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The fourth-ranked Florida State Seminoles started the second half of their season just like they ended the first with a come-from-behind victory over a ranked opponent.
With this victory, the Seminoles became the only unbeaten team in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Seminoles overcame a 10-point deficit to defeat No. 16 Duke 38-20 on Saturday night behind three touchdowns from Jordan Travis, including a 2-yard rush early in the fourth quarter that gave Florida State its first lead.
After No. 10 North Carolina lost to Virginia, Florida State (7-0, 5-0) currently holds the league lead by themselves. This is due to the fact that Florida State’s winning streak now stands at 13.
The most recent victory, which was the 22nd in as many tries versus Duke, was entirely due to Travis. Against the stingiest ACC defense, the sixth-year senior completed 27 of 36 throws for 268 yards and two touchdowns. He also had the most rushing yards for the squad with 62, including 40 on the decisive 96-yard drive.
Coach Mike Norvell of Florida State noted, “He was unbelievable.” “It was great to watch him win that game. In the second half, there was a pretty cool scene.
Travis then completed a 21-yard touchdown pass to Lawrance Toafili, extending Florida State’s run of at least 30 points scored to 13 games.
I really enjoyed myself today, Travis said. Coach Norvell and I discussed having fun once more at our meeting last Sunday since occasionally I might be rushing, feeling pressure, or trying to do too much. I’m just trying to reconnect with myself, enjoy the football game, and have fun with my teammates.
Riley Leonard’s injury to his right ankle may be the cause of Duke’s (5-2, 2-1) collapse. Riley Leonard is their star quarterback. With a little under seven minutes left in the third quarter, Leonard, who had been out for a game due to injury, was eliminated from the contest.
Coach Mike Elko refused to bring him back into the game after he demonstrated to team trainers that he could play while working on the sidelines. After Leonard exited the game and was replaced by backup quarterback Henry Belin, the Blue Devils only gained 35 yards.
Elko claimed that he was pleading with me to get back in on the sidelines. We decided against it because “I didn’t feel comfortable with where he was physically to move back.
With an interception, Leonard completed 7 of his 16 throws for a total of 69 yards. Blue Devils’ Jaquez Moore led the team with 110 rushing yards and a touchdown. Belin relieved made just one pass.
Duke left tackle Graham Barton remarked, “Starting that fourth quarter, it was just a lack of execution. Many of our errors were brought on by ourselves.
With Leonard on the sidelines, Elko had an opportunity to increase its lead to 23-17 in the third, but he decided to go for it on fourth-and-3 from the 4. Florida State took possession and drove the length of the field after Belin’s ball in the end zone went wide.
According to Elko, We didn’t feel like moving up six was going to really help us. They have a too-explosive offense. We were playing that as a four-down scenario while there.
In the first quarter, Duke dominated for the majority of the time and jumped out to a 10-0 lead against Florida State. The first two drives of the Seminoles were stopped by the Blue Devils by stopping two fourth-and-1 plays. Moore ran for a touchdown from 42 yards out and then made a field goal from 45 yards out for the score.
When Travis fumbled on the following play, the Blue Devils almost kept the momentum going. Nevertheless, the ‘Noles came back, as Travis later connected with Caziah Holmes for a score, extending his run of games with at least one touchdown throw to 19.
From there, the game became even more absurd.
Deuce Spann returned the subsequent kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown after Duke’s Chandler Rivers recovered an interception for a touchdown, giving Doak Campbell Stadium new energy.
Even so, Florida State was behind 20-17 at the break. The Seminoles were behind at halftime for the third time this season. It didn’t endure as long as the other two, either. Like the other two, Travis contributed significantly to the comeback.
Throughout the second half, our guys showed up and made crucial plays, Norvell said.
THE TAKEAWAY
Duke: Stick To Basketball. #DukeIsAFluke. read a sign in the Florida State student section. It was extensively shown before the game but strangely vanished during the opening frame when the Blue Devils established their legitimacy.
Florida State: Given the Seminoles’ inconsistent play throughout the season, no one should have been shocked when they once again needed to rally. They were down to LSU and Clemson at the break and almost blew a commanding advantage at Boston College.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
In the upcoming AP college football poll, Florida State should stay at No. 4.
UP NEXT
On Saturday, No. 21 Louisville will host Duke.
Florida State: On Saturday at Wake Forest.
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