After the last two contests, Florida State redshirt freshman quarterback Jordan Travis’ presence seemed long overdue.
For nine games, Travis was nowhere to be found before making his FSU debut at Boston College on Nov. 9. With the Seminoles trailing 14-10, Travis took his first snap as a Seminole 26 yards for a touchdown to give his team their first lead.
With FSU up 31-24 and facing a critical third down late, Travis put the game away with a 66-yard touchdown run — the longest ever for a Florida State quarterback. In his FSU debut, Travis finished with a team-high 94 yards rushing and two touchdowns on just three carries.
Two weeks ago against Alabama State, Travis was again the leading rusher for the Seminoles with 69 yards on just four carries. Despite playing in just two career games at FSU, Travis became the first Florida State quarterback in nearly six decades to lead the team in rushing in consecutive contests.
Prior to the 49-12 triumph on Senior Day, the last time it was done was in 1960 by Eddie Feely. Like Travis, Feely led FSU in rushing in his first game in garnet and gold, but it wouldn’t be until late in the season when he led the team in that statistic in back-to-back games.
The first of those two games was a 23-0 loss to Kentucky on Oct. 29. The Wildcats held the Seminoles to just 77 yards rushing on 33 carries, but Feely led the way with 26 yards on nine carries. The result wasn’t much better the following week against Miami as FSU fell 25-7, but Feely led the way with 47 yards rushing on 10 carries and scored the Seminoles’ lone touchdown.
As for Travis, he could be an x-factor on Saturday night as Florida State aims for its fifth straight win in Gainesville. The last FSU quarterback to lead the team in rushing against rival Florida was E.J. Manuel in a 37-26 loss back in 2012.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson. Like The Daily Nole on Facebook. To pitch an idea, author a post or to learn more about The Daily Nole, email Mike Ferguson at Mike@TheDailyNole.com.
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