TALLAHASSEE — Ashton Daniels passed for 202 yards and had a touchdown passing as well as rushing as Florida State defeated New Mexico State 34-17 in the Seminoles’ season opener Saturday.
After starting at Stanford for two seasons and playing at Auburn in four games last fall, Daniels completed 17 of 27 passes with a 4-yard touchdown to Samuel Singleton Jr. and an interception in his debut with the Seminoles. He also had an interception.
Ousmane Kromah had a weaving 52-yard run in the fourth quarter. The sophomore enjoyed his first 100-yard game, picking up 114 yards on 13 carries.
Florida State, which finished with 217 rushing yards on 39 carries, won a season opener for the fourth time in five years.
Singleton did a little bit of everything. He had nine carries for 42 yards and caught four passes for 54 yards. His 46-yard kickoff return also set up Florida State near midfield, and he finished off the drive with a 2-yard TD run.
New Mexico State quarterback Trey Hedden found success with clean pockets and was a big part of converting 10 of 16 third-down attempts. Hedden, a transfer from the Football Championship Subdivision’s Furman, completed 26 of 42 passes for 272 yards and touchdowns to TK King and Brodie Malone-Bradford for the Aggies. He also threw an interception.
The takeawayNew Mexico State: The Aggies were able to pick apart Florida State’s pass defense over the middle. But New Mexico State could not run, picking up just 47 yards on 23 carries.
Florida State: The Seminoles welcomed 62 new players, but there were plenty of struggles on both sides of the ball. While it was a winning debut, there are concerns about the offensive line, passing attack and pass defense as the competition gets tougher.
Leave a Comment