Florida State is at the point where it needs Ashton Daniels to stop flashing and start finishing.
That’s the task in front of the Seminoles on gameday as they host Virginia at Doak Campbell Stadium. Florida State is 2-2, Virginia comes in at 3-1, and if the Seminoles are going to come away with a win, Daniels has to be the playmaker Mike Norvell brought him in to be.
Through four games, Daniels has had time to settle into Norvell’s system, with two matchups against lesser talent and two against teams with similar or better talent. The result has been the same basic story each week: moments of promise, but no full performance from start to finish.
That’s a problem for Norvell, whose job is under a microscope every week. Still, both he and quarterbacks coach Austin Tucker say Daniels is trending the right way.
“He's very confident in himself. He knows who he is and where his foundation is,” Tucker said. “I think it always gets back to him being a consistent person day in and day out with his teammates and the leadership that he shows.”
The next step is simple enough to say and much harder to pull off: turn that growth into production on the field. Florida State needs Daniels to play like the fifth-year senior and leader he’s supposed to be if it wants any shot at knocking off Virginia.
That starts with protecting the football. Virginia is 14th nationally in interceptions, averaging 1.5 per game, and that puts Daniels directly in the crosshairs after he’s already thrown five picks in four games. Against a Virginia offense scoring 40.5 points per game, Florida State cannot afford to hand the Cavaliers extra possessions.
Tucker said Daniels usually understands when things go wrong.
“But on all of those occasions, when he comes off the field, I get his eyes,” Tucker said. “That's the first thing I'm looking for, and he gives you the eyes of, I know what I did. I know what I need to correct.”
Now he has to show it in real time. Virginia’s secondary is a tough group, and even if Daniels cleans up the turnovers, moving the ball won’t be easy. The Cavaliers rank fifth nationally in passing yards allowed per game, while Florida State’s passing offense sits 66th in the country.
If Daniels can’t find a rhythm early, Virginia can crowd the run and make life even harder on the Seminoles. The Cavaliers have been more vulnerable on the ground, ranking 49th nationally in rushing yards allowed per game, but that only matters if Daniels can keep the defense honest. If not, Florida State may be forced to lean on his arm - and he hasn’t shown he can do that consistently yet.
There is some reason for confidence. Daniels completed 66 percent of his passes against Central Arkansas for 224 yards and two touchdowns, and over his last two games he has completed 62 percent for 601 yards and four touchdowns.
Still, the stakes are obvious. If Daniels doesn’t deliver, Florida State could slide to 2-3, and Norvell may be left with no choice but to turn to one of his backup quarterbacks.
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