The Florida State fan base has long held Jordan Travis in high regard, but the team’s struggles since his injury that ended his career with the Seminoles may have deepened that affection. The team’s offensive performance has sharply declined since Travis was injured during a game against North Alabama last year.
During the final 27 games that Travis started, Florida State surpassed 300 total yards on offense in every game, exceeding 400 yards in 19 of those contests and reaching 500 yards eight times. However, since his injury, the Seminoles have not managed to achieve 300 yards in any of the five games they’ve played.
While some of these games were against strong opponents like Georgia and Louisville, the other matches included a disappointing Florida team and two teams, Boston College and Georgia Tech, which recorded 7-6 records in 2023.
Travis’s absence was anticipated, but the extent to which he may have been concealing issues within the offense was not fully understood.
DJ Uiagalelei, the quarterback stepping into Travis’s shoes, has faced challenges. Though he has a powerful arm, he has struggled with accuracy on intermediate throws, reading defenses, and decisiveness in running during his time at Clemson and Oregon State. Despite this, he was believed to be capable of managing the offense effectively given the talent surrounding him. His performance at Oregon State was decent, averaging 219.8 passing yards per game with 21 touchdowns against seven interceptions.
Currently, at Florida State, Uiagalelei is averaging 6.7 yards per attempt, with only one touchdown and one interception over two games. Notably, his touchdown pass on Monday night ended a 19-quarter drought without a passing touchdown for the Seminoles, dating back to the matchup against North Alabama.
The combination of an inconsistent quarterback and receivers who struggle with separation and catching has severely hampered the team’s passing game. Head coach Mike Norvell commented on the lack of success in the passing game, highlighting issues with winning one-on-one matchups and pressure on the quarterback.
Fans expressed their frustration during the game by chanting for backup quarterback Brock Glenn, despite the fact that judging him based on limited previous appearances is challenging. His past performance showed 17 completions on 47 attempts for 194 yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions, which raises questions about his readiness to step in now.
While Uiagalelei has not met expectations as a replacement quarterback, he is not the sole reason for the offense’s struggles. The impact of Travis’s absence is particularly evident in the run game. Throughout his career at Florida State, Travis posed a significant rushing threat, compiling 31 rushing touchdowns and 1,910 rushing yards, the highest for any quarterback in the program’s history. His unique athleticism may have led to underestimating the offensive line’s performance without him.