Jordan Travis has career day as FSU dominates BC

Florida State returned home for the first time in a month, welcoming back a full house of fans and pouring it on against one of the ACC’s worst teams.

FSU is 4-0 for the first time since 2015 and is in line for a top 25 ranking when the polls come out on Sunday afternoon. The Seminoles are also 2-0 in ACC play for the first time since 2015.

Jordan Travis completed 16 of 26 passes for a career-high 321 yards and a touchdown as FSU dominated BC 44-14 on Saturday in the biggest rout of an ACC opponent since the 2016 season.

FSU’s attendance was announced as a sellout at 79,560.

"What a night," FSU coach Mike Norvell said. "What an incredible, incredible atmosphere. That is what college football is about. The whole buzz around this weekend."

FSU is the first ACC team to start 4-0 after going 0-4 the prior year (Virginia went 0-5 in 1982 and 4-0 in 1983).

Trey Benson had a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and he added a pair of touchdown runs (36 and 15). Benson's kickoff return for a TD was the first to start a game since Tamarick Vanover in 1992.

Lawrance Toafili had a 1-yard TD run, his third scoring run of his season. Treshaun Ward had a 22-yard touchdown run, also his third of the season. FSU now has 12 rushing touchdowns this season.

Kentron Poitier went up to grab a 31-yard touchdown reception, the first score on his FSU career. Darion Williamson caught five passes for 98 yards, both of which are career highs. It is the fourth straight game that a different FSU receiver led the team in receiving yards.

Ryan Fitzgerald made a 30-yard field-goal attempt but also missed an extra-point attempt when his kick hit the right upright.

FSU’s defense didn’t allow BC to cross midfield in the first half. The Eagles punted four times and Phil Jurkovec was picked off twice, once each by Omarion Cooper and Greedy Vance. Cooper's was the third of his career and Vance's was his first.

BC finished with seven punts.

Jurkovec completed 15 of 23 passes for 105 yards. BC had 235 offensive yards.

Kalen DeLoach led FSU with seven tackles. Brendan Gant had five tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss, including his first career sack. Shyheim Brown and Patrick Payton also had their first career sacks.

BC scored its first points late in the third quarter, when Jurkovec connected with Alex Broome on a 5-yard TD reception.

Mike Norvell is now 12-13 as FSU’s coach. Norvell had gone 0-6 in September games in his first two seasons in Tallahassee but now enjoys a 3-0 mark in September 2022. And a year after FSU's 0-4 start, the Seminoles have flipped the script with a 4-0 start.

FSU is 15-5 all-time against BC.

Travis’ previous-best game was a 274-yard day in the win over Miami in 2021. He also had 260 passing yards in the win over LSU in New Orleans. If Travis had not played in the second half, it would have been his fourth-best passing day at FSU.

Travis completed passes to eight receivers in the first half.

The redshirt junior now has 3,619 passing yards, which is 18th in school history.

FSU played without Fabien Lovett, Jared Verse, Robert Scott and Amari Gainer. Lovett and Scott were walking in boots.

FSU started its third different offensive line combination for FSU in four games: LT Darius Washington, LG Dillan Gibbons, C Maurice Smith, RG D'Mitri Emmanuel and RT Jazston Turnetine.

FSU will play host to Wake Forest next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (ABC).

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