FSU Completes Comeback Against Jacksonville State

TALLAHASSEE, FL - OCTOBER 3: Head Coach Mike Norvell of the Florida State Seminoles on the sidelines during the game against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks at Doak Campbell Stadium on Bobby Bowden Field on October 3, 2020 in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State defeated Jacksonville State 41 to 24. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Character Lines)

The Florida State Seminoles picked up their first win of the year, defeating Jacksonville State Gamecocks 41-24. The game wasn’t without its troubles, however. The Seminoles (1-2) were trailing at the half to the Division 1 FCS Gamecocks 21-14.

It took a quarterback change to give the Seminoles the spark it desperately needed. Head coach Mike Norvell switched to Jordan Travis, who responded by leading the Seminoles to five straight touchdowns for the 41-24 victory.

Travis had a career-high 215 yards on 13 of 18 passing and a touchdown. He added 48 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown on the ground. His rushing touchdown was one of five for Florida State. Travis replaced Tate Rodemaker, who threw a pick-six and went 8 of 12 for 58 yards. This is the third quarterback change this year in only three games.

Florida State finished the day with 263 yards on 53 carries. Lawrance Toafili rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown to lead the way. At the half, the Seminoles only had 38 yards on the ground. Jashaun Corbin had 63 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown while La’Damian Webb added two scores and 55 yards.

The defense settled in in the second half. They only gave up 63 yards on the ground and intercepted a pass. They also held the Gamecocks to 3 of 10 on third down. It took three plays in the third quarter to tie the game up at 21-21 when Webb scored on a 15-yard run.

Jacksonville State briefly took the lead back after a field goal, but Florida State answered with a 12 play, 78-yard drive that was capped off with a 13-yard run by Toafili for a 28-24 Seminole lead. The defense would then force two punts, an interception, and a turnover on downs to finish the game.

Webb scored his second touchdown on a six-yard run. Florida State’s last score came on a 2-yard Corbin run. Florida State will try to get to .500 next week in a challenging road game against fifth-ranked Notre Dame.

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