College Bowls Roundup : Gutekunst to Make Coaching Debut

Clemson’s Danny Ford, who made his head coaching debut against Woody Hayes in the 1978 Gator Bowl, now finds the shoe on the other foot.

Tonight, when the Tigers meet Minnesota in the Independence Bowl at Shreveport, La., it is the Gophers’ John Gutekunst who will be making his debut.

Meanwhile, in the Cherry Bowl at Pontiac, Mich., Maryland and Syracuse will play today for the 30th time. The Orangemen lead the series, 14-13-2.

Seven years ago, Ford was thrust into the Clemson job when Charley Pell left for Florida. Only 19 days later, his team beat Ohio State, 17-15.

Sixteen days ago, Gutekunst was elevated from defensive coordinator to the Minnesota coaching job when Lou Holtz left for Notre Dame. Gutekunst, as an assistant at Duke and Virginia Tech, faced Ford’s Clemson teams three times, losing all three.

This game between the two 6-5 teams will be televised at 5 p.m. PST on Channel 11.

The Maryland-Syracuse game will be on Channel 11 at 10 a.m. PST. Maryland, ranked 20th in the nation, is 8-3. Syracuse is 7-4.

Maryland’s offense revolves around fullback Rick Badanjek, halfback Alvin Blount and quarterback Stan Gelbaugh. Badanjek had 676 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns this season. Blount rushed for 828 yards, and Gelbaugh completed 166 of 311 passes for 2,475 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Syracuse will rely mainly on sophomore quarterback Don McPherson, who completed 85 of 159 attempts for 1,469 yards and a school-record 12 touchdowns.