Despite my reputation as the president of his fan club, I don't think Jordan Travis is the next Charlie Ward.

I just understand what his presence behind center means to the offense at Florida State University in 2021.

And now, after that 28-14 loss to N.C. State on Saturday, I would assume we all understand it as well. Especially when his backup is a gritty, ninth-year senior who is trying to gut it out on one healthy leg.

McKenzie Milton did his best on Saturday. Truly. He gives it everything he possibly can.

But what he gives just isn't good enough against competent college football defenses -- at least not given the other limitations of this offense.

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Milton had a couple of nice moments against the Wolfpack -- the TD pass to Keyshawn Helton, in particular, was a great play by both players -- but in the end it wasn't nearly enough.

Honestly, though, how are we even supposed to feel about this game?

Florida State was an underdog to N.C. State even when Travis was expected to play. And the Seminoles were besieged by a nasty flu bug for the entire week, one that wound up affecting 25 players throughout the week and knocked the starting QB out of the game.

"There was no chance he could have played tonight," FSU head coach Mike Norvell said of Travis.

And with that, FSU had very little chance to win.

Because what Travis does that Milton cannot, and what Chubba Purdy apparently could not either, is mask this offense's serious warts. The Seminoles simply cannot run the ball if No. 13 isn't back there. And if the Seminoles can't run the ball, they aren't going to do a whole lot on offense against a defense like N.C. State's.

Norvell dismissed the question initially when he was asked if the struggles in the running game had to do with Travis not being on the field, but he eventually came around and spoke some truth.

"Obviously, Jordan's legs are pretty dynamic; it has an affect on the game," Norvell said. "But I don't know if they keyed on the backs any more than they would have done (if Travis was playing)."

I do.

They did.

The QB read was essentially a wasted play on Saturday. The Wolfpack knew Milton wasn't going to keep it. Because those coaches have eyes like we all have. And they see No. 10 trying his absolute best, running as hard as he possibly can, and going ... very, very slowly.

Travis being back there opens up everything.

Then again, I think we knew that anyway.

What has to be addressed moving forward is ... is this offense solely dependent on Jordan Travis to have any chance at all?

What if he can't go next week? What if he gets hurt again to start next season?

Does everything just implode?

Florida State's coaches had essentially all week to prepare a non-Jordan Travis game plan. And in the first half, they put up as many points as an offense with Ira Schoffel at quarterback would have put up. A big, fat goose egg (though I'll admit, I would like Schoffel better on the QB sneak down by the goal line).

It got better in the second half. Adjustments were made. Players stepped up.

But that first half was complete and total ineptitude.

It says something about this team, though, that even with that first-half debacle, even with a flu-ridden team, even going up against one of the best teams in the conference, without your starting quarterback, it had the ball trailing 21-14 midway through the fourth quarter.

Again, I love, love, love how much this team fights.

I do.

This last week was an awful experience for all of the players and coaches. Not just having to overcome a bitter last-minute loss to Clemson, but then having to deal with a sickness that leveled a third of the team.

Yet in the fourth quarter, this team had a chance to win. That speaks volumes about this team's heart and character.

And the result speaks volumes about the actual talent.

It's just not there. Not right now.

I'm not going to solely blame Adam Fuller for his defense giving up 28 points. Heck, 28 points to THAT quarterback isn't a terrible performance. Especially when your offense gave you about 11 seconds of rest for the entire first half.

Jarrian Jones has to make a tackle. So does Akeem Dent. Poor tackling, not poor coordination, is the reason the defense gave up that game-clinching score in the fourth quarter.

And while I personally wouldn't have gone for it when Norvell did on that fourth down in the fourth quarter, I get the decision. He knew he was only going to have the ball maybe one or two more times; he wanted to take advantage of having the ball around midfield. It just backfired.

And this was just a tough week. It's not time, in my opinion, for fire and brimstone. Because who are you even supposed to be mad at? Fuller? Dillingham? The flu?

There were mistakes made, for sure. The coordinators didn't earn raises on Saturday by any means. But we also have to realize the cold, hard truth: Florida State, without Travis, just isn't as good as N.C. State.

Even with Travis, I don't think the Seminoles are as good. I just know they would have had a much better chance to win.

The starting QB getting the flu, and the only mobile QB left on your team bouncing for the transfer portal in the middle of the week, is another lousy break for a program that has been dealing with them for multiple years now.

There are three games left.

We know this team will fight and play hard. That has been well-established. .

Now, it's time to establish something else.

Starting next Saturday vs. a suddenly hot Miami team.

"We've got a bunch of dogs, so I expect a dogfight," Milton said. "We've been in a lot of dogfights this year, so I expect nothing different."

He said they've just got to finish better, play third downs better, and figure out a way to make winning plays in crucial situations.

"We've just got to be better," Milton said. "It will be a lot sweeter if we're on the right side of this come this time next week."

Contact senior writer Corey Clark at corey@warchant.com and follow @Corey_Clark on Twitter.

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