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FSU coaches take hits from all sides

Something's missing, and many say it is good coaching.

By BRIAN LANDMAN, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published October 31, 2002

TALLAHASSEE -- He began his question sheepishly enough.

"I greatly respect you ... "

"Oh Lord," Florida State coach Bobby Bowden interrupted. "I better be ready for this one."

Through the din of laughter, the fan attending Monday's Seminole Booster luncheon stammered on.

"Are we a well-coached team?"

Others are asking the same question these days after back-to-back losses and three in the past month.

And it's not just that the Seminoles (5-3) are losing.

It's how they are losing.

"I said on the air, coach Tyrone Willingham and his staff outcoached Bobby Bowden and his staff in every phase of the game -- offense, defense and at halftime," ESPN analyst Lee Corso said after Notre Dame beat FSU 34-24 Saturday. "And no one will ever convince me, as I watched from the sideline every play, from a former coach's eye, that the Florida State players are not as good as Notre Dame's. Florida State had the best players, Notre Dame had the best team. That sums it all up."

Bowden has been hearing it from all corners, on all fronts.

He has been criticized for his team's clock management. With 53 seconds left at Miami, the Seminoles ran twice up the middle and then barely spiked the ball in time to stop the clock and give kicker Xavier Beitia a chance to win the game.

"Having to rush like that is very disturbing for a kicker," former Notre Dame and Green Bay Packer star Paul Hornung said. "I was a kicker all my life, and there's nothing worse than having to run and having to rush a kick."

Beitia's 43-yard attempt sailed wide left, preserving Miami's 28-27 win.

Fans, media and players have found fault with how the coaches have handled the quarterbacks. Perhaps they stuck with Chris Rix, who has been benched this week in favor of Adrian McPherson, too long. Or perhaps they didn't show enough confidence in Rix to allow him to be more aggressive.

Others have been critical of how quickly offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden and quarterbacks coach Daryl Dickey have signaled in the plays, perhaps a sign of uncertainty or having too many cooks in the kitchen.

The defense has been a big target. It has allowed big plays in every game. Notre Dame struck for a 65-yard touchdown pass on its first play, even though the Seminoles suspected a deep throw.

FSU faithful are quick to point out that longtime assistants Chuck Amato and Mark Richt have led North Carolina State and Georgia, respectively, to undefeated seasons and Top-10 rankings. Former linebackers coach and assistant head coach Amato often played devil's advocate in the defensive meetings and former offensive coordinator Richt had more autonomy in play calling.

"Those two guys are 17-0," Corso said. "Obviously, Bobby Bowden has to be very proud of those guys, but it looks like he misses them."

FSU is missing something, that's for sure.

The team hasn't lost three games this early in a season since 1983 and has gone 13-7 the past two years. That's after appearing in three consecutive national championship games and losing 19 games from 1987-2000.

"Are we a well-coached team?" Bowden said, repeating the question. "If you ask our opponents, they'd say we were. I think we are. ... I think we're a team that's close. I think we're missing one thing, and it's not big. It could be chemistry. If we can find that little spark, I think we might solve our problems."

He admits the team has made mental mistakes, on offense, defense and special teams, but what team hasn't? Top-ranked Miami committed 14 penalties against FSU, and FSU declined six others. Miami also turned the ball over three times; FSU gave it up once.

As for the criticism of the offense, no one was questioning the more conservative play calling when Greg Jones was running roughshod through Clemson and Miami.

And ABC analyst Lynn Swann, for one, scoffs at the clock-management barbs.

"If anyone's been to their practices, they'd see them milking the clock, going in and kicking the field goal; they're prepared to go in on short notice," he said. "They just didn't make it."

Jeff Bowden said some of the confusion on offense against the Irish falls in part on Rix, which contributed to the decision to go with McPherson.

Defensively, the team is 103rd nationally against the pass. Injuries have hampered defensive tackle Darnell Dockett and the progress of sophomore safeties Kyler Hall, B.J. Ward, Jerome Carter and Claudius Osei. Yet, clearly the defense lacks the playmakers it has had in the past.

And clearly, the absence of Amato and Richt has been felt. Swann said few programs, college or pro, would be unfazed by such turnover. Just ask Florida what the loss of your longtime offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach can do.

"I think we'd miss anybody who'd been here (that long)," Bowden said. "When you lose people like that, you lose continuity."

He said his son and Dickey need time to develop the instinctive feel for what the other is thinking. And in case anyone has forgotten, Bowden pointed out that Richt hardly was a favorite son in Tallahassee.

"Y'all are still cussing him," Bowden said.

Winning is the only way to answer the questions that have cropped up after two decades. Corso is confident Bowden and his staff will turn it around.

"He's one of the winningest coaches in the history of the game," he said. "For people to get critical of him is just ludicrous. He knows what he has to do to get Florida State back to winning."

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