Travis’ left leg was placed in an air cast and he was carted off the field late in the first quarter following a run up the middle of the 58-13 win over North Alabama. He posted updates on Sunday from his Instagram account, including some showing Seminoles teammates around him in the hospital room.

In a statement released Monday by the program, Travis says while the injury “marks the end of my Seminole playing career, the great memories created here at FSU will never fade. … The journey this team set out on is not over yet as all of our goals still lie just ahead.”

The No. 5 Seminoles (11-0, No. 4 CFP) will face Florida (5-6) on Saturday. FSU will turn to Tate Rodemaker at quarterback, with freshman Brock Glenn as the likely backup.

Specific details about Travis’ injury or possible surgery have not been announced by Travis or Florida State. Coach Mike Norvell will hold his weekly press conference later Monday.

Travis finished his FSU career with 8,715 passing yards — second in program history — with 66 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. He is the program’s all-time leader in offensive yards (10,676) and is among the top five on FSU’s all-time stats in most major categories, from completions to touchdown passes and wins by a quarterback.

Pullin was forced to sit out the first three games of the Gators’ season for taking part in exposure games during a spring workout for the NBA draft evaluation process. In his debut Friday, Pullin also grabbed five rebounds, distributed four assists and committed just one turnover. The 6-foot-4 point guard transferred from UC Riverside.

Tyrese Samuel scored 15 points, Riley Kugel 10 and Thomas Haugh grabbed 10 rebounds for Florida.

Cam Corhen scored 18 points for Florida State and Jamir Watkins 15.

Clayton made a 3-pointer nine minutes in and that gave Florida (3-1) its first 20-plus point lead of the night at 27-5. The Seminoles (2-1) didn’t reach double digits in scoring until Darin Green Jr.’s layup made it 36-11 with 8:18 before halftime.

Florida led 52-22 at halftime, shooting 64.3% (18 for 28) including 6 for 12 from 3-point range. The only shooting blemish occurred at the foul line where they went 10 of 17 (58.8%) at the stripe. Overall, Florida finished 30-for-58 (51.7%) shooting.

The Seminoles shot 8 for 30 (26.7%), including 1 for 9 (11.1%) from 3 and 5 for 11 (45.5%) from the foul line in the first half. Florida State finished 24-for-65 shooting overall.

Florida now leads the all-time series 46-29, including wins in each of the last two seasons after FSU reeled off a run of seven straight victories that marked the longest victory streak by either program in a series that dates to 1951.

The Seminoles (10-0, 8-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), like they have several times this season, rallied in the second half to win their 16th consecutive game. This one wrapped up the program’s 10th perfect mark in ACC play.

Miami (6-4, 2-4) controlled both lines of scrimmage and played turnover-free football for most of the game. It still wasn’t enough to overcome FSU, which has won three in a row in the series and 10 of the last 14.

Adding to Miami’s woes, freshman quarterback Emory Williams suffered a significant injury to his left arm in the waning minutes while running for a first down. Williams started in place of struggling junior Tyler Van Dyke.

Van Dyke came off the bench with the Hurricanes trailing by a touchdown but threw an interception on a fourth-and-10 play with 40 seconds remaining.

Heisman Trophy hopeful Jordan Travis threw for 265 yards and his 20th TD pass of the season, a 6-yard fade to Coleman that gave the ’Noles a little breathing room in the final quarter. Three plays earlier, Travis delivered a dizzying 7-yard run in which he broke several tackles and prompted a “Jor-dan Tra-vis” chant across a sold-out Doak Campbell Stadium.

Coleman, returning after sitting out last week’s game at Pitt, set up the score with a 57-yard punt return. The big special teams play — always a part of this rivalry — looked like it might be the turning point.

But Miami answered when Williams found Jacolby George down the sideline for an 85-yard score. George finished with five catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns, beating Fentrell Cypress on both scores.

Williams completed 8 of 23 passes for 175 yards. He got the nod over Van Dyke, who has now thrown 11 interceptions since the start of October. It’s by far the most in major college football. Williams started in place of an injured Van Dyke three weeks ago against Clemson and led the Hurricanes to a 28-20 victory.

He looked like he might do it again when Miami pulled ahead 13-10 in the third behind a steady ground game led by Donald Chaney. It was the fourth time this season Florida State trailed in the second half. Coach Mike Norvell’s team responded much like it did against LSU, Clemson and Duke.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The Seminoles, who are fourth in the CFP rankings, are expected to stay at No. 4 in the next AP college football Top 25 poll.

THE TAKEAWAY

Miami: The Hurricanes probably would have stuck with Williams for the rest of the season. The 6-foot-5 freshman from Milton wasn’t great but he showed promise. Now, though, it looks as if they will have to turn back to Van Dyke.

Florida State: The Seminoles already have locked up a spot in the ACC title game but have another in-state rivalry game in two weeks at Florida. They will want to play better on both lines to avoid more late-game restlessness.

UP NEXT

Miami hosts No. 11 Louisville next Saturday.

Florida State hosts lower-division North Alabama next Saturday.

Reserve Camron Fletcher scored 11 points and Cam Corhen scored 10 points for Florida State which never trailed.

Simeon Cottle scored 18 points, Terrell Burden and reserve RJ Johnson each scored 13 and Demond Robinson scored 10 and collected 13 rebounds for the Owls.

Johnson’s jump shot with 4:26 left before halftime brought the Owls within 34-25 and it marked the last time Kennesaw State would get within single digits.

Florida State countered with Green making his second 3-pointer of the half and Tom House connecting on consecutive 3s and the ‘Noles pushed the lead to 43-25. Florida State went to halftime up 49-34. The Seminoles emerged from halftime and outscored Kennesaw State (1-1) 14-4 within the first six minutes for a 63-38 lead and cruised from there.

The Seminoles enter the season seeking a drastic improvement over last year in which Florida State posted a program-record 23 losses.

Kennesaw State hopes to duplicate last year’s magic when the Owls lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Xavier. They were tied with the Musketeers with 18 seconds left before losing 72-67.

UP NEXT

Florida State hosts Central Michigan on Monday.

The Seminoles (9-0, 7-0) are heading to Charlotte on the first Saturday in December for the first time in nine years, overcoming a shaky first half to pull away over the final two quarters.

Travis hit tight end Markeston Douglas for a 22-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter to give Florida State a 10-point lead. Trey Benson sprinted 55 yards up the middle on the Seminoles’ next possession to put the Panthers (2-7, 1-4) away.

Florida State, fourth in the initial College Football Playoff ranking, won its 15th straight game.

It did not come easy on a day the Seminoles played without leading receivers Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson. Wilson was ruled out well before the game due to injury, while Coleman did not take the field for warm-ups.

Travis relied heavily on screens and dump-offs before finally getting going after halftime. The senior completed 22 of 36 for 360 yards and also ran for a 1-yard score in the second quarter to go with his touchdown strike to Douglas, giving him multiple touchdowns in a school-record 16 straight games,

Ja’Khi Douglas caught six passes for 115 yards. Benson added 97 yards rushing for the Seminoles, who appear to be all the way back to national prominence in coach Mike Norvell’s fourth season after the program slipped into mediocrity in the late 2010s.

Christian Veilleux threw for 244 yards with a touchdown and an interception for Pitt, which played well a week after getting shredded by Notre Dame but was undone by penalties and mistakes. The Panthers were flagged 11 times for 91 yards, including a pair of calls that took away scoring opportunities, and turned it over three times.

The most costly miscue came in the third quarter with Florida State leading 10-7. Pitt was in makeable field-goal range for Ben Sauls when tight end Gavin Bartholomew was given a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty well after the whistle on a third-down play.

Instead of having a chance to tie, the Panthers punted. Travis then took the Seminoles 80 yards in 11 plays, the last a dart over the middle to Douglas that gave Florida State some breathing room.

THE TAKEAWAY

Florida State: The Seminoles have come a long way in Norvell’s four seasons. Florida State was drilled by the Panthers in Tallahassee in 2020 during his first year. Three years the tables have flipped completely.

Pitt: The Panthers played with the kind of effort that seems to indicate coach Pat Narduzzi’s suggestion after the loss to the Irish that Pitt didn’t bring in enough talented players during the offseason — a suggestion he later apologized for — has been forgiven. Still, Pitt will miss a bowl game for just the second time in Narduzzi’s nine-year tenure.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The Seminoles didn’t really make a compelling argument that they deserve to crack the top three while struggling to put away a 21-point underdog. If anything, Florida State’s performance might cost them a spot or two.

UP NEXT

Florida State: Welcomes archrival Miami to Doak Campbell Stadium next Saturday.

Pitt: Travels to New York City to meet Syracuse at Yankee Stadium next Saturday.

Keon Coleman needed only one arm to snag one of his two touchdown catches while Trey Benson took a short pass and broke loose for an 80-yard score that helped FSU overpower Wake Forest 41-16, keeping the unbeaten Seminoles in firm control of the Atlantic Coast Conference race.

Jordan Travis threw for 359 yards and three scores to go with a rushing TD for FSU (8-0, 6-0 ACC), which ran off 24 unanswered points in the second quarter to build a 34-7 halftime lead. That included a defensive performance that held Wake Forest (4-4, 1-4) to just 75 first-half yards and 210 for the game.

“I love the response,” Norvell said after FSU made its second-quarter move to blow open a tight game. “To be able to come and finish the second quarter the way we did, I mean, that was a heck of a response.”

Coleman, a transfer receiver from Michigan State, was the standout with his game-breaking ability in his third multi-TD game of the season. The highlight came late in the second quarter with Coleman locked up with Demon Deacons defensive back and Caelen Carson, himself an NFL prospect, in the end zone as Travis lofted a throw his way.

The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Coleman jostled with Carson with his left arm, then extended his right to snag the ball and pull it towards his right shoulder while remaining on his feet for the 14-yard score.

Carson could only turn and immediately walk away as FSU pushed its lead to 31-7 with 1:16 left before the break.

“I mean, they left me 1-on-1,” Coleman said with a shrug. “I don’t really know what else to tell you.”

His quarterback sure did, though.

“Every time we get a 1-on-1,” Travis said, “I want to give him a chance.”

Coleman’s first score came when he took a pass on the left side from Travis, shrugged off a tackler then sprinted loose for a 29-yard score that started FSU’s second-quarter flurry. Benson — who also ran for a fourth-quarter TD with the outcome assured — followed later in the quarter, taking the screen then cutting inside Wake Forest’s pursuing defense to break into the open field and outrun a trailing Chelen Garnes to the end zone.

Wake Forest had only one truly explosive play in the first half when the game was still undecided, with Justice Ellison cutting through the left side for a 51-yard run to end the opening quarter. The Demon Deacons capped that drive with Ke’Shawn Williams’ 2-yard run around the left end early in the second to pull within 10-7, but FSU answered with Coleman’s first TD on its way to another league win.

“It’s the most complete football team that we’ve played all season,” Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said. “They made explosive plays, they were very stout on defense, they’re really good in the kicking game. That’s kind of where they are right now, and this is where we are right now.”

THE TAKEAWAY

FSU: The Seminoles were down multiple receivers, including No. 2 wideout Johnny Wilson, but kept rolling right along with a 14th straight win. It also marked FSU’s 14th straight game with 30+ points, the longest active streak in the nation and second in ACC history behind its own run of 17 games from 2012-14.

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons had won three straight meetings but never seriously threatened to add a stunner to the list. In fact, Ellison’s long early run came after the Demon Deacons had managed just 20 total yards to that point. Wake Forest added a short third-quarter touchdown run by Tate Carney but it got little through the air with quarterback Mitch Griffis (82 yards, 6 for 16).

POLL IMPLICATIONS

FSU has been a locked-in top-5 team since early September. That won’t change for Sunday’s next AP Top 25 poll.

VERSE’S DAY

Florida State standout defensive end Jared Verse had a memorable day, with two sacks and a brief injury.

He said he got hit with a hand inside his facemask before dropping to one knee and motioning for assistance with 3:47 left in the first half. A trainer examined an area under his left eye and then walked with him to the locker room carrying his helmet. Verse returned soon and had a stitched-up cut when he spoke to reporters.

“It just started leaking,” Verse said with a chuckle. “My contact (lens) came out, it was confusing. I didn’t know what happened.”

UP NEXT

FSU: The Seminoles visit Pittsburgh next Saturday.

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons have a short week, traveling to No. 20 Duke on Thursday night.

This one left the Seminoles as the lone remaining unbeaten in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Jordan Travis accounted for three touchdowns, including a 2-yard run early in the fourth quarter that gave Florida State its first lead, and the Seminoles rallied from 10 points down to beat No. 16 Duke 38-20 on Saturday night.

Florida State (7-0, 5-0) extended its winning streak to 13 and now sits alone atop the league standings after No. 10 North Carolina lost to Virginia.

