Gator Bowl: WVU Vs. Florida State: Bobby Bowden Bids Farewell Against Former Team

Possibly the most overused phrase in sports anymore is "And it all comes down to this..." But in the case of the Gator Bowl and the career of Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden, it literally does come down to this. He'll be taking on the football program he took to prominence and which helped elevate him to icon status -- West Virginia University. Bobby Bowden and the Florida State Seminoles will be appearing in their 28th consecutive bowl game. And the Gator Bowl, where the 6-6 Florida State Seminoles take on the 9-3 West Virginia Mountaineers, will be Bobby Bowden's last game.

It is the end of a coaching era. And it all comes down to this...

Bobby Bowden's Seminoles have seen better seasons, of course. He won two national championship during his tenure at Florida State, in 1993 and 1999. After 43 seasons of coaching college football, with the longest stint being with Florida State for 34 years, Bobby Bowden has racked up an incredible 388 victories. In Division I college football, he is second only to Penn State's Joe Paterno in total victories and even has over 50 more wins than the legendary Paul "Bear " Bryant of Alabama.

He even had the option of coaching next year, but decided against it. He announced his retirement on December 1, stating that his last game would be in Jacksonville at the Gator Bowl.

But to get his 389th victory, Bobby Bowden will have to beat his old team, West Virginia University (WVU). The Mountaineers made it to the Gator Bowl after losing a key match-up against the #5 BCS ranked Cincinnati Bearcats (who are now #3) and then going on to knock off a powerful Pittsburgh team, which was ranked #9 in the BCS rankings at the time of the annual Backyard Brawl.

WVU brings to the game the nation's 20th ranked rusher, Noel Devine. Devine rushed for 1297 yards during the 2009 football season, nearly double that of Florida State's leading rusher, Jermaine Thomas (but in fairness, Thomas had half the carries Devine had). WVU's quarterback, Jarrett Brown, is also a threat on the ground, rushing for over 400 yards this season. Add those totals to his passing yardage (2,129) and WVU mounts a formidable offense, averaging over 381 yards per game.

But Florida State's record might be a bit misleading, as their offense puts out an average of nearly 422 yards per game. But where WVU mounts more of a ground attack, Florida State takes to the air. Florida State has the nation's 17th ranked passing offense, with quarterback Christian Ponder tossing for 2,717 during the season. However, Ponder won't be in the quarterback slot. E. J. Manuel, who started for the Seminoles in their last three games will lead the team due to Ponder separating his shoulder. Manuel has six interceptions in his six appearances throughout the season.

Most games are decided by the defense. And if that is the case, WVU should not have a problem winning the game. WVU is ranked 35th in the country in total defense, allowing only 330 yards per game. But their passing defense allows on average about 60 yards less than Florida State is used to achieving, but WVU's rushing defense allows less than 120 yards per game, which could force Florida State to go more to the air. WVU's defense has pulled down 17 interceptions during the year (ranked #13 nationally), so more passes mean more chances for the Mountaineers to intercept. With Florida State's total defense ranking a dismal #110, WVU's lower ranking in total offense might not matter.

But you can never account for the intangibles in a given game. Bobby Bowden's last game will be fraught with emotion (on both sides, for Bobby Bowden is legendary in West Virginia for building a great football program there as well before moving on to Florida State), the likes of which will perhaps cause great plays and costly mistakes, some of which might be capitalized upon, one of which might be a game-changer.

But the one thing that is assured: Bobby Bowden's last game, the Gator Bowl, will be history in the making and a game worth watching, no matter what occurs.

Because it all comes down to this...

******

Sources:

ESPN.go.com
NCAA.org