11/19/2023 football Edit

Time for Tate: FSU now turns to Rodemaker, who is 'ready for his moment'

Tate Rodemaker completed 13 of 23 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns vs. North Alabama. (USA Today Sports)

Nick Carlisle • TheOsceola

Writer

Heartbreaking.

But it can only be for a few minutes before you're supposed to move on. At least that is what you are taught. A task that seems impossible given the emotional weight of what had happened.

It's a position that Tate Rodemaker has been in before backing up Jordan Travis. He replaced Travis against Louisville in 2022, leading the Seminoles to a 35-31 win in what was a coming of age game for Rodemaker.

This time things were much, much different.

The running joke is that the easiest job on the football team is the backup quarterback. Until it isn't. Rodemaker wasn't only going to have to pull his teammates out of a 13-point deficit, he was going to have to pull them out of a shell-shock that can only come from losing a player as cherished and important as Jordan Travis in his final home game.

"There was no message for Tate," Jarrian Jones said on what the team told him before going out on the field. "We don't need you to go be J. Trav, we need you to go be Tate."

It took a while for Rodemaker to settle in, understandably, but Rodemaker eventually got the offense going. Taking advantage of some short fields, the offense began a spree of unanswered points that put the game out of reach in Florida State's 58-13 win over North Alabama on Saturday.

The offense did have some hiccups but mostly due to untimely drops — a problem that continues to pop up now and again. Rodemaker completed 13 of 23 passes, throwing for 217 yards and two touchdowns before being replaced by Brock Glenn in the fourth quarter.

"I thought Tate did a great job coming in," FSU coach Mike Norvell said. "Other than a few mistakes here and there, he was really, really good tonight. What he did, where he located the ball, he made a couple of great decisions in his progressions and reads. He showed all the work he has been putting in. He was ready for his moment when his number was called."

The bad news is obvious. Florida State will likely be playing the rest of the season without Jordan Travis but the good news is that there is only a single game left and Florida State already has its spot clinched in the ACC Championship game. Aspirations for more may have taken a hit on Saturday. But if Rodemaker continues to play well enough, it may not be the end of the world.

"Our guys have a lot of confidence in Tate because they watch him practice every day," Norvell said. "They know the talent, they know the ability. He never seemed rattled in the moment. He knew he was prepared and ready, and that's what you have to do at every position. But obviously the quarterback position gets magnified to an elite level."

Rodemaker is a fourth-year quarterback in Mike Norvell's system and he has valuable in-game experience that looms large as Florida State heads into a hostile environment next weekend in Gainesville. Rodemaker met with Norvell in a 1-on-1 meeting a few weeks ago to talk about being prepared in case his number was called.

"Tate has been here for four years. He came in with me," Lawrance Toafili said. "He has been prepping for this. I know he is ready. He is ready to step up to the plate. He is a worker. He goes to work every day, and he's always preparing and never knowing what can happen. I just know when it's time, he is going to be ready."

Rodemaker has shown before that he can steer the ship when called upon to do so. The good news for Tate and Florida State: The offense is littered with playmakers and depth at every position. While Florida State will need to lean on those playmakers a bit more with Rodemaker at the helm, the confidence that Norvell has in Tate may not just be coach speak.

Tate has won in hostile environments before and next weekend will not only be a true test of how much Rodemaker has improved but also a test on how much Florida State can rally behind its backup quarterback.