Mike Norvell praises Jordan Travis for taking over in second half against Duke

Duke and Florida State played a close game for a half before Seminoles quarterback Jordan Travis kicked things into high gear and closed it out with a sensational second half.

Travis got the offense clicking and helped Florida State outscore Duke 21-0 after the break.

“He had fun out there tonight,” coach Mike Norvell said. “It was really enjoyable seeing him lead this football team. When it got tight, when it got tough, he played his best. To see him really take over in that game was special.”

One of the ways Florida State pulled away was by activating Travis in the run game. He did it some by design and some on scrambling, but it hurt Duke all the same.

Travis finished with 10 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown.

“Obviously we’re going to try to create things throughout the course of the game,” Norvell said. “That’s a really good defense. They do a great job of fitting all runs. Very, very rarely do you get them off-balance, but we did feel like if we needed it there would be great opportunities to possibly have Jordan help us in the run game. It showed up.”

By the time the game had ended, Travis had racked up another excellent statistical line. He did throw an interception, but he also accounted for 268 passing yards and two touchdowns.

Most importantly, Florida State remained unbeaten on a weekend when two other top 10 teams picked up their first loss. That’s a real credit to the way Jordan Travis played.

“He was unbelievable. I told him at the end of it, man, that’s a champion’s heart,” Norvell said. “That’s how he works. That’s how he prepares. I’ve no doubt about the way that he’s going to show up, because we see it throughout every day in practice, just the mentality which he brings.”

There was one other thing that caught Norvell’s attention.

“I loved seeing him celebrate with his teammates and just the encourager that he is,” he said. “That was a really cool moment there in the second half.”

Now at 7-0, Florida State will return to action this weekend with a road contest at Wake Forest. The game will kick off at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday with a broadcast on ABC.