RECAP: No. 19 Seminoles continue hot streak with 49-17 triumph over Ragin' Cajuns
No. 19 Florida State (8-3, 5-3 ACC) entered Saturday afternoon's contest with Louisiana (5-6, 3-4 SBC) on a hot streak. The Seminoles had outscored their previous three opponents by a combined margin of 124-22 while also holding the opposing offense to under 100 total yards in the opening half in three consecutive weeks.
With an opportunity to overlook an average Louisiana team that was starting its backup quarterback on a chilly day in Tallahassee, the Seminoles displayed maturity by coming out of the gate once again and jumping all over the Ragin' Cajuns. FSU scored on its first three possessions of the game and five of its first six possessions of the first half en route to a 49-17 victory.
The victory marked Florida State's eighth of the season - matching the total from head coach Mike Norvell's first two years guiding the program. With one regular-season game and a bowl game remaining, the Seminoles have a chance to finish with double-digit wins for the first time since 2016.
Louisiana won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half, giving Florida State the ball first. The Seminoles marched down into opposing territory using a balance of runs and passes. Facing a third and short, the offense elected to go Wildcat with running back Treshaun Ward in the shotgun and quarterback Jordan Travis out wide. Ward used his patience and vision to hit a hole for 36 yards and a touchdown.
On the ensuing kickoff, linebacker Brendan Gant laid a hit stick on the returner, pinning Louisiana at its own 14. Linebacker DJ Lundy delivered a sack on quarterback Chandler Fields before pressure forced a throw-away to lead the Ragin' Cajuns into a three and out on their first drive.
Following a punt, Travis earned a first down on a nifty scramble where he tip-toed the sideline. Running back Lawrance Toafili bounced to the right side for 33 yards. He fumbled at the end of the play but the ball made a friendly hop right out of bounds. A few plays later, Travis followed his lead blockers to the right side for a score on the ground, his fourth of the season.
The Ragin' Cajuns gained a first down on their next possession and a pass interference penalty moved the ball near midfield. Safety Jammie Robinson delivered two big hits at the line of scrimmage to force a turnover on downs. Louisiana was originally given the conversion on fourth and short but the ball was rewarded to Florida State after a lengthy review.
The Seminoles relied on the steadiness of Benson as the redshirt sophomore earned 16 yards to the left on 3rd and 9. Travis ended the drive in a similiar fashion to the first one of the game as he scampered in for his second rushing score of the afternoon, it was the fifth time that the redshirt junior had scored twice or more on the ground in his career. With just under two minutes to play in the opening quarter, Florida State had built a 21-0 lead.
Chris Smith returned the ensuing kickoff to the Louisiana 34 but a holding penalty moved the ball back all the way to the 9. With a long field to go and a struggling offense, the Ragin' Cajuns weren't able to generate much success yet again. Lundy smacked a ball out of Bralen Trahan's hands to force their third consecutive punt.
Florida State was finally forced to punt on its fourth drive of the game. A penalty backed up the offense but a tight end screen to Markeston Douglas made it 3rd and 2. Electing to go Wildcat again, this time, Ward tripped in the backfield for a loss. Alex Mastromanno booted the ball 41 yards and a penalty pushed the Ragin' Cajuns back to their own 15.
Louisiana went three and out again thanks to two big plays from defensive end Patrick Payton. The redshirt freshman used his length to force a bad throw from Fields before delivering a huge hit for another incompletion. Florida State took over at the UL 44 and pounded the rock to get the possession going. Travis connected with Toafili out of the backfield to make it 1st and goal. The Seminoles utilized the wildcat for the third time (with DJ Lundy at fullback) as Ward plunged in for a short touchdown.
Florida State's defense wasn't on the field much longer on Louisiana's fifth drive. Defensive end Jared Verse read a running back screen perfectly. He backed into position to pick the pass off but just missed it. Still, the Seminoles had forced another three and out.
