Where Florida State's QB Battle Stands Post-2016 Spring Game

Much to the approval of Florida State Seminoles fans, Deondre Francois and Malik Henry put on a show during the final minutes of the 2016 Garnet & Gold Game.

Trailing 17-14 late in the fourth quarter, Francois rifled a back-shoulder beauty to Auden Tate for what appeared to be a game-winning touchdown.

Head coach Jimbo Fisher had a different idea.

Instead of making Henry launch a prayer or two with 13 seconds remaining, Fisher put 1:30 on the clock and allowed the true freshman to potentially engineer a scoring drive of his own. Four snaps later, Henry connected with Travis Rudolph for a 43-yard touchdown.

Francois quickly responded, helping the Gold set up Ricky Aguayo for a game-tying 46-yard field goal that ultimately ended the scrimmage.

While the teams left the field tied 24-24, fans exited the Citrus Bowl excited about the future under center.

But, everyone say it together, this was the spring game—one in which incumbent starter Sean Maguire was unavailable due to an ankle injury. He sat out the entire spring.

Francois, to his credit was poised in the pocket and showcased terrific arm strength throughout the scrimmage. Though his two best throws were both touchdowns to Tate, many of the redshirt freshman's 20 completions came at the expense of walk-ons and reserves.

Now, it's not a problem Francois did the smart thing and capitalized on favorable matchups. But opponents in the fall would certainly be more difficult.

FSU's best defenders pounced on Francois' mistakes. Nate Andrews snatched an end-zone interception the quarterback didn't throw far enough to the corner. Francois tried to force a ball down the middle, where Ro'Derrick Hoskins was already standing.

Overall, Francois finished 20-of-33 with 246 yards, two touchdowns, a pair of picks and one lost fumble that Fisher executively decided wouldn't count. Francois stared down a couple receivers, executed a fair share of quick-hitting routes and hit some checkdowns.

Henry wasn't much different, settling down after a couple overthrown passes. He found a rhythm thanks to a handful of simple play-action rollouts and hitches, some of the most basic offensive calls.

The true freshman's 41-yard bomb to George Campbell set up an earlier touchdown, then Henry relied on underneath targets before finding Rudolph.

After 60-plus minutes, Henry registered a respectable line, completing 15-of-22 passes for 205 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions.

But Francois' repeated mistakes and Henry's (expected) inconsistency are too glaring for anyone to make a snap judgment that Maguire has somehow lost the job. Fisher confirmed that thought, per Brendan Sonnone of the Orlando Sentinel.

And that's not a slight on Francois or Henry. Their combined performance suggested Florida State will have one heck of a competition in 2017.

Yet Maguire's knowledge of the system is an overwhelming positive for the senior, who Fisher previously said could be "full speed" in June, according to Tom D'Angelo of the Palm Beach Post.

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Remember, Maguire threw nine touchdowns to just two interceptions when not playing on a broken ankle. He's a proven player, not simply the veteran on the roster.

That experience will be a notable factor in the competition. Either Francois or Henry would have to absolutely overwhelm the rest of the competition to overtake Maguire.

After the spring game, via the ESPN stream, Fisher said there were "not enough" flashes of excellence.

"But you saw what we can be," he added.

The Seminoles' future under center is dazzling, but they'll likely be waiting one more season to let the young talent shine.

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Stats from cfbstats.com or B/R research. Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bleacher Report CFB Writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.