Travis had everything to do with the latest victory — the 22nd in as many tries against Duke. The sixth-year senior completed 27 of 36 passes for 268 yards and two scores against the ACC’s stingiest defense. He also led the team with 62 yards rushing, including 40 on the go-ahead, 96-yard drive.

“He was unbelievable,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “To see him take over in that game, it was special. It was a really cool moment there in the second half.”

Travis followed with a 21-yard TD pass to Lawrance Toafili that extended Florida State’s scoring streak of at least 30 points to 13.

“I had a lot of fun today,” Travis said. “Coach Norvell and I had a meeting last Sunday about having fun again because sometimes I am maybe pressing, have pressure and I’m trying to do too much. So I’m just trying to get back to myself, enjoy the game of football, enjoy my teammates.”

Duke (5-2, 2-1) could pin its collapse on losing standout quarterback Riley Leonard to a right ankle injury. Leonard, returning after missing a game because of injury, was knocked out of the game with a little less than seven minutes to go in the third quarter.

He worked on the sideline to show team trainers he could play, but coach Mike Elko declined to put him back in the game. The Blue Devils managed just 35 yards after Leonard left the game and backup quarterback Henry Belin replaced him.

“He was begging me on the sideline to come back in,” Elko said. “I didn’t feel comfortable with where he was health-wise to move back, so we didn’t do it.”

Leonard completed 7 of 16 passes for 69 yards, with an interception. Jaquez Moore led the Blue Devils with 110 yards rushing and a TD. Belin completed just one pass in relief.

“Starting that fourth quarter, it was just a lack of execution,” Duke left tackle Graham Barton said. “A lot of our mistakes were self-inflicted.”

Elko had a chance to go up 23-17 in the third with Leonard on the sideline, but he opted to go for it on fourth-and-3 from the 4. Belin’s pass in the end zone sailed wide, and Florida State took over and drove the length of the field.

“We didn’t feel like going up six was going to really help us,” Elko said. “Their offense is too explosive. We were down there and playing that as a four-down situation.”

Duke dominated early much of the opening quarter and built its largest lead ever against Florida State, at 10-0. The Blue Devils stuffed two fourth-and-1 plays to end the Seminoles’ opening two drives. They scored off both, getting a 42-yard touchdown run from Moore and then a 45-yard field goal.

The Blue Devils nearly kept it rolling when Travis fumbled on the ensuing possession. But the ’Noles recovered, and Travis later found Caziah Holmes for a touchdown — extending his streak of games with at least one TD pass to 19.

The game got even wackier from there.

Duke’s Chandler Rivers returned an interception for a touchdown and then Deuce Spann returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a score to breathe life into Doak Campbell Stadium.

Still, Florida State trailed 20-17 at halftime. It was the third time this season that the ’Noles were down at intermission. Just like the other two, it didn’t last. Just like the other two, Travis had a lot to do with the comeback.

“Our guys showed up and made critical plays throughout the second half,” Norvell said.

THE TAKEAWAY

Duke: A sign in the Florida State student section read “Stick To Basketball. #Dukeisafluke.” It was prominently displayed before the game and mysteriously disappeared in the first quarter as the Blue Devils proved they belonged.

Florida State: The Seminoles have been up and down in games all season, so no one should have been surprised to see them have to rally again. They trailed LSU and Clemson at halftime and nearly squandered a big lead at Boston College.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Florida State should maintain its No. 4 ranking in the next AP college football poll.

UP NEXT

Duke: At No. 21 Louisville on Saturday.

Florida State: At Wake Forest on Saturday.

Travis completed 23 of 37 passes for 284 yards and a touchdown, shaking off an apparent injury to his non-throwing (left) hand in the second quarter.

Lawrance Toafili had a 50-yard touchdown and finished with seven carries for 93 yards. Trey Benson added 14 carries for 74 yards as Florida State (6-0, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) surpassed the 30-point mark for a 12th straight game.

Syracuse’s Garrett Shrader completed 9 of 21 passes for 99 yards but was ineffective on the ground and netted minus-10 yards when factoring in sacks on seven carries.

LeQuint Allen had 19 carries for 110 yards for Syracuse (4-3, 0-3 ACC).

THE TAKEAWAY

Syracuse: The Orange couldn’t get much of anything going on offense, punting nine times, fumbling once and tossing an interception in the game’s final seconds. Their average starting field position was their own 22.

Florida State: The Seminoles didn’t allow a touchdown in a game for the first time this season. Florida State has allowed just one offensive touchdown in the last three games.

UP NEXT

Syracuse: Visits Virginia Tech on Oct. 26.

Florida State: Hosts No. 17 Duke on Saturday.

The junior ran for 200 yards, with touchdown runs of 85 and 62 yards, and No. 5 Florida State pulled away in the second half to beat Virginia Tech 39-17.

Florida State (5-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) is perfect through five games for the first time since 2015. The Seminoles opened 5-0 or better from 2012-15.

Benson ran 11 times, averaging 18.2 yards per carry, after accumulating a combined 189 yards in the first four games of the season.

“First couple games have been tough,” Benson said. “We’ve just been hearing that the running game hasn’t been working good. This game, we really emphasized the run. In the running back room, we said, ‘We got to get it going today. We’re not taking no for an answer.’”

Benson didn’t take no for an answer, giving the Seminoles their first back with a 200-yard game since Dalvin Cook did it twice in 2016 (against South Florida and Syracuse). The Seminoles ran for 282 yards, averaging 7.8 yards per carry.

While the offense had its struggles at times, there was balance overall. Jordan Travis completed 18 of 24 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns, both to Johnny Wilson. The junior receiver caught his first two touchdown passes of 2023, although he left the game with an undisclosed injury after being sandwiched between two defenders after a reception.

Kyron Drones was 14 of 27 for 104 yards and ran 14 times for 80 yards for Virginia Tech (2-4, 1-1). Drones connected with Jaylin Lane six times for 51 yards.

Bhayshul Tuten had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the second half, cutting the deficit to 22-17 before the Seminoles scored the final 17 points.

“We talk all the time about our response,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “We talk about finishing strong. Obviously, the opening kickoff to the second half did not go the way we wanted but you saw a tremendous response from our football team. Two plays later, a big (touchdown) run by Trey.”

Virginia Tech battled back but couldn’t dig itself out of a 22-point deficit after the first quarter.

“It didn’t feel like us. It didn’t look like us. And then we responded against a top-5 team. For large chunks of the game, played toe to toe with those guys. Which is encouraging. We got to be better, I got to be better in starting the game and making these guys understand that we can play with them and not have to figure it out after going down 22-0.”

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Florida State will likely move up a spot after No. 3 Texas’ loss to No. 12 Oklahoma.

SCORING PUNCH

Florida State has scored 30 or more points in all five games this season as well as the last six games of 2022. The 11-game streak is the second-longest in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

TARGETING

Virginia Tech lost Jalen Stroman to a targeting call in the third quarter. The starting safety still led the Hokies with 10 tackles, but he will miss the first half of next week’s game.

TAKEAWAYS

Virginia Tech: The Hokies were able to threaten Florida State in the third quarter, but Virginia Tech punted three times, turned it over on downs and fumbled on five second-half possessions.

Florida State: The Seminoles surpassed the 30-point mark for an 11th straight game and the defense played well in pressure moments.

UP NEXT

Virginia Tech: Hosts Wake Forest on Saturday.

Florida State: Hosts Syracuse on Saturday.

Athletic director Michael Alford on Tuesday announced the addition of the varsity sport and said it’s projected to begin competition in spring 2026.

“Lacrosse is the fastest-growing college sport nationally and it is evident that our culture and community will enthusiastically embrace it,” Alford said. “Lacrosse provides another opportunity to compete at a championship level.”

FSU, which will compete in the formidable Atlantic Coast Conference, becomes one of 118 Division 1 NCAA women’s lacrosse programs spanning 16 leagues. The ACC has produced 17 NCAA women’s lacrosse national champions and has placed a team in the national title game in 13 of the last 14 seasons.

Alford will begin searching for a coach in the coming weeks.

The move comes more than a year after USA Today reported that FSU double- and triple-counted scholarship female athletes in track and field to apparently improve gender-equity numbers.

The report said the Seminoles claimed to have offered 175 track and field and cross country “opportunities” to women. The accounting method erased half of the school’s overall gender participation gap that year.

Prominent Title IX lawyer Arthur Bryant reportedly threatened Florida State with legal action last year while in consultation with the school’s club women’s lacrosse team.

That’s over now after Travis threw a picture-perfect touchdown pass in overtime to lift the Seminoles to a long-sought victory over the rival Tigers.

Keon Coleman caught the 24-yard TD pass from Travis in overtime and the Seminoles followed up with a defensive stand to snap a seven-game losing streak to Clemson with a 31-24 win that touched off a Death Valley celebration a decade in the making.

“I had tears coming down in the locker room,” said Travis, the sixth-year quarterback.

Florida State had has ceded its position as the ACC’s power program to Clemson. Clemson had won seven of the past eight league crowns and national titles in 2016 and 2018.

Now, it looks like the Seminoles are ready to jump back into the top spot.

“We come here with that atmosphere and had adversity over the course of the game, all things you expect,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “The end of this game, it was really special. The things I was most proud of, I told our players, was they put their heart on display.”

Travis also threw for another TD and ran for a score for the Seminoles (4-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who had not beaten Clemson (2-2, 0-2) since an overtime victory in 2014. He’s now accounted for 82 touchdowns in his career to move past Chris Weinke as No. 1 in program history.

FSU linebacker Kalen DeLoach forced a fumble by Cade Klubnik and scooped it up for a 56-yard TD return to tie things at 24-all with 31 seconds left in the third quarter.

“I saw it,” DeLoach said. “And I did what I could do.”

Florida State trailed by as much as 10 twice in the first half.

Clemson had a chance to take a late lead with 1:47 left in the fourth quarter, but Jonathan Weitz, a graduate student who left the team before the season only to return this week after the Tigers had issues in the kicking game, missed a 29-yard try wide left.

“When I hit it, I thought I hit it good,” Weitz said. “When I looked up, it’s dying left.”

Given another chance, Travis and the Seminoles would not fold. Travis lofted a high-arcing pass that Coleman caught in stride and hushed the raucous Death Valley crowd on the first extra possession.

Clemson couldn’t get a first down on its possession when Klubnik’s fourth-and-2 pass sailed wide of the target and Florida State’s players sprinted to celebrate on the field where the program hadn’t won since 2013.

Clemson had only lost twice in 10 years at Death Valley since the Seminoles and quarterback Jameis Winston’s memorable, 51-14 beatdown of the Tigers in 2013.

Klubnik passed for 283 yards and a touchdown and ran for a score. But he had a fumble for the third time in four games, this one proving costly.

“We played our butt off,” Klubnik said. “We’ve just got to learn how to finish.”

The Tigers started No. 9 in the preseason rankings, slid down and eventually out of the poll after a 28-7 loss in Week 1 to unranked Duke. Three weeks of hearing their season was over obviously rankled the defending ACC champions and they had their most effective offensive showing this season.

But they bogged down late and after having a third-and-1 in overtime, couldn’t get a yard to keep the game going.

Weitz had been Clemson’s back-up kicker for four seasons, before calling it quits this year. He got a call from coach Dabo Swinney at his home in Charleston last Sunday, asking hime to rejoin the team, and returned Monday. Weitz had been working on a graduate degree online.

He got the Tigers’ scoring started with a 30-yard field goal. He had made just three extra points in his four seasons with the team before pursuing a job in finance.

THE TAKEAWAY

Florida State: The Seminoles overcame perhaps their biggest ACC hurdle to supplant Clemson as the league heavyweight. If Florida State can continue to show the grit it displayed in raucous Death Valley, it will be a strong bet to be playing for its first ACC conference crown since 2014.

Clemson: The Tigers needed a win here to get themselves back in the ACC and College Football Playoff chase. Instead, they’ve got two losses in September for the second time in three seasons and will need conference chaos for any chance to play for a league title.

NO RESPECT

Travis said Clemson’s choice of one-on-on coverage against Johnny Wilson and Keon Coleman got him angry. The two receivers combined for 10 catches and 180 yards with Coleman catching two TDs.

“I feel like we were disrespected all day. When you put one-on-one against Johnny Wilson and Keon Coleman, I feel like you have no respect for either the receivers or the quarterback.”

UP NEXT

Florida State has a week off, then starts a three-game homestand with Virginia Tech on Oct. 7.

Clemson travels to Syracuse on Saturday.

Boston College set a school record for penalties, missed an extra point, went for 2 after another touchdown and failed, and opted not to kick a field goal from the Seminoles 5 when trailing by 15 points early in the fourth quarter. But the Eagles still trailed by only 2 points with the ball in the final three minutes before Kalen DeLoach sacked Thomas Castellanos on third down to stall BC’s last possession.

