Lovett, O'Cain Dismissed

CUTigers.com has leared that Clemson Head Coach Tommy Bowden has dismissed offensive coordinator Mike O'Cain and defensive coordinator John Lovett.

Mike O'Cain joined the Tigers in December of 2000 after serving as the head coach at N.C. State, and the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at North Carolina.

At Clemson, he served as the quarterbacks coach for three seasons, before taking over as the offensive coordinator before the start of spring practice.

Under his guidance, the Tigers averaged just 295.6 yards per game, ranking 109 nationally and 10th in the ACC. Only Duke, which was dead last in the nation in total offense, was worse.

O'Cain, in a interview with CUTigers.com yesterday afternoon, said that the 2004 season was a struggle from start to finish.

“I think that when you look back, I’ve never been through anything like this season,” he said. “It was a struggle offensively all year long. From a different standpoint, I think we gained tremendous experience."

John Lovett joined Clemson in 2002 after serving as defensive coordinator with the Auburn program for three seasons (1999-01).

In 2003, his defense was a major reason Clemson finished the year with nine wins and a top-25 ranking. The defense allowed just 19.2 points per game, one of the top-25 figures in the nation.

This past season, the Tigers gave up an average of over 31 points per game through their first five games of the year, but rebounded to give up just 12.2 during their last six.

Overall, Clemson finished the season ranked 29th in total defense, giving up an average of 327 yards per game.

Speculation had been mounting since the end of the season that there could be changes in the coaching staff, particurally on the offensive side of the ball.

Both coordinators were told this morning in a meeting with Tommy Bowden.

CUTigers.com will have more on this breaking story shortly.