FSU Seminoles

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Clemson opened 2012 away from home against Auburn, with questions swirling about how last season's high-flying offense would perform without its best acrobat, Sammy Watkins, who was suspended for two games.

The emphatic answer came in the form of Andre Ellington.

The senior tailback has largely toiled in the shadows of the Tigers' big-play passing attack, but Ellington remains the engine that drives so much of what the Tigers do offensively. Against Auburn, he ran for a whopping 228 yards to pave the way for a Clemson victory. Since the start of the 2011 season, Ellington has racked up more than 1,500 yards on the ground.

"He’s really elusive, he’s really fast," FSU linebacker Vince Williams said. "He reminds me of a slightly bigger Chris [Thompson]. He can do some things. I like him."

But in a game heralded for its strength-against-strength matchups, there may be none more intense than Ellington's elusive speed vs. Florida State's ferocious defensive front.

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- In terms of development and experience, Jameis Winston is a long way from Tajh Boyd.

The skill sets for the two quarterbacks, however, aren't so different. Winston is a few inches taller, but both are thick and strong. Winston has the arm, too -- a cannon that made him the nation's top quarterback recruit a year ago. Add the mobility, the ability to get outside the pocket and run with the football, and the Florida State freshman actually plays an awful lot like Clemson's Heisman hopeful.

At least, that has been the thought for much of this week's practice as FSU gets set to host Boyd and the Tigers on Saturday. Winston -- along with third-stringer Jacob Coker -- has served as Boyd's stand-in with FSU's scout team this week, giving the Seminoles defense a close-up look at the challenge it will face when Saturday's battle of top-10 teams kicks off.

"They both provide athleticism and arm strength," Jimbo Fisher said of Winston and Coker. "They can simulate arm strength, athleticism, running and good size. The defense is getting a good look from that perspective."

Meanwhile freshman track star Marvin Bracy has played the role of Clemson receiver Sammy Watkins, testing the FSU secondary downfield, while the bulkier Kelvin Benjamin has pushed the defensive backs to play with more physicality, too.

"I get that same type of physical nature from [Benjamin]," cornerback Nick Waisome said of his preparation for Watkins this week.

Florida State's roster depth has been lauded as a major asset by Fisher all year, but trickle-down effect on the scout team provides its own rewards.

For FSU's starters, the challenge of taking on gifted freshmen and back-ups during practice provides a more realistic comparison to game day than a group of walk-ons might be able to offer.

For those freshmen and reserves, it's a valuable chance to see how they measure up against some of the best players in the country, while still making a contribution to the team.

"A post is a post, a slant is a slant, and they’re running against good people every day," Fisher said. "Suddenly they say, ‘You know something, I can play with that guy.’ ”

The extra push in practice should come in handy this week against the high-flying Clemson offense, but Fisher sees benefits down the road, too.

“Scout team people look at as a negative, but most guys it turns out to be a real positive," he said. "And it prepares your team better when you get more quality guys.”

Secure the tackle: Waisome said his goal Saturday is to hold Watkins without a catch, but even he recognizes that might be a lofty goal. The more significant issue for FSU's defensive backs might be ensure the play ends shortly after Watkins comes down with the ball.

In last year's game, 105 of Watkins' 141 receiving yards came after the catch, and nearly 63 percent of his career yardage has come after the ball is in his hands.

That's makes wrapping up on open-field tackles a top priority.

"It's going to be critical," Fisher said. "When they have great skill guys, they create those one-on-ones, and being able to get them down in space, that's big. Real big. It'll be a huge challenge."

More to come: After the first two weeks of the season, EJ Manuel estimated Florida State had used roughly three percent of its playbook. After another easy win against Wake Forest, he joked that number may have risen to 4.8.

Truth be told, it's probably a good bit more than that, but that doesn't mean Florida State is close to clicking on all cylinders offensively.

"As far as where we're trying to go, I don't think we're close," Rashad Greene said. "That's the mentality we have. We're not settling for anything. We strive to get better every day. That's the motto of the team."

Injury updates: Defensive back Justin Bright (head) and Garrett Faircloth (hip) will miss Saturday's game.

Heather Dinich previews what could be the game of the year in not just the Atlantic Division but maybe the ACC as a whole (Saturday 8 p.m. ET, ABC).

