Bowden out as Clemson coach after 9 1/2 seasons

COLUMBIA - Tommy Bowden and athletic director Terry Don Phillips had discussed Clemson's high expectations, its disappointing play so far and the prospects for improvement.

That's when Bowden stunned his longtime boss with these words Monday: "Let me just run something by you and see what you think."

Bowden then outlined his choice to leave with the Tigers at 3-3, hopefully ending what surely would've been at least a month and a half of critical fans, picked apart decisions and lingering questions about the coach's future.

Phillips could do little else but agree, closing out Bowden's 9 1/2 seasons as coach.

"I wasn't expecting him to put that on the table," Phillips said.

Assistant head coach and receivers coach Dabo Swinney was given the job on an interim basis. Swinney met with the players Monday, laying out his ground rules and offering those who didn't accept the chance to leave and have their scholarships honored.

"If you show up on that practice field," he told them, "you'd better be all in."

That's what Clemson fans are clamoring for after a half-season of monumental disappointment.

The Tigers entered the season No. 9 and the clear choice to win the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Almost from the start, things fell apart.

Clemson lost its opener in embarrassing fashion, 34-10, to Alabama on national TV and fell completely out of the poll.

The team appeared to regain its footing when it won its next three games. But consecutive anemic losses to Maryland and Wake Forest had fans calling for Bowden's job.

An offense led by the top three favorites for ACC player of the year, QB Cullen Harper and the "Thunder and Lightning" backfield of James Davis and C.J. Spiller, accounted for just seven points in its last six quarters of play.

This past Friday, Bowden benched fifth-year senior Harper and said freshman Willy Korn would start Saturday's game with Georgia Tech. Even that drew criticism.

Bowden never spoke directly to Harper about the move, instead leaving a message. The move, Harper said, didn't sit well with many Tiger upperclassmen.

"We were at 3-3 and we were doing the things we were being coached to and we weren't getting the results," Harper said. "When that happens, you're going to lose some people."

About an hour after getting the job, Swinney dismissed the team's offensive coordinator Rob Spence, another target of fan criticism.

"This is a situation where if you're going to have a fresh start, it's just kind of a time for change and to move in a different direction," Swinney said. "That's what it boiled down to."

Swinney promised he, his staff and players would approach the next six games full out and wide open. "You're looking at a coach with nothing to lose," Swinney said.

The reactions of Clemson players ranged from sadness to shock to acceptance.

Tailback James Davis broke down in tears when he talked about Bowden. Center Thomas Austin was surprised such a move was made at midseason.