Monday’s football game between No. 4 Florida State and No. 11 Ole Miss was bizarre to say the least.
The Rebels looked unstoppable early on as they built a 28-6 lead midway through the second quarter. Quarterback Chad Kelly was having his way picking apart the Seminole defense and showing the nation that they were in fact a legitimate title contender in the SEC.
But the Rebels forget that football is played over four quarters as Florida State mounted a historic rally – scoring 33 straight points – to defeat Ole Miss 45-34 Monday night in the Camping World Kickoff.
The 22-point deficit was the largest the Seminoles have ever overcame after a 21 point comeback against Louisville in 2014.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Deondre Francois – making his first career start – passed for 419 yards and two touchdowns in the victory.
Running back and Heisman Trophy hopeful Dalvin Cook was shut down for much of the night as he was held to just 91 rushing yards and no touchdowns. Cook should have had at least one score on the night but fumbled the ball on the one-yard line with nobody around him.
Manti Teo's girlfriend with the forced fumble: https://t.co/SFm1R3FXrl
— Barstool Cleveland (@OhioBarstool) September 6, 2016
Instead of making excuses and saying it wasn’t their day, the Seminoles made adjustments and came out in the second half looking like a totally different team.
You would have thought that both teams traded jersey’s at halftime as the Seminoles outscored the Rebels 23-0 in the third quarter. In that quarter alone, Florida State had racked up 214 yards compared to minus-7 and two turnovers by the Rebels.
What We Learned
Florida State: After losing All-American Roberto Aguayo to the NFL, the Seminoles shouldn’t be concerned anymore after his brother, Ricky, went 6-for-6 on field goals in his debut.
Although Florida State got out to a slow start, their talent was on full display and showed why they are a favorite to go to the College Football Playoff.
Ole Miss: The Rebels’ offense was too inconsistent Monday night. While Kelly and his receivers looked like nothing had changed from last season, the offensive line got smothered in the second half as Kelly was running for his life.
The Rebels also lost the turnover battle 4-0 and will need to clean things up if they hope to challenge for an SEC title, or better yet a bowl game.
Next Opponents
Florida State: The Seminoles will host Charleston Southern of the FCS on Saturday. The Buccaneers (1-1) are coming off a 57-7 win over Kentucky State.
Ole Miss: The Rebels return home to host Wofford of the FCS on Saturday. Terriers (1-0) are coming off a 21-7 win over Tennessee Tech.
