Game recap: Florida State football defeats Georgia Tech in dominating fashion

Florida State will look to finish strong in its final five games this season.

Coming off a bye week, the Seminoles are searching for their first win in more than a month. They are on a three-game losing streak, falling to Wake Forest (31-21), NC State (19-17) and Clemson (34-28).

FSU (4-3, 2-3 ACC) has a solid opportunity to bounce back when hosting Georgia Tech (3-4, 2-2) in Doak Campbell Stadium at noon Saturday (TV: ACC Network).

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Per Bet Online on Saturday morning, the Seminoles are 23-point favorites. The last time FSU entered a game against a Power Five opponent favored by more than 23 points, per Covers.com, came before its 43-3 victory over Wake Forest on Oct. 4, 2014. The Seminoles were 37.5-point favorites in that game.

The Yellow Jackets started 1-3 this season, which resulted in head coach Geoff Collins being fired on Sept. 26. In his time at Georgia Tech, Collins tallied a 10-28 record and never won more than three games in a season.

Over the last three games, though, the Yellow Jackets have shown improvement. They defeated Pittsburgh (26-21) and Duke (23-20) before losing to Virginia (16-9) last Thursday. One more win would give Georgia Tech its most since finishing 7-6 in 2018.

Whether Yellow Jacket quarterback Jeff Sims will play Saturday remains to be seen. Sims permanently left the Virginia game with a foot injury, but he practiced Wednesday. Backup quarterbacks Zach Gibson and Zach Pyron would be the top options to replace Sims.

FSU leads the all-time series with Georgia Tech, 14-11-1, and holds a 6-2 advantage in Tallahassee. The Yellow Jackets won the last two meetings, which were in 2015 and 2020.

3:20 p.m. | FSU defeats Georgia Tech 41-16

FSU defeated Georgia Tech, 41-16, in front of a crowd of 61,007 at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday.

The Seminoles (5-3, 3-3 ACC) dominated the Yellow Jackets (3-5, 2-3) in total yardage, outgaining them 642-264.

Quarterback Jordan Travis went 24 of 36 through the air for a career-high 396 passing yards, along with three touchdowns. An FSU quarterback has eclipsed 400 passing yards only 19 times in history.

Running back Trey Benson led all rushers with 111 yards on 18 carries. Wide receiver Johnny Wilson recorded a game-high 111 receiving yards, along with three catches and a touchdown.

2:37 p.m. | FSU enters fourth quarter with 31-10 lead

FSU stumbled to start the second half before finishing the third quarter strong.

The Seminoles now enter the fourth quarter with a 31-10 advantage.

Georgia Tech recovered an onside kick to begin the half. The Yellow Jackets then completed a six-play, 54-yard drive that ended with a 32-yard touchdown reception from wide receiver E.J. Jenkins. That score cut FSU's lead to 24-10.

On their first offensive drive of the second half, though, the Seminoles responded well. Receiver Ja'Khi Douglas caught a 24-yard touchdown pass, which capped a 12-play, 91-yard drive that included three third-down conversions.

1:42 p.m. | FSU heads into halftime with commanding 24-3 advantage

After a tough start, FSU had a dominant second quarter.

The Seminoles are now ahead 24-3 going into halftime.

Quarterback Jordan Travis connected with wide receiver Johnny Wilson on a 78-yard touchdown pass with 10:34 remaining in the first half. Travis threw his second touchdown pass on FSU's next offensive possession, finding running back Lawrance Toafili for a 62-yard score with 2:52 remaining.

And as time expired, kicker Ryan Fitzgerald connected on a 34-yard field goal.

Travis completed 15 of 24 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Trey Benson led all rushers with 68 yards on 11 carries. Wilson recorded a game-high 87 receiving yards on two receptions.

On the other side of the ball, the Seminoles were dominant. They held Georgia Tech to 24 yards on 24 plays and only one first down. The Yellow Jackets turned 16 carries into only seven rushing yards. 

Overall, FSU outgained Georgia Tech 360-24 in total yardage.

12:50 p.m. | FSU enters second quarter with 7-3 lead

FSU had a tough first quarter.

Until their last offensive play of the quarter, the Seminoles trailed 3-0 despite outgaining Georgia Tech 124-2 in total yardage. Running back Lawrance Toafili then found the end zone on a seven-yard run, giving FSU a 7-3 lead.

The Yellow Jackets scored their field goal after capitalizing on a costly miscue. Toafili mishandled a snap on a third-and-goal at the one-yard line, which led to linebacker Charlie Thomas recovering and returning it 71 yards.

The Seminole offense also had their opening drive end with a turnover on downs in Georgia Tech territory.

Running back Trey Benson has been effective so far. He leads all rushers with 47 yards on seven carries. Wide receiver Ja'Khi Douglas has a game-high 27 receiving yards on one catch. Quarterback Jordan Travis has completed 7 of 12 passes for 75 yards.

