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TALLAHASSEE - Florida State lost an important cog in its offensive machine when guard Matt Meinrod dislocated his left ankle and fractured his fibula Saturday during a fumble in the third quarter.
Center David Castillo said Meinrod was unaware the ball was loose and someone rolled under his leg in an attempt to recover it.
Meinrod, a former East Lake standout, tore his anterior cruciate ligament early in the third quarter during against Miami in the season opener in 2004 and missed the season. The prognosis now looks similar.
"We lost (Meinrod) for the year it looks like," coach Bobby Bowden said. "The one thing we don't want to happen to us is lose offensive lineman. And here's our first one."
No date for surgery has been set for his left leg, but it is expected to take place within the week.
Cornelius Lewis, a 6-foot-4, 328-pound redshirt freshman from Jacksonville, replaced Meinrod, but offensive line coach Mark McHale said he hadn't made a decision on next week's starter.
"I've told all the guys since they've got here that you're one ankle sprain away from being the starter," McHale said. "It's hard for them to see that. They're sitting on the sideline and there is their buddy playing. They've got to understand that they can't lose a beat when we put them in there."
Redshirt sophomore John Frady is McHale's most experienced backup. He has two starts at center this season and a start his freshman season in 2003.
"We'll have to wait and see," McHale said. "Frady's got more experience; I played him at guard all week and I played him at right guard in the spring. But I'll play my best five."
Wake Forest blitzed heavily, testing FSU's blocking scheme.
"In the first half they might've blitzed every down," Bowden said.
Although the Demon Deacons put plenty of pressure on Drew Weatherford and tallied three sacks, the line passed as the 'Noles racked up 578 yards of offense.
"As far as the offensive line goes, with our communication, we're still a little slow on that," Castillo said. "There's always room for improvement and I don't think we're perfect, but we're definitely better than we were the last couple of years."