Reports: Cook to play for Florida State vs. Clemson, QB still in the air

Florida State running back Dalvin Cook will be back on the field for Florida State on Saturday, multiple outlets reported on Thursday. And the timing couldn’t be better as the No. 16 Seminoles travel to Death Valley to play No. 1 Clemson.

Who hands the ball off to him remains to be seen.

Cook missed last week’s game against Syracuse because of an ankle injury suffered a week earlier against Georgia Tech, and has also battled an Oct. 3 hamstring pull which has kept him from practicing a full week until this week. In that Oct. 3 game at Wake Forest, Cook carried the ball just two times … for 94 yards.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Cook made his presence felt both physically and verbally at practice, at one point exclaiming, “We’re taking a trip to Death Valley!”

Quarterback Everett Golson, who also missed last week’s Syracuse game, will also be available to play against Clemson. But Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher has yet to state whether Golson or Sean Maguire will start under center.

Cook is second in the nation in rushing yards per game at 148.1, behind only LSU Leonard Fournette and his 193.1 per game.

The Tigers (8-0, 5-0 ACC) are taking the field for the first time since Tuesday’s release of the season’s inaugural College Football Playoff rankings, rankings which had Clemson sitting at the top. The Seminoles came in at No. 16 with their 7-1 record (5-1 in the ACC), their blemish a 22-16 loss to Georgia Tech.

Nonetheless, Clemson knows what Cook can do.

“I haven't seen a guy like him in a long time,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney told the Sentinel. “He is a really special player in every regard of that word.”