Mike Norvell, FSU 'felt good about our call' on vital fourth-down conversion
FSU pulled ahead of LSU in a tightly contested game in Orlando, Fla., late in the third quarter, courtesy of a gutsy fourth-down call and conversion.
Facing fourth-and-2 on the LSU 42-yard line, Florida State went for it. Quarterback Jordan Travis rolled out to his right and found running back Lawrance Toafili in the flats, and he raced 41 yards all the way down to the 1-yard line.
Florida State punched it in on a Travis keeper one play later to take a 24-17 lead.
“We felt good about our call,” Norvell said. “Obviously where we were on the field had confidence those guys would go and execute, and made a great play in that situation.”
The third quarter ended shortly after with LSU driving the field.
But as Norvell interviewed with ABC sideline reporter Holly Rowe, little did he know his team would immediately respond to a request he would make.
“Play 15 minutes, man. Go put everything we have on the line,” Norvell said. “We’ve got to make sure we’re playing smart. Guys are playing hard, they’re playing with passion, we’ve just got to make sure we’re playing smart and not having any foolish penalties. Let’s go finish this thing.”
On the very first play of the fourth quarter, LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels attempted to throw a 10-yard comeback route on the right sideline. But his receiver, Malik Nabers, slipped on the route. That left the ball there for the taking for Florida State defensive back Renardo Green, who picked it off and ran it to the FSU 43-yard line.
Florida State managed to turn the interception into a two-score lead when receiver Keon Coleman caught his third touchdown pass of the night, snagging a 7-yard pass from Travis to make it 31-17 with 10:18 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Earlier Scoring Recap – FSU vs. LSU
Florida State’s opening scoring drive in the game came despite a setback that might have killed the drive, an offensive pass interference penalty that backed them up to first-and-25 from inside their own territory.
However, a big run by Trey Benson picked up 12 yards, then quarterback Jordan Travis converted a third-and-13 moments later on a pass to receiver Johnny Wilson — the culprit of the offensive pass interference call — that went for 17 yards.
Moments later, receiver Keon Coleman caught a short slant and housed it for a 40-yard touchdown, making it 7-0 Florida State in the first quarter.
But LSU answered quickly, with a 33-yard reception by Kyren Lacy putting the Tigers down to the 1-yard line, where running back Tre Bradford plunged in to tie the game at 7-7 with 3:48 to play in the first quarter.
LSU then took the lead on a 1-yard Noah Cain touchdown run that capped a five-play, 51-yard drive midway through the second quarter.
Florida State would level the score at 14-14 on Coleman’s second touchdown reception of the game, a terrific leaping grab over an LSU defender in the right corner of the end zone for a 21-yard score.
LSU was able to push the ball down the field quickly and connect on a 36-yard Damian Ramos field goal just before the half, making the halftime score 17-14 LSU.
Florida State tied the game at 17-17 with a 33-yard field goal in the third quarter prior to the events outlined in the first section above.