Clemson Head Coach Tommy Bowden on ...
Clemson's history against Maryland
"Florida used to dominate Florida State and Florida State's
won the last four. Alabama used to dominate Ole Miss and they lost to
them. I think the days of domination are over. If you check the
scores recently in college football, I believe the days of domination
are over.
Maryland's turnaround
The biggest thing is they're playing with a lot of confidence
right now. Being in an environment where you've lost for several
years in a row, and then all of a sudden the new guy comes in. Being
in an environment like at Tulane and at Duke where I was in the
1980s, you get a mindset that's hard to break out of. They're playing
with great emotion and great effort. There's a lot of confidence
right now with their record, kind of like we were last year when we
were 8-0 and ranked third in the nation.
Terp Defense
"They pressure. I think they're leading the conference in
sacks. Number 42 who played last year, right now is just playing real
good. A lot of people rank him as maybe one of the top seven
defensive players in the country. They play some three-man front,
some four-man front. They've got a comprehensive scheme like most
people and they're playing with a lot of confidence. They are number
two in the nation in turnovers and you have a pretty good chance to
win if you get turnovers.
Importance of finishing strong
"You'd like for the guys who are playing to have a taste of
success heading into the offseason. I look at every game with equal
importance. I thought every game my first year here was important it
just so happened we played South Carolina at 5-5 with a bowl bid on
the line. It's the same thing this year. I don't think the North
Carolina or Florida State game is any more important than the
Maryland or South Carolina or the Duke game.
Team's response
"I can only go based on the experiences we've had this year,
how they've responded at Georgia Tech after Virginia and at Wake
Forest after North Carolina. If that's accurate, then I think they'll
respond well.
Playing better on the road
"I tried to move the game Saturday (Florida State) to Daniel
High School but they wouldn't do it. It just so happened it worked
out that way. After playing a whole bunch of games on the road and at
home, there's an advantage to playing at home, especially in this
environment. I know the record doesn't indicate that. I believe the
first year I got here Clemson hadn't won a close conference game on
the road in five years and now all I'm doing is winning close game on
the road at N.C. State, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech. I don't know
why.
Taking pressure off Woody
"Most schools try to get their best player the ball as much
as possible. I think UCLA runs that tailback they have a whole bunch.
The productivity at the other skill positions help your offensive
production. But it just so happens that our quarterback is our top
tailback. We're trying to get the best guy the ball as much as
possible where it doesn't work too much to your disadvantage as far
as being unpredictable. He handles it pretty good mentally and he's
handled it pretty good physically. We want to give him the ball with
opportunities to run and throw as much as possible. "
Tommy Bowden Press Conference
- Real | Windows Media
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