Backup quarterbacks headline Florida Gators vs. Florida State Seminoles
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida State Seminoles are 11-0 and chasing a spot in the College Football Playoff but they’ll have to face the Florida Gators on Saturday without starting quarterback Jordan Travis. The senior quarterback suffered a season-ending leg injury in FSU’s 58-13 win over Northern Alabama.
The Seminoles will turn to Tate Rodemaker, who had thrown just eight passes on the season before taking over for Travis. Rodemaker played well in relief, completing 13 of 23 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns in just three quarters.
“I thought he was great,” Florida State head coach Mike Norvell said. “There were a few mistakes, a few things that you could tell everything was rolling for him, but he has been preparing all season. …
“I think that was something that was really impressive to me because he never seemed rattled in the moment. He knew he was prepared and ready, and that’s what you have to do at every position. But obviously, the quarterback position gets magnified to the elite level. I thought he did a wonderful job. He went out there, and I thought played really well.”
Rodemaker is not the same athlete that Travis is and Florida State will have to adjust the offense as they head into the season finale.
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The Gators will also be without starting quarterback Graham Mertz, who suffered a nondisplaced fracture in his collarbone. The Wisconsin transfer was having the best season of his career with a 72.9% completion rate. That led to career-highs across the board with 2,903 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only three interceptions.
“Graham is mature. I think he’s really bright,” Florida head coach Billy Napier said Monday. “Much like any great competitor, I think he obviously wishes he was able to do everything he could do for the team. But he’s going to be around, and he’ll still contribute to the team in the ways that he can.”
Redshirt freshman Max Brown will earn the first start of his career this Saturday. Brown replaced Mertz on the road against No. 9 Missouri and played well considering the circumstances and stage. He completed 4-of-5 passes for 56 yards and rushed seven times for 42 yards. Brown’s running ability and athleticism should bring a new dynamic and wrinkle to Florida’s offense.
“Every offense that you have evolves based off what the quarterback is really good at. And certainly Max is a little bit different type of player (than Mertz),” Napier said. “They’re kind of going from Jordan Travis to Rodemaker. We’re going from Graham Mertz to Max Brown. There’s an element of change for both teams. And certainly, that’s part of the strategy relative to the game.”
