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Bowden barely escapes to bowl another day

The Associated Press

FSU head coach Bobby Bowden shakes hands with Mickey Andrews during a pregame ceremony honoring Andrews' retirement.

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Martin Fennelly

mfennelly@tampatrib.com

Published: November 22, 2009

Updated: 11/22/2009 12:23 am

TALLAHASSEE - Had it all the way.

Florida State players were dancing and fans were screaming, as if they'd actually just done something. The winning coach threw his hat in what crowd there was. Mighty Maryland had been overcome and the Republic of Bowden was saved, whether you liked it or not.

In fact, Bobby's going bowling.

"It was significant," Bobby Bowden said. "I'm sure it was."

This is how far Florida State football has fallen - mad celebrations for a last-minute 29-26 win against a 2-8 team before what had to be 25,000 empty seats at Doak Campbell Stadium.

This game was more about what seemed about to happen than what eventually happened.

Florida State has its puny prize, its six-win season, and now the Emerald and Music City bowls fighting for Bobby, and it might be enough for one more season.

But the whole time, especially after Maryland took a late lead, we wondered if this was his final home game.

"No, that didn't cross my mind," he said.

It crossed ours.

This could have been it.

Florida State nearly lost to Maryland, nearly snapped the nation's longest bowl streak at 27 years, nearly assured a losing season given the impending mayhem at Florida, nearly took the "waiting" off Jimbo Fisher, coach-in-waiting - nearly released the hounds on Bobby.

Lose to Maryland and there would have been too much blood in the water for Bobby to survive. Lose to Maryland on Senior Day and the seniors wouldn't have been the last ones saying goodbye.

Would a loss Saturday have sapped Bowden's desire to come back? Bobby answered with Bobby humor.

"I don't think so," he said. "I'm probably going to put in my application. I don't know it'll go through, though."

I wish Bobby would step down, because he does his genuine legend no good by staying. But we know what his wife and all-time firecracker, Ann, said during the week when asked about her man.

"They'll have to fire him for him not to go another year," Ann Bowden said. "... If they've got guts enough, let them do it."

Ann nailed it. Who has the guts to have that blood on their hands?

Thing is, a loss to Maryland would have changed everything.

Even the FSU fans celebrating realized what they had nearly seen. And it probably hit them: Was this win a good thing for their program?

It seemed a surreal way for Bobby to go out. Here was FSU in those silly futuristic Nike Pro Combat uniforms, the future staring old Bobby right in the face. And here was iconic FSU defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews at his final home game, being honored at midfield.

Andrews' former players bought Mickey a new pickup truck, which was parked in the end zone throughout the game. It looked like a getaway car after Maryland trampled Mickey's D for the go-ahead score.

Well, Mickey got to ride home in the truck.

And Bobby didn't get ridden out on a rail.

A bunch of freshmen helped the 80-year-old Bowden find daylight. Lonnie Pryor ran for two scores, including the winning one with 32 seconds left. Redshirt freshman quarterback EJ Manuel overcame three costly interceptions to lead the winning drive and, most important, Greg Reid sparked that drive with a 48-yard punt return from his own 8.

Bobby survived Senior Day. Before the game, he hugged Mickey Andrews in the ceremony.

"It was very sad," Bobby told TV. "His wife and grandkids were with him. I had tears in my eyes. His wife had tears in her eyes and I'm sure (Mickey) had tears in his eyes, too."

There will be more tears.

Only when?

Before Saturday's game, people crowded near the Bobby statue outside the stadium, like always. Terry Waggener and his 9-year-old daughter Claire traveled all the way from Ohio for the game. They asked for someone to take a picture and posed in front of Bobby. It was their first trip to Doak Campbell.

"We wanted to get down to see a game here before Coach Bowden left, for the history of it," Terry said.

He paused.

"Is he leaving?"

Safe trip home, Terry and Claire.

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