Huddle up! Here’s a look back at this weekend on the gridiron, with three key takeaways from the state’s football scene -- and a glimpse at what’s to come next week.
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Can Seminoles overcome injury to star Jordan Travis?
It’s possible that never has a blowout win felt like more of a loss in the history of Florida State football than Saturday’s 58-13 win over North Alabama.
That’s because star quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Jordan Travis suffered a gruesome ankle injury and had to be carted off of the field in a leg cast. There was no official word on his status for the rest of the season as of Sunday night, but this doesn’t look good for the Seminoles.
At the very least, it would be a miracle of Travis can play in Saturday’s rivalry showdown at Florida and in the following week’s ACC championship game against Louisville.
If somehow Florida State can survive both of those games, then there might be hope that Travis can return in January for a College Football Playoff semifinal, if of course Florida State makes it that far.
In the meantime, Florida State will likely pin its hopes on its defense, running game and backup quarterback Tate Rodemaker to shoulder the load in the absence of Travis.
Gators also have QB issues in what could be must-win game for Billy Napier
It will likely be the “Backup Quarterback Bowl” in Gainesville on Saturday when Florida State and Florida hook up.
In addition to Travis, Florida starting quarterback Graham Mertz likely also will be sitting the game after suffering a fractured collarbone in a 33-31 loss to Missouri.
Backup Max Brown will likely get the start for the Gators against the Seminoles in what might already be a crucial game for Florida head coach Billy Napier.
A loss would put Florida at 5-7 and likely end any hopes for a bowl game. It might be only Napier’s second year, but fans are already getting restless and missing a bowl game wouldn’t be a sign of progress.
Injury to Achane overshadows win for Dolphins
The good news for the Miami Dolphins was that they improved to 7-3 on the year with a 20-13 win at home over Las Vegas.
The bad news was that in his first game since coming back off of the injured list, rookie running back De’Von Achane left the game in the first quarter after suffering another knee injury.
Achane had more than 500 yards from scrimmage in his first four games, and if he can’t get back on the field again soon, it would take a big all-purpose weapon away from the Dolphins.