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Sharpe Slowed By Hamstring Injury

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 19, 2007

CORAL GABLES - CB Glenn Sharpe will be limited this week due to a recurring hamstring injury, according to defensive backs coach Wesley McGriff.

Sharpe, a sixth-year senior, was expected to be one of the key players to help contain Florida State receivers Preston Parker, De'Cody Fagg and Greg Carr.

'Every game I go in, I try to do my best and this is not a game where I am going to try to come in and do something out of the ordinary,' Sharpe said.

Sharpe started for the first time this season last week against Georgia Tech and has played four games. He has been in and out of the lineup dealing with the injury he sustained in August.

With Sharpe dealing with the nagging injury, CBs Bruce Johnson, DeMarcus Van Dyke, and Carlos Armour will be in the rotation.

OTHER INJURIES: DT Josh Holmes and WR Lance Leggett are also out. DE Calais Campbell is wearing a cast on his left hand, but will play. DTs Teraz McCray and Vegas Franklin will start with the injuries to Holmes, Antonio Dixon and Dwayne Hendricks, who are all out.

Christopher Stock

Freshman Making Name For Himself

GAINESVILLE - Florida OL Maurkice Pouncey may only be a freshman, but he's already in Urban Meyer's hall of fame.

'Maurkice Pouncey, if he keeps going, he'll be one of the best to ever play at Florida,' Meyer said.

Pouncey stepped up in August when senior Phil Trautwein suffered a season-ending stress fracture in his foot. The offensive guard hasn't looked back since.

He became the first true freshman in school history to start at right guard in a season opener, and he continues to be the only true freshman starter on offense.

Last week against LSU, Pouncey matched up against All-American DT Glenn Dorsey and was able to hold his own.

'He loves football, he loves to train, he likes to be coached,' Meyer said. 'He really likes to work. That's a special player.'

COOPER'S COMEBACK: WR Riley Cooper appears to have fully recovered from his sprained ankle, Meyer said Thursday.

The Clearwater Central Catholic graduate suffered the injury against Tennessee, and he has played in every game since but has failed to make a big impact on the field.

'Cooper's 100 percent, and he looked real fast today, too,' Meyer said.

Cooper has six receptions on the year for 161 yards and three touchdowns, two of which occurred in the season opener against Western Kentucky.

Jenna Marina

Shaw Looking For Light At End Of The Tunnel

TALLAHASSEE - Midway through his final season at Florida State, and not much has gone Joslin Shaw's way. A fifth-year senior who starred at Plant City High prior to coming to FSU, Shaw expected to be one of FSU's top receivers.

That was before he became entangled in an academic fraud scandal that forced him to miss the Noles' first four games. Shaw has since been cleared by the NCAA in an ongoing investigation that involves 23 student-athletes, but he remains in search of his first reception of the season.

'I'm just waiting on the opportunity to get in and play,' Shaw said Thursday. 'I didn't expect this to happen. I thought I would have an input in the offense right when I got back. It's kind of stressful to go through.'

However, with the emergence of sophomore receivers Preston Parker and Damon McDaniel, and junior Richard Goodman getting a lot of playing time with veterans Greg Carr and De'Cody Fagg, Shaw has found himself standing on the sideline since returning two weeks ago against N.C. State.

Shaw has yet to line up for a regular play, but he has seen spot duty on special teams.

'I'm just kind of pushing through and trying to stay positive,' Shaw said. 'Hopefully things will turn around and there will be light at the end of the tunnel somewhere.'

KICKING IT: When FSU and Miami met in the 2006 season opener, FSU's kicking game was a hot topic for several reasons. The most prominent, of course, centered on the Noles' wide-right history against the Hurricanes. Plus, in FSU's final game of the previous season - an overtime loss to Penn State in the Orange Bowl - FSU K Gary Cismesia missed an extra point and two field goals.

But in the Noles' 13-10 win last season, Cismesia's 33-yard field goal in the fourth quarter was the game-winner. A finalist for the Lou Groza Award, Cismesia is enjoying another good season, hitting 8-for-11 field-goal attempts and 15-for-15 on extra points to quiet any talk of FSU's lackluster kicking game.

'I'm happy about that,' he said. 'Hopefully, if Saturday's game comes down to that again, I'll make it again and it'll be over.'

TBO.COM EXTRA: For an expanded FSU notebook, go to TBO.com, keyword: Noles.

Scott Carter

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