ShareThisBy B.G. BROOKS
Friday, November 03, 2006
Bobby Bowden is no stranger to heat on his backside, but the thermostat apparently is being thumbed up this fall.
After Saturday's 24-19 home loss against Boston College, Florida State's veteran coach was targeted by Palm Beach attorney/ prominent school booster Peter Mettler, a member of the Golden Chiefs and former Seminole Boosters Inc. board member.
In a letter to Florida State president T.K. Wetherell, Mettler suggested it was time for Bowden to step down.
Seminole Boosters quickly tried to distance itself from Mettler, releasing a statement saying the group is not "calling for the retirement" of Bowden, who is in his 31st year at the school, and "other universities have suffered great harm when booster organizations attempted to take over the machinery of decision-making within the athletic department . . ."
Wetherell, who played for Bowden, told the Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat he supports his 76-year-old coach, who this season not only is drawing criticism for the Seminoles' record (4-3 overall, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) but for naming his son, Jeff, offensive coordinator.
"I don't think he'd get half the criticism if his name ain't Bowden," the elder Bowden said this week.
Wetherell won't disclose how many complaints he has received through e-mail, text message or telephone. But insiders estimate the unrest is growing.
Bowden claims the team is unified, but junior nose guard Andre Fluellen told the Democrat, "I know a lot didn't come to Florida State to go 4-3 in the middle of the season. A lot of people didn't come to Florida State to lose three games in a season, period."
Bowden's record is 363-110-4. His 2005 team finished 8-5, including a 26-23 triple-overtime loss against Penn State in the Orange Bowl. Florida State has lost seven of 12 games dating to last November.
Before Boston College's victory at Doak Campbell Stadium, the Seminoles were 55-3 at home against ACC opponents.
BEAST IN THE BIG EAST
It's five days away, but Big East devotees and Bowl Championship Series watchers already are revving up for the Louisville-West Virginia showdown.
The No. 4 Mountaineers visit the No. 6 Cardinals on Thursday, and Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich told the The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal, "We could sell out three or four stadiums. You don't get many games between unbeaten top 10 teams at this stage of the season."
To add to the statewide buzz, the game falls on Breeder's Cup weekend in Louisville.
Big East schedulers might have known how large the game would be: Both teams have byes this week and should be sharply focused.
West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez is attempting to minimize the hype. He told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "I don't want our guys to get so uptight and think that the enormity of the game is going to take us away from what we try to do.
"I'm not going to put all our eggs on the Louisville game. I'm not going to say, 'This is it.' I've never believed in that. So our preparation for this game will be the same. We got to where we want to be _ 7-0 against Louisville."
P.S.: West Virginia won 46-44 in triple overtime last season.
HARDLY DUCKY
Not only did then-No. 15 Oregon get upset last week at Washington State, the Ducks encountered major travel problems en route back to Eugene, Ore.
Their charter was scheduled to leave Lewiston, Idaho _ about 30 miles southeast of Pullman, Wash. _ at 8 p.m., but while maneuvering on the runway, the jet took too wide a turn and its landing gear went several feet off the tarmac.
Since larger jets don't usually land or take off in Lewiston, no equipment was available to pull the aircraft back onto the runway. By the time it arrived from Spokane, Wash., about 105 miles north, it was 2 a.m.
Most of the Ducks weren't tucked in back in Eugene until nearly 4 a.m.
FULL CIRCLE
Boulder-based Chuck Neinas assisted Texas nine years ago in its hiring of Mack Brown, who left North Carolina for Austin. Now, Neinas Sports Services is helping North Carolina in its search to replace Tar Heels coach John Bunting, who was fired Sunday.
North Carolina's new football coach will be its third in 10 years _ all under athletic director Dick Baddour's watch.
Neinas' resume shows consulting work for, among others, Texas (Brown), Oklahoma (Bob Stoops), Georgia (Mark Richt), Utah/Florida (Urban Meyer) and Colorado (Dan Hawkins).
Baddour gave Bunting, 25-42 in six seasons, the opportunity to resign before he was fired. Bunting refused. The school will owe him $286,200 a year until January 2010.
SHOWER ANYONE?
After Texas A&M edged Baylor last season in overtime, Bears coach Guy Morriss put this twist on a sports clichi: "Playing close is like showering with your sister. We take no satisfaction in coming down here and playing close." No. 22 Texas A&M (7-1, 3-1) visits Baylor on Saturday for a game that means much to the Bears (4-4, 3-1). "It's very significant for our football program right now," Morriss said.
MORE THAN RIFLE-ARMED
Brigham Young quarterback John Beck is as accurate with a rifle as he is with his arm. He bagged his first buck Tuesday and drove his pickup truck _ deer in the bed _ to the BYU Student Athlete Center to show his teammates. Fearing the quarterback would cut his throwing hand cleaning the deer, Beck's father, Wendell, did the dirty work. "About 10 minutes into cleaning the deer, my dad cut his hand," Beck told The (Salt Lake City) Deseret News.
RUTGERS ROLLING
With a win Sunday against Connecticut, No. 16 Rutgers would win eight games for the first time since 1979. If the Scarlet Knights reach nine wins, it would be the fifth time in 137 years that has happened. Rutgers has been ranked higher than No. 16 twice _ No. 15 in 1961 (The Associated Press) and 1976 (coaches).
