Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston was clearly hobbled in victory Thursday night at Louisville, but head coach Jimbo Fisher is confident his Heisman Trophy quarterback will be good to go when the Seminoles take on Virginia on Saturday.
“Should be good,” Fisher said when asked about the status of Winston, per ESPN.com. “It’s an injury but no different than anybody else’s. A lot of guys got sore ankles right now.”
As Fisher suggests, there is a difference between being injured and being hurt. Most players are able to play through pain, which seems to be the case for many at this point in the season.
“Pain is temporary,” Fisher added. “You got to put it away. The guys that can deal with and play with it are the guys [that succeed] in this game for a long time. I thought he dealt with it very well.”
Winston is obviously a key part of Florida State’s offense, although the Seminoles proved capable of winning a game in ACC play without him earlier this season against Clemson. Barring any significant setbacks, Winston should be expected to start for Florida State as the College Football Playoff chase heats up. Florida State looks to be as close to a lock for one of the four spots as any team in the country, as long as they avoid a major upset in ACC play (or a suddenly dangerous Florida?) the rest of the way.