TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida State quarterback EJ Manuel remembers the day well, too well.
Manuel watched helplessly from the sidelines three years ago as Christian Ponder’s understudy while an untested freshman from Tallahassee, B.J. Daniels, led South Florida to a 17-7 upset of the Seminoles in his first collegiate start.
Daniels has gone on to a stellar career at South Florida while Manuel put himself into the Heisman Trophy discussion with his performance in Florida State’s 49-37 win over Clemson last week. Manuel passed for 380 yards and ran for another 102 in that comeback win.
The two fifth-year seniors square off Saturday when Florida State (4-0) hits the road for the first time this season to play South Florida (2-2) in Tampa. The fourth-ranked Seminoles are a 17-point favorite.
