Wednesday, July 16, 2003

Bowden's '12-step program' and other news

Greenville News columnist Bart Wright offers up a 12-step program to help coach Tommy Bowden save his job:

Here's what I think: His job is on the line because the football program has not lived up to expectations and Atlantic Coast Conference expansion next year demands far more than Bowden has been able to produce.

That is not to say he is in a no-win situation, but let's admit he is close to precisely that sort of prickly position. Another low-tier bowl game like last year's disaster at Orlando, Fla., or the previous season's visit to the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho, won't be good enough.



Very true.

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Clemson is working to get superstar receiver Roscoe Crosby on the field this fall. God, I hope they can do it. Crosby was awesome in the brief glimpse I saw of him in 2001. He's a tremendous athlete, and we need to get as many of those as we can in the lineup this year.

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Clemson receiver Kelvin Grant has loads of promise. He's also on the verge of being declared academically ineligible.

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Bowden says he'll make a decision soon on the fate of linebacker Eric Sampson:

Sampson was "permanently dismissed" by Bowden in December 2002 for "conduct unbecoming of a Clemson student-athlete," according to a news release by the school at the time. Academic issues contributed to the dismissal, Bowden said.



I hope we get him back. He made some great contributions last season.

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Here's the story behind why the Gamecocks left the ACC. As much as I hate them, I wish they were still in the league. They'd be the perfect 12th team for the newly expanded ACC.

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And finally, here's CBS Sportsline's ranking of the best college football stadiums in the country. Death Valley is 15th. That sounds about right to me.

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