Fansided

Ole Miss vs Florida State recap: 3 things we learned

By Connor Muldowney

Sep 5, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Deondre Francois (12) drops back to throw the ball in the second quarter against the Mississippi Rebels at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 5, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Deondre Francois (12) drops back to throw the ball in the second quarter against the Mississippi Rebels at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

What did we learn from Monday night’s Ole Miss vs Florida State game down in Orlando?

Could this be the season Florida State gets back to its national title-having ways and repeats the type of season it had in 2013? The Seminoles have the talent and began the season ranked No. 4 in the nation, facing off against the No. 11 Ole Miss Rebels on Monday night in Orlando, Fla.

Ole Miss wasn’t ready to lay down and just give one of the ACC’s premier teams an easy victory to start the season. The Rebels had the luxury of returning an All-American caliber quarterback in senior Chad Kelly to combat Florida State’s Heisman-candidate running back Dalvin Cook.

The Rebels took a commanding 28-6 lead before the Seminoles fought their way back, scoring 30 straight points in the last minute of the second quarter and first 10-plus minutes of the third.

Related Story: 27 most shocking college football upsets ever

The second half was all Florida State until a fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Chad Kelly to Van Jefferson and a missed two-point conversion made it 39-34. Florida State didn’t look back, extending the lead to 45-34 and taking the season opener.

What did we learn from the big-time matchup on Monday night?

1. Deondre Francois is legit

Redshirt freshman Deondre Francois is a natural-born leader, which is the main reason as to why he was granted the starting job before the matchup with No. 11 Ole Miss. He looked solid early on in the game, but progressively got better and gained the respect of his teammates along the way.

Not only is he a great future captain, but the second-year dual-threat from Orlando put up some gaudy numbers in his first career start. He passed for 420 yards and two touchdowns on 33-of-52 completions while rushing for 59 yards.

2. If Ole Miss plays four quarters, it can be great

I know what you’re thinking: Ole Miss can’t close out an opponent. This might be true, but it’s the first week of the season and we’ve already seen the best and worst of the Rebels. This team has the talent to put a team away early, like when they built a 28-6 lead against Florida State, but it fell asleep in the second half, allowing a 33-0 run.

If Ole Miss can play four quarters of consistent football each week, the Rebels will be a College Football Playoff contender, without a doubt.

3. Florida State can win without Dalvin Cook

Dalvin Cook is one of the best running backs in college football, hands down. He has the potential to get six or seven yards every time he touches the ball and even when he’s not 100 percent, he looks like a superstar in the run game.

However, he wasn’t as effective on Monday night and the Seminoles still came back without him putting up crazy numbers like he’s capable of. Florida State can win games without an elite offensive threat in Cook, showing they have the talent to go a very long way this season.

Although he did put up 100 yards receiving to help out Francois, he only recorded 4.0 yards per carry.

Highlights

https://twitter.com/AudibleSports/status/772989516382670848

Florida State will host Charleston Southern next week while Ole Miss will have just as easy a game when the Rebels host Wofford.

Home/College Football