Posted by Doug Bell
I have always enjoyed sitting down and chatting with the legendary Bobby Bowden.The conversation I had last Friday in his office was part American history lesson, homespun philosophy class, and lots of humor. The 78-year-old is still the face of the program, but he is no longer the brains behind the operation.
That title clearly belongs to head-coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher. The fiery offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach clearly has taken the reigns of game day preparation, and it's especially evident on the sidelines during the course of the game. It was Fisher who made the bold decision to bench veteran Drew Weatherford and start sophomore Christian Ponder at quarterback, with D'Vontrey Richardson as the back-up. Ponder is a 225 pounder who runs the 40 in 4.6, while Richardson is 215 pounds and runs a 4.4. For some reason, I'm having flashbacks of Charlie Ward …
Bowden admitted that his current receiving corps has the potential to be the best in Seminoles history. Keep an eye out for junior college transfer Corey Surrency, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound power receiver who has already caught two touchdown passes from Ponder. Surrency is the only player to ever suit up for Bowden who didn't play high school football.
The offensive line, which will be tested against Wake Forest this Saturday night, is the only one in Bowden's 31 years in Tallahassee that doesn't boast a senior starter. Watch out for left guard Rodney Hudson, who was not heavily recruited two years ago. Running backs coach Dexter Carter could not stop raving about the kid's athleticism, tenacity and leadership skills.
Doug Bell is a play-by-play announcer for ESPNU's coverage of college football.
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