<p>In November, almost every Clemson player said the talk of coach Tommy Bowdens future was not a distraction. Almost every Clemson player lied.</p><p>You cant help but think about it, cornerback Justin Miller said Friday. Hes your coach, and you want to know whats happening.</p><p>Now they know, and that alone may be a help as the Tigers get ready to open practice Saturday for the Peach Bowl on Jan. 2.</p><p>Bowden last week agreed to a three-year contract extension that will keep him at the Upstate campus through 2010. While theres no salary increase for Clemsons 8-4 season that included landmark wins over Florida State and South Carolina, it would cost administrators $4 million to get rid of Bowden in the deals earliest years.</p><p>In most players minds, keeping Bowden seemed like a no-brainer. Even before the team closed with rousing victories over the third-ranked Seminoles (26-10), a revived Duke (40-7) and archrival South Carolina by the record-setting score of 63-17, they thought Bowden had earned the right to continue.</p><p>I dont see why youd want to fire the ACC coach of the year, said center Tommy Sharpe. Bowden won the honor for the second time in his five seasons at Clemson.</p><p>Still, nothing was shored up during Thanksgiving and players left for the holiday with questions they couldnt answer.</p><p>You say it doesnt affect you, but it does, said quarterback Charlie Whitehurst.</p><p>Miller remembered joking with his mother that he might consider transferring to Tennessee, Clemsons Peach Bowl opponent and one of the other schools that recruited him, if Bowden didnt return.</p><p>I really dont know what I wouldve done, though, Miller said.</p><p>Whitehurst, a sophomore like Miller, said he wouldnt have given up on the Tigers if Bowden had left. This is the place I really want to be no matter whos here, said Whitehurst, the schools all-time leader in completion percentage and third in touchdowns (31) and yardage (4,869). I never even really thought about it.</p><p>No one has to think about it now, although it was a difficult stretch of uncertainty for a while.</p><p>Bowden said his situation was like the biblical story of Lazarus, in which Jesus brought his friend back from the dead. Lazarus was in the cave about three days, said Bowden, a deeply religious Christian. I was there about three weeks.</p><p>The Tigers were 5-4 following a 45-17 dismantling at Wake Forest that seemed to many to signal the end of the Bowden era. We were projected to go to no bowl, and coach Bowden was projected to be fired, receiver Kevin Youngblood said.</p><p>But during the postgame disappointment, Bowden told his team he fully expected to beat Florida State.</p><p>The moment, which will probably live in Clemson lore for decades, became a call to action for the seniors and a welcome pick-me-up for the younger players. I was touched by that, Whitehurst said.</p><p>I think that was the only way, the best way, he could have reacted, said Sharpe, a senior.</p><p>Youngblood and fellow seniors kicker Aaron Hunt and defensive lineman DeJuan Polk took control of bed check the Friday before the Florida State game. Youngblood said he wanted everyone in their rooms _ and not on their cell phones _ to keep the distractions away. We had to stay mentally prepared, he said.</p><p>The result showed on the field with Clemsons dominating victory, Bowdens first in five tries over his father, Bobby.</p><p>No matter what happens against the Volunteers, Whitehurst and Miller say the three-game win streak has given the program something to build on. A quick look at the depth chart shows the Tigers should have 34 of their top 44 players back for 2004.</p><p>Clemsons new commitment to Bowden only adds to the momentum, the players say. Im glad it was stated in public, Sharpe said. Every year, were looking a little better, a little better.</p>
