BOSTON (AP) -Boston College receiver Clarence Megwa had to postpone surgery on his right leg Wednesday because of complications arising from the horrific injury he sustained in the fourth quarter of the Eagles’ loss to Clemson.
Megwa is out for the remainder of the season, and the BC junior might be done with football altogether.
“I’m just hoping the guy can walk again,” coach Jeff Jagodzinski said. “It’s the same thing (Joe) Theismann had. It was snapped in two. So whether he plays again next year … see what I mean?”
In 1985, a national television audience saw Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann’s leg broken when he was sacked by Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor – a hit that has come to define gruesome sports injuries. Megwa broke both bones in his lower leg when he was hit by Clemson linebacker DeAndre McDaniel after what would have been a first-down reception.
“I was on the field at the time. I just remember looking at the leg. I was, like, traumatized,” BC receiver Rich Gunnell said.“I’ve talked to him a few times. I haven’t been able to see him. He’s doing all right.”
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BOWDEN BOWL: Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said he’s happy that he won’t have to play against son Tommy anymore.
For the first time in 10 years, Clemson (4-4, 2-3 ACC) plays the Seminoles (6-2, 3-2) with the younger Bowden not at the Tiger helm, leaving the South Carolina school last month after a poor start for the preseason league favorite.
“It takes out the fact that somebody in your family has gotta lose and somebody in your family has gotta win,” Bowden said Wednesday. “I will miss seeing Tommy out on the field. That would be the only part I would miss.”
Bobby Bowden, who turns 79 on Saturday, beat his second-oldest son five times in nine tries, though Tommy won the last three.
Terry Bowden, who coached at Samford and Auburn, has gone a decade without finding a coaching role and Jeff Bowden, the youngest son, is in his second season looking for work after being forced out as offensive coordinator at Florida State.
“We all know when we get into this game the consequences of winning and the consequences of losing,” Bobby Bowden said.
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DABO’S NOTES: Clemson’s Dabo Swinney began jotting down little things about head coaching soon after he was named to take over for Tommy Bowden last month.
Soon, Swinney had filled up a writing tablet and was looking for more.
It’s been an educational few weeks for the 38-year-old Swinney, who says he’s learned things about the position and about himself.
“I learned I could do this job,” he said. “I thought I could do this job, but now I know I can do this job, whether it’s here or wherever. I can do the job.”
Whether that’s with the Tigers depends on if Swinney can keep the momentum flowing. Clemson defeated Boston College 27-21 last Saturday to snap a three-game losing streak that included Bowden’s final two games and Swinney’s first.
If Swinney doesn’t stick, he’s got a wealth of knowledge to take with him.
One thing is the demands from fans eager to talk with and photograph Clemson’s coach.
“Nobody wanted a picture of me other than my mama when I was the receiver coach,” he said.
He says he’s learned to surround himself with talented people and that fans and others are watching. “Whatever you say, whatever you do,” he said. “It’s a little bit different for me.”
These past few weeks also affirmed some of Swinney’s beliefs.
“Show people you care about them, then they’ll care about listening to you and they’ll work hard for you,” Swinney said. And as long as you stay true to yourself, things will work, he said. “If you try to be anything else, it’s probably not going to work.”
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LOVE THOSE FLAGS: There probably isn’t a football coaching staff in the country that doesn’t preach to players every week about the importance of minimizing penalties.
Miami surely does, but maybe the Hurricanes should try a different tact.
The Hurricanes were penalized 12 times last weekend in their 24-17 overtime win at Virginia, continuing a bizarre statistical trend.
Since the start of the 2000 season, Miami is 17-2 when committing at least 12 penalties in a game – a winning percentage of .895 that’s far superior to their victory clip of .730 when the Hurricanes draw a gentlemanly 11 flags or less.
The only two losses in those oft-penalized games came on back-to-back weeks in November 2003, when Miami fell to Virginia Tech and Tennessee.
In last weekend’s game, Virginia was officially charged with just one penalty, which strangely enough, also plays into Miami’s hand. Since 1996, six teams have committed one penalty or less against the Hurricanes, and Miami is 4-2 in those games.
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UPON FURTHER REVIEW: During Virginia’s 24-17 loss to Miami on Saturday, game officials twice reviewed calls that had been made on the field.
ca to Kevin Ogletree would be reversed.
Video replays suggested that Ogletree not only had possession of the ball, but got a foot down before heading out of bounds, but the official review confirmed it as incomplete, denying a first down and forcing a punt.
Coach Al Groh remains mystified by the decision.
“Everybody who’s looked at it – men, women, coaches, ACC representatives – everybody says it was a good catch,” Groh said this week.
“There’s only one person on the planet that didn’t see it that way. I’m not criticizing him. I’m just saying that’s the facts,” he continued.
“We saw it one way; he saw it the other way. He had the vote.”
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NO MISS GANO: Florida State’s Graham Gano didn’t kick field goals for the Seminoles until this fall and now he leads the nation in that category.
After missing his first try of the year, the Seminoles senior has kicked a school-record 15 straight field goals, including four from 50 yards or more.
Gano, who was recruited as a punter, missed the first two games after knee surgery in August before returning for the Sept. 20 Wake Forest game. He is also now handling kickoff and punt duties, averaging 46 yards on punts since resuming those duties two games ago.
Gano also leads the ACC in scoring with an average of 9.6 points a game.
Coach Bobby Bowden calls Gano’s performance “one of our most pleasant happenings this year.”
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AP Sports Writers Brent Kallestad in Tallahassee, Fla.; Peter Iacobelli in Clemson, S.C.; Henry Kurz Jr. in Richmond, Va., and Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this story.
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