QB Jordan Travis returns; FSU offense earns praise for Tuesday practice

It was the first time he had been on the Florida State practice fields since before the Clemson game, and it was a welcome sight for head coach Mike Norvell and offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham.

Florida State starting quarterback Jordan Travis, who missed Saturday's 28-14 loss to N.C. State with the same virus that plagued many players on the team, was back out practicing with the Seminoles on Tuesday as they begin preparations for their tilt with the Miami Hurricanes this weekend.

"He started to really turn the corner yesterday," Norvell said. "Right now, just making sure, he's kind of in recovery mode. And there are some guys you saw today, it jumped on them. Because being out for a week and all the ailments they went through last week, just to get the hydration back, just to get used to the conditioning level. A lot of crud rolling through.

"But I thought Jordan came out, and it was a good day's work. We'll continue to see how he responds throughout this week, but it was good to have him back out here."

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The Seminoles are 3-2 when Travis starts and plays the majority of reps in a football game. They're 0-4 when he doesn't. So, it's imperative that the redshirt sophomore gets better quickly as they gear up for their rivalry showdown with the Hurricanes in Doak Campbell Stadium.

But Travis isn't the only one on the mend.

Norvell laughed when asked the difference between this Tuesday practice and the one last week as far as player availability.

"That is definitely a correct statement," Norvell said. "There were a lot more players out here Tuesday than last week. So, it was good. We still have some guys that are out. But it was very limited. So, hopefully we get them back and get them back working."

Time is of the essence, and Norvell knows that as well as anyone. He described Saturday's game against Miami (3:30 p.m., ESPN) as one that is huge for his program.

Norvell didn't get to coach last year in the blowout loss at Miami because he had tested positive for COVID-19. But he knows, even with a 3-6 record, what kind of momentum a win over the Hurricanes could give his squad as it tries to finish out the season strong.

As has been repeated by players and coaches now for four decades, this game is one of the reasons you come to Florida State to play.

*ALSO SEE: More updates, observations and interviews from Tuesday practice

"It's going to be talked about the rest of their lives," Norvell said. "People always remember this week, this game, this team, what you did. ... Bragging rights are something. To be able to have those rights, you've got to go earn it. You've got to go be successful.

"It is everything in front of us here this week. And we're expecting an unbelievably physical game, one that's going to be a ton of emotion ... we've got to go put our best foot forward."

It sounds like that happened on Tuesday, at least from an offensive perspective.

Norvell said he thought it might have been the best Tuesday practice of the entire season for that side of the ball.

"It was impressive seeing those guys fly around," he said. "They really took to the game plan. I thought the focus on the fundamentals, the details, really going out and working to execute. It was an impressive day."

He was not as pleased with the other side of the ball, however.

"Defensively, too inconsistent," Norvell said. "There were some good moments. But the standard of how we need to operate and the way we need to approach each day, I don't think we hit that as clean as it needed to be today. ...

"It's a first day with a game plan, so sometimes those [mistakes] are gonna show up. But we need to have a better sense of urgency in the correction of that. Wasn't as pleased as we should be with a Tuesday practice from our defense. ... It wasn't a terrible day on that side, but definitely could be better."

*ALSO SEE: Miami's new-look, big-play offense has FSU's full attention

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