TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) On an afternoon when Florida State honored its 1993 national championship team, the current Seminoles routed Syracuse and secured a 6-0 start for the first time in eight years.
Jordan Travis ran for two touchdowns and tossed a 56-yard scoring pass to Keon Coleman as No. 4 Florida State routed Syracuse 41-3 on Saturday, the Seminole's 12th consecutive win.
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. The senior returned after halftime as the Seminoles (4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) surpassed the 30-point mark for a 12th straight game.
The last FSU team to win six straight to open a season finished 10-3 under Jimbo Fisher in 2015. This year's Seminoles have played with an injured Travis, and one of the team's top receivers, Johnny Wilson, did not play against Syracuse after leaving last week's game due to an injury.
Coleman stepped in and delivered in a big way. The junior transfer from Michigan State tied his season best in receptions (nine) and had a season-high 140 receiving yards. He elevated in the first quarter to make a one-handed 27-yard grab to set up a touchdown, added a touchdown in the second quarter and had a 72-yard punt return that set up a field goal.
Coleman said he felt a need to be productive but not necessarily step up in Wilson's absence.
Florida State's defense was dominant, forcing Syracuse to punt nine times while also producing a fumble and an interception of backup Carlos Del Rio Wilson in the final seconds.
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).
Shrader came down with food poisoning on Friday night, Babers said postgame. The Syracuse quarterback played for three quarters and left the game when the Orange began sending in reserves.
UP NEXT
Syracuse: Visits Virginia Tech on Oct. 26.
Florida State: Hosts No. 17 Duke on Saturday.