'Florida State's the real deal': ACC Network's Mark Richt, Kelsey Riggs high on FSU football

Mark Richt always enjoys his trips back to Tallahassee.

Richt's career started as a graduate assistant with the Seminoles (1985-89) before he was the quarterbacks coach (1990-93) and then served as the offensive coordinator (1994-2000) under legendary head coach Bobby Bowden.

Richt will join the ACC Network in Tallahassee for the No. 4 Seminoles home opener this week against Southern Miss. ACC PM will be live from FSU on Friday and then ACC Huddle will host multiple shows from Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday.

"I spent 15 years at Florida State. I met my wife in Tallahassee," Richt told the Democrat in a phone interview. "It's some of the greatest times of my life as a coach happened in Tallahassee, so I enjoy it."

ACC PM is scheduled to go live at 4 p.m. (Eastern Time). The FSU-USM game kicks off at 8:30 p.m. at Doak Campbell and is the fourth game of the quadruple-header on the network.

The action kicks off with Vanderbilt at Wake Forest at 11 a.m., Charleston Southern at Clemson at 2:15 p.m. and then Appalachian State at North Carolina at 5:15 p.m. leading up to the Seminoles game.

"I expect to say to my producers back in the truck in Bristol and the directors at least five times during our pregame show, 'I can't hear you,'" ACC Network host/reporter Kelsey Riggs told the Democrat of the environment she expects at Doak.

"I got to go there my first time to Doak Campbell last year, and it was an insane atmosphere. It is such a fun college football environment. As soon as you get into Tallahassee you know you're in Tallahassee, you know you're in 'Noles country.

"And "I'm expecting the same. I don't think it matters who the opponent is, you know who's playing at home and that's Florida State and these fans are going to show up, they are going to be rowdy."

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FSU football making impressions nationally

The Seminoles' victory over then-No. 5 LSU catapulted them to No. 4 and No. 5 rankings in the Associated Press and US LBM Coaches pools, respectively, on Tuesday.

"I think it was a massive win for them. I do in college football live this year as well. So it's been a huge topic of conversation and obviously vaulted them into the top five," Riggs said. "I think it showed that Florida State's the real deal this year and that what [coach] Mike Norvell is building there is here to stay.

"I think that there's a lot of belief surrounding this team and I think it's only going to continue to grow as the season goes on and they're tested."

Richt said he was not surprised by the outcome of the game, as he had picked the Seminoles to win throughout the week.

How they did it was still impressive.

"I've been picking FSU to win the league and all offseason and to make it to the playoff," Richt said. "So it wasn't a shock to me. I've seen in the offseason, all the ingredients that you need to have a great team. I know over the years that teams I've coached had veteran leadership that was not only great leaders, but great players that decided to come back and play one more season.

"Jared [Verse] and Jordan [Travis] decided to stay, it set the tone for everybody else to have the confidence to stay. [Sunday] didn't really surprise me."

Jordan Travis' growth into Heisman Trophy candidate

Travis has been hyped as a preseason contender for the Heisman Trophy. He did not disappoint against LSU, finishing 23-of-31 passing (74.2%) for 342 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. He also added seven rushes for 38 yards and a score.

He was not sacked and completed 14 of his final 16 passes after a slow start in the first half.

"It's incredible," Richt said. "I've said it a bunch of times last year from two years ago to last year, I thought he's the most improved player in the country. He has become a threat in every way a quarterback can become a threat.

"As a pocket passer, decision maker or a runner. He's a guy who can extend plays and throw downfield, a guy who can cross the line of scrimmage on a scramble and score. He's a guy who could you design a quarterback running [play] around and get key moments of the game."

Last season, Travis led all QBs with an overall Pro Football Focus offensive grade of 91.8 and finished with career-highs in completion percentage (64%), yards (3,214) and touchdowns (24) while throwing five interceptions. He also added 417 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.

Prior to last season, he had just 2,745 yards passing, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions between three seasons at FSU and one at Louisville (2018).

"His journey has not been a traditional one and know when college football is changing as much as it is," Riggs said. "Of course, he's at transfer himself. We forget that he started at Louisville, but he has stuck through it through the last couple of years and just really continued to elevate his game."

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Expectations vs. Southern Miss

Richt spent 18 years as a head coach at Georgia (2001-15) and Miami (2016-18), posting a career record of 171-64. He coached the Bulldogs to two SEC Championships (2002 and 2005), winning SEC Coach of the Year honors in those years.

He won ACC Coach of the Year honors and the Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award with the Hurricanes in 2017, following a 10-3 season.

Richt has had his fair share of momentum-changing wins, as FSU did against LSU last week. He spoke to what FSU needs to do to avoid a letdown against the Golden Eagles.

"Well, for me as a coach, it was always about execution," Richt said. "Regardless of what we put in offense, defense or special teams, there is a certain way we want it done practice in a certain way and react a certain way versus what we're going to see.

"You drill it until they can't stand it anymore through repetition and hopefully they will do their jobs. And then you have to add energy to it through through motivation. I can't imagine them not being motivated right now."

GAME INFORMATION

Who: AP No. 4 FSU (1-0) vs. Southern Mississippi (1-0)

When/where: Saturday, Sept. 9, 8:30 p.m.; Doak Campbell Stadium.

TV/Radio: ACC Network/94.9 FM

Live game updates: www.Tallahassee.com; @JackGWilliams on X/Twitter; @Ehsan_Kassim on X/Twitter; @JimHenryTALLY on X/Twitter; @__liamrooney on X/Twitter.

Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Mark Richt, Kelsey Riggs rave about FSU football after LSU game