Clemson’s lack of urgency starts and stops with Bowden

By Marc Hudgens  |   Tuesday, September 02, 2008  |  Comments( 9 )

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Even before Clemson's loss to Alabama last weekend, one couldn’t help but get that old, eerie feeling that it was going to be another Tigers letdown. When ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters asked 10-year head coach Tommy Bowden why he felt all the pressure should be on his offensive line, he laughingly answered, "Because it takes it off me."

It was an amazingly lighthearted response to a serious question going into a high-profile nonconference game on a national stage that then-No. 9 Clemson had to win. Bowden's vocal lack of urgency couldn't have been reassuring to Tigers fans.

At halftime, when the Crimson Tide led Clemson 23-3, Bowden's pregame jocularity dissipated; feeling tremendous pressure, he was caught trying to wipe the frustration from his face several times during the game.

"They’re tougher than we are right now," Bowden told Salters after two quarters. "We’re not very physical. We’re going to go in and talk about being a little bit tougher.”

Tall order for Bowden, whose teams have never been about physicality; then again, for a team to be physical and intense, it must be motivated. Unfortunately, Bowden has stated in the past he’s not a motivator; he leaves that to his senior leadership.

After the game, which his team lost 34-10, Bowden said, “I can surely say we didn’t play with the sense of urgency that Alabama did.”

Given what he said to Salters before the matchup, Bowden certainly didn't have the urgency counterpart Nick Saban did. And if the head coach isn’t taking things seriously before a big game where sheer national respectability is on the line, how exactly does he expect his players to?
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About Marc Hudgens

Marc Hudgens has been with RealFootball365 since 2007, covering college football, specifically Clemson and Oregon. He also writes for SouthernPigskin.com covering the ACC. He enjoys the acidic wit of Hunter S. Thompson, is a freelance graphic designer and has written several screenplays. He...
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CommentsComments: 9  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
NB		12:40 PM
09/02/2008
I have always maintained that players always respond to the personality of the head coach. Whether he is fiery or laid-back, the...
No.2
paw'em		06:16 PM
09/02/2008
NB, every clemson fan I know gulped at the prospect of playing a Nick Saban "roll tide" team. And, boy, did it roll. I didn't...
No.3
cdr4tigers		06:20 PM
09/02/2008
I have been a TB supporter for 10 years now. I still support him as person, but I can definitely see a scenario where we will...
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