Before every game, Donald Bowens picks up his cell phone and makes a call.
It’s only minutes before his team leaves the hotel and it’s time for his pre-game ritual. He dials home to his mother to do a pre-game prayer.
His roommate and best friend, sophomore receiver Jarvis Williams, joins hands with Bowens while his mother is on the phone. Bowens’ mother will make sure Bowens is ready for the game. Then she’ll say the prayer.
And after the game, she’s the first one to call or text him.
“I’m a mama’s boy,” Bowens said with a smile.
Unfortunately for Bowens, his mother hasn’t been able to make the trip to Raleigh this season. Last year, she made it to a few of the team’s games.
The sophomore receiver from St. Petersburg, Fla., has used his mother for motivation in many aspects of football. When he’s practicing or working out, Bowens will oftentimes think about his mom.
“Anytime I’m in the weight room or on the field and I’m tired, I just think about my mom,” he said. “And then I just get it done. That’s my motivation for me.”
But his mom isn’t the only woman in his life.
Some would even call Bowens engaged, but it seems to just be a joking matter among teammates.
“I’m not engaged — I have a girlfriend. I’ve had a girlfriend of four years — not engaged,” Bowens said. “It’s a relationship from high school, so that’s why they say engaged. And then the Facebook thing; it said engaged.”
But the girlfriend has a way of getting a certain message across — a way where everyone knows who she is. In his room, he has a large picture of her posted on his wall. It’s a way to let everyone know who Bowens is with.
“That’s actually a Christmas gift that she gave to me. Basically, she wanted everyone to know, ‘I’m with Donald,'” he said. “It’s worked.”
The jokes are there though. While Bowens goes along with it, sometimes people on the team might say the wrong thing.
“Guys come around and look at it and say, ‘Oh dang, who is that?’ And I’m like, ‘hold up, chill out, chill out,'” Bowens said with a laugh.
On the field, Bowens has had somewhat of a break-out season. After he totaled 16 receptions last season, he’s already caught 32 passes this year in 10 games. He’s also first on the team in yards per catch among receivers with 10 or more catches at 16.1 yards. He is tied with senior receiver John Dunlap in touchdowns with three.
Bowens said he hadn’t changed anything from last season to this season, and that he’s been the same in practice this year.
He said Dunlap and senior receiver Darrell Blackman have been very helpful with his progression the first two years. He said off the field, the two are a fun duo and on the field they’re extremely helpful.
“They’re always there — if you make a mistake, they’ll critique you on it,” Bowens said. “They’ll give you a pat on the back if you need it.”
Leaving his home state of Florida was tough for Bowens. He said a lot of Florida schools recruited him, but the only ones that offered were Florida Atlantic and South Florida. His decision came down to State and USF.
When the Bulls recruited Bowens, coach Jim Leavitt looked at Bowens and told him that USF was on the rise.
“I sort of blew it off,” Bowens said. “But they did pretty good this season.”
Sometimes he wonders what it would be like to be home with his friends, some who play at the Florida schools. But he’s happy with his decision to come to Raleigh and he said he wouldn’t want to play anywhere else.
And despite not having his mother and girlfriend with him, he’s still making it.
“I don’t regret my decision one bit,” Bowens said.