Florida State backup quarterback Tate Rodemaker came in for an injured Jordan Travis and threw two fourth-quarter touchdowns as the Seminoles outlasted host Louisville, 35-31, Friday night.
Travis opened the game by completing his first 11 passes, two of which went for touchdowns, but the redshirt junior left the game after suffering a lower-body injury late in the second quarter. He left the field on his own power and went straight into the locker room and was later seen on the sidelines on crutches with a protective boot on his foot.
Defensive end Jared Verse also left the game earlier in the first half with an apparent lower-body injury and did not return.
Defensive back Kevin Knowles II intercepted a Malik Cunningham pass in the final minute to seal the win.
FSU had lost six straight ACC openers since 2016 and now improves to 3-0 for the first time since 2015.
Standouts
Florida State (3-0, 1-0 ACC)
— Travis: The quarterback went 13-for-17 passing for 157 yards and two scores before suffering the apparent injury. He was responsible for converting two of FSU’s third downs and has been responsible for 12 of 15 third-down conversions going back to the LSU win.
— Tatum Bethune: The redshirt junior linebacker recovered a fumble that teammate DJ Lundy forced in the second quarter. It was one of two fumbles the Seminoles recovered in the first half.
— Johnny Wilson: The wide receiver finished with career-highs in catches (7), receiving yards (149) and receiving touchdowns (2). He scored on a 10-yard and 2-yard pass by Tate Rodemaker in the fourth quarter.
Louisville (1-2, 0-2 ACC)
— Malik Cunningham: The Cardinals quarterback went 21-of-34 passing for 243 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 127 yards, including a pair of touchdown runs. It was the second consecutive game with at least 100 passing yards and 100 rushing yards and the seventh overall career game.
— Jawhar Jordan: The running back had a career-high 91 yards on 17 carries, averaging more than 5 yards per attempt.
— Yasir Abdullah: The linebacker finished with 8 tackles, including two tackles for loss with an interception, a pass breakup, a quarterback hit and a half sack.
Noteworthy
— The Seminoles were without defensive tackle Fabien Lovett, who didn’t dress for the game.
— Backup quarterback Rodemaker came into the game for the injured Travis and went 6-of-10 passing for 109 yards and two touchdowns.
— FSU redshirt sophomore tight end Preston Daniel caught his first career touchdown, a 2-yard pass from Travis, with 11:01 left in the first quarter to give the Seminoles a 7-0 lead.
— FSU redshirt junior tight end Camren McDonald came up with a 41-yard catch on the opening possession in the first quarter, the longest reception of his career.
— FSU redshirt sophomore tailback Lawrance Toafili scored on a 15-yard run in the third quarter. It was his second rushing touchdown of the season and fifth career rushing score.
— After allowing 1 sack through the first two games, FSU allowed four sacks for the first time since against Florida on Nov. 27, 2021.
