Bowden family says Bowden Bowl isn't fun anymore

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CLEMSON, SC - 8:08 PM ET It's another edition of the Bowden Bowl. Tommy Bowden and Clemson return the stellar backfield of James Davis and C.J. Spiller. FSU coach Bobby Bowden gets to see whether his coaching staff shake-up paid off.

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James Davis and C.J. Spiller are one of the most formidable tandems in the country. But even Clemson's dynamic duo could struggle against Florida State's veteran defense.

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Matchup
	W-L	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	DIV	CONF
FSU	0-1	18	24	0-0	0-1	0-1	0-1
CLEM	1-0	24	18	1-0	0-0	1-0	1-0
· Complete Standings

In Close Games (7 points or less. Since 2001)
	RECORD
FSU	9 - 14
CLEM	12 - 16

Record When Scoring... (Since 2001)
	20 OR MORE	30 OR MORE	40 OR MORE	50 OR MORE
FSU	45-10-0	36-0-0	20-0-0	8-0-0
CLEM	42-12-0	27-3-0	12-0-0	6-0-0
	LESS THAN 20	LESS THAN 30	LESS THAN 40	LESS THAN 50
FSU	6-16-0	15-26-0	31-26-0	43-26-0
CLEM	3-17-0	18-26-0	33-29-0	39-29-0

TEAM AVERAGES & NCAA RANKS
OFFENSE	TM	PER GAME AVERAGE / NCAA RANK
Total Yards	FSU	360.0 / 82nd
	CLEM	412.4 / 47th
Passing Yards	FSU	248.4 / 50th
	CLEM	274.3 / 36th
Rushing Yards	FSU	121.1 / 97th
	CLEM	158.8 / 51st
Points Scored	FSU	22.9 / 97th
	CLEM	34.2 / 23rd
Full Team Stats: Florida State | Clemson

Individual Leaders

Florida State Passing   CMP% YDS TD INT Ponder 68.8 2717 14 7 Manuel 64.7 430 1 4

Clemson Passing   CMP% YDS TD INT Parker 55.7 2082 18 9 Korn 70.6 90 1 1

Florida State Rushing   CAR YDS AVG TD Thomas 131 690 5.3 7 Jones 51 251 4.9 5

Clemson Rushing   CAR YDS AVG TD Spille... 172 894 5.2 7 Elling... 57 395 6.9 3

Florida State Receiving   REC YDS AVG TD Reed 53 671 12.7 0 Owens 53 652 12.3 3

Clemson Receiving   REC YDS AVG TD Ford 45 654 14.5 5 Spille... 29 421 14.5 4

Full Player Stats: Florida State | Clemson

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) -- The Bowden Bowl used to be a can't-miss affair for all members of college football's famous family. These days, the once joyous father vs. son matchup has turned into a game to get past -- and much easier for some Bowdens to miss.

"I don't know if my mother's coming," Clemson coach Tommy Bowden said during his weekly news conference.

She isn't, Florida State's athletic department said Friday.

And Ann, the woman who famously wore a half Clemson, half Florida State sweater in the Death Valley stands the first time her husband, Bobby, took on her son's Tigers in 1999, might not be the only Bowden absent Monday night for the ninth Bowden Bowl.

Also unlikely to attend is Tommy's brother, Jeff, who resigned as Florida State's offensive coordinator under harsh criticism for the team's play.

"We don't like it anymore," Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said. "To me, Tommy does the same thing I do, keep it in the confines of Florida State vs. Clemson."

That's certainly not the way the series began eight years back.

Bobby's team was ranked No. 1 and headed for its second national title of the decade going into the series' inaugural father-son game. Tommy was an up-and-comer, hired to turn Clemson back into winners after he led Tulane to an undefeated season the previous year.

To top it off, a Seminoles victory would be Bobby's historic 300th.

College football couldn't get enough of the Bowdens that week, following their every move. A caravan of TV trucks trailed the family to northern South Carolina as Bobby watched Tommy's boy, grandson Ryan, play high school football.

The nationally televised game lived up to expectations. Son Tommy used some of his dad's trickery to take a 14-3 lead against the more powerful Seminoles. But then Bobby's team showed its skill, rallying for two late touchdowns and a 17-14 win.

Father and son met at midfield when it was over, Bobby joking that Tommy "out-tricked me 3-0."

Both sides left smiling, anticipating more thrills as Tommy's program grew to challenge Bobby's supremacy in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Instead, big time college football got in the way.

Tommy's Tigers lost the next three games against his dad by a combined score of 143-65, each defeat bringing increased fan scrutiny whether the younger Bowden was the right man for the Clemson job.

When Tommy arguably saved his job with his first win over Bobby, 26-10, in 2003, it left Seminoles fans angry about their team's lost chance at the national title.

The Tigers have won three of the past four games with Florida State, those defeats increasing pressure on Tommy's brother Jeff, who eventually resigned.

Tommy, the third of six children, understands Jeff's reluctance at watching the team he helped coach for 13 years move on without him. Like most older brothers, though, the Tigers coach couldn't pass up a dig at his younger sibling.

"He's cleaned the garage out a whole bunch, done landscaping and painting," Tommy said. "He got yard of the month twice."

Clemson defensive coordinator Vic Koenning said Tommy keeps his emotions out of the game and away from players and staff. "He's candid with us but he also knows there are some things that are on a need-to-know basis and that we don't need to know," Koenning said.

This year's game features father and son trying to recover from disappointing seasons.

The Seminoles went 7-6 a year ago, the team's fewest wins under Bowden since going 7-4-1 in 1986.

Clemson looked like the class of the ACC in 2006 with its 7-1 start. But the Tigers lost four of their final five, putting Tommy back on the hot seat.

"Both of us are coming off frustrating years. Usually it's just us and not them," Tommy Bowden said. "That adds a little bit different flavor to it."

Bobby hired four new offensive assistants, including coordinator Jimbo Fisher from LSU to replace Jeff Bowden, and find the team's firepower of the past.

Tommy's worked with his coordinator, Rob Spence, to find more touches for the team's playmakers at running back, James Davis and C.J. Spiller.

Along with the relief the winning coach will feel, comes the worry about their loved one's prospects for the season.

"The family aspect of it the last few years has made it more difficult, I don't think there's any doubt about that," Tommy said.

If Tommy was off the schedule, "my wife would talk to me again," Bobby Bowden said.

"It's tough on ol' Ann Bowden," her husband of 58 years said. "She loves her children."