4 Tigers didn't get embarrassed.
"Just what I prayed for -- a close game," Ann Bowden, Bobby's wife and Tommy's mom, said after the game, wearing her divided allegiance on her sleeves. She had a custom-made sweatshirt for the occasion, half Florida State, half Clemson, split down the middle.
It was as jarringly divided as the philosophy Tommy displayed.
For most of the game, he was proud to be the riverboat gambler's son. Tommy Bowden made sure everyone knew it, with a second-quarter fake punt that evoked memories of the most audacious call his dad made, Puntrooskie, in this stadium 11 years ago.

And then in crunch time, came a trick play that looked like it might launch a winning drive.
This was all wildly entertaining. In his first year at Clemson, with his team not expected to contend for anything, there was really no reason for Tommy Bowden to call off the upset dogs on fourth-and-1. After the game, he talked about wanting to give his kids a chance to win. But this was only going to be a chance to tie, which is a frivolous chance when you have to get through overtime against an obviously better team. And overtime only comes if you can make a 41-yard field goal.
"I didn't have any more trick plays to use," Tommy said. "I didn't want the kids to play that hard and not have a chance to win."

Before that point, they had a pretty good chance. Peter Warrick, fresh off the legal bench and razzed by the crowd with chants of "Jail bird," made 11 catches but dropped four more, including one that would have put the game away in the fourth quarter. Sebastian Janikowski missed two field goals and it should have been three, if not for an early mulligan that came after a penalty. Early in the crisp night, Florida State quarterback Chris Weinke didn't seem crisp at all.
For a while, it looked as if the ghost of Puntrooskie would come back to haunt Bobby Bowden. Bowden made that brassiest of calls in 1988, with the score tied at 21 and 1:33 to play. Florida State had fourth-and-4 at its 21, when center Dave Whittington snapped to the up-back Dayne Williams. He set the ball on the ground between LeRoy Butler's legs, the entire team went right and Butler waited a second before scooting left, alone down the sidelines.

He ran 78 yards, and Richie Andrews hit a 19-yard field goal to give Florida State a 24-21 win.
Tommy Bowden showed his nerve early, calling a fake punt on fourth-and-13 at Florida State's 46, Clemson trailing 3-0. Punter Ryan Romano completed a 23-yard pass to Braxton Williams for 23 yards. Next thing you know, Clemson had a 14-3 halftime lead.
But in the end, there was only an ordinary field-goal attempt.

No good.

The way this ending felt.

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On This Date: Bowden Bowl 1, Clemson-14 (1)Florida State-17

Re: On This Date: Bowden Bowl 1, Clemson-14 (1)Florida State-17

Nice. Do you remember who it was that called the game?***

I was there! Yay me.***

Re: On This Date: Bowden Bowl 1, Clemson-14 (1)Florida State-17

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