Florida State went out of its way to make WR Duce Robinson a major priority in this past winter’s transfer portal window. Robinson, the son of Nole legend Dominic Robinson, was transferring out of Southern California after Caleb Williams left for the NFL. FSU’s new QB, Boston College transfer Tommy Castellanos, reached out and personally recruited Duce, acting as his own campus host during his visit.
On Saturday, we got to see why so much attention and time were used to lure him to Seminole Nation as Robinson finished with five catches, 173 yards, and two touchdowns to help 14th-ranked Florida State dominate East Texas A&M 77-3. FSU moves to 2-0 on the season, already matching last season’s win total.
Coming off an impressive season-opening win against the 8th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, many wondered if FSU would take seriously the next opponent, as they had lost to SMU last week, 42-13. Even head coach Mike Norvell was curious to see how the Noles would respond after an emotionally high win. Well, respond they did by scoring on 10 straight possessions to open the game and finishing with the most points scored in a game during the Mike Norvell era.
“I thought they truly came with a purpose and a passion to get better,” Norvell said. “I wanted to see their response and to go compete as a team that’s passionate to get better.” Robinson took that challenge seriously as he had racked up four catches for 160 yards within the first 15 minutes of the game. The USC transfer now holds the record for the most receiving yards in a quarter in program history.
It was a “light” workday for QB 1 as Castellanos didn’t have to do too much but finished the day with 237 yards passing and three touchdowns, including an 82-yard bomb to Robinson with 4:48 to go in the first quarter. The hope was for Tommy to get some work and get out of the game as soon as possible, so as not to put him or any of the other starters in harm’s way for the rest of the game.
Gavin Sawchuk led the way for the running back room with three touchdowns, including a nicely blocked 53-yard catch that came on fourth down. The catch was his first career receiving touchdown. He would also have a pair of short touchdown runs.
Florida State’s defense continued to make a statement about how aggressive they are going to be against East Texas A&M, smothering the Lions’ offense from the opening whistle to the final snap. The Seminoles’ front controlled the line of scrimmage, holding East Texas A&M to fewer than 200 total yards and forcing them into long third-down situations all day. Earl Little Jr. and Jerry Wilson earned FSU’s first defensive takeaways of the season, with each getting an interception.
The game was special for a few reasons. Mike Norvell and the players mentioned that they were dedicating this game to their teammate, freshman linebacker Ethan Pritchard, who was shot in the head while driving his aunt home last Sunday night in Havana, FL. Earl Little Jr. ran out during the introduction of the team, carrying Pritchard’s jersey, and Ethan’s dad was able to break the rock in the team’s post-game celebration. At the time of the article, Pritchard is currently in a stable but critical condition at a local hospital in Havana.
“It’s something that made us go out there and play for him today,” Castellanos said. “His dad was with us on the sideline and in the locker room. We’re praying for Ethan. We wish him a speedy recovery and hopefully God upstairs gives him a second chance at life.”
The other reason this game was special was that it was the first time since 2017 that FSU broke the 70-point mark in a game. With other Power Four programs struggling to handle their cupcake opponents on Saturday, FSU was focused, executed, dominated, and won.
The Noles have a bye week this Saturday before they return to action on September 20th against the Kent State Golden Flashes, who lost to Texas Tech 62-14. The game time hasn’t been announced yet, but it will be at the newly renovated Doak Campbell Stadium.
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