tiger's have a fighting chance!

TOMMY BOWDEN IS FIRED. And we thought this day would never come (truly we wished, hoped, and prayed, but it seemed impossible). I know all of Clemson will rejoice tonight. Actually, since it's Clemson, they're probably already pregaming for big celebrations tonight. I really enjoyed the article ESPN offered us. In this article, CJ Spiller was so noble in his words. He didn't bash Tommy, neither did he completely take up for him. It's a good 3 minute read. Enjoy!

Clemson ousted football coach Tommy Bowden on Monday, four days after the Tigers -- who were the favorites to win the ACC championship -- lost to Wake Forest and fell to 3-3.

Bowden informed his assistant coaches of his ouster Monday morning. Assistant head coach/wide receivers coach Dabo Swinney has been named interim coach for the final six regular-season games and potential bowl game.

Clemson has scheduled a late-afternoon news conference to discuss its decision. "[Athletic director] Terry Don Phillips approached me this morning and we agreed that this is the best solution for the direction of the program," Bowden said in a statement. "Clemson has been very good to me and my family. Both of our children are Clemson graduates.

It's what he deserved. Dabo Swinney is a fine man and will do an excellent job.

-- Clemson QB Cullen Harper

"I appreciate the opportunity Clemson University gave me and the support of the administration while I was here. I also want to thank all the players and coaches who worked so hard for this program the last 10 years. I wish Clemson University nothing but the best in the future."

Clemson's season started with a big thud, a 24-point loss to then-No. 24 Alabama that senior quarterback Cullen Harper said "really hurt our confidence."

Harper, who was benched after the Tigers' loss to Wake Forest and replaced by highly regarded sophomore Willy Korn, said the program needed to cut ties with Bowden.

"It's what he deserved," Harper said. "Dabo Swinney is a fine man and will do an excellent job."

Later Monday, Harper expanded on his comments, explaining that Bowden "tried to motivate us but guys were off the bandwagon. There were things I disagreed with and that my teammates disagreed with. I didn't appreciate it when he would say some off-the-wall things about me to the media. I guess one thing I can say is he gave me an opportunity to come to Clemson and play."

Not offensive enough

Clemson coach Tommy Bowden was fired on Monday. As ESPN.com ACC blogger Heather Dinich notes, it's no real surprise. A look below at where Clemson ranks nationally in several key categories (per game). Dinich's blog

Stat	Avg.	Rank
Total yards per game	354.5	73rd
Rush yards per game	141.5	41st
Pass yards per game	213.0	58th
Points per game	26.7	56th

Harper struggled playing behind an inexperienced offensive line this season. His father, Jeff Harper, an offensive lineman on Georgia's 1980 national championship team, said Bowden's dismissal was justified. "I'd call it karma," he said. "I thought it needed to be done. I think anytime a head coach or someone in a leadership position starts to place blame on his coaches and players, it weakens their respect on the team. His past experiences have shown he's done that."

Meanwhile, two highly touted recruits have dropped Clemson from their lists in the wake of Bowden's ouster, according to JC Shurburtt, who covers Southeast recruiting for ESPN.com. Safeties Craig Loston from Aldine, Texas and Devonte Hollomon from Rock Hill, S.C., both said they are looking elsewhere. Loston is the No. 1 safety on the ESPN150 list of safeties and is No. 8 overall; Hollomon is No. 3 on the safeties list and No. 20 overall.

The Tigers were ranked No. 9 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll and were favored to win their first ACC championship in Bowden's 10th season as coach. But now-No. 2 Alabama blasted the Tigers 34-10 in the Aug. 30 opener in Atlanta's Georgia Dome, and Clemson then lost to Maryland at home and again to Wake Forest to drop its record to 1-2 in ACC play. Bowden received a lucrative contract extension from Clemson following the 2007 season and after considering a potential coaching position at Arkansas. The son of Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, Tommy Bowden was 72-45 with eight bowl appearances at Clemson. Bobby Bowden said in a statement Monday his son "felt like it was fixin' to happen; he felt like it was inevitable."

Clemson's 10th season under Tommy Bowden unraveled quickly. The Tigers were expected to contend for the ACC title.

"He's thankful for the experience he got there at Clemson," Bobby Bowden said. "He has no hard feelings towards them. This is just the nature of this game right now. He's disappointed but he's got his priorities in order in his life, so he'll move on and won't lose a minute of sleep over it. At least I don't have to worry about him beating me again." Clemson center Thomas Austin said he was "caught off guard" by Bowden's departure. "You hear rumors, but I've heard that before, so I'm definitely surprised," Austin said. "We were definitely struggling. I think that this could hopefully unify our team in the long run. We've got six games left and definitely have the ability to turn things around." Clemson running back C.J. Spiller had mixed emotions in seeing the program move away from Bowden. "I'm shocked. We are 3-3 because we didn't make enough big offensive plays," Spiller said. "I'm shocked by our record and now I'm shocked that our coach is gone. "I enjoyed playing for coach Bowden and I liked him, but in the end he was yelling at us to be leaders and it wasn't working. He did all he could to motivate us but guys weren't buying into what he was saying. And he said a lot of the same things over and over again. "He let the offensive coordinator [Rob Spence] run the show and we got away from me and James [Davis]. I think part of the problem was when he benched Cullen. Some people wanted the offensive coordinator fired, [Bowden benched] the quarterback and then he got fired."