Jordan Travis had three passing touchdowns and added scores rushing and receiving Saturday as No. 23 Florida State slammed host Syracuse 38-3.
Travis went 21 of 23 for 155 yards as the Seminoles (7-3, 5-3 ACC) won their third straight game by the combined margin of 124-22. Trey Benson contributed 18 carries for 163 yards for the visitors.
Garrett Shrader connected on just 6 of 16 passes for 65 yards for Syracuse (6-4, 3-3), which has lost four straight games. Sean Tucker rushed for 52 yards on 14 carries.
Florida State scored on its first possession on a drive highlighted by Benson’s 27-yard run and Mycah Pittman’s 15-yard scamper. Travis punctuated the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run up the middle for a 7-0 lead.
Toward the end of the first quarter, the Seminoles began a possession near midfield and needed only six plays to find the end zone. Travis threw a quick pass to Malik McClain, who stiff-armed a defender and ran in for a 15-yard score.
Andre Szmyt kicked a 30-yard field goal for Syracuse early in the second quarter, but he missed a 53-yarder shortly thereafter.
Florida State increased its cushion to 21-3 with 5:47 remaining before halftime, as Travis found Johnny Wilson, who broke a tackle and sprinted in for a 24-yard score.
Ryan Fitzgerald’s 40-yard field goal at the halftime buzzer sent the Seminoles into the locker room with a 24-3 advantage.
Florida State put away the game with consecutive touchdowns to open the second half.
After a failed onside kick by Syracuse, the Seminoles promptly found the end zone with a 5-yard TD pass to Kentron Poitier. Following a punt by the Orange, Florida State drove down the field and scored on fourth-and-goal from the 2 on a pass from Wyatt Rector to Travis.
The Seminoles outgained the Orange 420-160 and limited Syracuse to one third-down conversion in 11 attempts.
–Field Level Media