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No Marquee Foe? It's No Big Deal

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By JOEY JOHNSTON

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 4, 2008

When Florida State cut its teeth as a nationally prominent football program, Bobby Bowden was "King of the Road." He would play any team, anywhere, any time.

Even in recent seasons, FSU was a regular for the nationally televised opener on Labor Day evening, again putting its reputation on the line against Miami or Clemson.

And now?

"When you beat somebody 35-0, it's hard to find any weaknesses," Bowden said of Saturday night's opponent at Doak Campbell Stadium.

The opponent is Division I-AA Western Carolina, coming off a 3-19 mark the past two seasons.

True enough, the Catamounts opened with a 35-0 win. But it was against Shorter College, an NAIA school.

On Sept. 13, FSU faces Chattanooga, another I-AA team.

What gives?

"We are shorthanded," Bowden said of the Seminoles, facing multiple player suspensions. "We were invited to play in that Labor Day game again, but just didn't think it was a good idea this time.

"What you've got to do ... you can't get upset. You must not get upset."

That's not likely.

FSU players seemed OK with the idea of avoiding a prime-time opponent.

"Not to downplay Western Carolina, but it's not a big ACC matchup game," Seminoles junior defensive tackle Budd Thacker said. "And that's definitely a plus. We've got a bunch of young guys who will be playing."

The Seminoles were 2-2 in the Labor Day games, but they scored only four offensive touchdowns in those games. And playing again five days later made for some sloppy games in Week 2.

In 2006, FSU trailed Troy 17-10 in the fourth quarter but rallied to win. Last season, FSU and UAB were tied in the fourth before the Seminoles pulled away, 34-24.

"The intensity of that Labor Day game meant a lot of hitting and a lot of banging," FSU junior defensive end Everette Brown said. "It takes you a couple of days to recover, but you really can't."

BOWDEN AT HOME: Bowden has not lost a season opener when it is played at Doak Campbell Stadium, going 13-0. In fact, Bowden is 18-1 all-time when his teams opened at home - the lone defeat was in 1974, when West Virginia fell to Richmond, 29-25.

BOWDEN VS. PATERNO: Penn State coach Joe Paterno didn't make a big deal of it Saturday when the Nittany Lions downed Coastal Carolina for his 373rd career victory. But that tied Bowden's all-time record, setting up what could be an interesting race.

Here are this season's remaining games.

•Bowden: Western Carolina (Saturday), Chattanooga (Sept. 13), Wake Forest (Sept. 20), Colorado at Jacksonville (Sept. 27), at Miami (Oct. 4), N.C. State (Oct. 16), Virginia Tech (Oct. 25), at Georgia Tech (Nov. 1), Clemson (Nov. 8), Boston College (Nov. 15), at Maryland (Nov. 22), Florida (Nov. 29).

•Paterno: Oregon State (Saturday), at Syracuse (Sept. 13), Temple (Sept. 20), Illinois (Sept. 27), at Purdue (Oct. 4), at Wisconsin (Oct. 11), Michigan (Oct. 18), at Ohio State (Oct. 25), at Iowa (Nov. 8), Indiana (Nov. 15), Michigan State (Nov. 22).

FSU SHORTS

HONOR ROLL: Former Seminoles cornerback Clifton Abraham, a fifth-round pick of the Bucs in 1995 who also played Arena Football for the Storm, will be inducted into the FSU Sports Hall of Fame this weekend. Abraham was a three-year starter, including the national championship season of 1993.

SOUND BITE: "I have a feeling our guy might hit a few bad ones to get out the nervousness. Remember Scott Bentley, when he started in 1993? He made the cover of Sports Illustrated. He was supposed to be the answer, and he was. But his first kickoff, I think he nearly whiffed it." - Bobby Bowden on breaking in a new place-kicker while Graham Gano recovers from injury.

IN OTHER ACTION: FSU's fourth-ranked women's soccer team is 3-0 - beating three nationally ranked opponents - and hosts Florida International on Friday night. Meanwhile, FSU's volleyball team is 3-0 after claiming the Florida State Invitational crown for the third straight season. The Seminoles face Long Beach State at home tonight.

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