Jordan Travis threw for a touchdown and rushed for another as No. 4 Florida State pulled away in the second half to defeat host Pitt 24-7 on Saturday afternoon.
The victory allowed FSU to secure a berth in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.
Travis completed 22 of 36 passes for 360 yards for the Seminoles (9-0, 7-0 ACC), who maintained their pristine record despite being without their top two receivers in Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson.
With that duo sidelined, Ja’Khi Douglas stepped up, hauling in six catches for 115 yards. Trey Benson led the rushing attack with 97 yards and a TD on 12 carries.
FSU started the third quarter clinging to a three-point lead, but Travis threw a 22-yard scoring strike to Markeston Douglas and Benson rushed for a 55-yard touchdown in the final 3:26 of the period.
Florida State’s defense took care of the rest, as the Panthers (2-7, 1-4) totaled just 105 yards while being held scoreless in the final 30 minutes of action.
Christian Veilleux threw for 244 yards, a touchdown and an interception on 15-for-35 passing for Pitt. Bub Means finished with seven receptions for 98 yards and a TD, and Rodney Hammond Jr. rushed for 60 yards on 13 touches.
Neither team could break through until there was 8:38 remaining in the second quarter, when Veilleux found Means for a 9-yard touchdown.
Florida State answered by moving the ball 75 yards in 10 plays, leveling things at 7-7 when Travis scored on the ground from 1 yard out.
Following a Panthers punt, the Seminoles drove to the Pitt 9 but ended up having to settle for Ryan Fitzgerald’s 32-yard field goal that sent them into the break up 10-7.
Pitt seemed to open the scoring emphatically with 14:31 left in the second quarter when Veilleux threw a deep ball to Konata Mumpfield, who hustled 82 yards and was tackled near the pylon.
The ball came out as Mumpfield was being dragged down, and referees ruled that he hadn’t broken the goal-line plane before losing possession. The call stood upon review, with Florida State recovering the fumble in the end zone for a touchback.
–Field Level Media