The Eagles would have gotten the ball back with about a minute left after stopping Florida State on third down, but they were called for face masking on the tackle — their 18th penalty of the game.

Jordan Travis completed 16 of 24 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 38 yards for the Seminoles (3-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference). FSU won its ninth straight but had its first close call of the season after winning its first two games by a combined 74 points, and it left the field to derisive chants from the BC fans of “Overrated!”

Thomas Castellanos threw for 305 yards and one touchdown and ran for 95 and another score for BC (1-2, 0-1), and Khari Johnson recovered a fumble and ran it in to pull the Eagles within nine points with about 11 minutes remaining. BC went for 2 and failed, then failed to convert a fourth down at the Seminoles 5, leaving it a two-score game.

After the Eagles stopped FSU for the third straight time — they did it only once in the entire first half — they drove to the 7 before Castellanos froze the defense with a stutter step and ran it in on a fourth-and-2 to make it 31-29.

But BC’s last possession stalled after Castellanos was sacked. The Seminoles needed a first down to kill the clock, and they got it on a face masking penalty after Lawrance Toafili was stopped three yards short of the markers.

Playing in a strong wind that gusted up to 35 mph — but no other remnants of the former Hurricane Lee that had anxious New Englanders preparing for the worst — the Seminoles fell behind 10-3. They made it 24-10 on Travis’ pass to Preston Daniel, and then on BC’s first play, Lundy picked off Castellanos at the BC 40.

Travis found Jaheim Bell on the next play at the 21, and he spun his way through the tacklers before he was barely brought down before the goal line. Lundy, a 244-pound linebacker who comes in at fullback in goal-line situations, powered in to give Florida State a 31-10 lead.

Boston College mounted a 12-play drive that ended on Kye Robichaux’s 1-yard TD run — but missed the extra point — to make it a 15-point deficit. The Eagles got the ball back when they recovered a squib kick at the FSU 26, failed to convert a fourth-and-2, and then scored anyway when Toafili fumbled and Johnson ran it in to make it 31-22.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

With the unexpectedly close victory over a team that had struggled against non-Power Five opponents, Florida State could fall in The Associated Press Top 25.

THE TAKEAWAY

The Seminoles need to snap out of it in time for next week’s game against Clemson, which could be the biggest hurdle remaining on their road to the College Football Playoff. Boston College almost pulled off its biggest win in decades, but is still looking for wins that would return them to bowl eligibility.

RED BANDANNA

BC fell to 4-6 in the annual Red Bandanna Game that honors graduate Welles Crowther, who died in the Sept. 11 attacks. The Eagles wore uniforms trimmed with a bandanna theme and the name on each jersey was “FOR WELLES.”

BC beat No. 9 Southern California in the first Red Bandanna Game, in 2014.

DISCONCERTING SIGNALS

BC led 7-0 and 10-3 before eight penalties in the second quarter dragged it down. There were 11 penalties in the first half alone — seven of them pre-snap, including two for “disconcerting signals,” a delay of game charged against the defense for imitating the snap count.

In all, the Eagles had 18 penalties for 132 yards.

QB TOO

Travis was taken down by the ankle on a scramble in the final minute of the first half, and the FSU medical staff came out to look at him. He walked off on his own and remained on the sideline.

The Seminoles ran only one other play before the half – a kneel-down with 3 seconds left, and backup Tate Rodemaker took that snap. Travis was back in the game for the start of the second half.

UP NEXT

Florida State: Visits Clemson next Saturday.

Boston College: Visits Louisville on Saturday.

The Seminoles extended their winning streak to seven and established themselves as an early season favorite to make the College Football Playoff.

They won this one primarily on fourth down.

FSU stopped the Tigers twice on fourth down in the first half, including once at the goal line, and scored the go-ahead touchdown one play after Travis connected with Lawrence Toafili for 41 yards on fourth-and-2. Travis ran in on the ensuing play to put the Seminoles ahead 24-17 and send most of the 65,429 in attendance into a frenzy.

Roughly 80% of those on hand were draped in garnet and gold. They got exactly what they wanted: a blowout to kickstart the program’s most hyped season in nearly a decade. LSU was a 2 1/2-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

FSU won its final six games last season and then surprisingly returned nearly everyone for coach Mike Norvell’s fourth season, including Travis, standout receiver Johnny Wilson and stud pass rusher Jared Verse.

But the star of the opener was Coleman, who left East Lansing, Michigan, for greener grass in Tallahassee. He finished with nine catches for 122 yards, including scoring plays of 40, 21 and 7 yards.

Wilson added seven receptions for 104 yards and would have had better numbers had it not been for two drops.

Travis was at his best in the second half, connecting on 11 of 13 passes as the Seminoles took the lead for good. He sent most of the LSU faithful to the exits when he found South Carolina transfer Jaheim Bell down the sideline for a 44-yard score with 7 minutes remaining.

Travis completed 23 of 31 passes for 342 yards and the four TDs. He and Coleman hooked up for a 40-yarder to start the scoring, added a 21-yarder late in the second to tie the game at 14 and then connected on a 7-yard fade in the fourth.

Jayden Daniels wasn’t nearly as effective for LSU in a showdown of two of the top three preseason Heisman Trophy favorites. He was 22 of 37 passing for 347 yards, with an interception and a 75-yard score in the waning minutes. He ran 15 times for 64 yards and was on the receiving end of the hit of night: FSU’s Tatum Bethune hammered him to the ground after he attempted to leap another defender.

Florida State probably would have trailed by double digits in the first half had it not stopped the Tigers twice on fourth down.

After Daniels connected with Tre Bradford for 55 yards on the first play of the game, LSU had six shots to score from inside the 5-yard line. The Tigers never got close, with Daniels misfiring twice and then getting sacked on fourth down.

The Tigers were in the red zone again in the second quarter, but Daniels was sacked on a fourth-and-1 play from the FSU 13.

Two drives deep into Seminoles territory, no points.

FSU had its own issues. The ’Noles struggled to run the ball, kept getting beat up front and were flagged for three personal fouls. Adding to their woes, Wilson dropped two passes with dozens of NFL scouts in the press box for the top-10 matchup.

THE TAKEAWAY

LSU: Coach Brian Kelly has plenty to fix defensively as the Tigers move forward. They allowed 483 yards and were ineffective on third down, allowing the Seminoles to convert 8 of 13 on the all-important down.

Florida State: The Seminoles have been building toward this season for years, with Norvell stockpiling talent through the transfer portal while developing youngsters who have been in the program.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Florida State could move into the top five when the next Associated Press poll is released Tuesday.

SIDELINE STARS

Former LSU star Tyrann Mathieu was on the sideline with his family before the game. Florida State countered with a slew of former players, including Pro Football Hall of Famer LeRoy Butler, Andre Wadsworth, Darnell Dockett, Bryant McFadden, Travis Johnson, Peter Warrick and Snoop Minnis.

UP NEXT

LSU hosts Grambling State of the Football Championship Subdivision on Saturday.

Florida State hosts Southern Miss of the Football Championship Subdivision on Saturday.

The Aer Lingus College Football Classic matchup announced Wednesday will mark the second time that two Atlantic Coast Conference teams have opened the season in Ireland. Georgia Tech beat Boston College 17-14 in the 2016 opener in Dublin.

The game, scheduled for Aug. 24, 2024, at Aviva Stadium, will make Florida State’s first international game. Georgia Tech will serve as the home team.

“This is an incredible opportunity for our student-athletes at Florida State and Georgia Tech to expand the reach of ACC football and play in front of an international audience,” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said.

Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said the game is “a unique chance for our student-athletes to experience a new culture, for our fans to support us at an incredible destination and for Georgia Tech to further promote our Institute, athletics department, students and alumni on a global stage.”

Florida State coach Mike Norvell said he was “immediately intrigued by a once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity.

“The way the 2024 season lays out with a third open date, the trip made sense from a football perspective as well,” Norvell said. “Very few people have the chance to travel to a different continent and experience another culture, much less take an entire team, so I am appreciative of everyone’s hard work and support to make this game happen.”

Northwestern beat Nebraska 31-28 in the 2022 game in Dublin. Navy and Notre Dame are scheduled to play the 2023 opener in Dublin.

Pedulla was 8 of 12 from the floor. Hunter Cattoor added 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting, and the pair combined for 10 3-pointers. Grant Basile scored 13 points and Rodney Rice had 10 for Virginia Tech (18-13, 8-12).

The Hokies shot 62.5% (15 of 24) in the first half and finished 29 of 56 (52%) overall and 16 of 34 (47%) from distance.

Caleb Mills scored 14 points for Florida State (9-22, 7-13), which has lost six of its last seven games. De’Ante Green and Matthew Cleveland added 10 points apiece.

The Hokies opened the game on a 14-0 run, capped by a 3 each from Basile and Pedulla, and led 39-30 at halftime. Mills opened the second half scoring seven points to pull the Seminoles to 41-37, but they didn’t get closer. The Hokies answered with a 27-8 run for a 68-45 lead with 8:29 to go and had a 28-point lead with about two minutes left.

Both teams will play first round games in the ACC Tournament on Tuesday.

And the Seminoles ended Miami’s hopes of a perfect home season.

Matthew Cleveland’s 3-pointer as time expired capped Florida State’s comeback from a huge deficit and the Seminoles stunned No. 13 Miami 85-84 on Saturday.

“We showed a little bit about who we are,” Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said.

Jordan Miller had given Miami the lead on a 3-pointer with 4.9 seconds left. But Cleveland let fly from about 25 feet and the ball swished to give the Seminoles (9-20, 7-11 Atlantic Coast Conference) their best moment of the season.

They ended Miami’s seven-game winning streak, knocked the Hurricanes out of the outright lead in the ACC standings and denied the bid for a perfect home record. Miami was 15-0 at the Watsco Center entering Saturday.

“Miami’s a really, really good basketball team. … I would hate to play them in the NCAA Tournament,” Hamilton said.

Cleveland and Darin Green Jr. each had 20 points for Florida State, which got 13 from Caleb Mills and 11 from Jalen Warley.

Miller led Miami (23-6, 14-5) with 21 points. Norchad Omier had 15, Isaiah Wong scored 14 and Bensley Joseph added 12 for the Hurricanes.

“We played as well as we could in the first half,” Miami coach Jim Larrañaga said. “But it appeared to me to start the second half that our battery died. We didn’t have the energy or juice and it showed most of all with our defense.”

Miami simply could not get stops in the second half. Florida State shot 68% in the final 20 minutes, lost the lead twice in the final 40 seconds — then stunned its biggest rival anyway.

“Credit to them. They played hard,” Miller said. “I think they just wanted it more. We came out unfocused. … We’ve just got to find a way to close out games like this. There’s no excuse for us losing this game.”

Miami ran out to a 14-2 lead after 3 1/2 minutes, and Florida State chipped away to get within 28-23 with 8:12 left in the half.

The next seven minutes were all Miami.

It appeared a 22-2 run would essentially put the game away before halftime, pushing the Hurricanes’ lead to 50-25. Miami made eight of its final 10 shots of the half.

“The first half, we just weren’t ready,” Hamilton said.

And then came halftime. The Seminoles sure looked ready.

“We did not tell them anything at halftime that we didn’t tell them before the game started,” Hamilton said.

The Seminoles made 10 of their first 30 shots of the game — then made 10 of their next 11, getting Miami’s lead down to 61-49 with 14:45 left. That was part of a 35-10 run that gave FSU the lead for the first time on a layup by Mills with 5:56 remaining.

The lead would change hands 10 more times down the stretch, the last of those off Cleveland’s desperation heave after Miller’s go-ahead 3 at the other end.

“I knew they were going to celebrate,” Cleveland said. “If we get down and push, we’d get a decent shot.”

It was better than decent. It was perfect.

BIG PICTURE

Florida State: The Seminoles have, for now, avoided tying a school record for losses. The only FSU team to lose 21 games was the 2000-01 club, which was part of a run of five consecutive losing seasons for the Seminoles. This year will be the end of what has been a stretch of 17 consecutive winning seasons for Florida State.

Miami: The Hurricanes were without guard Nijel Pack, who was ruled out with a lower extremity injury. Miami is listing him as day to day. He’s averaging 13.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, with 41% shooting on 3-pointers.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Miami will be in the AP Top 25 for the 12th consecutive week when the latest rankings are released Monday. But the Hurricanes will likely fall a few spots.

UP NEXT

Florida State: Host North Carolina on Monday in its home finale.

Miami: Host Pittsburgh on March 4 in the regular-season finale.

Post made 7 of 11 shots, including 5-for-5 from 3-point distance, in 25 minutes of play before fouling out. McGlockton was 3-for-4 from the field and 10-for-10 from the free-throw line. Prince Aligbe added 10 points for the Eagles (13-15, 7-10 ACC).

