Florida State Defeats Central Arkansas 34-7; Norvell Criticizes 10-Penalty Day
The short version
- Florida State improved to 2-2 (0-1 ACC) with a 34-7 home win over Central Arkansas, streamed on ACC Network Extra.
- The Seminoles committed 10 penalties for 115 yards and gave up seven first downs by flag, drawing Mike Norvell's postgame criticism.
- Ashton Daniels and Duce Robinson connected on a 29-yard touchdown during a 31-second opening drive; FSU scored on all but one possession with Daniels at quarterback.
- Central Arkansas held the ball for 39:12 and recorded 22 first downs, while the Florida State defense allowed just 248 yards.
- Florida State begins a demanding ACC slate against Virginia on Saturday, Oct. 3, at Doak Campbell Stadium.
Florida State moved to 2-2 by beating Central Arkansas, yet Mike Norvell pointed to 10 penalties worth 115 yards as a flaw to fix before ACC play resumes.
Florida State evened its record at 2-2 with a 34-7 home victory over Central Arkansas at Doak Campbell Stadium, a game streamed on ACC Network Extra. The comfortable margin gave coach Mike Norvell little satisfaction; his attention afterward centered on a penalty count of 10 for 115 yards.
The hosts struck almost immediately. Florida State's first possession consumed just 31 seconds, as Ashton Daniels found Duce Robinson on a 29-yard touchdown — scored while much of a light home crowd was still filing in and plenty of viewers were hunting for the ACC Network Extra feed. Aside from a game-closing kneel-down with 20 seconds showing, it was the Seminoles' shortest series of the night, and it never unlocked the avalanche some anticipated from a 44.5-point favorite.
Central Arkansas then turned the contest into a marathon. The Bears owned the football for 39:12, with flags helping them keep it: seven of their 22 first downs came via penalty. Six of Central Arkansas' nine drives ran seven plays or longer, two of them reaching double digits, though Florida State's defense surrendered only 248 yards in all.
Norvell made his displeasure plain afterward. "We've got to be cleaner, we've got to be better," he said, adding that any game featuring 10 penalties makes him angry. He traced the mistakes to "technique" and "fundamental" issues the staff keeps hammering, and noted that poor fundamentals drew flags and kept Central Arkansas drives alive.
The Bears' lone scoring march showed exactly what he meant. Central Arkansas covered 75 yards in 13 plays, propped up by repeated penalties. Facing 3rd-and-4 at the 32-yard line, Florida State dropped Chapman McKown for a loss on a jet sweep, only for a facemask on Mikai Gbayor to hand the Bears a first down instead. Pass interference on Nehemiah Chandler — one of three penalties called against the defensive back — came on the very next snap, placed the ball at the 2-yard line, and Jalen Washington ran in the touchdown.
The scoreboard damage stopped there, but the trickle-down hurt. With Daniels directing the offense, the Seminoles scored on every possession except one, performing like the 44.5-point favorite they were — except the unit rarely took the field. Norvell said an opponent holding the ball "for close to 40 minutes of the game" cuts offensive repetitions, and that while limiting the Bears to seven points was welcome, "we would like to see more opportunities throughout the course of the game."
The result snapped a two-game losing streak. Florida State opened the year by beating New Mexico State 34-17, then fell 27-24 to SMU and 50-36 at Alabama, leaving the Seminoles at 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the ACC.
Virginia visits Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3, to kick off a heavy run through the conference. Florida State then plays at Louisville on Oct. 9 and at Miami on Oct. 17 ahead of an open week, followed by home dates with Clemson (Oct. 31) and NC State (Nov. 21), road trips to Boston College (Nov. 7) and Pittsburgh (Nov. 13), and the Nov. 27 regular-season finale against Florida.
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