Backup rallies Florida State
Sophomore’s late TD pass stops S. Carolina
ATLANTA – EJ Manuel’s days as a backup appear to be over.
Manuel threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to stop a South Carolina rally and lead Florida State to a 26-17 victory over the turnover-plagued Gamecocks in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on Friday.
Manuel took over after senior quarterback Christian Ponder left early in the second quarter with a concussion. The sophomore appears ready to assume the starting role next season.
“I hate it for Christian,” Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said. “He got dinged on the back of his head. He came off and he was kind of out of it a little bit. I hate that because of what he means to us, but EJ, oh boy, I’m glad he’s on our team.
“EJ is special.”
Manuel completed 11 of 15 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown and had seven carries for 46 yards. He was 7-of-7 passing on the fourth-quarter TD drive.
“EJ stepped up pretty well,” said Chris Thompson, who ran for 147 yards and a touchdown. “He came in and talked like something I never heard EJ talk before. He just had a bunch of intensity. You could tell he had a passion for it. He wanted to get in the end zone real bad. We just knew we had to do what we needed to do for EJ to make a play for us.”
Manuel has a knack for postseason success. He was the MVP of the Seminoles’ Gator Bowl win over West Virginia to end the 2009 season.
Dustin Hopkins kicked four field goals for the No. 23 Seminoles (10-4), who reached 10 victories for the first time since 2003. Hopkins tied his own school record for a bowl, and the four field goals also matched the Chick-fil-A Bowl record.
No. 19 South Carolina (9-5), seeking its first 10-win season since 1984, lost star running back Marcus Lattimore when he was hit hard on the first drive.