Bowden sees coaching as his call

NEW ORLEANS - Florida State&#39;s Bobby Bowden has tried to keep Georgia on his mind this week, but a lot of other folks just haven&#39;t let him. <br> <br> With his team&#39;s New Year&#39;s date in the Sugar Bowl against the fourth-ranked Bulldogs nearly at hand, Bowden has spent most of his time answering criticism that he&#39;s gone soft after a half century of coaching. <br> <br> Bowden, whose 332 career wins ranks second in Division I-A to Penn State&#39;s Joe Paterno, has been caught in a firestorm after suspending two players and kicking off another two being his team&#39;s top quarterbacks. <br> <br> ``I think I can help kids,&#39;&#39; the always accessible, usually affable Bowden said. ``That means more to me than anything else.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The 73-year-old coach believes teaching values, including religion, are important in today &#39;s society. <br> <br> Discipline, Bowden says, is an individual thing. <br> <br> ``You&#39;ve got some that don&#39;t need a harder shoulder,&#39;&#39; he said. ``Some of them have been abused all their life. Each one is different. There&#39;s no perfect way to do it.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> And his players believe in him. <br> <br> ``It amazes me people would say coach Bowden should retire,&#39;&#39; said guard Montrae Holland, a fifth-year senior who came from Texas to play for the Seminoles. ``He&#39;s proven what he can do.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Florida State athletic director David Hart Jr. believes Bowden is firmly in control of the football program and feels badly the veteran coach has been embarrassed by a rash of player misconduct. <br> <br> ``He&#39;s extraordinarily resilient, but yes, he does want to get it corrected,&#39;&#39; Hart said. <br> <br> However, Hart says the school must ``tighten its grip,&#39;&#39; on athletes who fail to meet the school&#39;s standards. <br> <br> ``As a head coach he understands that ... the poor judgment, poor decision making ... has to stop,&#39;&#39; Hart said. ``Bobby is a big picture guy.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Bowden says the challenge is bigger than ever. <br> <br> ``With this kid getting in trouble and that kid getting in trouble, does that mean you want to get out?&#39;&#39; he asked rhetorically. ``NO. It makes me want to work harder to help these darned kids. that&#39;s what drives me.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> ``Once you get out of it, they don&#39;t come to you anymore,&#39;&#39; he said. <br> <br> Florida State (9-4) will go into Wednesday&#39;s game against Georgia (12-1) with several new faces in its starting lineup: Fabian Walker making his first start at quarterback, a pair of true freshmen with him in the backfield behind him center David Castillo, making his third start. <br> <br> Walker, who has played sparingly, takes over for Chris Rix, suspended for failing to take a final exam a violation of university policy. <br> <br> The defense will be without its two most experienced tackles. Senior Jeff Womble is sidelined with an injury, while Darnell Dockett, was suspended for an incident at a shopping mall that is being investigated by Tallahassee, Fla., police. <br> <br> There&#39;s also an investigation into gambling rumors surrounding former quarterback Adrian McPherson, who was kicked off the team in November in a stolen check scandal. <br> <br> ``A kid breaks a rule, you discipline him,&#39;&#39; said Bowden, who believes all the controversy could help the Seminoles against favored Georgia. <br> <br> ``It&#39;ll be interesting what we can do,&#39;&#39; he said. ``I think we need everything we&#39;ve got for this one.&#39;&#39;