It’s no easy task to walk into Doak S. Campbell Stadium and walk away unscathed and victorious, even for a Power 4 team. The Kent State football team learned this the hard way on Saturday, losing 66-10.
The Flashes moved to 1-3 (0-1) on the season, with Florida State remaining undefeated at 3-0 (0-0).
Florida State did its job as the world expected, dominating all facets of the game whilst putting on an offensive clinic. The Seminoles’ largest lead of the day ended up being the final score, a difference of 56 points, which came on a 37-yard rushing touchdown from sophomore running back Samuel Singleton Jr.
“Disappointing loss,” coach Mark Carney said.” All credit to Florida State, they’re a really well-coached team, very talented, and they don’t make a whole lot of mistakes.”
On offense, the Flashes were shut down and nearly even shutout, if it weren’t for a big-play touchdown pass from redshirt freshman quarterback Dru DeShields to sophomore wide receiver Da’Shawn Martin in the second quarter, the Flashes wouldn’t have scored until senior kicker Will Hryszko booted a field goal with 7:21 left in the game.
KSU was only able to generate 206 yards of total offense. The running game struggled especially, as the Flashes managed just 43 yards on 28 carries.
The Seminoles ran roughshod all over the KSU defense, amassing 775 yards of scrimmage on Saturday, with twelve rushers carrying the ball 54 times for just under 500 yards. Singleton and junior running back Gavin Sawchuk did most of the heavy lifting for Florida State, combining for 183 rushing yards on 21 carries and four touchdowns.
Recap
Florida State opened the game by scoring on each of its first five drives. The first was a four-play 65-yard barnburner, ending with a Sawchuk rushing score from four yards out.
Following the first of seven KSU punts, senior Seminoles quarterback Thomas Castellanos got the first of his two rushing touchdowns on the day on a 12-yard scamper. This put FSU up 14-0 before the first quarter was even halfway over.
On the very next drive, the Flashes scored on its most prodigious play of the game. DeShields, in his first career road start, uncorked a 75-yard bomb to Martin for the first and only KSU touchdown of the contest.
“It was something we saw, they play a three-high safety defense for the most part, and we thought [the] quarterback run game might spook them a bit,” Carney said. “Da’Shawn did a really good job on a ‘crack and go’ on their replacement safety.”
Florida State seemingly did not enjoy letting the Flashes have a spark of success, as the route continued on the very next drive. A 65-yard pass from Castellanos to rising star freshman wide receiver Micahi Danzy set up another score via the QB’s legs, putting FSU up 21-7 in the middle of the first quarter.
The Flashes and Seminoles then engaged in the duality of football to end the quarter, trading a KSU punt for a Florida State touchdown until the game was 35-7 in favor of the Seminoles.
Early in the second quarter, sophomore Flashes defensive back CJ Young provided a highlight play for the team when he intercepted a Castellanos pass on FSU’s first drive of the second quarter.
It seemed that after the Seminoles led 45-7 at halftime after a field goal, both teams agreed to keep it brief. Only four drives concluded in the third quarter, with Florida State scoring on both of them.
In the fourth quarter, Florida State just would not keep its foot off the gas pedal, scoring to the very last minute. KSU later scored on a 38-yard field goal to reach 10 points.
After an impressive performance against Buffalo, DeShields was overwhelmed by an extremely talented FSU defense. He completed 9/18 passes for 129 yards. He threw a touchdown and an interception, and was also sacked twice.
Martin was the Flashes’ leading receiver with three catches for 94 yards and a touchdown. Redshirt freshman Cade Wolford struggled with just two catches for 15 yards; it’s his first game this season without a score.
Heisman hopeful Castellanos was surgical, as he completed 10/13 passes for 205 yards and an interception. He added 57-rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Moving Ahead
The Flashes will sit idle without an opponent in week five. The following week, KSU will travel to Norman for a match against the No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners.
“[We] have to focus on us,” Carney said. “On Kent State.”
Gage Wellman is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected] or @GageWellmanKSTV on X.
