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Bowden sailing off into the sunset

Update: National and Florida media confirm that Bobby Bowden will announce his retirement today. No word on whether he'll coach in the bowl game or be available for fund-raising and accompanying Jimbo Fisher on the annual spring tour of booster clubs. However, The Florida Times Union reports that the Gator Bowl is attempting to match West Virginia with FSU as a showcase for Bowden's final game.

Several reasons, from both the head and the heart, are driving Bowden's decision to step down, including:

• No wiggle room. T.K. and Spetman reportedly presented Bowden with the choice of stepping down or being a figurehead coach with no actual coaching duties. Either/Or.

• Pride. Though an aw-shucks kind of guy, Bowden's ego and pride wouldn't allow him to be a powerless leader. Can you think of a coach who would go out on those terms?

• $$$. There's plenty of buzz that Bowden will get a nice check to hang up the whistle. That's on top of the $1 million contractually due him on retirement. Very possible the same deep-pocket boosters who financed Jeff Bowden's buyout are ponying up for Bobby's walk-away windfall.

• No fuss. By retiring now, Bobby escapes all the "fuss" that he wanted to avoid. If he came back for 2010, every game, every press conference, every interview would be filled with memories, schmaltz and even a bit of pity for the 80-year old legend. Now he just has to endure the bowl game turning into a Bye-Bye Bobby event. So if you were among the 66-thousand or so attending the Maryland game -- folks, you witnessed college football history: Bowden's very last time on the Doak sidelines. 

Coach, you're on the clock

FSU Claims the Old Spice Classic Title

by Bill from Tampa

Derwin Kitchen afterwards summed up the game. “We’re a second half team. We just need to stop turning the ball over and quit making mistakes in the first half.

Therein describes in part how Florida State was able to overcome a 17-point second half deficit and silence (more like shutting up) a loud (and might I say annoying) Marquette crowd in beating the Warriors (or Golden Eagles or whatever they call themselves these days) 57-56.

Chris Singleton nearly stole the ball from him, but when Lazar Hayward (19 points) nailed a three from above the key, FSU trailed 39-22 with 15:38 to play.

It took nearly twelve minutes to do it, but a 26-9 run saw the ‘Noles tie the score at 48 with 3:48 remaining when Luke Loucks fed a perfect pass to Jordan DeMercy on the block for the slam dunk.

A little more than two minutes later FSU took its second lead of the game after Singleton drove the lane kicking out to Kitchen in the left corner. Calmly nailing the three, FSU took a slim 53-52 lead with 1:29 on the clock.

In what will be a classic in FSU basketball history the teams traded baskets twice, swapping the lead back and forth. Maurice Acker drove in on a clear path from the right side for the easy layup.

Solomon Alabi, who struggled offensively in the first half, used his size and not his dribbling “ability” laying in the ball. Hayward got the lead back again for Marquette before Alabi answered once again with a short turnaround baseline jumper in what turned out to be the last points of the game.

Only 11.9 remained on the clock and Marquette had the ball poised to make the game winning shot. But a cross court pass sailed high and into the Marquette bench giving the ball over to FSU.

With just 2.9 seconds left Marquette nearly stole the ball on a Singleton inbounds pass to Kitchen. But David Cubillian stepped on the end line. Singleton heaved a three quarters court pass to Ryan Reid that was picked off. But the desperation heave was far short and the ‘Noles on the court and in the stands celebrated wildly.

Previously Random and Curiously Meaningless Thoughts

1. Alright, it wasn't a shutout!! WOO-HOO!!!!! Are they burning mattresses on Tennessee Street yet?

2. Hey, maybe the defense isn't that bad after all. FSU held the gatros (aka crocs) to eight points less than the previous two games.

3. Betcha Jarmon Fortson or Dustin Hopkins could have tackled TE Aaaron Hernandez before he juked his way into the endzone. Or maybe the FSU defense just wanted to make the highlight reel any way they could.

4. With Greg Reid saying earlier in the week that he would take one back to the house (presumably he meant not back to his house in Georgia) there is just one small question. Don't you have to make the other team punt first before that can happen?

5. I think we've all seen this scenario before. Tebow hands the ball off for a sizeable gain. Tebow plows up the middle for a sizeable gain. Tebow shovel passes for a sizeable gain. Tebow passes downfield for a sizeable gain. Touchdown lizards. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

6. It was announced that that was the biggest crowd to ever watch a game at Benny Hill Stadium. Who knew that a team with a 6-5 record coming into the game would be such a big draw?

7. Don't you just know that Adrian Bushell received large numbers of text messages, voice mails, and/or emails following the end of the game from persons who invested large amounts of funds on the game (for recreational purposes only, of course) who took the gatros (their ...) aka crocs of XXVI and gave the 21 points.

8. Hey, at least FSU is moving up in the football world!!! According to Gary Danielson FSU looked like a junior varisty team against a varisty team. Remember, FSU's offense was said to look like a high school team not too many years ago.

9. Sign seen at ESPN's Gameday Show in Hogtown: "UF is not tailgate approved." I'm pretty sure most if not all FSU fans don't approve of anything about UF right about now.

10. I knew it was bad when Mrs. BFT started cheering that the FSU's total offense had reached 55 yards well into the second quarter.

