Florida State, Jordan Travis beat LSU on blocked extra point kick | 5 takeaways

NEW ORLEANS - The questions around the Florida State football program aren't going away.

However, unlike the past three years, the questions are going to be positive ones.

The biggest one:

Is the 24-23 win Sunday for the Seminoles over new coach Brian Kelly and LSU the biggest one in the Mike Norvell tenure?

That’s the question that will be asked over the next week after Florida State (2-0) took down LSU (0-1) in the Allstate Louisiana Kickoff at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

"What a finish," Norvell said.

"We talked to our team all week that this game could come down to one play, to one opportunity. And, you know, as you watch throughout the course of the game, I thought our guys put on display an incredible heart. You know, the passion which they played with, just the effort, the physicality, I thought we dominated the game for the majority of it.

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"Obviously, there at the end, you know, we had some things that happened that we just can't have. But the one thing that happened on the last play is what we absolutely needed."

The game came down to the final play with FSU winning the game on a blocked extra point attempt by Shyheim Brown after an LSU score.

“I felt it on my hands," Brown said.

"I didn’t try to look back. I just felt my teammates coming so I just knew it didn’t go in the uprights.”

Here are five takeaways from Florida State's victory.

Special teams rollercoaster

This game of course came down to special teams, with both teams struggling with the unit throughout the game.

Brown's block capped the win in a game with craziness on the special teams units.

"I was able to get through, shoot both hands and block the kick," Brown said. "I just knew it wasn’t going in. It hit my hand too hard."

Jared Verse also made a big play on special teams, blocking a 30-yard field goal which would have brought LSU within one point in the second quarter.

The blocked kick was the first for FSU since Sept. 12, 2020 against Georgia Tech.

Earlier in the game it was Wyatt Rector who recovered a muffed punt to put FSU in prime scoring position. FSU did not score on the drive, but it swung the momentum pendulum their way.

The special teams unit for LSU also struggled.

The Tigers had the field goal block, as well as a punt that went only 31 yards and gave the Seminoles great field position and led them to take a two touchdown lead.

Malik Nabers muffed his second punt of the game with just over two minutes left to slow down the chance for an LSU comeback.

"Special teams, unbelievable today," Norvell said.

"Two blocked kicks, two takeaways that were created in our punt coverage unit. I told the guys throughout the course of the week, you never know when that moment is going to show up. You better be in position to capitalize on it. And I think that's what that game just illustrated in all facets."

It was not all rosy for the special teams unit.

The game began with an errant kick from placekicker Ryan Fitzgerald, as he kicked the ball out of bounds, gifting LSU strong field position, which the Tigers turned into a 3-0 lead. Fitzgerald had another kick out of bounds following an FSU touchdown and missed 47-yard field goal.

Fitzgerald redeemed himself with a field goal from 25 yards out in the third quarter.

Toughness shown

For years the SEC has been known for its toughness and strong defenses, with LSU typically on the forefront of that.

Sunday, the Seminoles went toe-to-toe with one of the toughest teams in the nation and did not bat an eye.

A perfect example of that came in the third quarter when Travis delivered a strike to Ontaria Wilson for a 27-yard touchdown pass. On the play, Travis was hit by Ali Gaye on what was correctly deemed a targeting call. Wilson made a spectacular one-handed catch, but the play showed the toughness FSU showed all game.

“That one hurt a lot,” Travis said. “I am feeling that right now. I will do whatever helps the football team and Florida State University. Pokey made a great play. I didn’t know if he caught it or not, but he made a great play.”

The Seminoles putting constant pressure in the Tigers’ backfield to limit the run game and hold them to 39 yards of rushing from non-Daniels players.

FSU players and coaches talked during the week about playing their game and not worrying about the opponent. They backed that up when taking the field. The constant pressure from the defensive line caused Jayden Daniels to run for his life all game and he never established himself in the pocket.

Daniels struggled, completing 26-of-35 passes for just 209 yards and two touchdowns.

FSU possessed the ball for 34:06, while LSU had it for 24:35.

“As we have been saying all week, this was our chance to prove that we are not just some little one-and-done team that can just beat some lower level teams," Verse said.

Jordan Travis in spotlight

Travis was the offense for the Seminoles on Sunday, especially with the run game never gaining traction.

A week after rushing for 406 yards, FSU was limited to 132 yards and a 3.5 yards per carry.

Travis was 20-of-32 passing for 260 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 28 rush yards.

“Jordan proved that he’s a real quarterback," Wilson said. "I saw him stay in the pocket for the whole game. He didn’t scramble too much. He was staying in the pocket, making good throws.”

Wilson led the team with seven receptions for 102 yards and a TD. Johnny Wilson added three catches for 60 yards and Mycah Pittman caught three balls for 45 years.

When was Travis at his best? On third downs.

While leading the Seminoles down field to their first score, Travis was 4-for-4 on third downs on the drive, including two completions for eight and nine yards to extend drives.

On the day, FSU was 11-for-17 on the money down, with Travis directing contributing to all but one of them.

"Coach Norvell emphasizes third downs on Wednesdays," Travis said. "We do a lot of third down periods. Short and whatever. At the end of the day, that's a great football team, a great defense. I don’t want to take anything away from them, but we played very hard tonight."

Defense steps up

Kayshon Boutte's name is going to be heard come the NFL Draft in April. For the majority of Sunday's contest, it was not a name that was heard.

The Seminoles took the elite playmaker out of the game, limiting him to two catches, 20 yards and as many drops as catches.

Taking him out of the game was part of the gameplan and FSU executed. Jammie Robinson and Omarion Cooper each lined up against Boutte, as did a few others.

Part of the reason Boutte could never get going is because of the defensive line. The Seminoles compiled four sacks, but the constant pressure on the young OL for LSU caused Daniels to scramble for his life for much of the game.

Verse collected his second and third sacks of the season. Tatum Bethune added a sack, while Dennis Briggs Jr. and Kalen DeLoach each added half a sack. All three players played a major role on defense.

No second guessing

The great thing about a win?

No one is going to second guess your decisions.

Norvell might have come under scrutiny if FSU had lost the ballgame with his decision to forgo a short field goal on fourth and two near the end of the first half.

Instead, Norvell opted to go for it, with a pass from Travis to Pittman falling to the ground, giving the ball back to LSU in a 7-3 contest with 3:15 left in the first half.

“It shows a lot of faith for sure,” Travis said.

“Playing against a great football team, most people take the points, but the faith Coach Norvell has in us is special for sure. He believes in us. We have to have his back when he makes calls like that. We have to get back to work and convert on those.”

The analytics showed FSU's chances increased to 69% chance of winning if it converted. It would have been 65% if Norvell opted to kick the ball. But Fitzgerald had already missed a field goal and had kicked two balls out of bounds to that point.

Contact Ehsan Kassim at 256-300-5313 or ekassim@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Seminole football: Jordan Travis, FSU show toughness in win over LSU