There are only so many things Florida State offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher can say to rookie quarterback E.J. Manuel about his upcoming debut on Saturday in the Swamp against rival Florida.

He’ll tell him it’s going to be hectic. He’ll tell him it’s going to be noisy. And he’ll tell him it’s going to be “nasty.”

Then again …

“Sometimes ignorance is bliss,” Fisher said with a laugh.

It won’t be long before Manuel finds out for himself, but in order for Florida State to put forth anything remotely resembling an upset, the Seminoles’ offense needs to continue the rapid-fire pace it’s been going at all season, this time against the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense and No. 2 total defense. Manuel, who replaced injured starter Christian Ponder in his first collegiate start on Nov. 14 at Wake Forest, is a major reason why Florida State enters its season finale with bowl eligibility.

So far, Manuel has come out a winner in all of his “firsts” -- his first career start at Wake Forest, and his first start in a home game. This Saturday holds yet another new adventure, as Florida is on a 21-game winning streak and has won the past five games in the series against FSU. Manuel looked impressive in Winston-Salem, but struggled with three interceptions on Saturday in a near-loss to Maryland. He said he learned from those mistakes and put them behind him heading into this game.

"I'm sure I'll have butterflies going into the game like I do any game or any practice, because you want to do well," he said. "I feel like anyone would have butterflies if it's something they care about and want to do well at. Nothing out of the ordinary, though. I have trust in my teammates. They'll be where they're supposed to be, and our coaches will put us in situations to do well."

Fisher said that one of the things he looks for in a recruit is the ability to handle pressure, and Fisher gives his quarterbacks plenty of that each day in practice. So far, Manuel hasn’t buckled.

“That’s part of trying to be able to judge those kids and being able to do it, because if you want to play at the highest level, you have to be able to handle the heat,” Fisher said. “They’ve got to be able to sustain. The thing you can never simulate in practice is pressure, that’s why I try to simulate it. No matter what you do -- how well he knows his plays, how well he knows everything -- the pressure of walking out there and the pressure of doing well … that’s the thing that separates all athletes. The great ones can deal with all the pressure situations.”

And so far, Manuel is 2-for-2 in such situations.

What impressed Fisher most about Manuel this past Saturday was his short-term memory against the Terps. After throwing his third and final interception that seemed to seal FSU's fate, Manuel guided Florida State on a four-play, 44-yard game-winning drive that put Florida State ahead 29-26, and gave Manuel his first career fourth-quarter comeback. He also ran for gains of 15 and 20 yards on the final drive.

“That guy forgot it all,” Fisher said. “There’s something special about that. … A great quarterback is going to drive and win. For E.J. to overcome that, keep his composure, move us down the field, make the plays, make the calls, and get us in the end zone – and our team did – but for him to lead that, that’s priceless. You can’t put a price tag on that. That’s a special factor he has, and it’s very dynamic.”

And FSU fans realized it quickly. Against Wake Forest, Manuel entered that game with just 14 snaps and was 1-of-4 in career pass attempts. He made a seamless transition to starter, though, completing 15-of-20 attempts for 220 yards and a touchdown in a 41-28 victory over the Deacs. It was a critical win that kept the Noles' bowl hopes alive.

Now he's looking to 3-for-3 in pressure situations.

"We're just going to go out there and play football just like any other game," Manuel said. "We all know they're the No. 1 team in the country. We have respect for them, but we hope they respect us too, and that we're a good team as well. We can go out there and make plays, too, so that's what we're going to do this Saturday."