Tommy Bowden Press Conference Quotes

Sept. 11, 2007

*Note: Video footage of Coach Bowden’s press conference in its entirety is now available on All-Access. Video interviews with Michael Hamlin, Cullen Harper, Cortney Vincent are also available. Links to each individual video clip are listed at the end of this release.

On mentioning Appalachian State’s victory over Michigan: “I mentioned it once (at Monday’s practice) and I probably won’t mention it anymore. It was a couple of weeks ago and I think it has pretty much caught everyone’s attention across the nation when you play an unranked opponent or one from a lower division. After bringing it up the first day, I’m going to try to talk more about us improving and correcting mistakes from the Louisiana-Monroe game.”

On playing Furman: “They’ve got fast players. They play Appalachian State and they play them close every year and they have beaten them some. Last year, North Carolina beat them (Furman) late in the game (45-42) . A few years ago, Furman beat North Carolina, and that definitely gets your attention, as did a close game at Pittsburgh. We are well aware of their capabilities.”

On the defense’s performance against Louisiana-Monroe: “We had missed tackles and missed assignments. I’m not as concerned about missed assignments because we had less than four hours of preparation for a very complex offensive with some really talented players. I’m a little more concerned with the missed tackles and the fundamentals and technique involved with that. We did have a lot of missed assignments, but I can justify that a little bit in my mind.”

On Clemson’s first-year freshmen: “We played 11 true freshmen, which is the most since 1985. Some of those guys can work towards having a more active role. Overall I have been pleased with the performance of our freshmen.

On former Furman quarterback and Clemson Tight Ends Coach Billy Napier: “He is productive. We put him in charge of punt blocks last year and we didn’t have any punts blocked last year after having five blocked in 2005. His tight ends have been productive. Thomas Hunter had the most yards by a Clemson tight end in 30 years last year and this year Brian Linthicum already has two touchdown passes.

“His recruiting speaks for itself. He has a pretty good future in this profession. He’s got a good pedigree with his father being a coach. When you play quarterback, it really gives you and understanding offensively of every position on offense, plus defensive structure, support, and coverage. Right now after two years with me, he has obviously shown he can recruit, and his unit (tight ends) has been productive on the field.”

On Furman fullback Jerome Felton: “If we tackled like we did Saturday, he’ll pose a lot of problems. The NFL scouts that come here and go to Furman have all mentioned him. He’s a draftable guy. They run the touch option and therefore we better make sure guys are assigned to him, because not only is he a fullback in an option attack, he’s an NFL fullback in an option attack, which presents double problems.”

On Furman quarterback Renaldo Gray: “Their quarterback is experienced. He’s got some running skills. He’s not a guy you’re going to go out and hit and intimidate.”

Clemson All-Access Video Footage:

Tommy Bowden Press Conference (9-11-07)

Michael Hamlin | Cullen Harper | C.J. Spiller | Cortney Vincent