Seminoles rally for 36-26 win over Samford
The Willie Taggart era might not be off to a rousing start, but it's not yet a complete disaster.
Five days after losing by three touchdowns at home to Virginia Tech, the Florida State Seminoles rallied in the final minutes Saturday to avoid a potentially humiliating loss to FCS opponent Samford.
After falling behind by two touchdowns early and trailing for nearly the entire game, FSU rallied for two late scores to secure a 36-26 victory. The win improves FSU's record to 1-1 in Taggart's first season heading into next Saturday's game at Syracuse.
Samford let Florida State know it meant business early in the first quarter as star quarterback Devlin Hodges connected with receiver Kelvin McKnight on a 54-yard touchdown pass less than three minutes into the game. The Bulldogs then went ahead 13-0 on a short touchdown run midway through the quarter.
Florida State and Samford then exchanged scores for the next two quarters, but the Seminoles could never get closer than two points. They actually had a chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter, but Ricky Aguayo missed a 42-yard field goal attempt; he missed a 40-yarder in the first half.
Then the Seminoles finally broke through.
First, quarterback Deondre Francois connected with tight end Tre' McKitty on a 5-yard touchdown pass (and two-point conversion to Nyqwan Murray) to give the Seminoles a 29-26 advantage. Then junior cornerback Levonta Taylor picked off a Hodges pass and returned it 63 yards for a game-clinching touchdown.
If the Seminoles had lost, it would have been their first ever defeat to an FCS opponent in 24 tries.
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Tamorrion Terry hauled in a pair of touchdown passes -- from 17 and 27 yards -- to keep FSU in the game early.
Francois finished the game with 320 yards and three touchdowns on 31-of-46 passing. Hodges completed 39 of 60 passes for 475 with two touchdowns and four interceptions.
Florida State also sustained a handful of injuries in the game, including an apparent serious leg injury sustained by tailback Khalan Laborn. The redshirt freshman was carted off the field following a kickoff return and was seen wearing an air cast on his leg.
Stay connected with Warchant.com for more coverage of this game.
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