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Never too early
For some teams, bowl game marks unofficial '03 kickoff
Posted: Thursday December 19, 2002 12:20 PM
Somewhere in between the beach walks and the spirit rallies and the pineapple-eating contests, bowl teams really do practice football.
And what transpires during those practices can have a profound effect ... next fall.
That's the soonest any team other than Miami or Ohio State will get to compete for another championship. So while bowl trips are technically a reward for the season just completed, many schools will be using theirs to lay the groundwork for a run at an even bigger prize next year.
Especially those that already have the nucleus in place.
"People ask me if it matters whether you win or lose the bowl," said Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville. "Well, if you're playing for a national championship, that's the No. 1 thing, but otherwise you really just want the opportunity to get to a bowl game. The priority for coaches is having that extra practice time, and winning is obviously icing on the cake."
Tuberville's Tigers earned a berth opposite Penn State in the New Year's Day Capital One Bowl after finishing 8-4, including an impressive 17-7 season-ending win over archrival Alabama. Not bad for a team that started three freshmen at various times on the offensive line, lost its top three running backs to injury and was all but left for dead after falling to 4-3, thanks to a blocked 23-yard field goal against Florida.
Over the second half of the season, though, the offensive line jelled, Ronnie Brown stepped up in place of the injured Carnell Williams (and Tre Smith subsequently stepped in for Brown) and much-touted sophomore Jason Campbell finally solidified himself at quarterback.
That's a lot of momentum for a program set to return nearly its entire offense and eight starters on defense -- including veterans DeMarco McNeil, Reggie Torbor, Karlos Dansby and Dontarrious Thomas -- and is assembling a Top 10 recruiting class.
"It's something we've been working for," said Tuberville, who made waves last spring when he predicted his team would be "going to the Rose Garden" within a few years. "We've been to the [SEC] championship game and haven't won it yet. We want to take that next step. The nucleus of our team is coming back, but obviously we're going to have some holes we have to fill."
The search for those pieces begins in Orlando.
Another team that struggled early, came on late and is already thinking big for 2003 is Washington.
Anyone who's seen the Huskies play knows they have some BCS-caliber talent in quarterback Cody Pickett and receivers Reggie Williams and Charles Frederick, all of whom return next season. But nine games into the season, U-Dub was 4-5 and looking doubtful for any bowl at all.
But after finishing with three straight victories, including an Apple Cup upset of third-ranked Washington State, the Huskies are headed to the Sun Bowl against Purdue. El Paso may not seem the most desirable destination for a team that's accustomed to San Diego and Pasadena, but for a team returning 17 starters it's more productive than staying home.
"We knew last year and this year were going to be the tough years, at least on paper," said head coach Rick Neuheisel. "The depth is in line now for us to be able to roll for a while. Hopefully, this game provides some sort of nexus, not only a conclusion to a good run for the end of this season but the beginnings of what we hope can be a big run next season."
There is plenty of precedent for Tuberville and Neuheisel to follow.
A year before its upcoming national title appearance, Ohio State was 7-4 and getting to know its new coach a little better while preparing for the Outback Bowl. Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops credited his team's experience at the 1999 Independence Bowl as a building block for their championship season the following year.
And a year before their recent conference championships, Georgia and Washington State were toiling away at the Music City and Sun bowls, respectively.
N.C. State quarterback Philip Rivers, who, believe it or not, has another year left, recently echoed the thoughts of many coaches, players and fans in speaking of his own team's upcoming Gator Bowl trip.
"It's huge for next year," Rivers told the Charlotte Observer. "It would be a big finish, with wins against Florida State and Notre Dame, and we'd be 11-3. ... If you win this game, you're probably in the [top] 15 next year, and that's right where you want to be."
Bruins make commendable move
Kudos to UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero for thinking outside the box and making Karl Dorrell the fourth black head coach in Division I-A.
Fact is, despite a full year of attention devoted to the issue by the Black Coaches Association and other organizations, not much had changed in this hiring season before Wednesday. In fact, the net result for black coaches before Dorrell's hiring was the loss of one, Michigan State's Bobby Williams, with Marvin Lewis (by Michigan State) the only prominent black candidate taken seriously for any major opening.
Many will be surprised that the Bruins didn't pull the trigger on initial front-runner Mike Riley, but this was the hire they needed to make. Across town, Pete Carroll has quickly been building a recruiting juggernaut at USC ("Miami West," some have called it), and Riley, albeit a good coach, may not have been able to counterbalance it.
As a young, black coach, however, Dorrell may be just the type of coach players gravitate to and will make for some interesting crosstown competition.
Rix could use fresh start
As if it doesn't have enough to worry about, Florida State could lose as many as four underclassmen (defensive lineman Darnell Dockett, linebackers Kendyll Pope and Michael Boulware and receiver Anquan Boldin) to the NFL draft.
Chris Rix may not be ready for that particular jump, but he may want to think about catching his own flight out of Tallahassee.
The third-year sophomore quarterback has never been the most popular man on campus, and he didn't help himself any by sleeping through a final exam, causing a suspension from the Sugar Bowl. 'Noles fans seemed ready to finally embrace Rix after stepping in for the now-notorious Adrian McPherson and beating Florida, but this is sure to set him back further than before. A fresh start somewhere else might be in his best interest.
That said, even though Rix's punishment by the school in this case was automatic, expect Bobby Bowden to intensify his support for the embattled quarterback in the coming weeks. The 'Noles, who will start little-used Fabian Walker against Georgia, are paper-thin at quarterback. Without Rix, they may be dealing with a lot more than four losses come 2003.
Worth noting
Colorado running back Chris Brown, out since Nov. 16 with a bruised sternum, has returned to practice sooner than expected and may play in the Dec. 28 Alamo Bowl after all. ... Despite several reports that he interviewed with Kentucky last weekend, Pittsburgh's Walt Harris insists he's not up for other jobs and says he's frustrated by the speculation. "It's very disappointing because it affects our recruiting and it ... puts doubts in our young men's' minds and it's not fair," he said. ... West Virginia and Virginia have combined to turn the inaugural Continental Tire Bowl into a sellout of 73,258, second-highest ever for a first-year bowl. Nevertheless, Virginia AD Craig Littlepage is asking the ACC to reevaluate its selection policy after the second-place Cavs slipped to the league's No. 5 bowl. ... Colorado isn't helping its already poor reputation for travel. The school has sold a whopping 2,400 Alamo Bowl tickets. ... Miami has declined an offer from USC to open next season against the Trojans. .... East Carolina's coaching search is heavily focused on the SEC, with Florida defensive coordinator John Thompson, LSU assistant head coach Kirk Doll and South Carolina defensive coordinator Charlie Strong all interviewing. ... While Ohio State starting linebacker Robert Reynolds prepares for Miami in the Fiesta Bowl, brother Patrick, a defensive end for Western Kentucky, will line up against McNeese State in the Division I-AA title game Friday. ... Colorado State QB Bradlee Van Pelt won't be suspended for the Liberty Bowl after CSU's judicial affairs department determined his arrest on verbal-assault charges wasn't serious enough.
Stewart Mandel covers college football for CNNSI.com.
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