FSU Seminoles

There were several outstanding performances in the ACC this past weekend, but none greater than what we saw out of Florida State quarterback EJ Manuel.

The senior set his Heisman campaign ablaze with a jaw-dropping performance in a 49-37 victory over Clemson on Saturday night in Tallahassee. Manuel threw for a career-high 380 yards with two touchdowns and ran 12 times for 102 yards to become the first FSU quarterback to pass for 300 yards and run for 100 yards in the same game since Charlie Ward did it against Maryland in 1992.

Ward won the Heisman in 1993.

The 482 yards of total offense gives Manuel the third-highest total by an ACC player against a nationally ranked team. Former FSU great Chris Weinke recorded the only two better performances, both in 2000. That includes a 509-yard effort against then 10th-ranked Clemson at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Weinke won the Heisman that same year.

It is too early in the season to start connecting the dots, but Manuel right now is the No. 1 ACC player in the Heisman race, and he should be getting plenty more love this week after that terrific performance. We saw a new level of efficiency and consistency from him in the first three games of the season. For him to carry that on against a nationally ranked opponent clearly speaks to the strides he has made in this, his senior season.

If he keeps this pace up, who knows where he could end up in early December.

"I just want to win games for my teammates," Manuel said after the game. "I’m not really about personal accolades and things like that. If it comes it does. I just want to win and leave a legacy at Florida State for our fans.”

Florida State was tested for the first time this season against Clemson, and the Tigers exposed a few flaws in the Seminoles' attack. But while the mistakes led to a an early deficit, FSU roared back for the win behind some star-making performances that should be remembered fondly come postseason awards time.

RISING

DT Timmy Jernigan, So. (Outland)
Jernigan had two tackles, including one for a loss, but was a force up the middle in the second half. As Clemson's offensive line wore down, Jernigan turned up the heat, and the pressure he got on Tajh Boyd in the second half helped turn the tide for FSU's defense.

S Lamarcus Joyner, Jr. (Bednarik, Nagurski, Thorpe)
His biggest impact came on special teams -- where his 90-yard kick return in the third quarter helped swing the momentum of the game in Florida State's favor -- but Joyner was also solid on defense. He finished with just three tackles, but it was obvious Clemson had identified Joyner as the biggest danger in FSU's secondary, and the Tigers' passing attack worked to avoid him. He was crucial in keeping Sammy Watkins to just 24 receiving yards on the day.

QB EJ Manuel, Sr. (Heisman, Maxwell, O’Brien)
Manuel turned in the best game of his career on perhaps the biggest stage of his career. His 380 yards passing and 102 yards rushing were both career highs, and it marked the first time since 1992 that an FSU quarterback topped 300 passing yards and 100 on the ground in the same game. For the season, he has eight passing TDs, one rushing, just one interception (on a drop by a receiver) and is completing better than 73 percent of his passes. Manuel was named the national offensive backfield player of the week and the Davey O'Brien player of the week for his performance, and he's vaulted to the forefront of the Heisman race.

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Sooo ... now what?

Florida State beat Clemson in what is likely to amount to the Atlantic Division championship game. Georgia Tech has all but played its way out of the Coastal Division race with two losses to division opponents.

Will the next nine Saturdays in the ACC really be as anticlimactic as they look right now?

Not in the ACC. Not possibly. Not in a league where a struggling, young Miami defense goes on the road and beats Georgia Tech. Not in a conference where a ranked Virginia Tech team loses to a pedestrian Pitt team. The ACC has developed a reputation for its unpredictability, and with a Coastal Division race that’s slowly unfolding and three teams that have yet to start conference play, there are still plenty of reasons to tune in.

The No. 1 reason is that Florida State’s season hasn’t ended yet and NC State’s is just beginning.

The Seminoles are hands-down the best team in the ACC this season. They’re also one of the best teams in the country. It’s a more mature, more focused group that is a legitimate national title contender with a Heisman-caliber quarterback in EJ Manuel. But FSU still travels to NC State, which is riding a three-game winning streak heading into its first conference game of the season. FSU still travels to rival Miami, which is 2-0 in conference play. And the Noles still travel to Blacksburg on a Thursday night. The rest of the Atlantic Division won't roll over for FSU. Expect the exact opposite: FSU will get everyone’s best shot.