12:03 p.m. | FSU vs. Georgia Tech officially underway

FSU won the toss, deferred and will now kickoff to Georgia Tech to start the game.

There is a smaller crowd at Doak Campbell Stadium today, which can be seen below.

11:40 a.m. | FSU announces starting lineups

Below are the starting lineups FSU just announced on the videoboard.

• Offense: LT Robert Scott Jr., LG Dillan Gibbons, C Maurice Smith, RG D'Mitri Emmanuel, RT Jazston Turnetine, TE Camren McDonald, TE Markeston Douglas, WR Mycah Pittman, WR Ontaria Wilson, WR Johnny Wilson, RB Lawrance Toafili, RB Trey Benson, QB Jordan Travis.

• Defense: DE Derrick McLendon II, DE Jared Verse, DT Fabien Lovett, DT Robert Cooper, LB Kalen DeLoach, LB Tatum Bethune, CB Kevin Knowles II, CB Renardo Green, CB Jarrian Jones, S Akeem Dent, S Jammie Robinson.

• Special teams: LS James Rosenberry Jr., K Ryan Fitzgerald, P Alex Mastromanno.

11:25 a.m. | FSU defensive tackle Fabien Lovett dressed out vs. Georgia Tech

FSU defensive tackle Fabien Lovett just took the field and is dressed out.

Lovett has been in street clothes for every game since he went down with his injury against LSU on Sept. 4. So it looks like he will be available for the Seminoles.

Jackson also is on the field for pregame warmups, which means every defensive player on FSU's two-deep depth chart is dressed out.

Running back Treshaun Ward and wide receivers Darion Williamson and Winston Wright Jr. were not seen on the field participating in pregame warmups.

11:15 a.m. | FSU defensive tackle Fabien Lovett indicates he will play vs. Georgia Tech

FSU defensive tackle Fabien Lovett indicated on Instagram that he will play against Georgia Tech.

Lovett, who has not played since suffering a lower right leg injury against LSU on Sept. 4, was considered a game-time decision.

11:05 a.m. | Georgia Tech makes announcement on Jeff Sims' availability

Quarterback Jeff Sims will be available but only as an emergency quarterback, Georgia Tech announced.

Which means either Akron transfer Zach Gibson or true freshman Zach Pyron will earn the start at quarterback against Florida State.

Sims permanently left the Virginia game last Thursday with a foot injury.

10:50 a.m. | FSU running back Treshaun Ward not seen on the field

Treshaun Ward is not on the field during the early portion of pregame warmups.

FSU running backs David Johnson took the field with every player at his position besides Ward, including Trey Benson, Lawrance Toafili, Rodney Hill and CJ Campbell.

Georgia Tech quarterback Jeff Sims also has not participated in pregame warmups so far. His backups, Zach Gibson and Zach Pyron, are warming up.

10:20 a.m. | FSU players on the field for pregame warmups

Several unpadded FSU players are now on the field for pregame warmups.

The Seminoles will wear white helmets with garnet jersey and garnet pants against Georgia Tech.

With FSU playing a struggling team at noon during the weekend before Halloween, a smaller crowd is expected today at Doak Campbell Stadium. There were not nearly as many fans walking around the stadium as there were for the Seminoles' previous four home games.

Representatives from the Gator Bowl and the Cheez-It Bowl are at the game.

10 a.m. | Pregame injury updates

There will be a handful of FSU players who will be worth monitoring during pregame warmups.

Defensive tackle Fabien Lovett will look to play in a game for the first time since suffering a lower right leg injury against LSU on Sept. 4. Coach Mike Norvell said Wednesday that he expects Lovett to be a game-time decision against Georgia Tech.

Another starter, running back Treshaun Ward, may not be available to play. He went down with an apparent collarbone injury at NC State on Oct. 8 and missed the ensuing Clemson game. His injury did not require surgery, per Norvell.

Backup defensive tackle Jarrett Jackson missed the Clemson game for unspecified reasons. Wide receiver Darion Williamson and tight end Jackson West continued to appear on the two-deep depth chart Monday, but they have not played in recent games. Williamson suffered an undisclosed injury against Boston College on Sept. 24. West has yet to play in a game this season.

West Virginia receiver transfer Winston Wright Jr. is still working his way back from the leg injury he suffered in a car accident in March.

Offensive linemen Bless Harris and Kayden Lyles and linebacker Stephen Dix Jr. are out for the season with undisclosed injuries.

Georgia Tech quarterback Jeff Sims also will be worth watching in pregame warmups. He permanently left the game against Virginia last Thursday with a foot injury. Backups Zach Gibson and Zach Pyron are the Yellow Jackets’ other options at quarterback.

Reach Carter Karels at ckarels@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @CarterKarels. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).

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