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Andrea Adelson, ESPN Senior Writer
CLEMSON, S.C. — Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis aggravated a left shoulder injury during Saturday’s game against Clemson, but he was not going to let that keep him from throwing the winning touchdown pass. Not after the way he believes the Tigers’ defense played the Seminoles all game.
Travis threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Keon Coleman in overtime to win the game for the Seminoles 31-24, their first victory at Clemson since 2013. It allowed Florida State to remain undefeated after yet another close call. The touchdown throw gave Florida State its first lead of the game.
“I feel like we were disrespected all day,” Travis said afterward. “I mean, 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. I missed a lot of throws early on against one-on-ones. I wish I could go back and complete them. But man, we stepped up when we needed to. Keon made a big-time play, the offensive line gave me time and that’s just a fade one-on-one. I like my guy every single time.”
Wilson and Coleman combined to make 10 catches for 180 yards. Coleman had two receiving touchdowns.
Travis, who injured his left shoulder last week against Boston College, said he aggravated the injury during the contest but refused to come out.
“Yeah, I tweaked it a little bit, but it’s football,” Travis said. “It’s a tough game, especially playing quarterback. You’ve got to be one of the toughest guys on the field.”
Travis made the big play at the end when his team needed it most. But for a lot of the second half, the Florida State offense was out of sync. Its run game never got going, and Travis missed a bunch of throws — including two on the final drive of regulation as the Seminoles were trying to get into field goal range.
“They were trying to get it to me at the end of regulation, but we didn’t get the flag we should have got,” Coleman said. “They said, ‘We’re coming back to you,’ and they let me do what I do best. J-Trav threw it to me, and that’s the game.”
Clemson turned up the pressure on Travis in the second half; he was 5-of-15 for 94 yards with two sacks when under pressure. But on the final touchdown, Clemson did not blitz or get any pressure on Travis.
“They were disrespecting me a little bit. I don’t think they believed I could make those throws, and I’m glad it ended like that. So glad it ended like that,” Travis said. “It shows the journey and all the ups and downs. It’s like a roller coaster. I overcame it all, and this football team overcame it all. So grateful for a moment like that.”
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said there was no disrespect intended, calling Travis “a great player.”
“He can really run, and we thought this gave us the best chance to put pressure on him and not have him sit there and pick us apart,” Swinney said. “I think he’s an amazing player with a ton of heart. … He’s as good as there is in the country.”
While defending ACC champion Clemson drops to 0-2 in ACC play for the first time since 2010, Florida State has survived two close calls in two straight weeks and appears to be the favorite to make it to the ACC championship game. A September that presented two major tests — the opener against LSU and this game against Clemson — ends at 4-0 with an open date to heal and correct a lot of their mistakes.
“We’ve been through it,” coach Mike Norvell said. “We’ve been challenged, we’ve been knocked down, we’ve had to get up, but they continued to push. And as we talk about, we’re on our climb. And ultimately, if every day we continue to get better, I’m going to put no limits to what this team can accomplish. Because those are the type of games that you’ve got to show what you can do in those moments.”
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