Travis feeling more and more comfortable as Florida State's starting QB

Jordan Travis is coming off his best game as a college quarterback.

The redshirt sophomore rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns in the win over North Carolina two Saturdays ago, and he also completed his last 11 passes of the game for 145 yards and three more scores.

This was on the heels of leading FSU to a game-winning field goal in the final minute against Syracuse.

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So, as he prepares to play against UMass this Saturday, Travis is the unquestioned, undeniable No. 1 quarterback on the Seminoles' depth chart.

A month ago, he had no idea if that would ever be the case in 2021.

"After the Notre Dame game, I got a little down obviously," Travis said. "With everything that went down."

What went down was he lost his starting spot to fan favorite McKenzie Milton. And yet the team continued to lose.

Travis got another shot early in the first half against Wake Forest, and he led the offense to two touchdowns but then took a brutal hit on a Hail Mary attempt in the final seconds of the half and was essentially out for the next game and a half.

The Seminoles lost those, too.

Then came Syracuse. And while Travis didn't play a perfect game by any means, he did enough to lead the Seminoles to their first win of the season. Then, in the upset win at North Carolina, he did play a near-perfect game in the Seminoles' 35-25 victory.

After a week off, he's ready to get back in action with the team he now leads.

"Obviously, losing changes a lot of people," Travis said. "You kind of get tired of it. You put your foot down and you just want to end it, you know what I mean? So, I just want to come out here every single day with a better mindset than I did before."

The redshirt sophomore said Milton and former FSU quarterback James Blackman helped him understand that practice days were just as important as game days. Travis admitted he has always been more of a game-day player than a practice one, but this year, specifically this month, he has been determined to treat the the middle of the week like Saturday afternoon.

He said that mindset is paying off, and he expects it to continue to do so.

What he has accomplished the last two games, paired with what he's doing on the practice field each day, has given him even more self-belief than he already had.

"I have a ton of confidence right now," Travis said. "Just my teammates, my family, my coaches, I just have great people, a great supporting cast, no matter what goes on outside. Whatever is said outside, I'm good at blocking that noise out and just kind of focusing on what's important.

"My teammates are the most important things to me on this football field, and I want to come out here and give 100 percent for them every single day. Whatever I have, I want to give it to them, because they deserve it. We work really hard in the offseason, so it's important to me."

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