Bonus Previously Random and Curiously Meaningless Thoughts

After a bitter loss, here's to better days

Mickey's final trip to Hogtown overshadowed by Noles last shot at tripping up Tebow

FSU to Play for Tourney Title on Sunday

by Bill from Tampa

It started off in a similar fashion to something FSU fans had seen eighteen hours earlier. After nearly six minutes into the game Florida State had racked up six turnovers and trailed 10-4.

Déjà vu all over again.

When Jordon DeMercy let a pass slip right through his hands on a two-on-one break and a baseline jumper by Alabama’s Troy Mitchell, the Seminoles still trailed 17-11 at the 6:35 mark.

The game at the point had a very similar feel to Thursday night’s game when FSU racked up 27 turnovers, just one off the tournament record.

That’s when Devidas Dulkys and Chris Singleton hit the next 16 points for the ‘Noles. Dulkys nailed three straight three pointers, two from the right corner, the other from the left, and Singleton connected two bombs from each wing, the last right before the buzzer sounded, to give FSU a 30-25 lead.

Florida State never trailed again in defeating the Crimson Tide 60-51.

Key in the victory was something the Seminoles did not do the night before -- namely sharing the ball. Of FSU’s twenty baskets, fifteen involved passes from teammates. The ‘Noles dished 15 assists, six by Derwin Kitchen and three by Luke Loucks while turning over the ball just once between the two point guards.

The difference between the game the previous night against Iona and Alabama was night and day. The FSU point guards consistently broke down the ‘Bama defense, especially Kitchen, driving to the basket and finding the open teammate either around the basket or sitting out at the perimeter.

Seminole teammates were only too happy to oblige, connecting on 9 of 13 threes and shooting 47% from the floor.

It Was One UUUUUUGLY Game, But It Was A Win Thursday night

by Bill from Tampa

Don’t ask them how they did it. As a team the Seminoles shot just 37% from the floor, committed 27 turnovers, let an eleven point in the second half lead slip away but somehow still found a way to win the game, beating the Iona Gaels 54-49.

Leading 47-42 with 3:42 to play Jermel Jenkins hit a three pointer from the right corner to bring the Gaels within two. Derwin Kitchen traveled on the ensuing possession and after getting the ball back on a palming call on Iona, Devidas Dulkys committed the team’s 25th turnover.

To compound the error Dulkys was called for a foul on the play sending Scott Machado to the free throw line, whereupon he tied the score at 42 with just 2:40 remaining.

But FSU continued to pound the ball inside and it paid off with two free throws each by Solomon Alabi and Chris Singleton. Kitchen’s bank short shot from the left side made it a 6-0 run and a 53-47 cushion with 23 seconds left on the clock.

Even then the ’Noles made it interesting with Machado slicing through the Seminole defense for a layup and Kitchen dribbling the ball out of bounds after getting caught in a trap in the corner.

Michael Snaer came through on defense though, skying into the air blocking Jenkins shot from the right corner. Dulkys finished off the scoring by making one of two from the line for the margin.

To say this was an ugly game for the Seminoles would be an understatement. The same problems that plagued the ‘Noles against Florida were duplicated and even exceeded in the game against Iona.

David Cutcliffe explains the quaint greeting awaiting the Noles at Ben Hill Griffin

"The difference between the SEC and the ACC

is four fingers.

When the team arrives on the bus at an ACC school

they wave at you.

When you arrive at an SEC school

you get the middle finger."

--David Cutcliffe, Former Head Coach at Ole Miss,

now Head Coach at Duke

FSU suffers first loss in Gville breakdown

by Bill from Tampa

Florida State traveled to Gainesville Tuesday night to take on its first real test of the season. Unfortunately they did not come away with a passing grade in losing 68-52 to Florida.

The Seminoles were rattled from the start by a myriad of various press defenses the Gators threw at them. At one point in the game the ’Noles had more turnovers (15) than points (14).

The Seminoles finished the first half with 16 turnovers.

The only saving grace for Florida State was that the Gators were turning the ball over early as well that allowed FSU to keep pace.

But a scoreless span of 7:27 gave Florida an opening to build a lead they would never relinquish. Following a Xavier Gibson basket that ended the scoring drought to bring the Seminoles within 17-12, Florida went on a 15-2 run to open up a 32-17 margin.

The Seminoles looked unprepared for the 2-1-2 press the Gators slapped on early and often. Leonard Hamilton admitted as much after the game saying “We all knew we would face the press” but “I didn’t expect us to act like we had never seen a press before.”

“That was the best strategy you could have used against a team that is still trying to find itself,” Hamilton added. “The 2-1-2 caused a lot of indecision and we just did not have the right leadership. Once we crossed half court we were tentative."

Trailing 39-19 at the half, FSU regrouped after intermission and made a game of it. Starting with a more ball hawking defense that sparked a 19-4 run over the first 8:03 of the second half to bring them within five at 43-38. Several steals allowed the ‘Noles to get out in transition, where they are at their best, to make a game of it.

FSU might have even taken the lead, but three turnovers by Florida were not converted into points on the other end.

The key moment that appeared to end any hope for the Seminoles to win the game came on back-to-back turnovers. After Jordan DeMercy tried to take the ball to the rim on a two-on-one break, he was instead called for charging into Dan Werner. That seemed to take wind out of FSU’s sails as the Gators ran off thirteen straight points to lead 56-38 with 6:59 left in the game.