(UPDATED at 11:47 a.m.)

Reports: Bowden won't be fired in midseason

The State is reporting that Clemson athletic director Terry Don Phillips will wait until the end of the season to evaluate coach Tommy Bowden's job status.

"You let the cards be played and at the end of the season, regardless of what sport it is, (and) you sit down and visit at that time," Phillips said. "And until that time, we're going to encourage and support these coaches, and we're going to encourage and support our team."

This is a sensible approach. I've always thought firing coaches before the end of the season was a bad idea.

Meanwhile, columnist Ron Morris of The State makes a point that's certain to anger a lot of Clemson fans: Bowden ain't done that bad, folks. True, but does his slightly above average record justify his big paycheck? Apparently not, according to this guy.

Finally, here's a hard-to-read chart of other Division I coaches who are on the hot seat.

LOOKING AHEAD: Here's an AP story that's spun off of Clemson's weekly press conference.

SPEED KILLS: The Greenville News has an interesting story on the evolution of speed in college defenses and what that means for Clemson. And speaking of the defense, Clemson defensive coordinator John Lovett says Wake Forest had a great game plan going in, which is why the Deacs rushed for 321 yards in Saturday's 45-17 victory.

BOWDEN BOWL NO FUN: Here's a good story on the internal family strife that the annual Clemson-FSU game causes for the Bowden family.

FEELING BETTER: The Seminoles will be healthy for Saturday's Bowden Bowl.

CU-FSU MEMORIES: The official Clemson site has posted video highlights of the first Bowden Bowl, the 1999 game in Clemson that drew a record crowd to Death Valley. I was there that night with my father, and it was an unforgettable atmosphere. Unfortunately, we lost 17-14.

Bowden Bowl won't be a bash this year

With Tommy Bowden's job in jeopardy, it's not a happy time around the Bowden family household as the annual father/son game between Florida State and Clemson looms. (More here.) Rumors swirling around Tigernet's message board last night indicated that athletic director Terry Don Phillips offered Bowden a chance to resign today, because he's going to fire him at the end of the season. It sounds phony, but stories like that are nothing but another distraction for a team that's reeling. (More here.)

FANS ON THE RUN: The Greenville News says Clemson's players have been getting an earful from the fans in the wake of Saturday's loss.

HOLDING THEIR HEADS UP: Meanwhile, the players are expressing confidence that they can defy the odds and beat Florida State. (More here.)

McCLINTON BACK: Defensive end Todd McClinton, who has missed most of the season because of unexplained seizures, will practice today.

STATS WATCH: We're still No. 1 -- in kickoff returns.

(UPDATED at 3:50 p.m.)

Pressure building on Bowden after loss

Man, the Tiger Nation is in full meltdown following the devastating loss to Wake Forest. The Tigernet message board has gone insane. I posted something last night questioning whether former coach Danny Ford actually turned water into wine and made the blind see, and was promptly labeled a "stupid POS." (POS is apparently Internet shorthand for "piece of shit.") The poster did apologize, but, man, it's getting ugly over there.

Anyway, on to what the media has to say.

HOT SEAT WATCH: Wake Forest fans taunted coach Tommy Bowden during Saturday's game. Ouch. Poppa Bowden of FSU, the winningest coach in Division I history, urges patience. (More here.)

And here's an interesting column from John Brasier of the Anderson Independent-Mail. He says it's too early to call for Bowden's head, and urges the university to let him finish out the season.

PREPPING FOR FSU: Clemson's Tommy Bowden says the Tigers have got to get ready to take on Florida State. Uh, you think? Also, Bowden says running back Yusef Kelly could play this Saturday. Finally, a little good news.

CU-FSU NOTES: The voluminous pregame notes for Saturday's game against Florida State are posted. And the Duke game on Nov. 15 will kick off at 1 p.m. There is no TV coverage.

Wake Forest 45, Clemson 17: The aftermath

Well, here goes the media bloodletting. It makes me sick just to post this mess.

GAME STORIES: "Wake routs Clemson," says the Anderson Independent-Mail; "Wake zaps Tigers," says the Greenville News; "Deacs crank up heat on Bowden," says The State; "Deacs maul Tigers," says the Winston-Salem Journal.

THE STATS: Here's a complete statistical summary of the game.

OTHER STORIES: Here's where it gets interesting. Bart Wright of the Greenville News says Clemson football is now officially irrelevant. Jon Solomon of the Anderson Independent-Mail describes a team that is lost.

The Greenville News nicely captures the anger of the fans. The State looks at the costly turnovers that doomed the Tigers. The Greenville News examines the big day that Wake Forest running back Chris Barclay had.

And finally, The State has the quarter-by-quarter highlights, grades the keys to victory and the high five thingee.

NOTEBOOKS: The State; The Greenville News; The Anderson Independent-Mail.

AROUND THE LEAGUE: N.C. State edged Virginia, Maryland crushed North Carolina, Florida State blanked Notre Dame, and Duke hung tough at Tennessee before losing.

Wake Forest 45, Clemson 17: We officially SUCK

Words fail me. I can't even post a link to this mess. I'm going to have to drink a lot of vodka or tequila or something to get over this.

