Florida State redshirt freshman Deondre Francois led the No. 4 Seminoles to the largest comeback in school history Monday in a 45-34 win over No. 11 Ole Miss.
Francois, who completed 33 of 52 passes for 420 yards and two touchdowns in his college football debut, led Florida State to 30 unanswered points after trailing 28-6. The 22-point comeback was the biggest in school history.
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The hometown hero looked a bit shaky in the first quarter, but he quickly settled in as a passer and a rusher. Francois carried the ball nine times for 59 yards, displaying a keen awareness of when to tuck and run.
"I started slow," Francois said on ESPN. "I had to get a feel for the game against an all-around great defense. Jameis Winston told me to stay poised and gave me tips on how to stay poised and stay calm. I trusted in Coach (Jimbo) Fisher and my team."
Heisman hopeful running back Dalvin Cook was expected to lead the Seminoles, but he struggled to find holes against Ole Miss' tough front seven. Cook ultimately scampered for 91 yards on 23 carries and hauled in seven receptions for 101 yards, becoming the first FSU running back with 100 receiving yards since Lorenzo Booker in 2006.
Florida State was impressive on defense as well. Defensive end DeMarcus Walker, a top NFL prospect, recorded 4 1/2 sacks in a dominant effort, and the secondary forced three Chad Kelly interceptions.
Though Kelly struggled at times, he displayed great arm strength and the ability to read a defense while throwing for 312 yards and four touchdowns. He needs to work on keeping the ball out of the opposition's hands, but he looks poised for a big season.
Proving Florida State put together an all-around team effort, kicker Ricky Aguayo, an 18-year-old true freshman, set a Seminoles school record by hitting all six of his field goal attempts. His brother, Roberto, who was selected in the second round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in this year's NFL Draft, went 5 for 5 once in his FSU career (2014 vs Wake Forest).