The term "replacement player" in football conjures up images of bumbling and stumbling guys that are poor imitations of the real thing.

But at Florida State, replacement players for two standouts -- defensive end Brandon Jenkins, lost to injury, and cornerback/kick returner Greg Reid, dismissed from the team -- have more than proven their worth. Through the first three games of the season, the Noles have used three players to plug those holes -- defensive end Tank Carradine, cornerback Nick Waisome and punt returner Rashad Greene -- and gotten fantastic results.

Nobody is quite saying Brandon Jenkins who? Or Greg Reid who? But these three players have made what appears to be a seamless transition into their starting roles. Of course, the biggest test comes Saturday when No. 4 Florida State hosts No. 10 Clemson. Carradine and Waisome have never started a game against an offense filled with this many playmakers.

But at least they have notched the first starts of their careers going into this one, something that Carradine says has been hugely important for him. Carradine played behind Bjoern Werner last season but going into 2012, coach Jimbo Fisher labeled Werner, Jenkins and Carradine his 1A, 1B and 1C defensive ends, respectively. When Jenkins was lost for the season with a foot injury sustained in the season opener, it was time for Carradine to move into the starting lineup.

Not exactly the easiest transition, but Carradine says he is now fully acclimated to his new role.

"Being a starter and coming off the bench is totally different," Carradine said in a phone interview this week. "When you're a starter, the team expects more out of you and you come across plays you wouldn’t come across if you weren't a starter. You come across certain situations by having more playing time. It’s much better starting because you get to see the first snaps of the ball, what keys this person is going to take, and feeling of this person you are up against right off the bat."

Carradine was one of the ACC players of the week following his performance against Wake Forest, in which he had a career-high 2 1/2 sacks. He and Werner are the top two sack leaders in the ACC -- Werner has 6.5 total sacks, Carradine has 3.5. Carradine also ranks No. 3 in the league in tackles for loss, with 4.5. And he also leads the FSU defense with 12 total tackles.

His play has even drawn an "I told you so," from Werner, who has repeatedly said the Noles would be fine without Jenkins.

"I’m feeling very comfortable," Carradine said. "I think it was a shock to me at first because I wasn’t expecting it, but I feel comfortable now that I’m out there playing, having a chance to start a game and be out there, I have the feeling of being a starter. Playing last year a lot, it also helped me prepare as well."

Waisome mostly played on special teams as a true freshman in 2011, and ended the year with one tackle. But he got his opportunity to start after Reid was kicked off the team this summer. Waisome won a summer competition with true freshman Ronald Darby and has done a nice job in the secondary.

With only three career starts under his belt, the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Waisome now faces the biggest challenge of his young career, in trying to defend Sammy Watkins, DeAndre Hopkins and all the other talented Clemson receivers.

What has he learned in his three starts that will help him going into this game?

"Probably just staying with the play, finishing the play all the way to the end," Waisome said. "When you get to the end of the route, when you figure out the receiver is done with the route, you can ease off a little bit sometimes. I feel like you have to stay on them because sometimes those quarterbacks scramble out -- with Tajh Boyd being such a great quarterback, we've got to stay on our receivers and play the play out."

As for Greene, he took over punt return duties from Reid and is leading the ACC with a 19.6-yard punt return average and two punt returns for touchdowns. Marcus Murphy of Missouri is the only other player in the nation with two punt returns for touchdowns so far in the season.

Fisher was quick to point out that he is really pleased with the way his team has responded, and believes they are much more confident this year than they were going into their game against Clemson a year ago.

"I think I've got some young guys that have really developed, some older guys that have really changed who they are and what they've done and really grown, like you want guys to grow and mature as they do in college," Fisher said.

We'll know more about them after Saturday.

Todd McShay, Steve Muench and Kevin Weidl provide their scouting report for Saturday’s matchup between Clemson and Florida State. The Tigers have the offensive firepower to keep up with the Seminoles, but their defense will have trouble stopping quarterback EJ Manuel and FSU’s ground game. Read the full breakdown here.

Time to take a look at what to watch in the ACC in Week 4. I think you probably already have a good idea of what is in store.

