Florida State has turned its matchup with Virginia into a runaway, and Ashton Daniels is the reason the scoreboard looks the way it does in Tallahassee.
By the time the fourth quarter was well underway, the Seminoles had stacked up 31 straight points across the second and third quarters and were sitting on a huge lead. A defensive push helped swing things in Florida State’s favor early, but Daniels has been the player who put the game on his back.
The fifth-year senior quarterback has accounted for all four Florida State touchdowns, and his final scoring burst sent him into the record book. Late in the third quarter, Daniels ripped 81 yards down the sideline for his fourth rushing touchdown of the night, setting a new Florida State mark for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single game.
That broke the previous standard held by Kelly Lowrey since 1983.
Daniels also matched the Florida State record for rushing touchdowns in one game, joining Greg Allen, Dalvin Cook, Cam Akers, and Antone Smith in that group.
His scoring came in waves: two rushing touchdowns in the second quarter, then two more in the third. That’s a jarring jump from the first four games of the season, when he had totaled just three rushing touchdowns.
And the numbers don’t stop there. Through the first three quarters and change, Daniels had completed 12 of 19 passes for 183 yards and an interception, while also carrying 16 times for 135 yards and those four touchdowns.
Florida State is rolling, Virginia is on the ropes, and Daniels has delivered one of the most surprising individual performances of the season.
In Other News...
FSU Just Got The ACC Boost It Desperately Needed
Florida State finally got the ACC result it had been chasing, edging Clemson 2-1 in conference soccer to pick up its first league win of the season. Sam Erbach and Wrianna Hudson supplied the goals for the Seminoles, who needed a breakthrough like this to start climbing after an uneven opening stretch in ACC play.
The match had the kind of pressure and back-and-forth sequence Florida State has been looking for, with both goalkeepers called on for multiple saves and Clemson finding one answer in the game. Florida State was able to protect its lead to the end, and now the bigger question is whether this can serve as the kind of turning point the Seminoles have been waiting for. [Read more 🡒]
FSU Running Back Depth Just Took Another Hit At The Worst Time
Florida States backfield was already thinned out by injuries when another unexpected change landed on the roster update. Gemari Sands has been removed from the team and is no longer part of the Seminoles, a development that comes as the program is trying to sort through a running back group that has already taken damage.
Samuel Singleton Jr. is expected to miss a significant portion of the season because of a lower-body injury, and the Seminoles have already adjusted by moving sophomore tight end Gavin Markey over to running back on the updated roster. It leaves Florida State scrambling for answers at a position where depth was supposed to be a strength, and the timing could hardly be worse with the season moving along. [Read more 🡒]
Former FSU Kicker Could Help Miami Reach A Goal Fans Hate
Jake Weinbergs move from Florida State to Miami has turned into one of those small roster twists that can linger on both sides of the rivalry. The former Seminoles kicker has settled in well with the Hurricanes, hitting 5 of 6 field goals and making every extra point so far as Miami has surged through conference play with an unbeaten ACC mark and a roster that is humming on both sides of the ball.
For Florida State, the timing makes the subplot even more noticeable. The Seminoles moved on to Gabe Panikowski, and he has been perfect on field goals and extra points this season, so the position itself has not become a problem in Tallahassee. Still, Weinbergs success in Miami adds a little extra edge to a rivalry outcome Seminoles fans would rather not follow too closely if the Hurricanes keep pushing toward their goal. [Read more 🡒]