Ole Miss v Florida State: Full Highlights, final score, and more

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The matchup between the fourth-ranked FSU Seminoles and the number eleven Ole Miss Rebels on Monday night from the Citrus Bowl Stadium started off with a bang. Chad Kelly showed his flawless passing to gain the Rebels a TD in the first four minutes. Unfortunately, they also lost one of their best cover players, cornerback Ken Webster, in the same series of plays.  The Ole Miss defense targeted Dalvin Cook early on. Just while it seemed the Rebels were gaining tempo over the ‘Noles, Jesus Wilson snagged a much-needed interception.

That was short-lived as freshman QB Francois threw a three-and-out after. The Seminole defense made adjustments and kicked into high gear. There were a series of errors by the ‘Nole offense-not atypical for a young QB facing intense pressure.  These errors cost FSU 20 yards; when the ‘Noles finally got to the end zone, they had to settle for a field goal. Then things got really ugly for FSU-Ole MIss scored twice in minutes.  There was a comedy of errors on both sides of the ball just before the half, and the ‘Noles had to take yet another field goal. The score was 28-13 going into the half, with the Rebels dominating the Seminoles. The ‘Noles looked sloppy and unprepared the first half of this game.

FSU’s kicker, Ricky Aguayo, certainly has the same technical brilliance and accuracy as his older brother and managed to keep the ‘Noles competitive. The ‘Noles came out in the second half on fire.  They scored twice in the first five minutes of the second half to cut the  Rebels’ lead to only five points. Ole Miss got sloppy and the ‘Noles, sensing weakness like a shark senses blood in the water, took full advantage. Six minutes into the third quarter and the ‘Noles scored another TD to take the lead.

The Twitterverse, which had been opining that FSU was deliberately throwing the game, reversed so quickly it made my head spin. Deondre Francois seemed to gain confidence as the game progressed, but FSU’s o-line still needs tweaking if they have an eye on a national title this season. The penalties were out of hand.

Regardless, the ‘Noles have always been a second-half team and they came storming out the last half of this game. In less than 15 minutes the ‘Noles had scored 30 points without a murmur from the Rebels. The Rebels scored again early in the 4th, bringing the game back to one  possession. The ‘Noles were far from done-true freshman Aguayo was the hero of the game, single-handedly scoring 18 points  for the Seminoles. The Seminoles won the game 45-34.

Highlights

And after the ‘Noles 3rd-quarter comeback:

After Aguayo’s 5th! FG for the ‘Noles:

Odds

The spread had the Seminoles leading by 4.5. Since Ole Miss was the team that took down ‘Bama twice, I knew that they had the talent to give FSU a fight. The ‘Noles covered the spread handily, beating the Rebels by 11 points.

Next Week

FSU will be hosting Charleston Southern next week at home in Tallahassee. Ole Miss plays the Wofford Terriers at home in Oxford.

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