Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks vs Florida State Seminoles Match Player Stats On Sep 07, 2019

The Florida State football team narrowly avoided an 0-2 start to the season Saturday, following up last week's loss to Boise State by needing overtime and a missed extra point to defeat the University of Louisiana-Monroe 45-44 in overtime at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla.

Florida State (1-1) got a go-ahead score from running back Cam Akers with little more than six minutes left in regulation from 44 yards out to take a 38-35 lead, but the Seminoles defense allowed the Warhawks to come down and tie the game with 1:30 left on a 24-yard field goal by Jacob Meeks.

With neither team scored at the end of regulation, Akers scored from 4 yards out to open overtime. The Warhawks again answered immediately, quarterback Caleb Evans scoring on a 5-yard run. But Meeks missed the extra point wide right and the Seminoles escaped with their first win of the season.

Akers finished with 193 yards and the two touchdowns on 36 carries. He also caught five balls for 55 yards and another score. Florida State quarterback James Blackman finished 30 of 40 for 282 yards and three touchdowns, but he also was intercepted twice.

The Seminoles' defense was led by safety Hamsah Nasirildeen with 10 tackles.

Evans threw for 241 yards on 23-of-38 passing, throwing two touchdowns and rushing for two more. Running back Josh Johnson led the Warhawks (1-1) with 26 carries, 126 yards and one score. Receivers Xavier Brown and Josh Pederson both caught touchdowns in the loss.

The Seminoles (1-1) scored the game's first 21 points and appeared headed for an easy win. But Florida State turned the ball over on back-to-back drives in the third quarter, and the Warhawks scored 14 points off of them to turn the game around. Corey Straughter intercepted Blackman and returned 57 yards for a score to make it 24-14, then Keith Gavin fumbled at midfield and ULM recovered.

Evans scored on a 10-yard run on the ensuing drive to draw the Warhawks within a field goal. Another Blackman interception in the fourth quarter allowed ULM to take the lead for the first time, as Johnson's 1-yard scoring run halfway through the fourth gave the Warhawks a 35-31 lead.

Florida State has now played two games at home to start the season after the game against Boise State -- originally scheduled to be played in Jacksonville -- was moved to Tallahassee due to the threat of Hurricane Dorian. The Seminoles will hit the road for the first time in 2019 next week when they travel to face Virginia in the ACC opener for both teams. It will be the first of eight straight conference games for Florida State.

Louisiana-Monroe, meanwhile, next faces Iowa State on the road on Sept. 21 after a bye-week next week.

--Field Level Media