SYRACUSE - His words were barely audible as he explained the stabbing that forced him to miss the Orange's last game. But Syracuse cornerback Tanard Jackson said he is determined to play against eighth-ranked Florida State on Saturday night.

"I think I will be able to play, but I have to leave it up to the doctors," Jackson said at mid-week.

Jackson was injured after the Orange's victory over Cincinnati two weeks ago. During a dance sponsored by a campus fraternity, there was an altercation between two groups, and Jackson was among several football players who stepped in to end the confrontation, according to university spokesman Kevin Morrow.

A fight erupted outside the campus student center as Jackson was leaving, and he was stabbed in the chest by somebody he didn't know as he walked to his car with friends. He was released from the hospital the next day.

"I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," said Jackson, a sophomore from Germantown, Md.

Jackson, who said he couldn't discuss the altercation, said the knife left a cut about an inch wide on the left side of his chest and that the blade stopped about an inch or two away from his spleen.

"I was lucky," he said. "Once they told me it hit a rib and that it was going to heal up on its own, I knew I would be fine. It could have been a lot worse."

Jackson was held out of practice last week and watched from the sidelines as his teammates rallied to beat Rutgers on Saturday.

"It was hard (being on the sidelines)," said Jackson, who has evolved into the team's top cornerback with two interceptions and two pass breakups in four games. "I'm used to being out there helping my team be in the best position to win. Not being able to do that was awful."

Jackson said he began some light running during practice on Monday, but he can't have any contact or perform any drills that require any change of direction. He said the wound still bleeds slightly but is healing.

"They told me it would probably heal up in about a week," Jackson said. "I'm just glad to be in this position where I can at least have a chance to play this week."

A team doctor examined the wound after practice on Tuesday, and Jackson said how much it heals before Saturday will be the deciding factor whether he plays. Being able to get hit where the wound is without it getting irritated is of paramount importance.

Head coach Paul Pasqualoni said he was confident Jackson would be ready.

"It's great for him to have confidence in me. I really want to play bad," Jackson said. "It's a big game. This setback was not at a good time.

"I know that I'm going to push myself to play, and I think I feel like I can play. It's healed a lot. My mentality is I need to get out there."