1. Top-10 clash. By now, you probably already know the matchup between No. 10 Clemson and No. 4 Florida State is only the ninth meeting featuring two ACC teams ranked in the top 10. So yes, it is a big game, one of the biggest games in league history, even. I have been asked this question several times during the week: What is the best possible outcome for the ACC? Clearly one team has to win and one has to lose. But in the best-case scenario, this game is competitive, thrilling and pretty clean, and goes down to the wire. To me, that validates having two teams ranked in the top 10 and keeps the loser somewhere in the top-15 range.

2. Offense vs. defense. This is your classic matchup of terrific offense against terrific defense. So which unit gets the edge? We find out Saturday. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Florida State is one of two teams that has yet to allow a touchdown this season (TCU is the other) and has forced 22 three-and-outs in 42 opponent drives. Clemson, meanwhile, is averaging 39.7 points per game this season. The Tigers have 17 plays that gained 25 yards or more this season, tied for the most in the nation.

3. Andre Ellington vs. FSU run D. One of the matchups that has not been given too much attention this week is between Clemson running back Andre Ellington and the Florida State run defense. While much of the media focus has been on Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins, Ellington is an absolute player to watch. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Ellington has gained more yards after contact (199) than Florida State has allowed in total rushing yards (101) this season. As for the FSU defense, the Noles have forced their opponents into no gain or negative yardage on 40 of 85 rushes (47.1 percent), the highest percentage in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Ellington has failed to gain yards on just four of his 53 rushes this season (7.5 percent) and has been hit in the backfield on just seven runs.

4. Bounce-back week. Now on to some of the other matchups. This could be called "bounce-back week in the ACC" for a few of the other teams in the league: Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, North Carolina and Virginia -- teams that all lost last week. I left out Maryland because the Terps play No. 8 West Virginia and face the biggest challenge of all these teams. Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and North Carolina all are expected to win. Virginia? The Hoos are a double-digit underdog at No. 17 TCU.

5. Logan Thomas. Speaking of Virginia Tech, which Logan Thomas will we see Saturday against Bowling Green? Thomas played poorly against Pitt last week, throwing three interceptions. The mistakes were absolute killers, as Pitt used the turnovers to pull the upset. One of the big problems for Thomas and the Hokies has been an inability to run the ball. That, combined with ineffective quarterback play, has left this team stagnant on offense. We'll see what the Hokies try to do to jump-start both Thomas and the run game this weekend.

6. Can Georgia Tech beat Miami? The Hurricanes have won three straight in the series, but all signs are pointing to Georgia Tech this season. Last week against Virginia, the Jackets scored seven rushing touchdowns -- tied for the most under coach Paul Johnson. This is a pretty confident group on offense going into the game. The bigger question for Tech is how to slow down Miami freshman sensation Duke Johnson, who scored three different ways against Bethune-Cookman. Tech has not faced anybody nearly as good as Johnson in its first three games this season, and the Jackets have had problems slowing down some of the speed and athleticism Miami has presented in the past.

7. Does Maryland have a chance? There is always a chance in any game, but the Terps are going to have their work cut out for them. I got to watch Geno Smith play last year when West Virginia was in the Big East, and the only time I saw him flustered was when he faced heavy pressure. Maryland does have a good defense that can apply pressure, but there are two problems: 1. Smith is better this season and 2. He gets rid of the ball so fast. Maryland's only chance in this game is with a studly defensive performance, but I just don't think the Terps have the players to slow down Smith, Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin.

8. Does Virginia have a chance? Late news Wednesday night -- TCU will be without running back Waymon James for the rest of the season. The Horned Frogs have depth concerns at that position, but the bigger problem for Virginia will be slowing down Casey Pachall and the passing game. Virginia is so green in the secondary, the advantage might go in TCU's favor.

9. Will the real North Carolina please stand up? Are the Tar Heels the team that trailed Louisville 36-7 at halftime last week or the one that outscored the Cardinals 27-3 in the second half and nearly won? Coach Larry Fedora sure would love to find out against East Carolina on Saturday. This is a game that should have plenty of juice in-state. East Carolina sold out its ticket allotment for the game.

10. Could be a good day for the state of North Carolina. Wake Forest plays Army, NC State plays the Citadel and Duke plays Memphis in games almost everybody expects to go the ACC's way. The hope for these teams is that there is no look-ahead factor with conference games set for next week: Duke travels to play Wake, and NC State will be at Miami.