Miami QB Morris has sprained ankle, status uncertain

• Morris hurt his left ankle in the fourth quarter of Saturday's loss to North Carolina
• Miami is preparing to start Ryan Williams this week against rival Florida State
• Morris has thrown for 1,991 yard and nine TDs, while Williams has seen only limited action

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Stephen Morris has a sprained left ankle, and Miami is preparing for Ryan Williams to be the starting quarterback for Saturday night's rivalry game against No. 10 Florida State.

X-rays of Morris' ankle showed no fracture, Miami coach Al Golden said on Sunday. Golden also said it's not a high ankle sprain, which typically takes several weeks to heal.

"It's the better of the sprains you can get," Golden said.

Morris — perhaps Miami's best player so far this season — was hurt in the fourth quarter of the Hurricanes' 18-14 loss to North Carolina on Saturday. He took an awkward-looking step and twisted his ankle inward, then tumbled to the turf in obvious pain. Unable to put weight on the ankle, Morris was helped to the sideline, was treated with ice and soon left the field in a walking boot before undergoing further evaluation.

Miami (4-3, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) allowed only those players who needed medical treatment in its football facility on Sunday, telling all others to take a day off from film study and get caught up on rest instead.

Morris spent most of the day in the training room, a clear indicator of how much he wants to play against the Seminoles (6-1, 3-1).

"We just have no idea of knowing where his health is right now," Golden said. "I don't think I can imagine a scenario where we're not going to try to do whatever we have to do to try to beat Florida State. Our kids deserve everything we've got to try to win this next game."

Miami has dropped its last two meetings with Florida State. The Hurricanes haven't lost three straight in the series since a five-game slide from 1995-99.

If Morris cannot play, Williams will start against the Seminoles.

"It's a challenge no matter who's playing for us at quarterback," Golden said. "We'll assess Stephen as the week kind of unfolds, but right now we're going in thinking that Ryan is going to be the guy."

Morris has completed 154 of 268 passes for 1,991 yards this season, with nine touchdowns and six interceptions. Williams has completed 11 of 15 passes for 87 yards in limited action.

If Williams starts and Morris is unable to play, Golden said either Preston Dewey or Gray Crow would be the backup. Neither freshman has taken a snap with the Hurricanes this season.