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Published Sep 5, 2022
FSU quarterback Jordan Travis silences the haters on national stage vs. LSU
Curt Weiler  •  TheOsceola
Senior Writer
Twitter
@CurtMWeiler

NEW ORLEANS -- Jordan Travis has heard the noise.

Even as he’s blossomed over the last few seasons, he’s heard what people have been saying about him.

He’s heard the criticism of his passing ability and how he’s an athlete who happens to play quarterback.

This week, he heard all about how he wasn’t going to have any time to operate going up against LSU’s stout defensive line while the talk was about new LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels who was just about to make his debut.

Look no further than the tweet he sent after his coming-out party on the national stage in the Seminoles’ (2-0) 24-23 win over LSU (0-1) Sunday night in New Orleans.

A shushing emoji followed by an emoji of someone zipping their lips closed.

If any haters remained, consider them silenced after Travis’ near-perfect showing Sunday night in the Caesar’s Superdome.

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“(The LSU game) was something I had seen on the calendar three years back,” Travis said. “I had this game circled for a long time. I’m so grateful for my team, my coaches putting me in the best position to succeed. I feel like we did a great job tonight.”

Travis did everything the Seminoles needed of him and then some in the win over the Tigers.

Consistently great decision-making? Check.

The trademark Houdini pocket escapes he’s been known to make throughout his FSU tenure? Check.

Toughness in the face of big hits which inspired teammates? Definite check.

“That one hurt a little bit. I’m feeling that right now,” Travis said of the targeting hit he took on his second touchdown pass to Ontaria Wilson. “But I would do whatever for this football team and Florida State University. Pokey made a great play. I honestly didn’t know if he caught it or not, but he made a great play and I’m grateful for it.”

He finished with 20 completions on 32 attempts (62.5%) for 260 passing yards, his fifth straight 200-yard game. Were it not for a few drops on perfectly-placed passes into the end zone, he could have easily surpassed 300 yards for the first time in his career and tied his career high with three passing touchdowns.

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He also had eight rushes for 31 yards, a number that doesn’t do justice to the athleticism he showed keeping plays alive. Whereas the Travis of years past would have committed to a run on a number of those escapes, this new-look Travis kept his eyes downfield and more often than not turned them into big passing plays.

“Jordan proved that he’s a real quarterback,” Wilson said. “I saw him stand in the pocket for the whole game. He didn’t scramble too much. He was standing back in the pocket making good throws.”

That played a big role in FSU’s remarkable success on third downs. The Seminoles converted 11 of 17 third downs – the program’s most in a game since 2016 – and eight of those 11 came through the air. Four of those eight were when FSU was facing third-down distances of eight or more yards.

“We felt like we could get off the field on third down,” LSU head coach Brian Kelly said. “We thought we would tackle better. But you don't go through camp tackling at the level that you're trying to tackle the quarterback here at Florida State. It's very difficult. We had a hard time getting him on the ground, quite frankly, and we have some pretty good players that couldn't get him on the ground.”

Take a look at the bigger picture of how much difference a year has made for Travis. Last season, FSU opened the season on a Sunday night against a top-10 Notre Dame team. He had three interceptions and didn’t finish the game as McKenzie Milton replaced him when he lost his helmet and finished the game out.

Now, there’s no doubt whatsoever Travis is the man for the job. His consistency over the close of the 2021 season into the start of this season has made believers of quite a few people on the FSU beat.

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And his showing on a national stage Sunday night with no other games on raised his national perception tremendously.

Over his last eight games (the final six games he played in 2021 and the first two games this season), Travis has completed 64.6% of his passes, averaged 204.8 yards per game and thrown 11 touchdowns and one interception.

“He's a phenomenal young man,” FSU head coach Mike Norvell said. “I'm so proud of the steps we've seen from him. He's a great leader for this team.”

Travis has been through a lot in his FSU tenure. He was saddled to the bench as a Louisville transfer in 2019, battled injuries each of the last two seasons while being the Seminoles’ main offensive spark.

Now, he’s led the team he grew up cheering for to a 7-2 record over his last nine starts, a streak-snapping win over rival Miami and a new notch in the belt with this win over the Tigers.

That may mean more to him than any individual accomplishment.

"I just had a big smile on my face, a couple tears,” Travis said of his reaction to the game-winning blocked extra point. “I thought of how much we have been through as a football team and to end the game like that was really special. The game shouldn’t have been that close from the jump, but a win is a win and I’m so thankful for that.”

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