Florida State got the result it needed Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium, but not the kind of finish that makes a coach feel good about the details. The Seminoles handled Central Arkansas 34-7 to move back to 2-2, yet they fell well short of the 45.5-point spread and went scoreless in the fourth quarter.
The game was decided early. Florida State raced to a 17-0 lead in the first half and never let the Bears get comfortable, leaning on a balanced offense and a defense that controlled the line of scrimmage from the start. By halftime, the Seminoles had built a 24-7 cushion and had already shown they could move the ball both ways.
Ashton Daniels steered the offense through a productive opening half, completing 64 percent of his passes and throwing a touchdown. He also had an interception that looked like a miscommunication with Quintrevion Wisner, who had stopped running his route. That was Daniels’ fifth interception of the season.
Florida State’s ground game did plenty of damage, too. Ousmane Kromah, the No. 2 rusher in the ACC, ran for 63 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone, averaging 10.5 yards per carry before the break. Duce Robinson opened the scoring with a 29-yard touchdown catch, his second receiving score of the season, and Jayvon Boggs led the way among receivers in the first half with three catches for 66 yards.
Central Arkansas never found much rhythm against the Seminoles’ defense. Donovyn Omolo spent much of the afternoon scrambling, finishing 10 of 17 for 88 yards with no touchdowns. The Bears’ only trip to the end zone came late in the second quarter when Jalen Washington powered through the line on 2nd and goal.
Florida State held Central Arkansas to 133 total yards in the first half, including just 45 on the ground at 2.8 yards per carry. The Bears crossed midfield only twice before halftime.
The Seminoles came out of the locker room and quickly stretched the margin. After forcing a punt to open the second half, Daniels hit Boggs for a 34-yard touchdown to make it 31-7. That was Daniels’ second touchdown pass of the day and the 14th play of the game for Florida State to go at least 10 yards.
Florida State added three more points after another Bears punt and some help from penalties, pushing the lead to 34-7. That was the final scoring of the afternoon.
Daniels finished with 224 yards, two touchdowns and the interception. Kromah totaled 88 yards on 11 carries with two scores, averaging 7.8 yards per attempt. Boggs ended up as the top target, catching six passes for 122 yards and a touchdown, good for a 20.3-yard average.
The defense did its job, piling up three sacks and 10 tackles for loss while holding Central Arkansas to 248 total yards. Still, the game got messy. Both teams combined for 20 penalties and 205 yards, and Florida State was flagged 10 times for 115 yards, with several of those penalties helping extend Central Arkansas drives.
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