Florida State lost to Clemson by 40 last time out and fell behind 30-11 in this one, only to get within four points several times in the second half. McGlockton scored 10 of Boston College’s 12 points in a key stretch, giving the Eagles a 62-55 lead with 1:32 remaining. Boston College made 13 of 14 free throws in the final minute and a half.

Florida State got within four points one last time when Darin Green Jr. hit a 3-pointer with three seconds remaining. Aligbe finished off the win with two free throws and BC finished at 29-for-35 from the line. Florida State made 30 of 34 free throws.

Caleb Mills scored 27 points for Florida State (8-20, 6-11) and was 17-for-21 from the line. Green added 13 points and Chandler Jackson had 10.

BC outshot FSU 45% to 31% and Florida State had only four assists.

After trailing by double digits for most of the game, Florida State scored six straight points to get within 46-42 with 10:29 remaining in regulation. Two free throws by Green and a pair from Mills got the Seminoles within four points again, 50-46, with 7:01 remaining.

Twice more Florida State got within four points and both times McGlockton converted a three-point play to put BC up by seven heading to the final minutes.

After a 5-4 start to the ACC season, the Seminoles have lost seven of eight conference games.

Boston College has a home game against No. 7 Virginia on Wednesday.

Florida State plays at No. 15 Miami on Saturday.

Burton hit two jumpers and Sibande added two 3-pointers, giving the Panthers a 64-58 lead with 6:38 left. Sibande added a steal-and-layup and another layup to push the lead to 70-65, then Hinson put the Panthers in control when he hit a 3-pointer for a nine-point lead with 2:35 to go.

Pittsburgh made eight consecutive free throws in the final two minutes before Greg Elliott broke the string by making 1 of 2 with 20 seconds remaining. Pittsburgh made 11 of 14 from the line in the second half, 19 of 23 overall.

Sibande finished with 12 points and Greg Elliott hit four 3-pointers and scored 13 points. Federiko Federiko had 13 rebounds and three blocks for Pitt (18-7, 11-3 ACC).

Jalen Warley scored 23 points, Caleb Mills 16, and Cameron Corhen 13 for Florida State (8-18, 6-9). The Seminoles shot 42% overall but made only 5 of 21 3-pointers. They made 20 of 24 free throws.

Matthew Cleveland, FSU’s leading scorer at 14.4 ppg, scored six points on 2-for-8 shooting.

The Panthers led for the final 18 1/2 minutes of the first half. Their lead reached eight on three occasions, the last when Burton hit a 3-pointer for a 28-20 lead with 6:43 remaining. The Seminoles cut their deficit to two points when Warley’s 3-pointer made it 33-31 with 3:09 remaining. It was the final field goal of the half for either team and Pitt went on to lead 37-33 at the break.

The Panthers added to what is becoming their best season since joining the ACC in 2013-14. They won their 11th conference game for the second time since joining the conference and remain in first place. Pittsburgh and Virginia, which defeated Duke 69-62 in overtime, are tied for first place. Clemson dropped out of first place after a 91-71 loss to North Carolina.

The Panthers have won seven of their past eight ACC games, the only loss being 71-65 against visiting Florida State on Jan. 21. Pitt is 6-1 on the road in ACC games this season.

After picking up their first Atlantic Coast Conference win of the season, a 68-58 win over Georgia Tech to give first-year coach Kenny Payne his first conference win, the Cardinals put on a spirited, 19-4 rally to come back from a 15-point deficit with 15:40 left to tie the game at 76 with 1:24 to play.

Cleveland’s layup put the Seminoles (8-16, 6-7) in front for good and Jalen Warley extended it with two free throws with 25 seconds left. After Sydney Curry scored to pull Louisville within 80-78, Darin Green Jr. hit the first of two free throws to set the final margin.

Cameron Corhen led five Florida State players into double-figure scoring, putting up 16 points. Cleveland had 15 points and 10 rebounds, Warley added 14 points, Green 12 and Caleb Mills 11.

El Ellis scored 22 points and distributed seven assists to lead Louisville (3-20, 1-11). Kamari Lands hit 3 of 5 from distance and finished with 15 points and Jae’ly Withers added 14.

Florida State plays host to Syracuse on Wednesday. Louisville plays at Pitt on Tuesday.

Hunter drove the lane and drew a foul, sinking the free throw, with four seconds left to help No. 24 Clemson escape with an 82-81 win over Florida State on Saturday.

The sophomore guard shot 7 of 12 from the floor and 10 of 11 from the free-throw line in his first game back after missing two weeks due to an ankle injury. Hunter drove down the court, drawing the foul against Florida State’s Matthew Cleveland but delivering a clutch play in the final seconds for the Atlantic Coast Conference leaders.

“He makes you look good as a coach,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. “He’s got tremendous speed, he’s athletic, he can get to the rim. He can make a three. Man, he’s not easy to guard in that scenario. It’s a hard cover.”

Hunter Tyson scored 27 points on 10 of 17 shooting for Clemson (18-4, 10-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), which halted an eight-game road losing streak to Florida State. Tyson came into the game averaging 15.5 points.

PJ Hall added 17 points and 10 rebounds for Clemson, which outrebounded Florida State 38-27.

Matthew Cleveland scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half for Florida State (7-15, 5-6), the 15th straight game he scored in double figures. The Seminoles made a season-high 13 3-pointers, a few days after they hit just 3 of 22 3-pointers in a lopsided home loss to No. 20 Miami on Tuesday.

Caleb Mills and Darin Green Jr. each hit four 3-pointers for the Seminoles. Mills had 15 points, Green finished with 14.

Florida State trailed 11-0 early but erased the deficit by halftime to take a 34-33 lead.

“We have been challenging the guys to come out with that level of focus every game,” Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said. “We have not had that consistent effort. A lot is that we are able to now keep guys a little fresher, we got some guys that were not maybe experienced early in the year, now we are able to get them in the game.”

Freshman forward Baba Miller had his best game, scoring 11 points and pulling down four rebounds in 20 minutes.

But Clemson improved to 4-1 in the ACC on the road, one of the main reasons why the Tigers are atop the league standings.

“It’s critical if you’re trying to win the league,” Brownell said. “And you got to win a bunch of games like we’ve won, right? We’ve won a bunch of close games, Virginia Tech, Pitt and now this one. You got to be a little bit lucky. And you got to have guys that make plays down the stretch.”

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Clemson picked up its 10th ACC win yet oddly is ranked No. 24 in the AP poll. The Tigers have made an argument to rise in the rankings after wins over Georgia Tech and Florida State this week.

TYSON FOR 50

Tyson made 6 of 12 shots from beyond the arc, playing the full 40 minutes. He came into the game making 40.7 percent of his 3-pointers and has now made 50 shots from beyond the arc on the season.

TAKEAWAYS

Clemson: The Tigers made 10 or more 3-pointers for the first time in 11 ACC games to end the losing streak in Tallahassee.

Florida State: The injury-depleted Seminoles were also faced with foul trouble but battled back from a double-digit deficit before falling short in the final seconds.

UP NEXT

Clemson plays at Boston College on Tuesday.

Florida State plays at NC State on Wednesday.

Matthew Cleveland and Caleb Mills each scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds for Florida State (7-13, 5-4 ACC). The Panthers (13-7, 6-3) saw their two-game win streak come to an end. Pitt is 2-3 in its last five.

Jamarius Burton’s layup with 2:19 to go brought Pitt within 65-64, but Green Jr. responded with an immediate 3-pointer and the Panthers missed their last four shots.

De’Ante Green made layups in consecutive possessions to break a 56-all tie and Florida State stayed ahead for the remainder.

Despite Pitt’s 15-5 start, Florida State countered with a 20-2 outburst in a five-and-a-half minute span and went to intermission up 39-29.

Florida State finished 25-for-49 (51%) shooting — 10 for 20 from 3 — and 11 for 15 (73.3%) from the foul line.

Burton scored 20 points for Pitt and Blake Hinson 16.

The Seminoles host No. 17 Miami on Tuesday and No. 19 Clemson on Jan. 28. Pitt hosts Wake Forest on Wednesday and No. 17 Miami on Jan. 28.

Florida State now has won four straight at home against Georgia Tech.

It was Cleveland’s fifth-straight double-double. He entered the game averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds on the season. Cleveland finished two points short of his career high.

Darin Green Jr. scored all 18 his points after halftime for Florida State (5-11, 3-2 ACC) and Caleb Mills scored 13.

Georgia Tech built a 16-7 lead in a little more than the first four minutes of the game before Florida State went on to outscore the Yellow Jackets 32-20 for a 39-36 halftime lead. Florida State started the second half with a 16-4 run and Jalen Warley’s three-point play with 13:38 left made it 55-40. Florida State led by double digits the rest of the way.

Florida State shot 30 for 61 (49.2%) including 10 for 25 from 3-point range. Florida State distributed 23 assists.

Lance Terry scored 17 points for Georgia Tech (8-7, 1-4 ACC), Miles Kelly 16 and Dallan Coleman 11.

Georgia Tech travels to Notre Dame on Tuesday. Florida State faces Wake Forest on the road on Wednesday.

Young came off the bench for a season-high 20 points, going 7 for 7 from the field, and the No. 17 Blue Devils beat Florida State 86-67 on Saturday.

Young, a graduate transfer from Northwestern, had 12 rebounds and added to the quest for perfection by making all six free-throw attempts.

“I’m sure I’ll find something he could have done better, but he was pretty close,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said.

Jaylen Blakes scored 17 points in his first career start and reserve Dariq Whitehead added 16 points for Duke (11-3, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), which is undefeated in eight home games.

Young deflected credit for his stellar outing.

“The guards were finding me in easy places to score,” he said.

Caleb Mills and Matthew Cleveland both scored 18 points and Darin Green Jr. added 16 for Florida State (4-11, 2-2), which remains winless in seven games away from home.

Even without retired Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski on the Duke bench, the Blue Devils looked familiar to veteran Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton.

“Credit to (Scheyer) to get his guys to play the Duke way,” he said. “I didn’t see any difference from the way they played in the past.”

Blakes, a sophomore, had four of the 11 baskets from 3-point range for Duke, which was playing for the first time since a Dec. 20 loss at Wake Forest.

“They knew we had to be a lot better,” Scheyer said of his players after a holiday break. “I didn’t have to convince them of that.”

The Seminoles got to within 64-53 with less than nine minutes to play before the margin ballooned to 25 points.

“Hopefully, we can learn from this,” Hamilton said. “Learn what it takes to go out and play against a team that is extremely aggressive like this.”

Duke used a 10-0 run near the midway mark of the first half and led 42-25 at halftime behind 12 points from Young and 11 from Blakes. Three of the Blue Devils’ starters didn’t score in the first half and another, Jeremy Roach, was 1 for 7 from the field.

The Seminoles had their second-lowest first-half point total of the season.

“Our guards were doing a tremendous job of keeping them out of the paint and turning defense into offense,” Young said.

DEPTH FINDERS

A lineup tweak worked out for the Blue Devils. Blakes matched his career-high point total from the Wake Forest game.

“It’s an honor (to be a starter),” he said. “We’re all just building off each other. Whatever five guys are out there, we’re confident in.”

Scheyer said lineup adjustments shouldn’t be a surprise.

“We’ve used our depth as a strength and I don’t see that changing,” he said.

BIG PICTURE

Florida State: The Seminoles were competitive for stretches but had gaps in defensive rebounding that proved costly. They got only eight points from reserves while Duke posted 46 points from its bench players.

Duke: The Blue Devils were aggressive from the start and yet they needed boosts from the reserves. They had their most bench points in an ACC game since February 2005 vs. Wake Forest. This was just Duke’s second game since Dec. 10, but there will be a steady diet of games for the rest of the season.

TIP-INS

Blakes took freshman Tyrese Proctor’s place in Duke’s starting lineup. … Hamilton was going for his 400th win while in charge of the Seminoles and his 600th overall. … Cleveland’s 10 rebounds gave him a double-figure total in five of the last six games. … Florida State hasn’t won at Cameron Indoor Stadium since January 2012.

UP NEXT

Florida State: Hosts Georgia Tech on Saturday.

Duke: At North Carolina State on Wednesday.

Matthew Cleveland had 12 points and eight rebounds for the Seminoles (2-9, 1-1). Corhen added five rebounds and was perfect in six free throw attempts.

El Ellis scored 15 points for Louisville (0-9, 0-2).

Florida State held Louisville to three points over the first four minutes of the second half, building a 16-point lead before Ellis hit a 3-pointer for the Cardinals. The Seminoles’ lead first reached 20 points on a dunk by Naheem McLeod near the 10-minute mark. McLeod, a 7-foot-4 sophomore, had a career high six blocks, raising his average to a little more than 2 blocks per game.

