As Tate Rodemaker walked back toward his house with his family Saturday in Tallahassee following a victory over North Alabama, he received a FaceTime Video call.

The caller was none other than Jordan Travis, calling from his hospital bed, following a devastating injury in the first quarter of Florida State football's 58-13 win over the Lions at Doak Campbell Stadium.

"[Jordan] just congratulated [Rodemaker] and he was kind of groggy from the medicine," Alan Rodemaker, the father of Tate Rodemaker told the Democrat. "It was a good little conversation."

Following a "hip-drop" tackle from UNA's Shaun Myers with just under two minutes left in the first quarter, Travis stayed down and was eventually taken off on a cart with what appeared to be a severe leg injury.

Tate warmed up on the sideline as his teammates and even Lions' players comforted Travis as he left the stadium in an ambulance.

The redshirt junior signal caller led the Seminoles to a field goal on the same drive and eventually to 45 unanswered points before his day was over with a 45-3 lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

Alan and his wife Leah were both in attendance to watch their son complete 13 of 23 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns.

"He did a lot better than his mother did," Alan said of how Tate handled coming into a big situation versus how Leah reacted in the stands.

"I really think he gained a lot of confidence last year in Louisville and I think he continues to build each week in practice. And I think he knows Jordans had little injuries here and there. He's been the backup for four years.

"I don't know if I can do well at it. It's hard to be the backup and always be ready, to stay in the game when you're not playing. It's more difficult than most people think. I never really had to do it and Tate never had to till he gets to college."

Column: From celebration to shock: How Jordan Travis injury could alter trajectory of FSU | Kassim

Waiting his turn

Rodmaker was a part of the first signing class in 2020 for head coach Mike Norvell. In his time at FSU, he has made just one career start, which came in a game against Jacksonville State in 2020 which he was benched in favor of Travis.

He is 56 of 93 passing (60%) for 767 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions for his career.

But despite all of that, Rodemaker never looked to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal.

"He's a team guy," Alan said. "Maybe more so than a lot of people and certainly more than I probably was. But he just wants to do the best for his team. And every goal his team had is still out. I think Tate just wants to help the entire team reach their goal."

A good reason for Tate to stay at FSU has been the trust Norvell and the coaching staff have shown in him.

In fact, in the postgame press conference, Norvell and Tate talked about an exact scenario like Saturday night.

"A few weeks ago in my office, we had a one-on-one just talking about being prepared in case the moment ever calls for you," Norvell said of Tate postgame. "Tate does a great job in his preparation. He's a wonderful teammate.

"Our guys have a lot of confidence in Tate because they watch him practice every day. They know the talent. They know the ability."

Reactions to Travis: Ex-Florida State QBs react to Jordan Travis' brutal injury: 'Go win it for him'

ACC Championship Game opportunity

Tate - who hails from is from Valdosta High in Valdosta, Georgia - is likely to be FSU's starter for the rest of the season, including the ACC Championship Game on Dec. 2 in Charlotte and the College Football Playoffs, if the Seminoles should make it.

He will have a big contingency of family to support him in the game in Charlotte against No. 10 Louisville, according to Alan, as they have a lot of family in the Raleigh, North Carolina area.

"I think he's ready for this moment. And you know, things excited about in the next couple weeks," Alan said.

For the last two years, Alan has texted Tate the same thing before games. He wants his son to follow the same advice for the rest of this season.

"My text to Tate before every game this year, last year is to 'Go be Tate,'" Alan said. "He doesn't have to be Jordan, he doesn't have to be anything else. Tate's good enough to lead this football team and he's got enough playmakers around, he's got good coaches and a good offensive line."

His teammates agree with Alan.

"[Tate] is a worker. He goes to work every day, and he's always preparing and never knowing what can happen. I just know when it's time, he is going to be ready," FSU running back Lawrance Toafili said.

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

No one covers the ‘Noles like the Tallahassee Democrat. Subscribe using the link at the top of the page and never miss a moment.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tate Rodemaker received FaceTime call from Jordan Travis in hospital