Travis comes off the bench to lead ’Noles past Jacksonville State

TALLAHASSEE — Jordan Travis came off the bench to lead Florida State to touchdowns on fiVe straight drives as the Seminoles rallied to knock off FCS programJacksonville State 41-24 on Saturday.

Travis completed 13 of 18 passes for 215 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown pass to Keyshawn Helton. The redshirt sophomore also added a touchdown run, one of four TD runs fromthe Seminoles.

“I believe Jordan Travis brings another threat and does a good job of bringing opportunities to other players to perform better,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said after the win.

Florida State (1-2) trailed 14-0 in the first quarter and went scoreless on its first four drives under the direction of true freshman quarterback Tate Rodemaker.

Zerrick Cooper completed 22 of 30 passes for 232 yards and had a rushing touchdown.

Cooper, who threw for back-toback 3,000-yard seasons at JSU, was efficient but a fourth-quarter interception snagged byFlorida State’s Asante Samuel Jr. all but ended the Gamecocks’ upset bid.

“It wasn’t pretty at some points tonight, but it might’ve been exactly what we needed,” Norvell said. “We needed to be able to respond to adversity, to have some sustained success.”

JSU’s Kolbi Fuqua also had a 13-yard interception return for a touchdown in the first quarter.

Lawrance Toafili ran for 99 yards and a touchdown for Florida State, which finished with 256 rushing yards on 53 carries. The Seminoles were held to just 38 first-half rushing yards.

“To be able to see the guys’ eyes and their smiles after facing adversity early on in the game was a great joy,” Norvell said.

UPNEXT

JacksonvilleState plays host to Mercer next Saturday.

Florida State plays Dame next Saturday. at

Notre