On the first play of the next possession, Travis connected with tight end Cam McDonald for 32 yards on the outside. He hit wide receiver Malik McClain to move into scoring position before finding the sophomore in the endzone for a touchdown. The throw was slightly behind McClain but he made a fantastic adjustment to reel it in and make the game 35-0 late in the first half.
The Ragin' Cajuns finally found some life on a two-minute drill right before the break. A 23-yard pass to wide receiver Michael Jefferson placed Louisiana at the Florida State 2 with under 30 seconds remaining in the half. Robinson made a tackle for loss and the Seminoles forced two incompletions to hold UL to a field goal.
At the half, Florida State led 35-3 and held a 318-121 advantage in total yards. While Louisiana ended the defense's streak of holding an opposing offense to under 100 yards in the opening two quarters, it was still a strong effort. As for the offense, it only took one half for the Seminoles to extend their streak of 200+ rushing yards to six games after compiling 206 yards on the ground.
Florida State started to clear the benches early in the second half as backups and younger players on the roster earned duty for the majority of the final two quarters. Linebacker Kalen DeLoach dropped an interception but Verse was able to end Louisiana's first possession with a sack.
As the Seminoles' offense took the field for the first time in third quarter, redshirt sophomore Tate Rodemaker replaced Travis. Wide receiver Ja'Khi Douglas gained a first down on a jet sweep before Rodemaker threw deep to wide receiver Kentron Poitier. The ball was thrown behind Poitier but he brought it in and cut upfield for 45 yards. A better throw likely would've resulted in a score. Benson was able to score on a short run to continue Florida State's success.
Defensive tackle Fabien Lovett forced a fumble and safety Shyheim Brown recovered to get the Seminoles back on the field swiftly. True freshmen, quarterback AJ Duffy, running back Rodney Hill, and offensive tackle Jaylen Early were among the new faces to enter the game. Duffy threw towards the right pylon and connected with Markeston Douglas for a 16-yard touchdown. It was both of their first scores at the college level and made the score 49-3.
The Ragin Cajun's picked up two first downs and moved into Florida State territory as the third quarter began to wind down. The defense stepped up, leading to defensive tackle Joshua Farmer sacking Fields on fourth down to force a turnover on downs.
Runs from Hill and walk-on running back CJ Campbell pushed the Seminoles inside the Louisiana 40. However, a false start and back to back incompletions on overthrows from Duffy led Florida State to turn the ball over right back to the Ragin' Cajuns.
Down 49-3 and facing a 4th and 2 to begin the final frame, Terrence Williams went up the middle to earn Louisiana a first down. A long pass gave the Ragin' Cajuns a 1st and goal. Linebacker Amari Gainer brought down the running back for a loss before stopping another skill player short of the end zone. However, UL finally scored a touchdown on fourth down on a pass from Fields to Jefferson. It was the first touchdown that Florida State had allowed since the final play against Georgia Tech, and it came with mainly reserves on the field.
Walk-on quarterback Gino English saw action in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. He completed a pass to fellow walk-on wide receiver, Mike Roussos, for 16 yards and first down prior to the game going final.
The Seminoles finished with 440 yards of total offense, including 251 yards on the ground and 190 yards through the air. Travis finished 9/14 for 112 yards and one score while running 5 times for 38 yards and two touchdowns. Four players finished with 35+ rushing yards, led by Benson's 16 carries for 80 yards and a score. Nine different players caught a pass, with Poitier leading the way with one catch for 45 yards.
Defensively, FSU limited Louisiana to 291 total yards (121 in the first half), including 159 yards through the air and 132 yards on the ground. Robinson, Gant, and Lundy all tied for the team-lead with six total tackles. Four different Seminoles were credited with 0.5 sacks or more while six different players earned 0.5 tackles for loss or more.
Florida State returns to action on Friday, November 25 at 7:30 p.m. against the Florida Gators to conclude their regular-season.
READ MORE: Florida State leaves RB Cedric Baxter Jr. with a decision to make
Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the season.
