The key to the entire Florida State offense is Jordan Travis. The 6’1” and 200-pound sophomore did not begin the year as the Seminoles starting quarterback, but has been the main guy back there for four weeks and has this offense moving more efficiently.

Travis has thrown for 758 yards and four touchdowns, but what stands out are the 389 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. He is a very good runner, and it’s something this Pitt defense has run into before multiple times this season. Pitt has faced quarterbacks that can move in Louisville’s Micale Cunningham, Phil Jurkovec of Boston College, D’Eriq King from Miami, and most recently Notre Dame’s Ian Book.

Travis, however, is probably a better pure runner than any of them. He rushed for 107 yards in an upset win over North Carolina earlier this year and is averaging 5.5 yards per carry on the season.

“Jordan Travis is a good football player,” said Pat Narduzzi. “I really like that guy a lot, just because of the effort he puts into what he does. He can run against better defenses.”

Florida State likes to use designed runs for Travis and get the other ten guys out blocking for him, and the Pitt coach said that is not always easy to defend. Pitt is coming off a very poor showing in its last game out in.a 45-3 loss to Notre Dame. The Panthers allowed Ian Book to rush for 40 yards on eight carries, and it wasn't so much the straight ahead running, but his ability to keep plays alive against this defense.

“You looked what happened with Ian Book two weeks ago, they’re probably licking their chops as far being able to get him to scramble,” Narduzzi said of Florida State’s game plan.

Pitt will need to apply pressure on the sophomore quarterback. The Panthers still have one of the nation’s best pass rushes with 31 sacks on the year. Pitt defensive coordinator Randy Bates noted his team needs to finish plays. He believes some of the big plays his unit has allowed has been due to staying in coverage too long.

“Well I think number one that (Ian) Book escaped us several times and we have to do a better job of corralling the quarterback up, because when a guy like that, a guy like Travis - when those guys are able to escape if they are the quarterbacks that we have played, they find a way to make a big play and find somebody open,” he described. “It’s very difficult to stay with a guy a long, long period of time when you’re playing division one wide receivers and running backs and sooner or later those guys will shake you if you can’t get pressure on them.”

Pitt sophomore SirVocea Dennis believes keeping Travis in the pocket is the key on Saturday.

“Make him deliver a great ball at that and keep him bottled up in the pocket and just play our game basically,” he said. “If we can do that, we can be successful.”

Narduzzi is wary of the potential return of Florida State wide receiver Tamorrion Terry and some of the other skilled guys the Seminoles have, but in the end it is all about the quarterback.

“They’ve got great skill guys, but to me it all revolves around Jordan and what he does,” Narduzzi said.