Florida State Earns Spot in Kirk Herbstreit's Top Performers After Rivalry Weekend
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The Florida State Seminoles are in a tough spot with Jordan Travis suffering a season-ending injury late into the season. Despite the loss of their star, the Seminoles finished the regular season in the most fitting way they could have -- beating Florida on the road with two backup quarterbacks playing.
The Seminoles pulled out the 24-15 victory in Gainesville and took the opportunity to add a piece of the Gators' field to the Sod Cemetery.
In rivalry week, plenty of games were closely contested. Auburn versus Alabama was a classic, ending in an eventual game-winning touchdown from Jalen Milroe and the Crimson Tide. Kentucky defeated Louisville -- the Seminoles' next opponent -- as an underdog. There was plenty of good football played in rivalry week to close a fun regular season of college football.
Still, despite the exciting action around the country, the Seminoles were one of Kirk Herbstreit's top-performing teams of Week 13.
According to Herbstreit, the Seminoles had the No. 6 performance of the week. They barely edged out the Oklahoma State Cowboys, who completed an 18-point comeback to secure a spot in the Big 12 title game. They also were slotted just behind Iowa State, who took down Kansas State 42-35 in a snowy game.
For the Seminoles to get respect for their performance is huge, given the situation with Travis being out for the season and Tate Rodemaker leading the way.
In some ways, Rodemaker being able to play in a tough atmosphere in Gainesville is a good thing. He could have an added layer of comfort leading the Seminoles in the ACC Championship game on Saturday.
Florida State running back Trey Benson led the way offensively, though, as he had 95 rushing yards on 95 carries while running into the end zone on three occasions. Jared Verse was a monster on the other end, as he had 2.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, and six total tackles on the game.
Whether or not the Seminoles can put together a good performance against Louisville this weekend will be interesting to watch.
Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the 2023 season.
