Florida State doesn’t need a miracle on Monday night. It needs its best players to play like it.
The Seminoles get SMU at Doak Campbell Stadium for the first time, and it comes with a little extra bite: Florida State already has a game under its belt after beating New Mexico State in Week Zero, while the Mustangs are opening their season on the road in a conference game. SMU also arrives ranked No. 19 and carrying the kind of reputation that makes a clean start from Florida State feel essential.
These two teams have only met once before, in 2024, when SMU used a 28-point second half to roll past Florida State, 42-16. If the Seminoles want a different result this time, they’ll need stronger nights from QB Ashton Daniels, WR Duce Robinson and DL Mandrell Desir.
Daniels gave Florida State a steady debut against New Mexico State, finishing 63 percent of his passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns. That’s a good start, but the Seminoles need the version of Daniels who took over against No.
15 Vanderbilt last season while at Auburn. In that road game, he piled up 442 total yards and four touchdowns in a seven-point loss.
That kind of output would give Florida State a real chance to push SMU.
Robinson is the kind of weapon that can tilt a game if he’s used the right way. The 6-foot-6 receiver was a 1,000-yard target last season, averaged 19.30 yards per catch and earned first-team All-ACC honors.
Against New Mexico State, he had three catches for 50 yards and didn’t reach the end zone, but the bigger issue is volume. Florida State needs to get him more involved.
He also brought down 18 contested catches a year ago, the most of any returning receiver in the ACC, and that matchup edge is exactly what Mike Norvell should be leaning on.
There’s also a clear blueprint for Robinson to follow. His best conference performance last season came against Wake Forest, when he caught five passes for 148 yards and a touchdown while averaging 29.60 yards per catch.
On the other side of the ball, Desir has to look much more like the disruptive force Florida State saw a year ago. As a true freshman last season, he led the team with 57 tackles, 6.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss.
Against New Mexico, though, he was quiet, finishing with four tackles and no sacks or tackles for loss. Florida State needs the inside defender who can wreck plays and make life miserable for SMU’s offense.
All three have already shown they can produce. The question now is whether they do it when the Seminoles need it most.
If Florida State is going to take down the No. 19 Mustangs, Daniels, Robinson and Desir have to show up early and keep showing up.
In Other News...
FSU Fans Are Confronting One Brutal Mike Norvell Reality
Mike Norvells tenure at Florida State has reached the point where the frustration is no longer just about one bad stretch or one disappointing season. Seven years into the job, the Seminoles are staring at a 39-35 record under his watch, and the recent slide has made the conversation around the program feel heavier than it did even a year ago. What once looked like a long-term build now has fans weighing patience against the reality of how long the skid has lasted.
Money only makes that conversation harder to ignore. Norvells 2024 extension runs through 2031 and includes a modest base salary with supplemental income that rises each year, but the real issue is the buyout, which sits around $46.7 million. That kind of number puts Florida State in a familiar college football bind: even when a program starts asking tough questions about direction, the cost of making a change can be almost as daunting as standing pat. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Norvell's Future Just Became A Tough Florida State Debate
Florida States recent slide has turned Mike Norvells tenure into one of the more complicated discussions in the sport, because this is no longer just about wins and losses. The Seminoles are coming off a 13-1 season, but the stretch since then has been rough, with an 8-18 record overall and a 3-14 mark in ACC play, a downturn that has changed the temperature around the program in a hurry.
The harder part for Florida State is what comes next, because Norvells long-term contract is a major financial commitment. His 8-year, $84 million extension carries a buyout estimated at around $45 million if the school were to move on, which means the universitys decision may hinge as much on the rest of this season as on the frustration already building in the fan base. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Fans Have A Costly Portal Question After Week 1
Florida States Week 1 loss did more than dent the record. It reopened the conversation around a roster that was supposed to look like a major investment, especially with roughly $24 million tied up in NIL funds and a ranking that placed the Seminoles 26th in college football. After the opener, the concerns were easy to spot: the secondary had issues, the offense never fully settled in, and the price tag attached to the roster suddenly felt like part of the story.
Mike Norvell is now dealing with the kind of scrutiny that comes when expectations and production drift apart early. High-value additions such as quarterback Ashton Daniels and running back Quintrevion Wisner have not matched the hope that came with their arrival, and the debate around which transfers were worth the spending is only getting louder. For a fan base already frustrated by the loss, the lingering portal question is no longer just about who came in, but whether the Seminoles spent in the right places at all. [Read more 🡒]