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Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher isn't so sure injured quarterback EJ Manuel will play Saturday. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is.
''I expect him to play,'' the Tigers coach said this week as No. 21 Clemson gets ready to host the 11th-ranked Seminoles in an Atlantic Coast Conference game.
Manuel hurt his left, non-throwing shoulder in a 23-13 loss to No. 1 Oklahoma last week and the Seminoles (2-1) are eager to bounce back at Death Valley. That won't be easy without Manuel, a junior who did not practice this week and was listed as questionable.
Swinney is planning for Manuel, but Florida State's staff isn't so sure their quarterback will be healthy enough to play. Fisher twice had similar injuries during his playing days and understands how painful they can be.
''But they are tolerable and you can manage through those,'' Fisher said. ''You've just got to make sure it doesn't affect your throwing motion.''
An MRI showed no structural damage to Manuel's shoulder.
Manuel's motion was near flawless before the injury. He's completed 67 percent of his passes for 666 yards and six touchdowns, and is among the top six in ACC pass efficiency and total offense.
The junior has also been the Seminoles most effective rusher for a ground game that's yet to take off. Manuel leads the Seminoles with 79 yards rushing.
If Manuel can't go, Florida State would again call on Clint Trickett, a freshman who subbed against Oklahoma and tied things up 13-all in the final quarter with a 56-yard touchdown pass to Rashad Greene.
Trickett took all the first-team snaps and looked good doing it, Fisher said. And all the while, ''Guys are getting healthier,'' he said.
Clemson had its own concerns after starting tailback Andre Ellington hurt is hamstring and was on the sideline for much of the second half in a 38-24 victory over defending national champion Auburn. But Swinney said Thursday that Ellington will play.
Manuel isn't Florida State's only issue. Receiver Bert Reed didn't play against Oklahoma because of an ankle problem, while wideout Kenny Shaw left the field in an ambulance after a helmet-to-helmet hit. Shaw returned to the sideline before the end of the game.
While Reed hasn't practiced, Shaw was back for Thursday's workout. Fisher said injuries to key players makes for uncertain times around the football offices.
''It affects you,'' the second-year head coach conceded. ''Injuries are a part of football.''
So is coping with them.
Clemson didn't do that so well a year ago when Ellington left the Boston College game with a foot injury. The Tigers lost to the Eagles, 16-10, then lost three more games in November and December to go 6-7, their first losing season in 12 years.
Ellington had offseason surgery and appeared strong this season, posting his longest touchdown run, a 74-yarder in a win over Wofford. But Ellington played 47 snaps against Auburn with only a handful coming in the second half after he tweaked his hamstring.
It appeared backup D.J. Howard would be a reliable option after he rushed for 86 yards last week. But Swinney said Howard hurt his hamstring at practice Tuesday and is questionable.
Howard's play was critical down the stretch as Clemson held the ball and ran out the final 9:34 of the game.
''Really proud of the way D.J. stepped in,'' Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris said.
The Tigers rolled up 624 yards of offense on the defending national champs. They're not likely to have it as easy on a very healthy Florida State defense, which held Oklahoma to under 200 yards passing and fewer than 3 yards a carry.
''There's no doubt how physical they played against Oklahoma,'' Morris said. ''That's our biggest task.''
Seminoles middle linebacker Vince Williams called the Tigers offense, ''smoke and mirrors kind of stuff.''
''They try and get you confused. They call the offense from the line of scrimmage like Oklahoma,'' he continued. ''They also do a lot of the same things'' as the Sooners.
Clemson is trying for its 4-0 start since 2007 and to keep alive a streak of Death Valley success over Florida State, which hasn't won at Memorial Stadium since 2001.
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Brent Kallestad in Tallahassee, Fla. contributed to this report.
