TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Playing on short rest, Florida State wasn’t just looking to avoid a letdown. The Seminoles didn’t let up, not even with second-team players.
Trey Benson had three touchdown runs and No. 4 Florida State routed Southern Miss 66-13 in its home opener Saturday night for the most points under coach Mike Norvell.
“It’s scary because we still haven’t had our best game yet,” Benson said. “We still left a lot of points out on the field.”
The Seminoles (2-0) have scored 35 or more points in eight straight games, the longest active streak in the nation. On Saturday, they did it in the third quarter — and before Southern Miss (1-1) found the end zone.
Florida State cruised in its home opener, moving the ball with efficiency on the ground and in the air as they accumulated 554 offensive yards and averaged 8 yards per play.
Jordan Travis threw for 175 yards and two touchdowns, and backup Tate Rodemaker added a pair of touchdown passes in the third quarter. Travis’ first touchdown, a 10-yard pass to Darion Williamson, gave him 50 career TD passes.
Caziah Holmes added a 40-yard touchdown run as the Seminoles ran for 306 yards on 37 carries — averaging 8.3 yards. Florida State was able to move the ball at will even without starting offensive linemen Maurice Smith and Robert Scott.
Florida State’s first-team defense also kept Southern Miss from scoring in the first half, forcing four three-and-outs and Jarrian Jones returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.
“I like our guys’ mindset,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “This was a really good week of work for what they invested. Ultimately you have to go do it. I thought they did a great job tonight, some great plays on both sides of the ball.”