I wouldn't have been upset if we'd lost to Wake Forest by a field goal or something. But that didn't happen. We were absolutely demolished today. By WAKE FREAKIN' FOREST!!!!!

Unbelievable. I think it's safe to say that Tommy Bowden is in deep, deep doo-doo. It's a sad day to be a Clemson fan.

I'll post the media's reaction tomorrow, after I get through throwing up. It should be very interesting. The media bit, not the throwing-up bit.

Must cry now...

*****************************************************************
Today's game against Wake Forest is huge

I guess it goes without saying, but I said it anyway. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. There is no television. Go Tigers!

GAME PREVIEWS: The Anderson Independent-Mail says Clemson coach Tommy Bowden hopes to avoid the "Wake Forest jinx." A loss to Wake Forest has sealed the fate of a couple of Tiger coaches. The Greenville News examines Clemson's slim chances of earning a tie for the ACC title:

Here's what has to happen:

--The Tigers (5-3, 3-2) must win their remaining conference games, including the one against the Seminoles, who are 6-0 in the conference.

--Virginia, North Carolina State, Georgia Tech and Maryland must lose another ACC game. They each have two conference losses.

--N.C. State has to beat the Seminoles for the third straight year in a Nov. 15 game in Tallahassee, Fla.

Hey, you never know. And here's a game capsule.

Meanwhile, The State has its usual pregame package. There's the keys the victory, the matchups, a look at how Clemson will try to stop Wake Forest running back Chris Barclay, and a Q&A with Clemson defensive end Mo Fountain.

BEANIE BABY UPDATE: Remember this guy selling his ex-wife's Beanie Babies on eBay? Well, the plot has thickened. Also, check out one of the guy's other auctions. Hilarious.

Victory over Wake would make Clemson bowl-eligible

At least three stories today point out that the Tigers only have to win one more game, not two, to be eligible for a bowl game. It all has to do with the NCAA.

STUTTER-STEP OFFENSE: The State offers its look at Clemson's frustrating-to-watch yet effective offensive scheme.

PRAYING FOR A WIN: The Greenville News examines Wake Forest's up-and-down season. In that same vein, here's a story about the Deacons' talented quarterback Cory Randolph.

HOT FUDGE: The Anderson Independent-Mail profiles roverback Jamaal Fudge, who has been having an outstanding season so far.

AROUND THE LEAGUE: Here's a quick preview of the rest of the ACC games this weekend.

McClinton cleared to return to team

Defensive tackle Todd McClinton, who hasn't played or practiced since suffering mysterious seizures in the preseason, has been cleared to return to the team after a visit to the Mayo Clinic. (More here.) I'm glad to hear that Todd is better.

A NIGHTMARE SCENARIO: That's what Wake Forest's misdirection offense presents to Clemson's defense.

TOO MUCH INTERFERENCE: The State examines the pass interference calls that have gone against -- and for -- the Tigers. And here's a nifty little chart.

LINE WORK: The Greenville News has a story on Clemson's young offensive linemen.

(UPDATED at 3:03 p.m.)

Time to Wake up and smell the Deacons

Clemson, and coach Tommy Bowden especially, must take Wake Forest seriously, according to this story. I don't know a single Tiger fan who isn't taking the Deacs seriously.

HUDDLE HARANGUE: Speaking of Bowden, he says he was "drunk" for not using the no-huddle offense in the first two games of the season. I think he was kidding.

HEMBY DISMISSED: Junior cornerback Ryan Hemby has been declared academically ineligible. (More here.)

PLAYER PROFILE TIME: The Greenville News has an excellent story on receiver Tony Elliott, who lost his mother at a young age but has recovered from the trauma to become an outstanding young man.

And The State has a fine profile of running back Duane Coleman, who had strong family support while growing up.

IMPROVEMENTS COMING: Athletic director Terry Don Phillips says he's going to spend some money to improve facilities in the interim before the big West Endzone project breaks ground. Nothing massive, just some much-needed touch-ups.

FUMBLE-FREE ZONE: The Anderson Independent-Mail has a longer story on Clemson's refreshing lack of turnovers. Well worth the time.

CU-WFU MEMORIES: The official Clemson site has posted video highlights of the 2001 Wake Forest-Clemson game. Check 'em out.

Clemson's stutter-step offense seems to work

The Anderson Independent-Mail examines Clemson's frustrating-to-watch offense. It may not look pretty before the ball is snapped, but it's been fairly effective nonetheless. Check it out:

Since returning to the no-huddle offense Sept. 13 against Middle Tennessee, the Tigers have averaged 27.3 points and 431 total yards �– the most yardage in the Atlantic Coast Conference during that six-game stretch. Clemson average 14 points and 312 yards in the first two games while huddling and making fewer changes at the line.

And Wake Forest, Clemson's next opponent, runs a similar offense.

DON'T DISCOUNT THE DEACS: There are a couple of stories about Wake Forest, a team with a very tricky offensive scheme that Clemson shouldn't be downplaying.

HOLDING ON: Clemson has committed an ACC-low nine turnovers so far this year. Three of those came in the disastrous Georgia game to open the season.

WATCHING THE RECEIVERS: There are a couple of stories about Clemson's physical receivers getting more attention from the referees. Officials are looking for offensive pass interference.