Since Saturday’s loss, I’ve been thinking of just how to write what I wanted to write about why it’s time to part ways with Bowden. The situation has become more political, or perhaps more emotional than rational. LawtonFunk wrote to us before the game that he was “getting that Tommy West feeling [he] had back in 1997.” After the game I realized exactly what he meant. It’s just that instead of Tommy West, I’d use the name Larry Shyatt (just because I’m a little younger and wasn’t paying any attention during the Tommy West years). It usually felt like Shyatt’s teams could win any game. But deep down you just knew that they probably wouldn’t win the big ones, and you would never let yourself get too excited because you knew it wouldn’t be rewarded.
We’re in a similar era now. Nothing short of a miracle is going to bring back the faith and hope that most fans once had in Bowden. The only thing we can do now is make a change. And I know what change we have to make:
Barack Obama for Clemson Head Football Coach!
If you think I’m being facetious, let me tell you that I am, but only a little.
Let me also add that I think the Clemson beat writers, at least from what I have seen, have been doing a pretty good job in this situation. In particular, Larry Williams’ Trouble In Tigertown post from last night lays out thoughts very parallel to my own. This part about the little problems that continually recur is worth repeating:
For the 30th time in the last few years (slight exaggeration there), they saw a touchdown called back because of a penalty. They saw a litany of other mistakes cost their team the game…
Saturday was simply the latest in a long line of games in which critical errors — some would say boneheaded errors — sealed the Tigers’ demise. The fumbled punt by Jacoby Ford. The lost lateral on the screen pass. Not enough men on the line of scrimmage. The late hit by Xavier Dye…
Remember the 10-9 loss to Georgia Tech in 2005, when a touchdown was called back because the Tigers didn’t have enough men on the line of scrimmage?…
How about the 13-12 loss to Maryland in 2006? Remember that touchdown that was called back because — stop us if you’ve heard this one before — not enough men were on the field on a 4-yard touchdown run by James Davis?
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