TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- This is Bowden Bowl IV and it's not like any other Bowden Bowl I've seen. I've been around Florida State's Bobby Bowden and Clemson's Tommy Bowden for a lot of years and have listened to them talk about this game. In the past, it's always been the "Aw shucks" bit. They'd talk about how Ann -- Bobby's wife, Tommy's mom -- would wear a sweater with half FSU colors and half Clemson colors. Bobby would joke how Ann would root for a close game, but really she'd be pulling for Bobby to win.

This year it's a little different.

There are no "Aw shucks." Both Bobby and Tommy are in need of a big win. Bobby even told me "I need to whup him and I need to whup him good." This is the toughest emotionally he's ever had to deal with this matchup because of the scenario that he needs a win. Tommy, meanwhile, is feeling some heat of his own After a 9-3 season in 2000, thanks to injuries and early NFL departures, Clemson struggled to a 7-5 mark last year. Now some say Tommy needs to win some games.

	Clemson at No. 11 Florida State
	Kirk Herbstreit joins Mike Tirico and Lee Corso for tonight's 7:30 p.m. ET battle between Clemson and No. 11 Florida State on ESPN. Herbstreit's Thursday Night Lights will appear weekly and breakdown the Thursday night game.

The honeymoon is over for Tommy at Clemson and Bobby and Florida State are coming off an embarrassing loss to Louisville last Thursday. So, this is a Bowden Bowl unlike any other.

Chris At A Crossroads
If you listen to the media and the buzz around Florida State, you'd think QB Chris Rix was going to be replaced by Adrian McPherson in the second series. But when you talk to the coaches, you get the feeling Rix is still unquestionably The Man. Obviously, they would have loved for him to play better last week, but considering the conditions and the fact the only pick he threw was on the one in OT, well, they're not quite ready to pull the plug on him.

There are other issues with Rix this week. Senior center Antoine Mirambeau called out the quarterback in the Tampa Tribune.

"I just think he needs to utilize [teammates] better than he does," Mirambeau told The Tribune. "He needs to sit in the pocket and wait for the plays to develop a little bit more. I see, as an offensive lineman, times where some of the guys will be open out there and he just takes three steps and tucks the ball and runs.

Spotlight Player

Florida State QB Chris Rix. It's obvious this is a very big game for Rix. He needs to get his team back believing he is the guy who can lead them to big wins. Clemson WR Derrick Hamilton. Know one thing about Clemson OC Brad Scott -- he gets the ball in the hands of his playmakers. Hamilton has the ability to beat FSU's shorter CBs in man coverage, but watch for him to also get the ball on reverses, screens or any other way to get him the chance to make a big play.

"It's like we are running quarterback draws every time he's back there and that kind of irritates us as offensive linemen, knowing we are doing our job, but what's going on?"

I have a problem with any teammate calling out another, let alone a center calling out his QB. That's supposed to be your guardian angel out there on the field and he goes and says that to the press? That's a mistake.

There's a little animosity toward Rix on this team. Call it a California thing, a cockiness thing. Or maybe it's just because he's not a traditional QB. By that I mean, he doesn't hang out with the guys, chase the honeys or have a good time at the campus restaurants or bars with his teammates. Rix just isn't like that. He's very spiritual. His faith in God and his relationship with Jesus is very important to him. Sometimes that commitment to spirituality comes off as being aloof. He's not. But I think this is potentially affecting the ability of his teammates to relate to him as a person. He just doesn't have the chance to mingle with the guys as much so they can grow as a team in an informal setting.

Some of this was an issue last year and it looked like they had gotten past this, but obviously they haven't. When you're the QB, your teammates don't have to like you, but they do have to respect you and believe in you. When you lose that -- or even if there's a question about it -- then I really start to raise my eyebrows as an observer. Keep track of Rix tonight throughout the game. Watch the body language of Rix as well as his teammates. It's important that Rix goes out and plays well and gets his team back believing in him.

Physically, he has all the tools, but he can be impatient. They want him to be patient and find the check downs and you can guarantee he's going to stay in the pocket more tonight than he ever has going through every read. That can be a dangerous thing -- when you have an athlete like Rix, you do want him to make plays sometimes too -- but he's determined to prove he can sit in the pocket.

I think Rix is very, very anxious to just get the ball in his hands and show he's ready for the challenges after a disappointing game. He wants to prove to people he's the answer and can lead this team to big wins this year.

