ORLANDO, Fla. _ Marcus Walker finally got his hands on Chad Kelly, and did not let go.
Redshirt freshman Deondre Francois remained poised at the helm of the Florida State offense and handled the rest.
Walker's sack of Kelly, the Ole Miss quarterback who torched FSU in the first half, resulted in a Derrick Nnadi fumble recovery that shifted the momentum in FSU's favor by setting up the go-ahead score and a 45-34 victory in the Camping World Kickoff on Monday night.
Francois, an Orlando Olympia High School standout making his FSU debut, came alive after a shaky first half behind the Seminoles' faulty offensive line to fuel No. 4 FSU to a thrilling comeback win over the No. 11 Rebels in front of a sold-out crowd of 63,042 at Camping World Stadium.
The Seminoles stormed back from a 28-6 deficit to score on nine consecutive possessions, including 30 straight points, to avoid being the third top-five team to lose its season opener during the weekend.
More important, Florida State's aspirations of reaching the College Football Playoff semifinals _ which seemed to be taking a massive hit in the first half _ remained unscathed.
Ole Miss managed to contain star running back Dalvin Cook to 192 total yards, including 101 receiving, but Jimbo Fisher called 52 pass plays for his young quarterback to secure the win.
True freshman Ricky Aguayo, younger brother of former FSU star Roberto Aguayo, added six field goals in his debut _ a new school record.
Francois scrambled for two runs of 31 yards to set up scores by senior fullback Freddie Stevenson and tight end Ryan Izzo, with a 3-yard handoff to wide receiver Kermit Whitfield in between, to take a 38-28 lead in the third quarter.
Florida State's defense, which limited 12 of 13 opponents to fewer than 25 points last season, gave up 28 points in the first half to Kelly's no-huddle, high-tempo attack reminiscent of the Seminoles' bowl losses to Oregon and Houston in 2014 and 2015.
Walker's sack, Nnadi's recovery and an interception from sophomore defensive back Marcus Lewis in his first career start were among several stellar plays that propelled the Seminoles and kept the Ole Miss' offense scoreless after its last touchdown with three minutes remaining in the first half.
Walker finished with four sacks _ all in the second half alone _ while Lewis, Derwin James and Tarvarus McFadden all had interceptions.
Francois became the fourth freshman in FSU history to start and win his opener, joining Jameis Winston, Drew Weatherford and Chris Rix.
Francois finished the game completing 33 of 52 passes for 420 yards and two touchdowns. The Seminoles gained momentum by upping their tempo on offense, the same game plan Ole Miss used to storm out to an early lead. Francois also rushed for 59 yards on nine carries to pace the offense.
Kelly, a senior who could be considered one of the best NFL draft prospects in the country, finished with 21 of 39 for 312 yards and four first-half touchdowns as the Rebels became the seventh ranked team to lose their opener during the first weekend _ a new record.
The Seminoles committed 11 first-half penalties for 97 yards, which hindered the offense. In all, FSU finished with 15 penalties for 127 yards.
Florida State helped the ACC win its second of three games against SEC foes during the opening weekend, joining Clemson (defeated Auburn). North Carolina fell to Georgia as the SEC went to 7-7 in the opening weekend.
Cook, who fumbled a clear touchdown inside the 5-yard line in the first quarter, left the game in the final minute limping after suffering an apparent hamstring injury.
The Seminoles will have time to regroup after the hard-earned win, hosting Football Championship Subdivision's Charleston Southern at noon Saturday.