A 10-2 run by Florida State in the middle of the first half helped the Seminoles establish a double-digit lead. After Louisville drew within 21-15 FSU added an 8-0 run and the Seminoles led by double-digits the rest of the game.

The Seminoles, who made 21 of 23 free throws in their past two games, made 11 of their first 12 and finished 12-of-16 from the line.

It was Florida State’s sixth consecutive win in a series that dates to 1968. The teams have met 51 times and Louisville holds a 34-17 advantage.

Virginia (7-0) trailed 22-21 after both teams shot under 30% in the first half. The Cavaliers started the second half with a 22-9 run to lead 43-31 midway through the half.

Florida State (1-9) scored the next six points, then didn’t score again for five minutes as the Cavaliers rebuilt their advantage. The Seminoles got within 55-50 on Matthew Cleveland’s jumper with a minute left, and within four on Darin Green Jr.’s jumper with 40 seconds left.

Reece Beekman hit two free throws with 34 seconds left for Virginia.

The gap was three after Caleb Mills’ acrobatic three-point play with 7.5 seconds left, but Beekman again was fouled and his pair of free throws with 7 seconds left finished it.

Last year, it was Cleveland’s buzzer-beating jumper that gave the Seminoles a 64-63 victory at John Paul Jones Arena.

Green scored 17 points in the Seminoles’ fifth straight loss.

Jayden Gardner added 10 points and seven rebounds for the Cavaliers, including a tip-in with 3:07 left after Florida State closed to 51-43.

The victory was just the second for Virginia in the last six meetings and marked the 21st time in the last 22 matchups the Cavaliers held FSU under 70 points.

ROCK FIGHT

The first half was more physical than finesse with Virginia called for nine personal fouls while making just six field goals. The Seminoles had seven field goals and six fouls.

BIG PICTURE

Florida St.: The Seminoles are younger than expected. They continue to play without freshman Baba Miller, who is suspended for the first 16 games of the season for getting an improper travel benefit, and Brown transfer Jaylan Gainey, the two-time Ivy League defensive player of the year who will miss the season with a knee injury.

Virginia: Even when their offense is clicking, the Cavaliers always count on their defense to keep them in games, and it worked in this one. The Seminoles finished 21 of 64 from the field (33%) and Virginia finished with four steals and 10 blocks, four by Kadin Shedrick.

UP NEXT

The Seminoles return home to play Louisville next Saturday.

Virginia remains at home and faces James Madison on Tuesday night.

Trey Benson had a 17-yard touchdown run with 4:06 left to give No. 16 Florida State a 45-38 win over Florida on Friday.

Benson had 111 yards rushing and three touchdowns, and Jordan Travis ran for 83 yards and two touchdowns. The Seminoles ran for 228 yards — the seventh straight time they surpassed the 200-yard rushing mark.

Florida drove the field in the final minutes but Anthony Richardson’s fourth-down pass over the middle fell incomplete with 39 seconds to go.

It was the highest scoring game in the Florida State-Florida rivalry, which dates to 1958.

Travis also completed 13 of 30 passes for 270 yards as Florida State (9-3) completed a sweep of its state rivals for the first time under Mike Norvell. The Seminoles drilled Miami 45-3 on Nov. 5.

“To be able to finish tonight 2-0 in the state, that’s big,” said Norvell, who is in his third year at FSU. “Those two games, you know how important it is. We don’t sell it short. It’s critical for us to go and play well in these games and to go win these games. To be able to finish up as the state champs, I’m so proud of our guys.”

A redshirt junior, Travis used his ability to escape and elude to his advantage. He initially broke out of the pocket to avoid sacks but then, once in the open field, made cuts and off-balance runs to get into the end zone or set up FSU’s touchdowns.

Travis finished with a season-high 15 carries and his 83 rushing yards were the second most he accumulated this season, only to a 108-yard output in the loss at NC State on Oct. 8. But on Friday night, Travis’ legs were the difference.

“The quarterback is a challenge,” Florida coach Billy Napier said. “His legs were the difference in the game. He gave us fits all night.”

Florida State trailed 24-21 at the half but opened the second half with scores on the next three drives (field goal, touchdown, touchdown) to jump in front 38-24. The Gators (6-6) answered back with a pair of touchdowns, one each by Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne, to tie the game with 7:41 left.

Benson now has 965 yards, just 35 short of becoming FSU’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Cam Akers in 2019.

Richardson completed just 5 of 17 passes but three were for touchdowns. Ricky Pearsall had a career-best 148 receiving yards, including touchdowns of 52 and 43 yards in the first half.

Trevor Etienne had a season-best 129 yards on 17 carries, and Montrell Johnson Jr. had 85 yards on 17 carries.

This is the eighth time this season FSU has surpassed 35 points in a game.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Florida State has a chance to move up after winning its second game against the SEC, which followed a September win over LSU.

SENIOR DAY

Florida State honored 18 players on Senior Day, including a number of redshirt juniors who could opt to return in 2023. Among those who were recognized include preseason AP All-American Jammie Robinson and defensive tackle Fabien Lovett, both of whom have announced Senior Bowl invitations on Twitter. Among those not honored were redshirt junior quarterback Jordan Travis.

SHORTHANDED

Florida played without a few of its top players. Justin Shorter, who had a team-leading 577 receiving yards, did not play. Safety Rashad Torrence II, the leading tackler with 76, was also out.

TAKEAWAYS

Florida: The Gators ran for 262 yards, averaging 5.7 yards per carry, but he had 11 straight incompletions in the second half.

Florida State: The Seminoles gave up a season-high 38 points, but made a stop on the final drive to secure their best regular season since 2016.

UP NEXT

Florida: Awaits bowl selection announcement.

Florida State: Awaits bowl selection announcement.

Ithiel Horton added 14 points for the Knights (1-1) and Lahat Thioune had 10 rebounds off the bench.

UCF led 58-41 on Horton’s 3-pointer with 8:14 remaining. The Knights cooled off down the stretch and scored only six points in the final four minutes.

Darin Green Jr., who scored 20 points for UCF when the Knights defeated FSU in 2020, led the Seminoles with 17 points. Although Florida State leads the series 11-2, UCF has won the past two.

Cameron Corhen added 12 points off the bench for FSU (0-2) and Cam’Ron Fletcher scored 11. Fletcher’s six rebounds were the team-high as the Seminoles were outrebounded 52-22.

UCF led 39-29 at halftime and maintained at least a 10-point lead over the final 18 minutes of the game.

It was the second defeat this week for Florida State, which opened with an 83-74 loss to Stetson. UCF lost its opener to UNC Asheville.

Jordan Travis wasn’t sharp at times but still completed 23 of 38 passes for a career-best 396 yards and matched a career best with three touchdowns as Florida State routed the Yellow Jackets 41-16 on Saturday.

“You sit there, and there were so many opportunities throughout that game to really put it away earlier and to play our best,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “I thought there was a lot of great performances.”

Travis connected with Johnny Wilson on a 78-yard TD, Lawrance Toafili on a 62-yard TD and Ja’Khi Douglas on a 24-yard TD as the Seminoles (5-3, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) halted a three-game losing streak.

Trey Benson ran 18 times for 111 yards, Toafili had 13 carries for 70 yards, and the Seminoles accumulated 246 rushing yards, averaging 5.7 yards per carry.

Travis completed passes to 10 receivers. Wilson caught three passes for 111 yards and Toafili grabbed five passes for 84 yards.

“We’re used to responding, that’s what coach Norvell emphasizes a lot,” Travis said. “I’m changing my mindset. I’m taking a lot of responsibility from now on. I don’t want to lose another football game this year. My mindset coming in every day is to be the best, have a smile on my face at all times.”

Freshman Zach Pyron completed 18 of 28 passes for 198 yards as well as a TD pass and TD run for Georgia Tech (3-5, 2-3). Pyron took most of the snaps as he filled in for Jeff Sims, who left last week’s game against Virginia with an injury.

Georgia Tech started Zach Gibson at quarterback, and he was 2 of 3 on the first two drives. Georgia Tech interim coach Brent Key said the plan was to use freshman Zach Pyron on the third drive and they decided to stay with him after he settled in.

The Yellow Jackets used an onside kick to open the second half, and they capitalized as Pyron connected with EJ Jenkins on a 32-yard touchdown and cut the Florida State lead to 24-10. But the Yellow Jackets couldn’t score on their next two drives.

Georgia Tech struggled on third downs, going just 2 of 13, and the Yellow Jackets couldn’t stop Florida State, which was 9 of 15 on third downs.

“We got outplayed, offense and defense,” Key said. “Defensively, tough to get off the field on third downs.”

Florida State committed a season-high 13 penalties for 104 yards and Toafili fumbled twice. There were also a number of drops, including Travis’ third-down pass that slipped through Wilson’s fingers in the second half.

“There were things that showed up throughout the game,” Norvell said. “Offensively, had some dropped balls, way too many penalties just as a football team. That’s something that we’ve got to make sure that we maintain our control, our composure, and all things, and executing to the level I know we’re capable of.”

INJURY UPDATES

Sims threw some passes pregame but was not able to play. Interim coach Brent Key is not sure if Sims will be able to play in next week’s game.

Florida State defensive tackle Fabien Lovett returned after a five-game absence. He started the game and had one tackle.

TAKEAWAYS

Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets had just 24 yards on 24 plays in the first half and could not recover while playing a pair of backup quarterbacks.

Florida State: The Seminoles surpassed the 200-yard mark in rushing for a third straight game and controlled the game after a sloppy first quarter to defeat Georgia Tech for the first time since the 2014 ACC championship game.

UP NEXT

Georgia Tech: Plays at Virginia Tech on Saturday

Florida State: Plays at Miami on Saturday

Clemson (7-0, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) scored on six straight drives and surpassed the 30-point mark for a seventh straight game to open the season.

Will Shipley had 20 carries for 121 yards and six catches for 48 yards to help the Tigers to their seventh straight victory over the Seminoles.

Lawrance Toafili ran for 68 yards and Florida State (4-3, 2-3) accumulated 196 on the ground. Toafili also had six receptions for 45 yards, but the Seminoles dropped their third straight game.

While Florida State kept up with Clemson for the first 20 minutes, defensive end Myles Murphy’s sack of Jordan Travis forced a fumble and the Tigers were set up with a short field. Three plays later, Uiagalelei’s 5-yard TD run put Clemson up 24-14.

Travis led Florida State on a pair of touchdown drives in the fourth quarter, the second a 94-yard march that culminated in a 25-yard TD pass to Kentron Poitier with 2:17 left and cut Clemson’s lead to 34-28. But the Tigers recovered the onside kick and were able to put the game away.

TAKEAWAYS

Clemson: The Tigers were efficient on third downs, converting on 9 of 16 opportunities. They were 3 of 3 on red-zone trips (two touchdowns and a field goal), extending their perfect start to the year by scoring on 35 of 35 trips inside an opponent’s 20-yard line.

Florida State: The Seminoles were forced to roll the dice and went just 1 for 4 on fourth-down conversions, including a run on a fake punt that fell short.

UP NEXT

Clemson: Hosts No. 18 Syracuse next Saturday.

Florida State: Hosts Georgia Tech on Oct. 29.

For Devan Boykin, that meant the defense would have to drive the 14th-ranked Wolfpack to its comeback Saturday night.

“After halftime,” he said, “we knew that the game was going to be on us.”

Boykin picked off Jordan Travis’ pass in the end zone with 38 seconds left, lifting N.C. State past Florida State 19-17 despite losing quarterback Devin Leary to injury.

Boykin’s clean catch in the end zone was the clinching play on a big — and gritty — performance by the Wolfpack’s veteran defense after halftime. N.C. State held Florida State (4-2, 2-2) to 93 yards after the break, helping the Wolfpack rally from a 17-3 halftime deficit.

Christopher Dunn also kicked four field goals, including a 53-yarder early in the fourth and the go-ahead 27-yard score with 6:33 left.

The Wolfpack needed every bit of it, too, considering how daunting things looked when Leary went down late in the third. He was hit while trying to throw and suffered an injury to his right arm or shoulder, returning later to the sideline with his arm in a sling. That forced backup Jack Chambers into duty for an offense that was fighting for most of its gains even with Leary in the game.

“This team doesn’t quit,” Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said. “They don’t flinch.”

Travis and the Seminoles found success before halftime with multiple chunk gains, including a 71-yard keeper by Travis that set up a quick touchdown drive.

But Travis threw interceptions on each of the Seminoles’ last two drives, one into traffic near midfield with about 6 1/2 minutes left and the other when he lofted the ball for Mycah Pittman after the Seminoles had driven to the 23 needing a field goal for the lead.

“We made a lot of mistakes there in the second half that we’ve got to be able to overcome,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “And it’s everybody. I just told the team: that outcome is 100% on me.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Florida State: The Seminoles had managed their first 4-0 start since 2015 before falling at home to No. 15 Wake Forest last weekend. They looked ready to come back by going up 17-3, only to sputter after halftime with their share of mistakes — including a bizarre one when punter Alex Mastromanno carried the ball past the line of scrimmage and kicked it away for a penalty that led to a spot turnover and one of Dunn’s field goals.

