Florida State didn’t waste any time putting its running game on display in the season opener.
In a 34-17 win over New Mexico State on Saturday, the Seminoles leaned into a three-back approach and got real production from it. Ousmane Kromah led the way with 115 rushing yards and one of FSU’s three rushing touchdowns, while Samuel Singleton Jr. added 42 rushing yards and a score. As a team, Florida State piled up 217 yards on the ground and averaged 5.6 yards per carry.
Kromah’s performance stood out most. The sophomore posted his first 100-yard game and became FSU’s first 100-yard rusher since Lawrance Toafili in the 2023 ACC championship game. At 6-foot-1 and 216 pounds, he showed the kind of run style the staff has been pushing for, picking up yards after contact and breaking loose on a 52-yard weave through the defense.
“It all started in fall camp and spring ball,” FSU running backs coach Kam Martin said. “You saw Ous out there breaking tackles, the yards after contact.
That’s something in our program we cherish here. We want guys that are going to break tackles.
I want my running backs falling forward. When you’re out there, you create big plays.”
That’s the kind of trait Martin has built a reputation around. He has coached 1,000-yard rushers before, including Dominic Richardson at Tulsa in 2025 and RJ Harvey at UCF in 2023 and ’24.
Florida State’s committee approach under Mike Norvell has made carries a shared assignment for years, and Saturday fit that mold again. Along with Kromah and Singleton, Tre’ Wisner chipped in with four carries for 34 yards. The group gives Norvell options, including the possibility of using two backs at once, even if it’s still unclear whether one player will separate enough to become a 1,000-yard rusher.
Kromah had already flashed as a freshman, catching a touchdown but not finding the end zone on the ground across his 72 carries in 2025. Still, the numbers suggested something was coming. He finished that season with 408 yards and a 5.7-yard average per carry, setting up real expectations for year two.
When asked whether he was excited about his first rushing touchdown at FSU, Kromah smiled and kept it honest.
“It was good. But I’m going to be real, I should have had two,” Kromah said.
“My mom let me know about that. That big run, if I had kept it a little bit to the left, I was going to be gone.”
Singleton’s night carried a different kind of payoff. The fourth-year back said he went through difficult offseason conversations with coaches and even considered transferring, but he stuck with Florida State and came into 2026 ready to keep grinding. He finished Saturday with 54 receiving yards on four catches, including a 4-yard touchdown from Ashton Daniels, and also turned a 46-yard kick return into field position that helped set up his rushing score.
“I believe in myself and I believe in what I can do,” Singleton said. “Honestly, it was some tough conversations.
But I wanted to stay at the end of the day. Whatever it came down to, I was looking to stay and just building on what I had already built on.
I love Florida State. I wasn’t trying to go anywhere.”
Singleton had 360 rushing yards and four touchdowns in 2025, averaging 7.1 yards per carry, and Martin pointed to the same explosive qualities on Saturday.
“A guy like Sam, he’s fun to coach,” Martin said. “He reminds me of a guy that I coached at UCF, RJ Harvey. Sam’s a guy that’s in the building all the time.”
In Other News...
UCFs Opener Carries Recruiting Stakes Fans Should Be Watching Closely
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The visitor list gives the staff a chance to stay in front of prospects like Justin Kemp, KyMani Fils-Amie, Axzavious Hawkins, Jaden Parks, Jordan McCrimon and Tyrese Jefferson, while also making a local impression on a class that is still taking shape. Openers can carry extra weight in recruiting because they bring families, atmosphere and attention all at once, and UCF will be looking to make this one count as much in the stands as on the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]
Scott Frost Still Has Key UCF Opener Decisions To Make
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Among the names to watch are backups Aymeric Koumba and Jeffson Lafontant, who could be asked to carry more of the load than expected in the opener. Frost also said decisions remain pending on defensive tackle RJ Jackson Jr. and wide receiver Duane Thomas Jr., leaving some of the game-day picture unfinished heading into a matchup that doubles as an early test of how much depth this roster really has. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Is Counting On Barnett To Deliver What Fans Have Waited For
UCF is heading into the 2026-2027 football season with Alonza Barnett III installed as the starting quarterback, and the messaging around him has been as much about belief as it is about production. Barnett and several teammates have leaned into a Why not us approach, with the kind of confidence that usually accompanies a program trying to turn expectation into something more tangible. For a Knights team looking to take a real step forward, the quarterback spot is where that ambition has to start.
Scott Frost and the players around Barnett have pointed to his leadership and steady play as central pieces of what could make the offense look different this fall. The optimism is real, but so are the stakes, because UCF is not just trying to feel better about itself - it is trying to build toward a Big 12 Championship conversation, and Barnett is the one being counted on to help make that case. [Read more 🡒]