Another
Bowden father/son battle is on the slate Monday night when the Florida State
Seminoles take on the Clemson Tigers in
the NCAA football
season opener for both teams.
Bobby
Bowden?s Seminoles are coming off a disappointing season in which they finished
7-6 after their offense struggled to consistently put points on the board
throughout the season. Tommy Bowden?s Tigers had a chance to win the ACC
Atlantic before dropping three straight games late in the
season last year to finish at 8-5.
Much
better things are expected at Florida State this season where the defense
remains ferocious and the offense should be improved. Drew Weatherford returns
at quarterback after beating out Xavier Lee during camp. Lee supplanted
Weatherford in the starting job last season after Weatherford failed to lead the
offense effectively. Weatherford will likely be on a short leash to start the
season and could be riding his last chance to prove he can get it done on a
regular basis. Weatherford has a new starting RB in the backfield in sophomore
Antone Smith, who takes over from the departed Lorenzo Booker. Wide receiver
Greg Carr is still around and gives Weatherford a solid target after catching 34
passes for 619 yards and 12 touchdowns last season.
Clemson
has a chance to win the
division title they missed out on last season, but they?ll need some luck with a
tough road schedule and they must avoid another late-season swoon. Opening their
season at Florida
State won?t be easy and
playing an inexperienced QB and offensive line won?t help matters. With QB Will
Proctor gone, the starting job is expected to fall to Cullen Harper. The junior
has been Proctor?s backup the last two seasons but he?s only seen action in five
games, completing 14-of-20 passes for 170 yards with two touchdowns. The Tigers?
dynamic running game should help take some of the pressure off Harper. Clemson
has two great backs in James Davis and C.J. Spiller and they share the carries
very well. Last season Davis rushed for 1,187 yards and 17 touchdowns,
while Spiller racked up 938 yards with 10 touchdowns. The Tigers? defense fell
apart late last season and they?ll need to rebound this year without big DE
Gaines Adams who went early in the NFL
draft.
The
Tigers went in to Doak Campbell Stadium last year and beat the Seminoles 27-20
as a 4.5-point underdog. Clemson also defeated the Seminoles 35-14 a year
earlier. Davis
ran wild versus the Seminoles last season and found the end zone twice,
including the winning score late in the fourth quarter. Weatherford got the
start for Florida
State in that game and
completed 11-of-19 passes for only 102 yards with no touchdowns. If Weatherford
does the same thing on Monday night, the son could top the father for the third
consecutive time.
Florida
State is a
3-point favorite with the total
set at 45.
Check
out NCAA Football Betting Odds at WagerWeb
Sportsbook.