Norvell said he thought Mastromanno lost track of where he was after avoiding a rush to start his scramble.

“It was just everything that could go wrong really in that second half really showed up,” Norvell said.

N.C. State: A season of high expectations hit its first bump with last week’s loss to No. 5 Clemson, which put the Wolfpack in catch-up mode in the Atlantic Division race behind the preseason ACC favorite. Losing Leary for any time won’t help the Wolfpack’s immediate goals to push for a 10-win season, though it was an impressive show of resilience all the same.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

N.C. State fell four spots from No. 10 after the Clemson loss. It’s unclear how this performance, or Leary’s potential absence, will impact the Wolfpack’s position in Sunday’s next AP Top 25 poll.

PACK INJURIES

Doeren said X-rays revealed no fracture on Leary and he’ll have an MRI for further evaluation on Sunday. N.C. State also lost receiver Devin Carter and running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye to injuries in this one as well.

EXTRA POINTS

Travis threw for 181 yards and a first-half touchdown to go with his two interceptions for FSU. … Leary completed 10 of 21 passes for 130 yards with one TD and one interception. … Chambers ran seven times for 39 yards and didn’t complete his only pass. … Florida State kicker Ryan Fitzgerald made a 47-yard field goal shortly before halftime. He had missed four of five coming in. … N.C. State defensive back Shyheim Battle was ejected for targeting on the Seminoles’ final drive.

DIMLY LIT

The kickoff was delayed slightly because of a pregame lighting problem.

The game was set to kick off around 8:10 p.m. But as the sun went down, the stadium lights in Carter-Finley Stadium remained off with only ribbon and scoreboard lights offering illumination of the dimly lit field.

The school said the game wouldn’t start for 47 minutes once the lights come on, though that ultimately amounted to a delay of just a few minutes beyond the scheduled TV kickoff time.

UP NEXT

Florida State: The Seminoles host No. 5 Clemson next Saturday.

N.C. State: Syracuse hosts the Wolfpack next Saturday.

Wake Forest (4-1, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) ran for 171 yards and bounced back from its double-overtime loss to No. 5 Clemson. Hartman connected with eight receivers, with A.T. Perry leading the way with eight receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown.

The Demon Deacons also converted 7 of 11 third downs and 2 of 2 fourth downs as they took a 21-7 lead at the half.

Jordan Travis connected with Mycah Pittman on touchdown receptions of 18 and six yards as the Seminoles opened both halves with TD drives. Travis completed 23 of 35 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns.

The Seminoles (4-1, 2-1) got within 28-21 with a 58-yard drive in the fourth quarter, which culminated in Travis’ 4-yard TD throw to Johnny Wilson and a two-point pass. But the Demon Deacons responded again with a long drive, ending in Matthew Dennis’ 27-yard field goal to give them a 31-21 lead with 2:55 left.

An Oregon transfer, Pittman had career bests with five receptions and 90 yards.

TAKEAWAYS

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons put together touchdown drives of 80, 90 and 75 yards, with a final 71-yard drive that resulted in a field goal. Wake also converted 10 of 18 third downs for the game.

Florida State: The Seminoles could not overcome a season-high 11 penalties and a fumble by Travis, which set Wake up with a short field and resulted in a touchdown in the second quarter.

UP NEXT

Wake Forest: Hosts Army next Saturday.

Florida State: Travels to No. 10 North Carolina State next Saturday.

The Seminoles have opened 4-0 for the first time since 2015.

Trey Benson had a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and he added a pair of touchdown runs (36 and 15). Lawrance Toafili had a 1-yard TD run, his third scoring run of his season, and Treshaun Ward had a 22-yard touchdown run. FSU (4-0, 2-0 ACC) has 12 rushing touchdowns in four games.

Kentron Poitier went up to grab a 31-yard touchdown reception, the first score on his FSU career. Darion Williamson caught five passes for 98 yards, both of which are career highs.

Florida State’s defense didn’t allow BC (1-3, 0-2) to cross midfield in the first half. The Eagles punted four times and Phil Jurkovec was picked off twice, once each by Omarion Cooper and Greedy Vance. BC finished with seven punts.

BC scored its first points late in the third quarter, when Jurkovec connected with Alex Broome on a 5-yard TD reception.

TAKEAWAYS

Boston College: Behind an inexperienced offensive line, t he Eagles managed just 235 offensive yards and were forced to punt seven times.

Florida State: The Seminoles scored 31 first-half points and had the biggest halftime lead over an ACC opponent since 2013.

UP NEXT

Boston College: Plays host to Louisville on Saturday.

Florida State: Plays host to No. 21 Wake Forest on Saturday.

Despite a slew of mistakes including a muffed punt with 2:15 left, LSU came within the extra point of tying it in the wild finish.

Florida State’s Treshaun Ward fumbled at the LSU 1 with 1:20 to go, and Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels drove LSU for a touchdown on a 2-yard pass to Jaray Jenkins with no time left.

With LSU fans celebrating an apparent two-touchdown comeback in the final 4:07 — and Florida State fans bracing themselves for what could have gone down as an infamous implosion — Brown deflected Damian Ramos’ kick, touching off a Florida State celebration during which players wildly rushed the field.

Jordan Travis passed for 260 yards and two touchdowns for Florida State.

Travis’ scoring passes came on a 39-yard throw to Ontaria Wilson on a flea flicker and a 27-yard pass that Wilson corralled with one hand while being interfered with. Travis also rushed for 31 yards on a combination of designed runs and scrambles, repeatedly leaving LSU pass rushers grasping air as he spun or darted away from pressure.

Tens of thousands garnet and gold-clad spectators helped sell-out the Superdome, virtually negating what could have been a home advantage for LSU in a game played just 80 miles from its Baton Rouge campus. And they left happy after Florida State (2-0) — coming off four straight losing seasons — prolonged a promising start to coach Mike Norvell’s third season in charge.

This game was arguably more meaningful to Norvell than Kelly, who was lured from Notre Dame with a decade-long, $100 million contract designed to give him time to remake LSU football in his image. Kelly’s staff includes only one assistant from last season, while 16 transfer players were brought in to patch up a roster in flux.

One of those transfers was former Arizona State QB Jayden Daniels, who started after a tight competition in camp with Garrett Nussmeier. He completed 26 of 35 passes for 209 yards and two TDS, both to Jenkins. Daniels also rushed for 114 yards.

Another transfer, running back Noah Cain (from Penn State), scored LSU’s first TD from a yard out on fourth down late in the third quarter to make it 17-10.

Travis marched the Seminoles right back to the end zone, highlighted by a 15-yard completion to Johnny Wilson as the elusive QB jumped away from closing defenders. DJ Lundy finished the drive with a 1-yard TD run to make it 24-10 with 9:04 to go.

LSU took its only lead, at 3-0, on its first possession. But that drive stalled shortly after first-year center Garrett Dellinger’s shotgun snap over Daniels’ head on second and goal from the FSU 5.

Florida State’s lead was just 7-3 at halftime after both teams blew red-zone opportunities.

LSU’s line didn’t look ready when the ball was snapped on a field goal attempt, and Jared Varse knifed in past left tackle Cameron Wire to block Damian Ramos’ kick.

The Seminoles couldn’t cash in on Malik Nabers first of two muffed punts, which FSU recovered on the LSU 16. Norvell kept the offense on the field on fourth and 2 from the 8, and Travis’ pass to the far corner of the end zone fell incomplete.

TAKEAWAY

Florida State: Travis’ numbers could have been better if not for some key drops. His combination of scrambling and passing ability gave LSU’s defense fits that showed up more in the Seminoles’ 392 net yards than in the final score. But the Seminoles inability to put away a game in which they were the superior team will have to be fixed.

LSU: The offensive line remains a work in progress and at times looked like a liability in the Tigers’ opener. Daniels was the Tigers leading rusher by 91 yards. Meanwhile, LSU might have to find a punt returner other than Nabers. LSU was fortunate that the Seminoles squandered both of his muffs.

INJURIES

LSU: Starting defensive end Maason Smith left the game in the first quarter with a left knee injury. His knee appeared to buckle as he came down awkwardly from hopping near when the tackle was made.

EJECTED

LSU lost a second defensive end when Ali Gaye was ejected for a targeting foul against Travis as the QB released a his touchdown pass in the third quarter.

NEXT UP

Florida State: Visits Louisville to open its ACC slate on Sept. 16.

LSU: Hosts Southern on Saturday night.

Athletic director Michael Alford said Friday a national search for a new coach would begin immediately.

Martin succeeded his father, Mike Martin Sr., as coach after the 2019 season and went 77-54 overall, 35-31 in Atlantic Coast Conference games and 2-4 in NCAA regional games.

“Making the change with our baseball coach was not an easy decision, but it is our responsibility to put our student-athletes and our teams in the best position to reach their full potential,” Alford said. “Ultimately, the decision came down to whether our baseball program was performing up to the admittedly high standards that we have established through our historic success and I do not believe we were.”

The Seminoles rank second to Texas in all-time NCAA Tournament appearances (59) and hold the longest active streak (44).

Like his father, the 49-year-old Martin played at Florida State. The younger Martin was an All-America catcher in the mid 1990s and played pro ball for a short time before returning as an assistant in 1998. He was the Seminoles’ hitting coach and top recruiter and got the head coaching job over three other finalists upon Mike Sr.’s retirement.

Florida State was 12-5 when Mike Jr.’s first season was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Seminoles were 31-24 in 2021 and 34-25 this season. They finished fourth and third, respectively, in the ACC’s Atlantic Division and never made it past two games in the conference tournament.

Mike Jr.’s son, Tyler, was a sophomore infielder for the Seminoles this season and appeared in 26 games.

“We deeply appreciate all Mike has done for the program as head coach, as an assistant coach and as a Seminole student-athlete,” Alford said. “His passion for the university and the baseball program is unequaled. I am sure I speak for all Seminole fans when I say we wish him and his family nothing but the best.”

The elder Martin remains the all-time leader in college baseball coaching wins with 2,029, and he led the Seminoles to 17 College World Series in his 40 seasons.

Semrau’s record at FSU was 470-271 and she led the Seminoles to 14 20-win seasons, including a string of eight straight from 2012 to 2020. Her teams made 16 NCAA tournaments and reached the Elite Eight three times.

She was elected president of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association in 2013 and served until 2015. She was The Associated Press coach of the year in 2015.

“It’s been a joy and a privilege to be the head coach at Florida State University,” Semrau said. “The excellent camaraderie of the coaches I worked with at FSU shaped me. I still remember on my interview Coach Bowden sitting with me and telling me that we could do this; and that he would help me. And he did. More than I could have imagined.”

Semrau wrapped up her 24th season with the Seminoles in 2021-22, guiding Florida State to its ninth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

“It is hard to put into a few words just what Sue Semrau has meant to our athletics program, our university and the women she has inspired over her career,” athletic director Michael Alford. “Sue has represented Florida State masterfully for the last 25 years and we will always be grateful.”

Semrau took a leave of absence last season to care for her mother, who had cancer, and associate head coach Brooke Wyckoff filled in as interim head coach.

Wyckoff played for Semrau at Florida State from 1997 to 2001 and then spent eight seasons in the WNBA and is expected to be considered to replace Semrau.

Florida State (17-12) will play third-ranked North Carolina State in the quarterfinals on Friday. The Seminoles lost to the ACC regular-season champions 68-48 on Feb. 3.

Florida State led 54-41 with 4:15 remaining in the fourth quarter before turning it over four times during a 12-1 Boston College run. Three of those came on consecutive possessions.

Jones made Florida State’s second field goal of the fourth with 1:12 left for a 59-55 lead, ending a three minute field-goal drought.

Leading 61-58, Florida State struggled again with Boston College’s pressure defense and with the shot clock winding down, Jones drove the lane and converted a contested layup with 7.8 seconds left. A timeout put Boston College at midcourt, but Maria Gakdeng was whistled for an offensive foul on a moving screen and Florida State ran out the clock.

Jones finished with 11 points, on 5-of-8 shooting, to become the 39th Seminole to reach 1,000 career points. Sammie Puisis added 12 points on four 3-pointers for Florida State, which has won eight of its last 11 games.

Taylor Soule scored 16 points and Gakdeng added 15 for Boston College (19-11). Cameron Swartz finished with 11 points.

Jones shot 8 of 19 and grabbed 10 rebounds for her third double-double this season. Sarah Bejedi added 10 points including a 3-pointer in overtime for the Seminoles (15-12, 9-8 Atlantic Coast Conference), who ended a five-game losing streak to Georgia Tech.

