Francois has magic touch
TALLAHASSEE — The gamechanging 58-yard touchdown pass that pushed Florida State ahead of Louisville with 1:13 remaining was all too familiar to a pair of Orlando athletes.
“We been doing those type of plays all our lives,” Seminoles wide receiver Nyqwan “Noonie” Murray said nonchalantly of his connection with fellow Orlando native and current FSU starting quarterback Deondre Francois. “It’s just like a backyard play.” Francois added, “It was like déjà vu. … I’ve seen him do that numerous times.
“He’s a magician with a ball in his hands.”
Even Miami coach Mark Richt, who FSU will face Saturday, called the drive “spectacular.”
“Of course that last drive was outstanding,” Richt said, recalling all of Francois’ decisions under pressure on Louisville’s home field. “As we know, he’s a tough football player. He’s a very accurate passer. He’s a great leader for them. “As he goes, they go.” When Francois committed to FSU, so did Murrray. Francois and Murray began their 12-year friendship playing youth football in Orlando.
Something was different about the touchdown against the Cardinals, though.
Yes, it led the Seminoles to a comeback victory, but the pass to Murray and the receiver’s push to the end zone was perfect. Francois’ pass and timing were flawless. The game-winning drive capped Francois’ strong secondhalf performance. It was the best of the season, if not his career.
The Seminoles entered the half down 21-7. He went 11-of-15 passing for 218 yards and three touchdowns during the past 30 minutes.
Francois showed his strength and determination, however, in a lower-profile moment. With four minutes remaining in the first
half, Francois handed the ball to running back Cam Akers for a designed rush up the middle. Francois ran with Akers, blocking a Louisville linebacker and clearing a path for his tailback.
Akers laughed it off and said, “I told him he better start cutting because he don’t need to be hitting people up high.
“But just knowing that the effort is there is always good.”
Francois also helped earn two fourth-down conversions that helped extend a key touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter. One was an 11-yard slant pass to wide receiver Tamorrion Terry. Francois placed the ball over the middle where only Terry could reach it.
Tight end Tre’ McKitty scored on the next play in tight coverage off a Francois 26-yard pass.
“I knew he was there,” McKitty said of Francois’ throw. “I tried to get my arm over him, and then the ball was right here, so I could get my arms out to make the play.
“We work on that all the time, we rep that play a lot. [Francois] just put it on the money. I just had to make the play.
While Francois excelled in the second half, he was limited to 5-of-12 passing for 76 yards during the first half.
“They were bringing a lot of pressure,” FSU coach Willie Taggart said of Francois’ errant first half throws. “And he had to move his feet sometimes because of the pressure. And I know there [was] one
time on third down, he had Noonie [Murray] coming across and he kind of — he didn't step and throw the ball. He didn't have to retreat.”
But the quarterback’s comeback performance added to Taggart’s belief in Francois as a playmaker.
As Francois improved, his teammates followed suit.
“I was telling guys on the sideline continue to fight because we’re going to have to score a touchdown to win this game and Coach [Taggart] called it and Noonie [Murray] did the rest,” Francois said.
He will now lead his team to hostile Miami, almost one year to the day of the Hurricanes’ 24-20 comeback win over the Seminoles. Miami is a 13-point favorite and has a menacing defense that could cause Francois headaches, but rivalry games can sometimes defy expectations.
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. and the game will air nationally on ABC.
The quarterback said the Seminoles know what it means to find a way to perform well and beat the Hurricanes.
“That’s a game that you want to make a name off of,” Francois said.