Florida State vs Ole Miss final score: Seminoles rally to win 45-34

The Florida State Seminoles and Ole Miss Rebels capped off the greatest opening weekend in college football with a Labor Day meeting at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. It was as great a match-up as you would expect for two top 15 teams.

It was a tale of two halves for Jimbo Fisher’s club as they made a big comeback in the second half. They scored 36 straight points after trailing by 22 in the first half to pull out the big win over Hugh Freeze’s team.

The Rebels got on the board first after a quick 75-yard drive that saw quarterback Chad Kelly hook up with true freshman A.J. Brown and Seminoles safety Derwin James Jr. get hit with a 15-yard late hit penalty. They capped the drive off with a three-yard strike to Damore’ea Stringfellow for the touchdown.

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The offense of the Rebels looked strong from the get go, but James stepped up and made a big play for the Seminoles. He made up for the penalty and intercepted a pass from Kelly.

The Landshark defense dug in and stopped the Seminoles, forcing a field goal to make the score 7-3. The Rebelse continued to show their dominance on offense, however, as Kelly led the team down the field and found another true freshman, this time D.K. Metcalf, in the endzone on a tip drill from three yards out.

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Redshirt freshman quarterback Deondre Francois looked lost in the first half for the Seminoles and he couldn’t get much going. His offense punted back to the Rebels and they moved right down the field as Kelly hit Evan Engram from 21 yards out for his third touchdown of the half, making the score 21-3 early in the second quarter.

On the ensuing drive, the Seminoles looked like they were well on their way to getting on the board, especially after being helped out by a pass interference call. Running back Dalvin Cook did something very unlike him as he essentially threw a touchdown out of bounds on an easy walk into the endzone.

That led to Ricky Aguayo, younger brother of star kicker Roberto Aguayo, coming on for his second field goal of the night. That made the score 21-6 with under five minutes left in the half.

With just three minutes left in the first half, the Rebels continued to pour on the punishment. Akeem Judd found his way into the endzone from 11 yards out to make the score 28-6.

The Seminoles did not give up going into halftime, however. Francois led the team down the field on a two-minute drive and hit Travis Rudolph with a touchdown from 15 yards out while getting drilled, making the score 28-13 at the end of the second quarter as Florida State was getting the ball to start the third quarter.

After the Seminoles opened the third quarter with a third Aguayo field goal, the score stood at 28-16. Their defense cam through big again on defense as Marcus Lewis intercepted a Kelly pass and gave them good field position at the Ole Miss 32.

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Francois set the Seminoles up inside the five yard line with a 31-yard run. Freddie Stevenson capped off the short drive and dove into the endzone for the touchdown, making the score 28-23 early in the third quarter, all of a sudden making the game a lot more interesting.

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The Seminoles finally seemed to find themselves in the second half as DeMarcus Walker sacked Kelly and forced a fumble at the Ole Miss 11. Three plays later, Whitfield found himself in the endzone, scoring from three yards out to give his team a 29-28 lead after the two-point conversion failed.

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After the Seminoles forced a punt by the Rebels, their offense once again took advantage and continued their run. Francois hit tight end Ryan Izzo for a 31 yard gain. Two plays later, he found Izzo in the endzone to push their run to 30-0, making the score 36-28.

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Florida State continued to show their offensive power as they drove down the field and set up another field goal attempt from Aguayo. He nailed it, making the score 39-28 and the younger brother of famed kicker Roberto Aguayo showed he had ice water in his veins.

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However, the Rebels would not say die as they finally ended the Seminoles’ 36-point scoring run. Kelly found Van Jefferson from 20 yards out to make the score 39-34 after the failed two-point try.

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The Seminoles found themselves in good field position after a terrific return on the ensuing kickoff by Whitfield. However, they once again were stopped short, but Aguayo was able to nail his fifth field goal of the night, making the score 42-34.

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Florida State came up with another stop on defense and they took the ball down the field. Aguayo once again came on the field and connected on a field goal, a school record sixth on the night.

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Down by 11, the Rebels faced a fourth and 15 from their own 25 yard line. Kelly hooked up with Stringfellow on a very bang-bang play that went the way of the SEC squad.

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However, that catch was not enough for the Rebels as Kelly threw his third interception of the night. Tarvarus McFadden pulled off the interception and sealed the victory for the Seminoles.

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Florida State had a huge night and it came from redshirt freshman quarterback Francois, who led the largest comeback in school history. He threw for 420 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 59 yards, while Cook rushed for 91 yards and caught seven passes for 101 yards.

Kelly had a good showing, throwing for 312 yards and four touchdowns, but his three interceptions killed the Rebels’ chances of winning. Walker had a huge night for the Seminoles with four sacks and a forced fumbles.

The Seminoles take on the Charleston Southern Buccanneers next weekend, while the Rebels look to rebound against the Wofford Terriers.

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Video: Dalvin Cook drops easy TD with no one around
Video: Dalvin Cook drops easy TD with no one around