No. 5 – That being said, plenty of credit has to be given to that side of the ball in the second half, forcing three turnovers (four total for the game) and holding the Rebels to NEGATIVE seven yards in the third quarter alone.
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Several shortcomings cost Ole Miss, but nothing hurt more than having its up-tempo offense essentially slowed to a halt.
What Florida State had to overcome not only showed their strength in talent but the trust of a coaching staff and leadership. 419 yards in the air – along with 59 on the ground – later, there weren’t many questions left to be answered. Ole Miss enters the day ranked number eleven in the nation, and the Rebels can climb much higher if they pull off the upset. The 45-34 win was great for the school, but it may turn out to be bad for the rest of college football.
“I ain’t trying to go through them heartaches like I did in 2014, up and down year where we came back in every game”, Cook said, referring to his freshman year during which FSU won nine games after trailing early.
Florida State adjusted and launched an impressive, aggressive counterattack behind Francois, who settled in and looks like a star in the making for a deep and talented Seminoles squad that has national title aspirations.
Monday night is Deondre Francois’ debut as FSU’s starter. A 40 yard field goal by Ricky Aguayo put the ‘Noles up 39-28 with 12:56 remaining.
Winston also still has the school’s single-game passing record of 444 yards against Clemson in 2013.
He threw two touchdowns, but no play showed who Deondre Francois was more than his 31-yard run to set up Florida State’s 36th point.
KEY PLAY: It’s hard to pinpoint just one moment where it became apparent the Seminoles were going to make this comeback, but Ole Miss’ swagger was officially gone after Kelly fumbled with 10:47 left in the third quarter.
The lone goal came midway through the first half when Danielle Henley slipped a through ball to Charde Hannah, who beat goalkeeper Cassie Miller and tapped the ball into the goal for her second goal of the season.
Ole Miss also gets an FCS opponent next weekend at home when they host Wofford. Ole Miss was in command of the game shortly before halftime, when Florida State scored a late touchdown to gain some momentum at the break. Terriers (1-0) are coming off a 21-7 win over Tennessee Tech.
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The Florida State Seminoles can expect to move up when The Associated Press football poll is released on Tuesday. With the likes of Alabama, Georgia and LSU still on the schedule, as well as a potential SEC Championship Game appearance, the Rebels have ample opportunity to climb into the College Football Playoff race.
