Tommy and Bobby Bowden Postgame Press Conference

Bobby Bowden talks about his first ever Bowden Bowl loss.

by TigerNet Staff - Sun Nov 09 04:22:50 GMT-04:00 2003

Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden

How relieved are you?

Not so much relieved but happy for the players. In that regard they have a chance. Thank goodness the players didn’t listen to the media or read the internet because in that respect they didn’t have a chance. You like to see the players kinda respond with their backs against the ball and get rewarded. Tim told me it was the highest ranked win ever. The Georgia Tech win was the largest margin of victory in 100 years. You get more happy not so much that there’s pressure off me but you come out of the lockerromm with happiness for them.

How long will you be able to enjoy this one?

It’ll last until tomorrow. Duke beat Georgia Tech 41-17. All of a sudden your preparation goes into Duke and you don’t get to enjoy it very much. I hope the players do. The coaches will get back to work pretty early because of the late game tonight and preparation on Sunday.

Did you play a perfect game?

I wouldn’t say we played perfect. As I talked to the players in preparation this week there’s probably four parts of the kicking game that if we had removed them we would have won last year. I said if y’all will eliminate those this year it’ll at last be close in the fourth quarter. We did other things well. John Lovett and his staff held them to 11 yards rushing. Brad Scott and the offensive staff’s preparation and moving the pocket. It was complete.

What did you do to keep FSU off balance?

As I was answering Phil’s question the credit goes to the players because they have to execute. The defensive staff and the offensive staff, the plan they gave the players to execute hopefully had something to do with keeping them off balance. Disguising some things we did offensively maybe kept them off balance or confused.

Listen to full Tommy Bowden Press Conference

FSU head coach Bobby Bowden:

Will you re-evaluated Chris Rix?

I thought there was entirely too much heat on him and he wasn’t hot.

Comment on Charlie Whitehurst's play.

Charlie played a great game. I knew he was capable of doing that. He’s one of the best passers in the country and he’s got the physical tools to do it.

What did Tommy say to you after the game?

I couldn’t hear him. I told him his job was safe for five days. He ought to be good for about a week.

Thoughts about Tommy getting his first win over you.

I’m happy for him…not happy for us, as you know. I try not to assist him in any way. My job is to win it and his is to win it and he won it tonight. You know something like this is coming sooner or later. You don’t just beat people forever. But this was very unlikely tonight but it was thorough and it wasn’t even close.

What did Clemson do so well?

They forced us into a passing game a lot. What they did was keep great field position. When they gave the ball up it was way down on our end of the field. And then when we threw down there we were taking chance. They blitzed us and we couldn’t’ pick it up good enough. It was kinda like they had an open date but they didn’t.

Listen to full Bobby Bowden Press Conference