Tommy Bowden’s Press Conference

Nov. 9, 1999

The Georgia Tech offense and how it compares to the Clemson offense “They run a lot more option and that presents more problems to the defense. We have a little bit of an option game but we really have not run it that much. They move the quarterback and we move the quarterback. They use the shotgun and we use a lot of shotgun. The biggest difference that I see is that they have a four year starter at quarterback and they run much more option then we do.”

How to prevent a lapse on defense similar to the ones Clemson suffered against NC State and Maryland “Against Georgia Tech we have to play defense with the same effort and intensity that we had the first four games and the last three games of this season. Against NC State and Maryland we did not play with the intensity we needed to win. Besides that I am not really sure why we had that two game lapse. All I know is that I am glad that they have it straightened out now.”

His offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez “I worked at the Bowden quarterbacks and receivers academy with Rich for about five years. He went to West Virginia and I went to West Virginia but I would say that it was through those camps that I really got to know him. We both have similar personalities and philosophies and I think that is why we work so well together. We both like running the ball as much as we like throwing it so I really feel like there is a comfort zone we have with each other. You can just look at the statistics of our offense and that in itself speaks for his success as an offensive coordinator and the success of our offensive staff as a whole.”

Joe Hamilton “He makes quick and great decisions. They spread the field and often times they have five receivers and no blockers for him in the backfield. In that type of an offense you have to have somebody that makes quick decisions but that is also very accurate. He does both of those things very well. He is also a great leader. He has the ability to jump on you early in the game or lead them from behind when he has to.”

If he imagined at the start of the season that he would have the opportunity to finish in second place in the ACC “Being our first year here I really did not imagine that we would be in this position. When I got here I saw that a great deal of work needed to done and I have been mainly interested in our team showing improvement from year to year. Before I took the job there were a couple of people that told me that this team could win eight games and I told our Athletic Director, Bobby Robinson, that maybe he should go ahead and hire those people.”

Sophomore linebacker Keith Adams “If you just look at the size of Keith Adams you would not guess that he could be as effective as he has been. Reggie Herring and the defensive staff have done an excellent job of putting him in position to make plays. Keith comes at you from all over the field and fortunately he has the intensity and ability to make the big plays.”

Woodrow Dantzler’s role in the offense the next two weeks “We have to find a way to get Woody on the field. I think everybody has seen just how productive he can be when he is on the field. It might not be at quarterback this year, but he will be involved in some way.”