Quick hitter: FSU cruises to 2-0 in 53-point win in home opener

After a slow start on Saturday night saw No. 4 Florida State up just 14-3 on the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at the start of the second second quarter, the Seminoles exploded for a 17-point second quarter en route to a 66-13 win in the home opener.

Jordan Travis, who went 15 of 29 for 175 yards and two touchdowns, ended his night in the third quarter which gave way to an impressive performance from Tate Rodemaker, who himself threw for two touchdowns on just three completions.

Trey Benson, after a relatively quiet week (by his standards), popped off for a hat trick, with the most impressive of his three touchdowns being a 42-yard dash to the end zone:

The run game had a fantastic day overall, with running back Caziah Holmes putting together a great Doak Campbell debut, logging a 40-yard run of his own while averaging 15.8 yards per carry. Lawrence Toafili put up 41 yards in just four carries, showcasing the firepower FSU posses in the stables.

Florida State’s defense, shaking off its own struggles, managed to hold the Golden Eagles out of the end zone until the game was more than out of reach, even once the starters had gotten nice and comfortable on the bench. In one of the game’s more electrifying moments, Jarrian Jones snagged his first career pick-six to amp the game up from big win to blowout.

FSU takes the field next against Boston College with the matchup against the Eagles serving as the Seminoles’s ACC opener.

Total Yards:

Florida State (FSU): 554

Southern Miss: 258

Pass Yards:

Florida State (FSU): 248

Southern Miss: 154

Rush Yards:

Florida State (FSU): 306

Southern Miss: 104

Penalties:

Florida State (FSU): 3-45

Southern Miss: 13-90

1st Downs:

Florida State (FSU): 26

Southern Miss: 18

3rd Downs:

Florida State (FSU): 4-12

Southern Miss: 3-13

4th Downs:

Florida State (FSU): 4-5

Southern Miss: 0-1

Total Plays:

Florida State (FSU): 69

Southern Miss: 62

Avg Yds/Play:

Florida State (FSU): 8

Southern Miss: 4.2

Avg Yds/Completion:

Florida State (FSU): 13.8

Southern Miss: 14

Avg Yds/Rush:

Florida State (FSU): 8.3

Southern Miss: 3.7

Sack-Adj Rush Yd(Avg):

Florida State (FSU): 312 (8.9)

Southern Miss: 107 (4.1)

Red Zone:

Florida State (FSU): 6-6

Southern Miss: 2-2

Time of Possession:

Florida State (FSU): 32:33

Southern Miss: 27:27

Turnovers (Def Pts Off):

Florida State (FSU): 0 (0)

Southern Miss: 1 (6)

Fumbles-Lost:

Florida State (FSU): 1-0

Southern Miss: 1-0

Sacks (Def Yds):

Florida State (FSU): 2 (13)

Southern Miss: 2 (6)

TFL (Def Yds):

Florida State (FSU): 4 (19)

Southern Miss: 4 (13)