Three ACC teams -- NC State, Maryland and Duke -- have yet to play a conference game. Three teams -- Florida State, Miami and Virginia Tech -- have yet to lose a conference game. With only one league loss, Virginia is just as much in the mix as anyone else. And Duke is already halfway to a bowl game. (Yes, Duke.)

Another very real possibility at this point: the long-awaited matchup between Florida State and Miami in the ACC championship game.

Virginia Tech’s Thursday night game at Miami on Nov. 1 could turn out to be a season-defining game in the Coastal Division race. And college football fans still want to keep an eye on Clemson. Although the Tigers lost control of their own destiny in the Atlantic Division race Saturday and need Florida State to lose to get back in the conversation, a one-loss season could add up to another at-large BCS bid for the ACC.

Or, knowing Clemson, the Tigers might lose at BC this weekend.

Saturday felt like November in the ACC, but there is still plenty to play for and even more to lose.

Heather Dinich talks about the performance of FSU quarterback EJ Manuel in the Noles' win over Clemson.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The redshirt roller coaster for defensive end Chris Casher took another turn in pregame warmups Saturday, and Jimbo Fisher said the freshman is now likely to miss the season because of a knee injury.

Casher tweaked the knee during warmups, Fisher said, and he spent the rest of the game on the sideline on crutches. Fisher indicated the injury is related to cartilage damage from an issue Casher had in high school, but it's likely that surgery will be required to fix the problem.

"They've got to look at it, but they think it's an old one where the cartilage will sometimes lay right and then all of a sudden you'll tweak it and it'll flip up and catch," Fisher said. "In warmup, he just twisted his knee. They think it's an old injury from high school he just played through."

Casher performed well in fall camp, but he and fellow freshman defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. were slated to redshirt when the season began. Then defensive end Brandon Jenkins went down with a season-ending foot injury, and Fisher pulled the redshirts for both freshmen.

He qualifies for a medical redshirt despite appearing in two games this season. In his limited work, Casher made just one tackle.

More injury updates: Defensive end Bjoern Werner suffered a minor hand injury against Clemson, but it didn't affect his playing time.

"He jammed one of those knuckles or dislocated a joint," Fisher said.

Werner had the fingers taped after the game, but he also played a season-high in snaps. With the injuries to Casher and Jenkins, FSU is thin at defensive end, but Fisher said Werner's increased playing time was at the player's request, not because of roster limitations.

Wide receiver Jarred Haggins missed Saturday's game, but he's expected to be back for Monday's walk throughs, Fisher said.

Beyond that, Fisher said his team came through the game relatively healthy.

"Typical bangs and bruises of a very physical, exhausting game," he said.

Still, Fisher decided not to have the team practice Monday afternoon, choosing instead to hold meetings and do walk-throughs without any extensive workouts.

While the physicality of Saturday's win played a part in the decision, Fisher said the biggest reason was simply that most players didn't leave the stadium until the 2 to 3 a.m. Sunday.

"The 48 hours after a ballgame is huge as far as your conditioning and rehab for the next week," Fisher said.

ACC honors: Quarterback EJ Manuel was one of three Florida State players to earn ACC weekly honors after Saturday's win over Clemson.

Manuel was named the ACC's offensive back of the week after throwing for 380 yards and rushing for 102 more. He also earned national offensive back of the week honors and was the Davey O'Brien award winner as the nation's top quarterback for the week.

Right tackle Menelik Watson also earned ACC honors as the offensive lineman of the week, while Lamarcus Joyner earned specialist honors for his 90-yard kickoff return that helped swing the momentum in FSU's come-from-behind victory.

Game time: Florida State's Oct. 6 game against N.C. State will kick off at 8 p.m. on either ABC or ESPN2, according to a release by the ACC.