TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida State is on the verge of a quarterback change. This one appears to be by necessity.
Coach Mike Norvell said on his weekly show Monday that DJ Uiagalelei likely will miss Saturday’s game against No. 15 Clemson because of a finger injury.
“It is looking like he will be unavailable this week,” Norvell said.
So redshirt freshman Brock Glenn is penciled in to make his third career start in two seasons. Glenn got the nod in last year’s Atlantic Coast Conference championship game and the Orange Bowl in place of star Jordan Travis.
Norvell may have been ready to bench Uiagalelei anyway. The Seminoles (1-4, 1-3 ACC) tweaked their depth chart earlier Monday to list Uiagalelei and Glenn as co-starters in preparation for the Tigers (3-1, 2-0).
Norvell downplayed the move and wouldn’t commit to either QB five days before the game. He said Uiagalelei’s status is “something we’re going to evaluate throughout the course of the week.”
Norvell said Uiagalelei’s injury would not have allowed him to finish Saturday’s 42-16 loss at SMU. But Norvell also said he made the decision to bench Uiagalelei following his interception that was returned 82 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Uiagalelei completed 12 of 30 passes for 222 yards, with two touchdowns and three interceptions.
Glenn misfired on all four of his passes against the Mustangs, but one was a drop.
Uiagalelei is completing a career-low 53.8% of his passes for 1,065 yards, with four touchdowns and six interceptions. Norvell said the team’s offensive woes — FSU ranks 126th nationally in scoring — go beyond QB play.
“You’ve got to surround and you’ve got to help the quarterback position,” he said. “I don’t think we’ve done a good job of that consistently, and, at the end of the day, we all have to have ownership in that.”
