CLEMSON 27 FLORIDA STATE 20
Tommy Bowden defeats dad for second year
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Brent Kallestad
ASSOCIATED PRESS
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. ? After years of losing to Dad, Clemson?s Tommy Bowden is getting the best of college football?s most famous family feud.
James Davis plunged into the end zone from a yard out with eight seconds left to give Clemson a 27-20 victory over ninth-ranked Florida State last night, Tommy?s third win in the past four years over Bobby Bowden.
Clemson had not won in Tallahassee in 17 years.
"To come down here and win is awfully difficult," Tommy Bowden said.
Momentum changed dramatically at the end when replay officials overruled a field official?s decision on a fumble that had awarded the ball to Florida State.
"He said it was a mutual recovery, and that goes to the offense," Bobby Bowden said. "I guess they got a rule I ain?t read yet."
Then Davis took over.
The sophomore tailback got 67 of his 87 yards on the final drive, including a 47-yard ramble that took the ball to the Florida State 4-yard line.
"It was wide open," Davis said of the big gainer. "No one was there."
Two plays later, he scored his second touchdown of the game.
"We played good enough to win the game up until the last drive," Bobby Bowden said.
Clemson (2-1, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) won despite having two kicks blocked and returned for points by Florida State?s Tony Carter. He ran back a blocked field-goal attempt for a touchdown and another for two points on a blocked extra point ? the first returned PAT for points in Florida State history.
"I was in the right place at the right time," Carter said. "I did the easy thing, just pick the ball up and run."
Florida State led just once, 9-6, after Carter?s 69-yard run with the blocked field-goal try. He?d raced 80 yards with the blocked extra point after Clemson opened the scoring on Davis? 8-yard run.
Florida State (2-1, 1-1) struggled again offensively. Its first offensive touchdown came on Joe Surratt?s 1-yard run with 10:27 left in the game, and Drew Weatherford hit Chris Davis for the two-point conversion to tie the score at 20. Florida State?s offense didn?t score in the first half for the third straight game, managing its first points late in the third quarter on Gary Cismesia?s 25-yard field goal that trimmed Clemson ?s lead to 20-12.
