Now officially FSU's starting QB, Travis starting to change perceptions
Jordan Travis has heard it all about his right arm.
He knows the doubters question whether he can throw the football on the college level. He brought it up after Florida State's 41-24 victory over Jacksonville State on Saturday.
The Florida State redshirt sophomore, who is slated to make his first collegiate start this Saturday at Notre Dame, still has plenty to prove, of course. He has only completed 23 passes in his career.
But his performance against the Gamecocks, when he came off the bench and led the Seminoles on touchdown drives during six of seven possessions, just might have started changing the narrative.
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The dual-threat signal-caller completed 12 of 17 passes for 213 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown strike to Keyshawn Helton in the second quarter. He also had a 55-yard pass to Tamorrion Terry early in the third quarter.
"The thought that he couldn't throw to begin with was always comical to me," FSU offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham said. "I tell him all the time, I mean, he can sling it. He can throw the football. He can throw the ball really well."
Dillingham can excuse Florida State fans for not knowing that, though.
Travis, who started his career at Louisville, didn't play a single snap in 2019 until the week after Willie Taggart was fired. And even though he changed the Seminoles' next game at Boston College with the snaps he did get, that damage was done with his legs. Travis rushed for 94 yards and two touchdowns on three carries.
The rest of the season, he rushed 20 more times for 134 yards. He only threw seven passes (completing three for 71 yards), and they all came in a blowout win over Alabama State.
Then, when the 2020 season began, Travis didn't get his first action until the fourth quarter against Georgia Tech. Again, he provided a spark with his legs -- rushing for 39 yards on six carries. But he only attempted one pass, and it was incomplete, thrown well short of the intended receiver.
Against Miami, he registered seven carries for 52 yards before leaving with an injury. His only throw came on a reverse pass that he ended up getting intercepted as he tried to throw it away.
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