EJ Manuel’s potential is one reason Florida State is fifth in the Associated Press preseason Top 25.
His performance will have a huge impact on where the Seminoles finish.
Manuel spent the past two seasons backing up Christian Ponder, but Ponder’s numerous injuries provide opportunities for Manuel to start six games, including two bowls and an ACC Championship game, and play in 11 others.
So with Ponder now with the Minnesota Vikings, Manuel will begin this season as Florida State’s official starter. He enters his junior season with 1,678 career yards passing, 366 yards rushing and nine total touchdowns.
FSU also has at least eight returning offensive starters from a team that finished 10-4 and defeated South Carolina in the Chick-fil-A Bowl last season.
Manuel threw for only 84 yards against the Gamecocks, but completed a touchdown pass with 5:27 remaining to seal the victory. He was the Gator Bowl MVP in a victory over West Virginia two years ago and has completed 67.3 percent of his 199 career pass attempts.
“Every time he’s ever put up against a test, he always seems to come through,” FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said recently. “He always seems to rise to it.”
Manuel was even selected to the preseason All-ACC team, with several other teams having to replace longtime starters.
“Now that I’m the starter right now, I know it’s a lot of leadership and a lot of responsibility to lead this offense and move the ball, and that’s really what it all comes down to as a quarterback,” Manuel recently told WCTV in Tallahassee.
Burning question
Will Montel Harris break the ACC’s career rushing record?
Boston College’s senior running back needs 1,003 yards to supplant former N.C. State running back Ted Brown as the ACC’s all-time leading rusher, but another surgery on his left knee likely will keep him out of the Eagles’ opener against Northwestern — and possibly longer.
Harris rushed for 1,243 yards last season before missing the final two games with a knee injury that required surgery. He returned to practice this month, but had to have an arthroscopic procedure last week.
“Now I’m very concerned,’’ Boston College coach Frank Spaziani told The Boston Globe. “I feel bad for the kid. He looked like his old self.’’
Based on his yearly production, it was almost a sure bet that Harris would have passed Brown, who finished with 4,602 yards from 1975-78.
Harris has more career rushing yards (3,600) than any junior in ACC history and averaged 103.6 yards a game in 2010 before his injury.
In focus
Duke running back Juwan Thompson has been impressive this summer after a spring in which he was selected as the Blue Devils’ most improved offensive player.
A sophomore who starred at Woodward Academy, Thompson has bulked up to 225 pounds, adding about 10 pounds since last year, and is trying to create playing time for himself behind starter Desmond Scott.
Thompson had a 47-yard touchdown run in Duke’s second scrimmage, finishing with 71 yards on 15 carries, and added a 20-yard score in another scrimmage Tuesday.
He had only 25 carries for 87 yards last season, but was eighth in the ACC in kickoff returns with a 21.7-yard average on 15 returns.
Quotable
“He’s a heckuva athlete. He’s strong, he’s quick. There’s no words to describe him. I have no problem giving him the ball as much as he needs it.” — Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas on running back David Wilson
“I’m not sure we’ve done a great job of defining what success is in college athletics. It’s not just winning. It’s not just the most money. Both of those things are important. To me, it’s really about being successful competitively while graduating athletes and doing it within the rules.” — ACC commissioner John Swafford told the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal
By the numbers
1 — Virginia Tech is the only FBS (formerly Division I-A) team to win at least 10 games in each of the past seven seasons. The Hokies are 73-21 in that span.
32 — Uniform combinations for Maryland. The Terrapins will have four jersey options (red, black, white, yellow), four pants options (red, black, white, yellow) and two helmets (black and white).
Etc.
Zach Allen (Tift County) is listed as the starter at right guard for N.C. State after giving up only three sacks in 13 games last season. ... Wake Forest safety Cyhl Quarles (Meadowcreek) was second on the team with 71 tackles despite starting only seven games in 2010. ... Duke safety Matt Daniels (Fayette County) has been selected preseason third-team All-ACC by both Athlon and Phil Steele’s College Football Preview. ... Clemson senior defensive tackle Brandon Thompson (Thomasville) and senior punter Dawson Zimmerman (Brookwood) were selected to the media’s preseason All-ACC team. Zimmerman averaged 42.8 yards a punt last season and is the conference’s leading returning punter. ... At least four N.C. State starters will miss games because of preseason injuries. Guard Duran Christophe (Woodstock) will miss an undisclosed amount of time with a knee injury. Defensive tackle J.R. Sweezy (foot fracture) is out five games. Running back Mustafa Greene (foot) will miss four games, and Cornerback Jarvis Byrd (ACL) is out for the season.
About the Author
