FSU’s Travis carted off the field after leg injury

Published 4:00 pm Monday, November 20, 2023

TALLAHASSEE- Anytime a star player plays his last home game, fans look forward to a special occasion filled with excitement, ceremony and victory. But on Saturday, as Florida State took on North Alabama, Doak Campbell Stadium went silent as star quarterback Jordan Travis went down with an obvious leg injury.

With just under two minutes left in the first quarter, Travis scrambled and left the backfield for a first down and more. As he was brought down, a North Alabama defender came down hard on Travis’ left leg. After the play, Travis remained on the ground and immediately called for the medical staff. The shot of his legs was stomach churning as viewers could see the odd orientation of his foot.

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At the time of writing, there has been no word of the exact injury that Travis sustained, but it is obvious that it is a season-ending injury. The look of Travis’ foot on camera was eerily similar to that of Gordon Hayward, an NBA player who went down with an ankle injury in the first game off the 2017-2018 season. Hayward’s ankle was fractured and dislocated and required surgery, which put him out for the entire NBA season, including the playoffs. All indications point toward Travis’ injury being similar.

Florida State fans will, unfortunately, never see Travis take the gridiron for the Noles again as this was his last season with Florida State. On a video he released on Sunday, Travis had this to say.

”Just wanted to let you know I’m doing good, feeling good. Got a smile on my face,” Travis said. “Just gonna follow God’s plan. God has a journey for me. I’m gonna trust Him every step of the way. I appreciate y’all for all the messages. Go Noles.”

Just to add some salt to the wound, the Noles have lost the number four spot in the College Football Playoff Rankings. They now sit at number five and Washington, who has been on FSU’s tail all year, has taken their number four spot. This was not unexpected, however.

Florida State has recorded only two top 25 wins, over number five LSU and number 16 Duke. Neither of those teams are currently ranked in the AP top 25. Meanwhile, Washington has been tearing up the powerhouse PAC-12. They have four wins over top 25 opponents, including number eight Oregon, number 18 Utah, and on Saturday they took down number eleven Oregon State in seriously rough weather.

Now, the Seminoles will turn to back up Tate Rodemaker. Rodemaker performed well in the remainder of the North Alabama game, throwing for 217 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Rodemaker found the field earlier in the year in FSU’s first home game against Southern Miss, where he was a perfect three for three for 73 yards and a two touchdowns. However, the teams left on the Noles’ schedule are not Southern Miss and North Alabama. This Saturday they face in-state rival Florida, who just took a number nine Missouri team to the brink. The ACC Championship game is also officially FSU vs number ten ranked Louisville. Rodemaker will have to be in top form to beat these upcoming opponents.

Noles head coach Mike Norvell stated that he believes in his quarterback and so does the team headed into the Florida match up, a game that just got significantly more interesting.

”He’s been preparing all season. A few weeks ago in my office, we had a one-on-one just talking about being prepared in case the moment ever called for you. Tate does a great job in his preparation,” Norvell said. “Our guys have a lot of confidence in Tate because they watch him practice every day. They know the talent, they know the ability. He never seemed rattled in the moment. He was prepared and ready, and I thought he did a wonderful job and played really well.”