Digna Strautmane, who didn’t have a shot attempt in the first half, scored 16 points with seven rebounds and Lotta-Maj Lahtinen also had 16 points for the Yellow Jackets (19-9, 10-7), who have lost three straight and five of their last six. Nerea Hermosa added 13 points before fouling out late in regulation.

Jones’ basket with 2:34 left in overtime gave FSU a one-point lead. Bianca Jackson made a short jumper with just under a minute left for a 65-61 edge before Strautmane cut it two with 39 seconds remaining. FSU ran the clock down before missing a shot and the teams traded turnovers to end the game.

Eylia Love pivoted around a defender and scored at the hoop with 7.6 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 56-all and send it to overtime.

Trailing by seven at halftime, the Seminoles had a 15-0 run, with seven points from Strautmane, on its way to an eight-point lead before the Yellow Jackets ended the third quarter with a 9-2 burst to trail 40-39. There were five ties and three lead changes over the final five minutes of the fourth period.

FSU was 17 of 23 at the line to 7 of 9 for the Jackets.

On senior night, FSU’s Tiana England played for the first time since March 21, 2021. The senior guard has the blood flow disorder POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). With her mother watching from the stands, England started and played briefly before being subbed out.

When he got hot Saturday night, so did the ninth-ranked Blue Devils in finally stretching out a lead in a tight game.

Freshman forward Paolo Banchero scored 17 points and Baker had 12 first-half points to help Duke beat Florida State 88-70, a win coming with retiring Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski back after missing the second half of the previous game because he wasn’t feeling well.

Baker’s points came on four 3-pointers. That included back-to-back shots from each corner during the Blue Devils’ game-changing push, which turned a one-point lead into a 52-41 halftime margin and ultimately a 24-point lead late.

“I hadn’t played great obviously over the past few weeks or whatever,” Baker said. “But just staying ready for my team knowing there would be a time when my name’s called and I’ll need to step up and make some shots or make some plays.”

Baker had gone 0 for 8 from 3 over the last seven games since making three 3s against Clemson on Jan. 25.

“I thought he had two really good days of practice,” Krzyzewski said. “And he was prepared.”

The Blue Devils (23-4, 13-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) closed the half on a 12-2 burst to take a 52-41 lead against the injury-depleted Seminoles, then did a better job containing FSU’s drivers after halftime. Duke shot 52% for the game, including 11 of 28 from 3-point range.

The win allowed Duke to avenge last month’s 79-78 overtime road loss to Florida State, as well as push into sole possession of first place in the ACC with Notre Dame’s loss at Wake Forest earlier Saturday.

Freshman guard Matthew Cleveland scored 16 points to lead the Seminoles (14-12, 7-9), who played yet again with a shorthanded roster. They still had a strong start by penetrating into the paint and making 16 of 23 shots (69.6%) to offset Duke’s own strong offense in rowdy Cameron Indoor Stadium.

But the Seminoles shot just 11 of 27 (41%) after halftime as the deficit ballooned.

“I thought that we didn’t execute nearly as well in the beginning of the second half as we had in the first half,” FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. “I thought once they got up about 15 points, it was extremely challenging for us to get over that hump.”

BIG PICTURE

FSU: Injuries, a long-running issue, had the Seminoles down five starters. That included leading scorer Caleb Mills — sporting a boot on his left ankle after rolling it in last weekend’s loss at North Carolina — and 6-foot-4 senior RayQuan Evans due to a banged-up knee from Tuesday’s win against Clemson. The Seminoles played aggressively early behind Cleveland (11 first-half points) and fellow freshman Jalen Warley, who had 15 points and six assists in his third start.

“I thought they showed a lot of confidence in each other and themselves,” Hamilton said. “I thought that they showed no fear.”

Duke: The Blue Devils had six players in double figures and shared the ball well with 25 assists on 32 baskets, including eight assists from freshman Trevor Keels and seven more from Wendell Moore Jr.

“When we share the ball like that,” Keels said, “I don’t think (anybody) can beat us.”

RESTED UP

Krzyzewski looked more like himself after Tuesday’s early exit from a narrow win against Wake Forest.

The Blue Devils’ trainer had to tend to him during the first half of that game before associate head coach Jon Scheyer — Coach K’s successor when he retires this spring — took over after halftime and for the postgame news conference.

Krzyzewski said Saturday he felt better and was dealing with “basically exhaustion” after five games in 11 days.

“It’s good seeing you,” Krzyzewski quipped afterward. “I’m glad I made it to the end of the game. … They pay me to do the whole game, not portions of it. But thank goodness we’ve got a good staff.”

THE TURNING POINT

FSU trailed just 40-39 on Wyatt Wilkes’ 3-pointer with 3:53 left, ending a run of seven straight made shots.

But Duke’s run followed. Minutes after Baker’s consecutive 3s came a spectacular transition sequence with Moore throwing a roughly halfcourt bounce pass to freshman A.J. Griffin for a rim-rattling dunk and a 51-41 lead.

INJURY REPORT

Hamilton said he didn’t think Mills will be ready to play Monday. Evans has a chance to play but added: “I’m not that optimistic about it.”

“Right now we just want those guys to be healthy,” Hamilton said. “And we’re not going to play them unless I feel they’re out of any danger or making matters worse.”

UP NEXT

FSU: The Seminoles have a short turnaround, visiting Boston College on Monday.

Duke: The Blue Devils visit Virginia on Wednesday in the first of three straight road games.

Evans shot 7 of 13 from the field, 2 of 3 from the 3-point line and 12 of 13 from the free-throw line and scored Florida State’s last seven points over the final 79 seconds. Evans was fouled by Nick Honor as he hit a jumper to tie it with 14 seconds left and the free throw capped scoring.

Alex Hemingway missed a clean look at a potential game-winning corner 3 that bounced off the back of the iron as time expired. Clemson (12-14, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) has lost five games in a row since beating the Seminoles 75-69 on Feb. 2.

Cam’Ron Fletcher scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half and Matthew Cleveland added 13 points for Florida State (14-11, 7-8).

PJ Hall had a career-high 28 points for points for Clemson. Al-Amir Dawes scored 18 points and Hemenway added 12. Dawes, who went into the game 4-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc, hit a career-high four 3-pointers on 11 attempts.

Dawes scored all of Clemson’s points in a 10-5 spurt that pulled the Tigers within a point, but Fletcher hit a 3-pointer and added two free throws before he converted a three-point play in a 100-second span to give Florida State a 67-58 lead — the largest of the game by either team — with 8:34 remaining.

Hemenway answered with a dunk on the other end to spark a 20-7 run, the last six points scored by Hall to give the Tigers a 78-74 lead with 1:24 to play. Evans and Hall traded two free throws each before Evans scored five points in the final minute to cap the scoring.

Evans has scored the winning points in three games this season. The senior hit two free throws with 0.8 seconds left to lift the Seminoles to a 65-64 win over Miami on Jan. 11 and made a layup with 2 seconds left in regulation to make it 67-67 and force overtime before he hit two free throws with 12 seconds left in OT that gave FSU a 79-78 victory over then-No. 6 Duke on Jan. 18.

Clemson plays at Louisville on Saturday. Florida State hits the road to play Saturday at No. 3 Duke.

Raina Perez added 11 points and a season high-tying eight assists to help N.C. State (20-3, 11-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) rebound from a loss at No. 20 Notre Dame on Tuesday night.

“I was just reading the defense better today and my teammates were just knocking down shots,” Perez said. “I think in the Notre Dame game, we didn’t really read the defense and we didn’t really play inside-out. I think this game, we pushed the ball a little bit more.”

Elissa Cunane had 11 points and six rebounds, and Kai Crutchfield added 10 points for the Wolfpack.

Cunane’s points didn’t come easy though, as Florida State (10-10, 4-6) focused early on denying entry passes to the All-American in the post. She finished with seven shot attempts, making five of them. When Cunane didn’t get the ball, N.C. State utilized its 3-point weapons and shot 47.8% from deep.

“We were going to take away Cunane first and we did that,” Florida State coach Sue Semrau said. “They’re so hard to guard because every one of them can shoot the 3. That spreads them out and you got to pick your poison.”

O’Mariah Gordon led Florida State with 12 points. Morgan Jones had nine points, three rebounds and three blocks.

The Seminoles jumped out to an early five-point lead, but the Wolfpack ended the first quarter on a 20-3 run. Perez had six points and four assists during that stretch.

N.C. State kept Florida State at bay for the rest of the game, never allowing the Seminoles to cut the deficit to less than five points in the final three quarters. The Wolfpack took their largest lead of the game at the 3:56 mark in the fourth quarter, starting the final period with an 8-2 run to pull ahead by 22 points.

The win for N.C. State was the third game it played in the span of five days.

“Good effort on a quick turnaround,” Wolfpack coach Wes Moore said. “When we set the tone like that, I just think it’s contagious. Everybody feels more confident and comfortable. So, hopefully we continue to do that.”

BIG PICTURE

N.C. State: N.C. State’s 3-point shooting improved massively from its loss to Notre Dame. The Wolfpack shot just 5 of 20 from behind the arc against the Irish. On Thursday, N.C. State made six 3s in the first quarter, and finished with 11 makes from deep, tied for its second-most in a game this season.

Florida State: The last time Sue Semrau’s side didn’t go to the NCAA Tournament was 2012. Florida State started the season ranked No. 16 in the AP Poll, but now have a .500 record and haven’t won two straight games since early December, leaving their postseason hopes in doubt.

“We continued to fight tonight,” Semrau said. “I feel like we made some great strides here against — what I think is — a Final Four team.”

STAT OF THE NIGHT

N.C. State played some of its best defense against Florida State, holding the Seminoles to 33.3% shooting from the floor. The Seminoles connected on just 18 shots, the second-least amount they’ve made in a game this season. It was the fourth time this season that N.C. State held an ACC opponent to less than 50 points.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

N.C. State is likely to fall from its No. 3 spot in the next AP Poll after its defeat at Notre Dame. Still, the Wolfpack’s resume should be strong enough to stay in consideration for a high ranking. N.C. State has beaten five other Top 25 teams this season, and hasn’t lost an ACC game at home in nearly two years.

TIP-INS

N.C. State sophomore Diamond Johnson played just 14 minutes and finished with zero points on three shot attempts. … Mike Petersen, an advisor to the Atlanta Dream, attended the game. The Dream have the third overall pick in the WNBA draft.

UP NEXT

N.C. State: Hosts No. 12 Georgia Tech on Monday.

Florida State: Hosts No. 20 Notre Dame on Sunday.

Hall sank 5 of 8 from the floor and 5 of 6 at the free-throw line for the Tigers (12-9, 4-6 Atlantic Coast Conference), who won despite going the final 4:59 of the game without a basket.

Nick Honor came off the bench to score 10 of his 12 points in the first half for Clemson. Chase Hunter added 12 points, while reserve Naz Bohannon pitched in with 11 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Bohannon’s jumper gave the Tigers a 57-46 lead with 14:27 remaining. The Seminoles (13-8, 6-5) chipped away at the lead until Caleb Mills’ basket cut their deficit to 67-64 with 6:22 left. Hall sank four straight free throws to push the lead to six with 1:15 to go and FSU never threatened again. Hunter’s layup was the final basket for Clemson. The Tigers scored just six points from there — all at the foul line.

Mills led Florida State with 16 points. RayQuan Evans scored 11. Florida State shot 48% overall and made 7 of 22 from beyond the arc (32%).

Clemson shot 52% overall and 40% from 3-point range. The Tigers came in third in the ACC with a 38.7% mark from distance. The Tigers had a 37-24 rebound advantage and outscored the Seminoles 32-24 in the paint.

Clemson travels to play Georgia Tech on Saturday. Florida State returns home to host Wake Forest on Saturday.

In a game in which there five ties and eight lead changes, the score was especially tight in the second half until Cattoor hit back-to-back 3-pointers for a 68-60 Hokies lead with 6:41 remaining. After Florida State called timeout, the Hokies forced a turnover, Justyn Mutts turned it into two points, and Cattoor hit two more 3-pointers for a 16-point lead.

The loss was Florida State’s second ACC home setback this year, significant because the Seminoles entered the season with a near-ACC record 25-game conference winning streak at home. Virginia Tech’s last win in Tallahassee was on Feb. 24 1990 — a span of 12 losses.

Pedulla, a backup freshman guard, blew past his season highs of 11 points and three 3-pointers, making 6 of 7. Mutts added 10 points, five rebounds and four assists. Keve Aluma, the Hokies’ leading scorer at 15.8 points per game, had four fouls, attempted only four shots and scored four points.

Anthony Polite had 17 points, six rebounds and three assists for the Seminoles (13-7, 6-4 ACC). Naheem McLeod added 15 points and Matthew Cleveland scored 10.

