Sports

College football

Gameday

Compiled from staff and wire reports
Published November 12, 2005

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LOSING ENTHUSIASM FOR BOWDEN BOWL

Although the "Bowden Bowl," the unique father-son coaching matchup between Florida State's venerable Bobby Bowden and Clemson's Tommy, is just 7 years old, it long ago lost an element of fun for the family.

Tommy said the "stakes are higher" and there's "a lot more criticism" that comes with this game than there was when it began in 1999. Two years ago, it seemed he would be fired at season's end, but his Tigers rallied late, including a 26-10 rout of the then No. 3-ranked Seminoles (the highest ranked team Clemson had defeated), to earn him a seven-year contract extension.

As painful as that loss was for the Seminoles, Ann Bowden found a measure of joy in it.

"Those fans had been on him so hot and heavy, the media and everybody else, I stood up there and said, "Now maybe you'll go get a better job,' " she said. "I turned around and there were about five patrolmen standing behind me. I said, "Is there something wrong?' And they said, "We thought we might need to cover here.' "

Her son is feeling some heat, again, and her husband's team is coming off a disappointing home loss. She's been considering not attending today's game. The family understands it.

"Sunday morning, somebody is hurt. It's going to be her husband. It's going to be her youngest son Jeff (FSU's offensive coordinator) or it's going to be her favorite son, me," Tommy said, laughing. "But there's going to be pain. We get paid well to hurt, she doesn't."

He ended a recent news conference with this message:

"Enjoy the game. I won't."

- BRIAN LANDMAN, Times staff writer

NEW CADILLAC? AUBURN TAKES TWO BACKS FOR TEST DRIVE

Auburn is returning to a two-back rotation.

The strategy worked wonders for the Tigers last season with Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown. Now former starter Brad Lester will be taking some carries with Kenny Irons.

"You can't be selfish," Irons said. "That's not how football is played."

Lester was hobbled by a groin injury early in his first career start against Arkansas, and has missed the three games since. He's healthy again in time for the Tigers' visit to No. 9 Georgia. An Auburn win could open the door for Florida in the SEC East race.

Irons has a workmanlike 115 carries in the past four games, rising to No. 3 in the SEC in rushing. Lester ran for 274 yards and five touchdowns on 43 carries before his injury.

"Brad's got fresh legs, and we're looking forward to that," coach Tommy Tuberville said. "Kenny is beat up a little bit, and should be after (115) carries in the last four games, which were very physical games against good defenses. He's going to need some guys to help him."

BROTHERLY TIES

Leaf and Long are back in Pullman, Wash. Only it's not quarterback Ryan Leaf and defensive end Rein Long.

It's little brothers Brady Leaf and Devan Long, who went to Oregon rather than Washington State like their elder siblings.

The two will take the field when the No. 11 Ducks (8-1, 5-1 Pac-10) visit the Cougars (3-6, 0-6).

Brady Leaf, a sophomore who started the season as the Ducks' third-string quarterback, threw the winning touchdown in Oregon's 27-20 overtime victory over California last weekend.

Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said sophomore Dennis Dixon will start, but Leaf also will play.

Brother Ryan set WSU single-season records for passing yards (3,968) and touchdowns (34). Ryan, who led the Cougars to their first Rose Bowl game in 67 years after the 1997 season, went on to play five years in the NFL.

Rien Long won the Outland Trophy before leaving after his junior year for the NFL.

Washington State coach Bill Doba said Ryan Leaf called him last week to ask for sideline passes.

"I said, "Which sideline you gonna stand on, big fella?' " Doba said. "I'm sure blood is thicker than water. But for all that Ryan has done for us and as much money as he's contributed to this athletic department, he can stand anywhere he wants."

CAUGHT IN A RECRUITING NET

Connecticut coach Randy Edsall is unhappy with the way technology is changing recruiting.

The proliferation of recruiting Web sites that rank players has added more people to the process, some who often have a prospect's ear long before a college coach.

"It's killed recruiting," Edsall said. "When there's people outside of a (college) coach or even a high school coach who have more control over a student athlete, I think that's wrong. You've taken some kids that can't handle publicity and created a monster. And now it's our job when they get here, we've got to derecruit them. They think they're better than what they are."

If a high school student is interested in a dozen schools, Edsall said that player may end up fielding a dozen calls from the various recruiting sites covering those schools. It's a major distraction, he said, for a high school kid.

5 THINGS

1. There was talk this offseason that BYU settled for coach Bronco Mendenhall after Kyle Whittingham - the Cougars' top choice to replace Gary Crowton - spurned the school for rival Utah. Now BYU has won four of its past five games and could edge Utah out of a bowl.

2. If UCLA ends up beating USC and there's a three-way tie for the Pac-10 title with Oregon at 7-1, USC wins the conference tiebreaker and earns the BCS bid. The formula gets complicated because UCLA and Oregon did not face each other this year. In this wacky scenario, it comes down to the three teams' records against Arizona. UCLA gets knocked out of the equation because it lost to Arizona, leaving USC and Oregon. And because USC defeated Oregon, the Trojans get the bid.

3. Wisconsin's Barry Alvarez, who is retiring from coaching, will be on the sideline for the final time at home against Iowa.

4. The conference with the best record in BCS games since the 2000 season is the Pac-10 at 6-1, followed by the SEC at 5-1 and the Big East at 3-2. The ACC is 0-5.

5. The two Pac-10 teams based in Washington have not won since Sept. 17, when Washington State defeated Grambling and Washington downed Idaho.

BY THE NUMBERS

4: Field goals kicked by Michigan State this season in 12 attempts.

7: Extra points missed out of 36 attempts by Minnesota freshman Jason Giannini.

14: Points produced as a result of Alabama's defense in its 17-0 victory over Mississippi State last weekend.

14: Consecutive losses by South Carolina to Florida since the Gamecocks' last victory in 1939.

QUOTABLE

"I said it's okay to root for the Gators, just don't root too loud."

- Steve Spurrier on friends he has invited to today's game between South Carolina and Florida.

[Last modified November 12, 2005, 00:55:15]