Florida State football’s offense has recorded over 700 yards in consecutive games after a 66-10 rout of Kent State.
A unit reborn under offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and quarterback Tommy Castellanos, the No. 7 Seminoles (3-0) have scored 24 touchdowns in the opening games of the season, nine more than the 20 scored in the entirety of last season.
FSU recorded a record-breaking eight rushing scores in the win over Kent State on Sept. 20, which matched the total amount of rushing scores in 2024. The 1,089 rushing yards through three games eclipses the 1,079 total rushing yards from last season, and the Seminoles had a record-breaking 498 yards in the win over the Golden Flashes.
“I thought our guys rose to the challenge. You really felt them play, once again, fast, physical. I thought we had explosive plays. It was an extraordinary night offensively,” FSU head coach Mike Norvell said postgame. “I think we ran for close to 500 yards, which broke a school record.”
The Seminoles averaged 9.2 yards per rush and finished the game against Kent State with eight players recording 30 or more yards. Gavin Sawchuk’s 97 yards were a team high, and five different players scored a rushing touchdown, with three players scoring a pair each.
While the majority of the FSU offensive output this season has come against lower-tier opponents in FCS East Texas A&M and Kent State, the Seminoles’ offense showed it can, and will translate against higher-level competition like Alabama.
FSU recorded 230 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground, with 382 yards of total offense in the 31-17 win, and the team hasn’t taken its foot off the gas. The Seminoles’ 17 rushing touchdowns are the most in the country, and the team is averaging 363 yards per game on the ground.
In the opening three games of the season, the Seminoles have 230 rushing yards or more and four or more touchdowns in three consecutive games, the third time in program history.
It’s been a shared effort, with seven different players scoring rushing touchdowns, with Castellanos’s five a team high. The versatility in the ground game, evident by the 175 yards and three touchdowns scored by Micahi Danzy on five carries, is something Norvell credits for helping the offensive turnaround in 2025.
“When you have talented backs, guys that have different skill sets, being able to showcase that versatility, different guys get an opportunity. As you see that continued success… it still comes down to the details, the overall execution,” Norvell said. “I think Coach Johnson is doing a great job of being able to manage that group. Obviously, Gus is putting them in a wonderful position to showcase their talents, but I think that helps the offense as a whole.”
FSU football’s offensive line impacts the run game in a way stats can’t track
Both through a revamped offensive line with offensive line coach Herb Hand and a running back room that features multiple dynamic ball carriers, the Seminoles’ offense has had a breakthrough early this season.
The work of the offensive line has been crucial in the success, with FSU’s line creating gaps for Castellanos and running backs to burst through. While there are few stats to reflect the impact of the offensive line, Norvell understands the value of his group up front.
“Coach Hand does a remarkable job pouring into those guys. He challenges them on a daily basis. For all the experiences that they have previously, whether it’s here, whether it’s newcomers that have joined the program, young guys that are growing and developing, it’s a constant push,” Norvell said.
“These guys, they embrace that on a daily basis, and you feel that, the way that they’re gelling together, the things that it’s allowing us to do in the run game, obviously, given time and protection, I’m pleased with that group. I think it’s a compliment to them and just their overall work and belief in each other.”
Castellanos has benefited both from pass protection and open running lanes. He’s thrown for 594 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 139 and another five touchdowns.
He credits the physical nature of the line for opening up the offense against Kent State and throughout the season.
“Those guys up front, they are big and they are physical,” Cástellanos said. “They move bodies.”
FSU football 2025 schedule
Games with an asterisk are ACC games.
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football’s record-breaking rushing attack key to Seminoles 2025 offensive revival
Reporting by Liam Rooney, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