Tigers' D Again Has Bite
Last year, the Clemson defense finished 7th in the ACC and 71st in the nation allowing 390 yards per game. Using a style similar to FSU -- press coverage and being aggressive -- Clemson was beat time after time in the passing game and the Tigers lost confidence.

Enter John Levett. Clemson uses a defense that is still aggressive, but doesn't play nearly as much man coverage. By using more zone, the Tigers are less vulnerable to the big plays, but still get pressure on opposing QBs. They understand the new system. Clemson is more athletic and bigger on the D-line. Bryant McNeal -- a 6-foot-5, 236-pound DE -- needs to have a big night. It won't be easy against FSU's talented tackles -- 6-6, 310-pound Brett Williams and 6-6, 300-pound Alex Barron. A bonus would be if 6-4, 295-pound Nick Eason could play, but he's questionable with a knee injury. Should he return, he'll provide a huge boost to the defense as he's the emotional leader of the group.

Clemson's plan will be to keep FSU from making the big plays. Keep everything in front of them and make the Seminoles go 80 yards on 12 plays. But the catch while FSU may have had problems in the past showing patience, this year's model is made to show patience with the running of Greg Jones and Nick Maddox and Rix making short, safe passes. But make no mistake about it -- if the Tigers are lulled to sleep or focus too much on the run and short pass, Florida State will take its shots downfield to Anquan Bolden or Talman Gardner.

Two more things. . .
The matchup I'm looking forward to seeing is the Clemson offense against the FSU defense. FSU defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews is traditionally aggressive. He'll get in your face and bully you. But right now, because of the inexperience and lack of shutdown corners, the 'Noles continue to get in trouble in man coverage. Louisville got after them more than a couple times last week. A big question is will Andrews and FSU continue to roll the dice, believe in his personnel and challenge Clemson or will will he pull back and be a little more conservative?

If FSU thought Louisville receivers were tough, wait until they see Clemson's talented trio of 6-4 Derrick Hamilton, 6-5 Kevin Youngblood and 6-4 J.J. McKelvey. Together, the three have 49 of Clemson' 82 receptions and over half the team's receiving yards. Consider FSU's two starting cornerbacks are both under 6-feet tall -- 5-9 Rufus Brown and 5-10 Stanford Samuels -- how this plays out will be one of the keys to the game.

Clemson QB Willie Simmons may be making just his fifth career start, but he's become a confident young QB who has his teammates completely convinced he's the answer. Whatever he says, they believe. He doesn't have the running ability of Woodrow Dantzler, but he has a big-time arm and the ability to stretch the defense in so many ways.

One more thing. . .
Watch the chess game when Clemson comes to the line on offense using its no-huddle attack. While Simmons is standing at the line, trying to get a feel of the defense and looking over to the coaches to confirm the play call, the Seminoles will be bouncing around a lot, trying to confuse Simmons. FSU will try to disguise coverages and force Simmons and the Clemson offense into situations it would rather avoid. Both sides will be making adjustments constantly and it will be fascinating to see the cat-and-mouse game between Andrews and Clemson offensive coordinator Brad Scott.

The bottom line
The big thing everyone wants to know about FSU is how they're respond after being upset in Louisville. Here's a team that had the bulk of its team back from an 8-4 season. They seemed determined and motivated to get FSU back after watching the streak of 14-straight 10-win and top-5 finishes end last year. If you told me that the Seminoles would show up for any game and just put roll their helmets out there expecting to win, I would have said you were crazy. There's no way this team would come out just expecting to win because they're Florida State.

That's not to take a thing away from Louisville. The Cardinals played well and it was a great win. But I was in Tallahassee in the preseason and I was with them last week. I walked out of meetings believing all the talk about it being payback time and taking care of business and seeing the hunger and desire to return to the top. I believed this team would roll into Miami undefeated. Instead, now they're reeling.

It's like the scene in Rocky IV you hear "The Russian is cut!" Well, right now FSU is like Drago and team's are thinking they can be Rocky. I guarantee you every team on the schedule thinks they can beat FSU. Clemson isn't coming into this game hoping it catches a break and stays close. The Tigers are coming in here with upgraded talent thinking they can win.

It will be interesting to how FSU responds. Historically, the Seminoles come back with a vengeance after being upset. I'm disappointed it took a loss to Louisville to get them focused again. Watch the early going in this game to see. Look to see if FSU is flying around and trying to take it out on Clemson early or if the Tigers weather the emotional storm and stand firm.

This may be a Bowden Bowl to remember.

Kirk Herbstreit is an analyst for ESPN's Thursday Night Football as well as ESPN College GameDay.