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No. 8 Florida State makes loud statement with 45-24 rout of No. 5 LSU

On3 imageby:Ira Schoffel•09/03/23•

iraschoffel

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(Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports)

ORLANDO — Florida State left nothing to chance this time.

Playing against the No. 5-ranked LSU Tigers, No. 8 FSU scored 31 straight points in the second half to blow open a close game and cruise to a 45-24 victory Sunday night in the Camping World Kickoff.

It was completely different from one year ago, when the two teams battled down to the final play.

The Seminoles trailed at halftime by three points but came roaring back in the final two quarters to lead by four touchdowns before giving up a late score when a slew of freshman defenders had entered the game.

Florida State (1-0) tied it at 17-17 with a 33-yard field goal by Ryan Fitzgerald to cap a nine-play, 60-yard drive to start the third quarter. And then the ‘Noles reeled off four consecutive touchdowns to claim a 45-17 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

Playing against his home-state LSU Tigers, Keon Coleman teamed with quarterback Jordan Travis to be the stars of the night.

Coleman hauled in three touchdown receptions and caught nine passes for 122 yards, while Travis accounted for five touchdowns — four passing and one rushing.

Travis’ lone score on the ground gave Florida State a 24-17 lead late in the third quarter. That 1-yard keeper capped off a seven-play, 87-yard drive, and it was set up by a pair of huge passes — a 41-yard pass to Coleman and a 41-yard catch and run by Lawrance Toafili.

Florida State then pushed its lead to 14 points on a 7-yard TD pass from Travis to Coleman. And then the Seminoles added a 44-yard touchdown pass from Travis to tight end Jaheim Bell to make it 38-17. Bell then rushed for a touchdown for FSU’s final score.

Those last touchdowns had to give head coach Mike Norvell a huge sigh of relief after what happened in this game one year ago. On that night, LSU rallied for two late touchdowns in the fourth quarter to nearly send the game to overtime before Shyheim Brown blocked a PAT to seal the win.

Playing in front of a largely partisan Florida State crowd, the Seminoles were probably fortunate to only be down three points at halftime.

Their running game was largely non-existent in the first half with 11 carries for 39 yards, while the passing game was hot and cold.

Travis finished the first half with 174 yards on 14-of-21 passing, but he missed a handful of throws, threw one interception deep in LSU territory, and the Seminoles’ receivers/tight ends dropped three passes.

Coleman was the star of the first half as well, catching a pair of touchdown passes — one on a 40-yard catch-and-run, and the other on a leaping 21-yard grab in the corner of the end zone.

Coleman’s second score tied the game at 14-14 with just over one minute remaining in the half, but LSU was able to drive 67 yards and connect on a 36-yard field goal to take a three-point lead into halftime.

Florida State’s defense played well in certain situations, including a pair of fourth-down stops deep on its own side of the field. But the Seminoles also allowed the Tigers to rack up 293 yards of offense.

The second half was completely different as LSU didn’t score until the final two minutes.

Florida State returns to action this Saturday at home against Southern Miss (8:30 p.m., ACC Network). The Golden Eagles started their season with a 40-14 victory against Alcorn State.

Stay connected with Warchant.com for complete postgame coverage.

Talk about this story with other die-hard Florida State football fans on the Tribal Council.

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