FSU Football: EJ Manuel’s 5 best games as a Nole
By Kelvin Hunt
No. 17 West Virginia 2009 Season (Gator Bowl)
I’ve mentioned this game in the first part of the piece, but it’s likely FSU football never even makes it to this bowl game without EJ Manuel stepping in for an injured Christian Ponder.
If the Noles lost this game it would have been Bobby Bowden’s first losing season since his first at FSU in 1976.
The 2009 FSU defense was atrocious and the FSU offense had to basically outscore opponents much of the season.
This isn’t a game that will wow you from a statistical perspective.
FSU was down 14-3 in the first quarter but the FSU offense behind Manuel’s legs and arm battled back to take a 16-14 lead early in the third quarter.
Most importantly, Manuel didn’t turn the ball over during the game while completing 70 percent of his passes for 189 yards and rushing for 70 yards on 14 attempts and a touchdown.
It was an impressive feat for a true freshman playing against a top 20 opponent.