LSU opponent preview: Florida State Seminoles

Jordan Travis is Florida State's starting quarterback. PHOTO courtesy FSU sports information.

FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES (1-0)

FACES LSU: Sunday (6:30 p.m. central), Superdome (New Orleans)

HEAD COACH: MIKE NORVELL (9-13 at Florida State, 47-28 overall)

NUMBER OF HEAD COACHES, LAST 20 SEASON: Five

2021 RECORD: 5-7 (4-4)

OVERALL RECORD, LAST 10 SEASONS BEFORE 2022: 85-42

CONFERENCE: ACC

LAST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP: 2014

CONFERENCE TITLE GAME RECORD: 4-1

TOTAL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS, LAST: 3, 2013

THIS SEASON: Florida State opened with last Saturday with a 47-7 win over FCS member Duquesne as Treshaun Ward, Oregon transfer Trey Benson and Lawrance Toafili ran for more than 100 yards each, the first time in school history with three 100-plus-yard rushers in the same game.

NAME GAME: Norvell was 38-15 in four seasons at Memphis before replacing the fired WILLIE TAGGART in 2020 … FSU went 5-3 last season in games started by JORDAN TRAVIS, who briefly lost the No. 1 job to MCKENZIE MILTON last September but closed as the Seminoles’ top QB; Milton, now retired from football, is the ex-Central Florida quarterback who sustained a devastating leg injury in 2018 … After appearing in 22 games with 13 starts in two seasons at South Carolina, all-ACC safety JAMMIE ROBINSON led the Seminoles in tackles (85) and interceptions (four) last season … DILLAN GIBBONS, who started all 11 games he played at left guard last season, appeared in 29 games with one start for new LSU coach BRIAN KELLY at Notre Dame before transferring to FSU … Running back TRESHAUN WARD’S 6.36 yards per carry last season ranked first in the ACC among rushers with at least four carries per game

TIDBITS: Florida State hasn’t won more than seven games in a season since going 10-3 under current Texas A&M coach JIMBO FISHER in 2016 … The Seminoles haven’t had a winning season since going 7-6 under Fisher in 2017, when they beat Southern Miss in the Independence Bowl … After starting last season 0-4, Florida State went 5-3 in its last eight games

FUN FACT:

Florida State added four Power 5 receivers – WINSTON WRIGHT (team-high 63 catches and 688 receiving yards at West Virginia last year), MYCAH PITTMAN (38 catches at Oregon), DEUCE SPANN (moved from quarterback to receiver prior to the 2021 season) and JOHNNY WILSON (Arizona State) – from the transfer portal.

BIG-TIME BALLER

JORDAN TRAVIS

QUARTERBACK 6-1, 212, RS JUNIOR

Dual-threat Travis, who appeared in three games with Louisville in 2018, has played just 23 games for FSU but already holds career records for quarterback rushing yards and QB rushing touchdowns. His brother, second baseman Devon Travis, played 319 career MLB games for the Toronto Blue Jays from 2015-18. Jordan Travis completed 11 of 15 passes for 207 yards in the 2022 opener against Duquesne.

author avatar
abcotton63

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*


forty ÷ = ten