Pedulla and Cattoor combined to make 8 of 10 3-pointers in the first half, leading the Hokies (11-10, 3-7) to a 39-31 lead at the break. Virginia Tech trailed 17-9 before scoring its next 12 points on 3-pointers, three by Pedulla and one by Cattoor. Once Virginia Tech drew even the onslaught continued and Pedulla finished the half 5-for-5 on 3-pointers while Cattoor made 3 of 5.

Florida State opened the second half with an 11-3 run but Cattoor would go on to hit six of his 3-pointers as the Hokies finished with 18 in 25 attempts. Florida State was 5 of 13 from distance.

The Cardinals used a 10-0 run midway through the second quarter to break a 19-all tie. While the Seminoles cut the Louisville lead to 40-38 midway through the third quarter, Florida State never led in the second half.

Louisville (17-2, 7-1 ACC) prevailed despite the Seminoles (9-9, 3-5) getting a season-high 28 points from All-American senior Morgan Jones.

Engstler added 12 rebounds, with Olivia Cochran contributing 17 points for Louisville.

Senior guard Mykasa Robinson, better known for her defense, matched her season high with nine points. The ACC All-Defensive team member also posted four steals.

Florida State outshot Louisville 46.3% to 41.3%, but the Cardinals forced the Seminoles into 17 turnovers while just committing eight themselves. That led to an 18-4 margin in points off turnovers.

Jones, who was hurt in the waning seconds of the game, shot 11 of 18. Sammie Puisis added 10 points for Florida State.

BIG PICTURE

Florida State: The Seminoles came into Louisville seeking a signature victory that would put them on the radar for an NCAA Tournament bid. While they hung with the Cardinals for most of the game, they could not compete with the host’s depth.

Louisville: Give the Cardinals’ bench the credit for the victory on Thursday. On a night when Louisville’s three starting guards shot just 6 for 26, Robinson, Liz Dixon (seven points and a career-high four blocks) and Ahlana Smith (six points) made the difference.

UP NEXT

Florida State plays Virginia at home on Sunday.

Louisville hosts Duke on Sunday afternoon.

Miami’s Isaiah Wong missed a contested fadeaway jumper at the buzzer. Miami used an 8-0 run in the last 2:20 to have a chance at the end.

In a near mirror-image contest, Florida State led 43-19 at halftime before the Hurricanes turned it around and outscored the Seminoles 41-18 in the second half.

Wong’s basket with 15:53 before halftime brought Miami within 8-6. They wouldn’t get closer until a Wong steal led to a fast-break lob to Sam Waardenburg to make it 61-60 with 39 seconds left.

Florida State used its final timeout with 5:39 as Miami’s frantic push forced FSU coach Leonard Hamilton to exhaust them in attempt to break the Canes’ rhythm. The ‘Noles missed 13 of their last 20 shot attempts.

The Seminoles went to halftime with a 43-19 lead after shooting 56.3% (18 for 32) with 15-made shots inside the 3-point arc. Polite made all five of his shot attempts and scored 13 points. Five Florida State reserves contributed 15 points.

Miami did just the opposite, shooting 26.1% (6 for 23) and missed 11 of 12 from beyond the arc. The Hurricanes had one point off the bench before the break.

Wong finished with 22 points and now has scored in double figures in 18 straight games.

It was Florida State’s (13-5, 6-2) ninth-straight win over Miami (14-6, 6-2). The Hurricanes are 10-2 in their last 12 with both defeats coming against FSU. The last time Miami beat Florida State was Jan. 7, 2018.

Florida State travels to Georgia Tech on Wednesday. Miami has a road contest against Virginia Tech, also on Wednesday.

The teams each won on the road in the Atlantic Coast Conference series. Syracuse earned a 63-60 win at Florida State December 4.

Mills hit back-to-back 3-pointers, the second with just under five minutes to go, to put Florida State in front 67-64. Wyatt Wilkes knocked down a 3 with 2:35 left to push the lead to four, 72-68, but Jesse Edwards hit the second of two free throws and Jimmy Boeheim put back an offensive rebound to get the Orange within one.

Syracuse forced the Seminoles into a turnover with 34 seconds left, but Boeheim’s shot rimmed off and Florida State’s Anthony Polite chased down the rebound and fed Matthew Cleveland for a a dunk when Syracuse opted not to foul.

Florida State (10-5, 4-2) shot 28 of 51 from the field and was 12 of 20 from beyond the arc. Rayquan Evans added 15 points and five assists, and his two free throws in the last seconds set the final margin. Wilkes added 11 points off the bench.

Buddy Boeheim paced Syracuse (8-9, 2-4) with 18 points. Cole Swider and Edwards contributed 17 and 15 points, respectively, and Joseph Girard III added 11. The Orange used just seven players and its bench added just four points.

Florida State plays host to No. 8 Duke Tuesday. Syracuse, which has lost four of its last five games, hosts Clemson Tuesday.

Cubaj made 10 of 18 shots and grabbed nine rebounds. Lotta-Maj Lahtinen added 16 points for Georgia Tech (13-3, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Lahtinen made a 3-pointer that gave Georgia Tech a 63-62 lead with 2:16 remaining. Morgan Jones answered with a pair of free throws for Florida State. On the next possession, Nerea Hermosa fired a pass from the top of the arc to Eylia Love, who made a layup under the basket that gave the Yellow Jackets the lead for good at 65-64 with 48.5 seconds to play.

Jones and Makayla Timpson each scored 12 points to lead Florida State (7-7, 1-3). Erin Howard added 11 points.

Georgia Tech hadn’t trailed, leading by as many as 11 points early in the second quarter, before Sammie Puisis hit consecutive 3s as part of a 14-4 run that gave Florida State a 51-46 advantage at the end of the third. The Seminoles pushed it to 62-55 with 3:52 remaining.

Florida State plays at Clemson on Tuesday. Georgia Tech plays at Miami on Sunday.

Anthony Polite had 12 points and eight rebounds and Evans finished with 11 points for Florida State (9-5, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Malik Osborne hit a 3-pointer late in the shot clock to give FSU a 63-61 lead with 27 seconds left. Moore missed a driving layup on the other end, but Jordan Miller grabbed the offensive rebound off his own missed put-back attempt and kicked it out to Moore in the corner for a 3 to give Miami a one-point lead with 7 seconds to go. Evans was fouled by Moore on a driving lay-up attempt and made the winning free throws.

The 6-foot-7 Cleveland — one of the top recruits in his class — scored seven consecutive Seminoles points before Alexander hit a 3-pointer — his first made 3 in ACC play this season — to give FSU a 52-50 lead with 8 minutes remaining. There were six lead changes and two ties from there.

The Hurricanes (13-4, 5-1), who were picked 12th in the 2021 preseason ACC poll, had won nine consecutive games, including a 76-74 win at then-No. 2 Duke last Saturday.

Moore finished with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range, and six assists for Miami. Kameron McGusty 17 points and nine rebounds.

McGusty made a layup and, 47 second later, hit a jumper about 6 minutes into the game to crack the 1,500-point plateau. The sixth-year senior, who scored 593 points in two seasons at Oklahoma before transferring to Miami in 2018, has 1,514 career points.

Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton coached at Miami from 1990 to 2000.

Florida State (8-5, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) has beaten Louisville (10-5, 4-1) in five straight games, the best in the series that dates to 1968. The Cardinals ended a three-game win streak and dropped a game back of ACC-leader Miami, which upset No. 2 Duke earlier in the day.

Freshman Matthew Cleveland, who entered averaging 9.9 points, finished with 17 points for the Seminoles.

El Ellis scored 14 points to lead the Cardinals. Samuell Williamson added 13 points and Mason Faulkner 12.

Louisville trailed by 14 with about 16 minutes remaining and used a 21-9 run to pull to 63-61 with 4:42 left. Faulkner had five points to lead six who scored for the Cardinals during the stretch.

But a 9-2 surge, capped by Cleveland’s 3-pointer, pushed the Seminoles’ advantage to 72-63 with 1:59 to play.

Mills scored 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting and made three 3-pointers in the first half as the Seminoles built a 50-40 halftime lead.

Florida State shot 46% (27 of 59) from the floor overall but just 61% (17 of 28) from the free-throw line. The Cardinals shot 41% (24 of 59) and weren’t much better at the line, hitting 70% (14 of 20).

Florida State will look to end Miami’s nine-game win streak when the Hurricane’s visit Tallahassee on Tuesday. Louisville hosts North Carolina State on Wednesday.

Howell, from Lone Tree, Colorado, had three goals and four assists in 23 games last season for the national champion Seminoles. She’s the sixth repeat female winner of the award conducted by the Missouri Athletic Club, following Mia Hamm, Cindy Parlow, Christine Sinclair, Morgan Brian, and Catarina Macario.

Howell edged Brigham Young senior midfielder Mikayla Colohan and Santa Clara senior forward Kelsey Turnbow in voting by coaches.

Polvara, from Pleasantville, New York, had seven goals and six assists in 22 games. He topped Clemson senior defender Oskar Agren and Washington senior forward Dylan Teves in the voting.

His next move? Directing, of course.

“I stayed on beat!” said Carter, one of 27 seniors playing their final game at Florida Field.

It was a fitting end for Carter and the Gators, who finally found some rhythm after a two-month roller-coaster ride that included coach Dan Mullen’s firing.

Anthony Richardson came off the bench and led the Gators to a 24-21 victory over rival Florida State on Saturday that made them bowl eligible a week after Mullen’s dismissal. Florida had lost nine of its previous 11 games against Football Bowl Subdivision teams.

Richardson replaced turnover-prone Emory Jones early in third quarter and completed 5 of 7 passes for 55 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown to Justin Shorter that gave the Gators (6-6) some breathing room in a tight game.

Dameon Pierce took over from there, going untouched for a 2-yard score after running around and through the Seminoles (5-7). His touchdown came four plays after getting penalized 15 yards for continuing to participate without a helmet. Pierce finished with 62 yards on the ground.

“It’s just means so much to send us out the right way, the seniors,” Pierce said. “All week, that was all we talked about, ‘Man, we’re going to send y’all out the right way.’ And the seniors saying, ‘We going to go out the right way.’ Everybody had that same goal. Everybody worked toward that same goal. Just to see it pay off on the field.

“It might not have been as pretty as we wanted it to be, but there’s beauty in it. I wouldn’t want it easy. I like a hard-fought battle and that’s what it was today.”

The Seminoles scored to make it close in the final minutes, but they badly botched an onside kick. Parker Grothaus essentially whiffed trying to hit the top of the ball, barely brushing it and knocking it off the tee. Florida took over and ran out the clock for their third straight victory in the series.

“I’ve never seen that before in my life,” said Florida’s Greg Knox, who improved to 2-0 as an interim head coach. “That was a big one.”

Florida State, which entered the game as a 2½-point underdog despite winning its previous two games, will miss the postseason for the third time in four years.

“It’s a hard way to end the season because this is a team that continued to believe,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said.

Added FSU quarterback Jordan Travis: “Losing sucks.”

RICHARDSON’S FUTURE

Richardson declined to give a definitive decision on his future. Asked whether he is committed to staying at Florida, he responded “I’m a Gator.”

No one should be surprised to see Richardson wait until after Florida’s next coach is announced to make his choice on staying or entering the transfer portal.

CHIPPY GAME

The game included a pregame skirmish, countless exchanges after the whistle and numerous mistakes — six turnovers and 22 penalties for 196 yards.

TURNING POINT

A 61-yard punt proved critical for both teams. FSU’s Ontaria Wilson muffed a fair catch on the booming punt, and Florida’s Xzavier Henderson pounced on the loose ball at the FSU 33.

Even more troubling for the ’Noles, they allowed Florida to convert on a third-and-21 play on the ensuing drive. Richardson found Malik Davis in the flat. Davis slipped a tackle and powered for the first down. Richardson’s TD pass to Shorter came five plays later.

GUTSY PERFORMANCE

FSU’s Travis battled through a right shoulder injury that twice forced him out of the game. He ran for a 9-yard TD in the second and scampered for 34 more in the fourth to set up Treshaun Ward’s score.

Travis completed 18 of 29 passes for 202 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. He ran 17 times for 102 yards and was sacked four times — all by Brenton Cox.

“We had him out there scrambling for his life,” Florida’s Carter said.

THE TAKEAWAY

Florida State: The Seminoles have lost three in a row to Florida for the first time since Bobby Bowden and Urban Meyer roamed the sidelines. FSU can only hope to make up ground with its next recruiting class, which is currently ranked higher than Florida’s.

Florida: The Gators don’t want to wait long to fill their coaching void. Louisiana’s Billy Napier appears to be Florida’s top target although the Ragin’ Cajuns play next Saturday in the Sun Belt Conference championship game.

UP NEXT

Florida State awaits spring practice and Norvell’s third season.

Florida has to determine if it will play in a bowl with a new coaching staff headed to Gainesville soon.