Florida State pours it on: 10 straight scoring drives, 77-3 final
This one was over fast. No. 14 Florida State hung a 77-3 hammer on East Texas A&M in Tallahassee, scoring on 10 consecutive drives and turning Week 2 into a showcase of speed, depth, and precision under head coach Mike Norvell. The Seminoles were on pace to chase the program’s 80-point benchmark before easing off late, but the statement had already landed by halftime.
Transfer quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who arrived from Boston College to run Norvell’s tempo-heavy offense, set the tone with six touchdown drives in a blistering first half. His comfort level was obvious: quick reads, clean mechanics, and a steady rhythm that kept the Lions’ defense on its heels. Florida State mixed quick perimeter throws with inside zone and designed quarterback runs, forcing East Texas A&M to defend the entire field snap after snap.
When Castellanos’ night ended, the future took a turn in the spotlight. Freshman quarterback Kevin Sperry stepped in like he’d been doing it for years, completing 4 of 5 passes for 61 yards and two touchdowns. He added 22 rushing yards on three carries, keeping the offense on schedule and the Lions guessing. There was no drop-off in tempo or execution—just more points.
One of the loudest moments came on a third-quarter bolt to Amaree Williams, who caught a short pass and turned it into a 35-yard sprint for a touchdown. Williams, a rare tight end/defensive end combo, later notched his first college sack—an eye-catching snapshot of the roster flexibility Norvell has leaned into. Cross-training isn’t window dressing for this staff; it’s a way to keep their best athletes on the field and create mismatches all over.
The ground game kept the pressure on. Florida State’s backs ran behind a line that won first contact and opened clear lanes, allowing the offense to stay ahead of schedule. The Seminoles’ scoring pace nudged toward history, but with the game out of reach, the staff throttled down in the fourth quarter. The point was never to run up the score. It was to show command, build confidence, and get reps for the two-deep without bad habits creeping in.
Defense matched offense. Earl Little Jr. and Jerry Wilson each grabbed a first-half interception, and both takeaways turned into quick touchdowns. East Texas A&M managed just 2.9 yards per carry and punted seven times, a sign of how suffocating the Seminoles were on early downs. Florida State’s front disrupted blocking schemes, the linebackers filled cleanly, and the secondary tackled well in space. It looked like a defense that knew the assignment and didn’t overcomplicate it.
Special teams stayed tidy—no backbreaking mistakes, and field position tilted the Seminoles’ way for much of the night. The clean operation mattered. Games like this can get sloppy after halftime. Instead, Florida State treated it like a walkthrough with the scoreboard on. The rotations were organized, substitution patterns were crisp, and nobody tried to do too much.
Playing for Ethan Pritchard, and what it means next
There was a heavier layer to the night. The Seminoles played with freshman linebacker Ethan Pritchard on their minds after he was shot Sunday night in Havana, Florida. He remains in critical but stable condition. Teammates wore sweatbands with his No. 35, and Little Jr. carried Pritchard’s jersey to midfield for the coin toss. Pritchard’s father stood with the team on the sideline and in the locker room—raw, real, and impossible to miss.
Castellanos didn’t dance around it afterward. “It’s something that made us go out there and play for him today. 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,” he said. For a locker room still building its identity with transfers, freshmen, and veterans, that kind of shared purpose travels.
Zoom out and the big picture is pretty simple: Florida State opened the season unranked and sits at No. 14 after two weeks. Beating an overmatched opponent doesn’t change the ceiling on its own, but the way the Seminoles did it matters. Norvell’s program looked connected. They didn’t hunt highlights; they executed. If they keep stacking clean Saturdays, the poll movement tends to take care of itself—especially if chaos hits elsewhere.
East Texas A&M, meanwhile, drops to 0-2. The Lions couldn’t sustain drives, struggled to protect the quarterback, and never found a rhythm on the ground. The bye week arrives at the right time. It’s a chance to reset protection rules, simplify the script, and get a few go-to concepts repped to muscle memory before heading to Grambling on September 20.
For Florida State, the bye is well-timed too. It’s a window to heal nicks, tighten red-zone calls, and get more first-team reps for emerging pieces like Sperry and Williams. Rotations on both lines can be sharpened, and the staff can fine-tune how it wants to deploy the two-way threats as the schedule stiffens. Kent State comes to Tallahassee on September 20, and while the Golden Flashes won’t bring the same roster as a top-tier opponent, keeping that surgical edge is the real test.
Standouts and snapshots:
- Thomas Castellanos: Led six touchdown drives, controlled tempo, and set the tone early.
- Kevin Sperry: 4-of-5 passing for 61 yards and two touchdowns, plus 22 rushing yards. Confident, efficient, poised.
- Amaree Williams: 35-yard catch-and-run score and his first college sack. Two-way impact in one night.
- Earl Little Jr. and Jerry Wilson: First-half interceptions that flipped field position and led to touchdowns.
- Defense as a whole: Held the Lions to 2.9 yards per carry and forced seven punts. Tackling and communication were on point.
By the numbers:
- 77-3: Final score, with 10 straight scoring drives for the Seminoles.
- 6: Touchdown drives led by Castellanos before giving way to the freshman.
- 2: First-half interceptions that turned into quick Florida State points.
- 7: Punts forced by the Seminole defense in a field-position clinic.
What’s next:
- Florida State: Bye week, then hosts Kent State on September 20.
- East Texas A&M: Bye week, then travels to Grambling on September 20.
Bottom line: this was about control, clarity, and composure. The scoreboard shouted it, but the details backed it up—clean operation on offense, leverage and pursuit on defense, and a team that knew who it was playing for.
Write a comment