Rebels LB Tayler Polk was carted off the field early in the second quarter with an unknown injury.
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Redshirt freshman quarterback Deondre Francois completed 33 of 52 passes for 419 yards and two touchdowns while running for another 59 yards in leading No. 4 Florida State to a 45-34 win over No. 11 MS on Monday night in Orlando, Fla. “Our motto is to keep chopping”. A lot. I know we have some young guys back there, but they are the best guys we have available and we have to get them better, no excuses.
Francois’ opener began the way you might expect from a first-time college starter playing in front of a hometown crowd.
FSU Kicker Ricky Aguayo, yes he is former FSU kicker Roberto Aguayo’s brother, also chipped in with 6 field goals. Leading 28-6 at halftime, FSU scored 33 unanswered points to capture a come-from-behind win over the Rebels.
“It’s hard to change momentum in a big game like this and against a great team”, said Fisher, who is now 8-1 against SEC teams. “His teammates believe in him, and he’s a fighter”. Ole Miss did so three times, with a pair of interceptions thrown by Kelly among them. “The confidence he has coming into the huddle, you have no choice but to go out and execute for him because he is going to lay it on the line for you”.
Winston also still has the school’s single-game passing record of 444 yards against Clemson in 2013. Freshmen A.J. Brown and D.K. Metcalf both turned in big plays, Metcalf tipping the ball to himself for a touchdown when bodied up by an FSU defender.
Ole Miss Defensive Coordinator Dave Wommack didn’t pull any punches after he watched his defense decimated for 580 yards and 45 points.
“It was a nightmarish second half”, said Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze.
After starting the season ranked No. 11 in the nation, the loss dropped Ole Miss to No. 19 after the AP released its Week 2 poll on Tuesday. Technically there was still regression in the second and fourth quarter, but you can probably get away with that if you’re allowing negative yardage sometimes in the first or third.
In a preview for Showtime’s “A Season With Florida State Football”, which premieres tonight, current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston is shown giving a halftime speech to the Seminoles, who were trailing 28-13 at the break. His 4.5 sacks – all of which came in the second half – are the most in a game for a Seminole under head coach Jimbo Fisher and were just a half-sack fewer than the school record. Ole Miss got sloppy and the ‘Noles, sensing weakness like a shark senses blood in the water, took full advantage.
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But Aguayo added two more field goals to account for the final margin. A late FSU touchdown drive that ended with a 16-yard strike from Francois to Travis Rudolph was a disappointing but not all-too-concerning finish to an otherwise brilliant half. In Georgia’s 33-24 win over North Carolina on Saturday, Chubb gashed the Tar Heels’ defense for 222 yards and two scores.
