3 thoughts: FSU’s blowout win over Wake Forest offers glimpse of what the 2025 season could have been

In another world, Saturday night’s game against Wake Forest would be the culmination of a weekend-long celebration in Tallahassee.

For starters, Florida State hosted its annual Seminole Heritage night as vibrant turquoise littered the stands and sidelines. This weekend was also homecoming at FSU, another yearly spectacle the community circled on the calendar. In an alternate universe, a primetime game in Doak Campbell Stadium, no matter the opponent, would pack the stands and continue to show off the beautiful renovations around Bobby Bowden Field. In a different life, losses to Miami, Florida, Clemson and Auburn would mean more than just new material to mock those fan bases on social media. Most importantly, a 35-point November win against an opponent with a 5-2 record coming into tonight would be grounds to question what the ceiling of the rest of the season could be.

But that is not this world. On secondary markets, tickets for tonight’s game were being sold for $6. The student section was not close to sold out, and the Seminole faithful joined the fraternity of fans taking off their shirts and spinning them at the top end of the empty bleachers. Ultimately, the only question left from tonight is not about FSU’s ceiling but about: what if?

On Saturday night, Florida State put on its most complete performance of the season in a 42-7 drubbing over Wake Forest. As much as it would be easy to say “Oh, it’s Wake Forest,” the Demon Deacons came into Tallahassee off a win over SMU and a top-3 defense in the ACC. Then Duce got loose, and Wake Forest head coach Jake Dickert was run over by the Gus Bus. Florida State put up 421 yards of total offense and went six-for-six in the red zone to score a season-high 42 points against a P4 opponent.

But what if I said Florida State gained more yards two weeks ago against Stanford than they did versus Wake Forest?

Tonight was the best game plan from Malzahn since Alabama, and the best execution for a full 60 minutes from his offense against a P4 opponent. What if Florida State put it all together against the Cardinal like they did on Saturday? What if FSU punched the ball into the end zone instead of settling for field goals against Virginia, Miami and Pittsburgh?

After the game, head coach Mike Norvell spoke on the offensive game plan with the local Tallahassee media:

“I thought Coach Malzahn and obviously the offensive staff put together a great plan of being able to create some space against a good Wake Forest defense, and the players took over from there, and Sam (Singleton) was a guy who definitely took advantage of it.”

Defensively, Tony White’s unit appears to be turning a corner. The Seminoles allowed only seven points, and the one touchdown drive for Wake Forest came after a fourth-quarter turnover from Brock Glenn on FSU’s side of the field. White clearly made adjustments during the bye week, and they paid off. He utilized four-down defensive linemen more often to try to slow the Demon Deacon running game, and WF rushed for only 3.4 yards per carry (not including sack yardage). The defensive coordinator simplified the concepts for his defense and Wake Forest punted on their first four drives in the first half. After not recovering a fumble through the first seven games of the season, Ja’Bril Rawls’ fumble recovery in the second half proved to be the knockout punch. White may start to turn the screws with his unit, but what if he adjusted a month ago? How many losses would be wins if not for better defensive coaching?

“I thought our coaching staff did an outstanding job of putting them in a great position to play fast, to be able to adapt and adjust throughout it, but yeah, I do think it makes a great statement for just the character and the belief that those guys have in what they can do and who they’re doing it with.

As a team, the Seminoles blew out Wake Forest because they played complementary football. Florida State scored 14 points off two turnovers. Florida State outscored the Demon Deacons 28-0 in the second and third quarters. At one point in the second half, the drive sequence went WF Fumble, FSU TD, WF turnover on downs, FSU TD, WF interception, FSU TD, WF punt, FSU TD. But imagine if Florida State played that level of complementary football in the third quarter against Miami. Where could this team be if they put on this second-half performance against Pitt?

“I know we’ve talked throughout this year and used the term complementary football. That’s what it looks like. When you have each other’s backs, regardless of what happened on the previous play, seeing guys that just continue to focus on doing their job, in the moment, the one play, and they answered the call.”

Give credit where credit is due; not only did the outside public, but almost all of the Florida State community wrote off the Seminoles for the rest of the season. Yet, Mike Norvell’s team annihilated Wake Forest. But, besides turning the temperature down for a week and climbing out of last place as the most embarrassing team in the ACC (Hello, Clemson!), tonight proved a lot of what was already known about this team. When FSU plays its best, it can beat a top-5 team in the country. When it plays its worst, it loses to a 2-5 ACC team. Unfortunately, inconsistency will likely define Florida State’s season, leaving a lingering feeling of “what if?”

First Thought: Duce is Loose

Duce Robinson is the most impactful Florida State wide receiver since…

Robinson recorded five catches for 148 yards and a touchdown against Wake Forest, his third game this season with over 100 yards receiving and his fourth touchdown of the season. He made a couple of spectacular grabs, including pinning a one-handed reception against the defender’s back to put FSU deep into Wake Forest territory.

Robinson changes the complexion of the Seminole offense, giving Florida State a true #1 WR that few teams have the personnel to deal with. He blazed past defenders on Saturday with top-line speed for catches down the field, but caught his touchdown by boxing out for the ball and utilizing his 6’6” frame. As much as Malzahn wants to be a run-first offense, touches to Robinson need to be manufactured — he is that good. Despite the qualms that arise from the transfer portal, Florida State’s decision to convert Robinson into a full-time wide receiver was a slam dunk and one of the only consistent parts on the roster.

“Duce answered the call. Another guy that shows up, good day, bad day, whatever it is, you’re going to get all of him. He pours into this team, and you can -- just like we were talking about with Sam (Singleton), you see the confidence of being able to be a go-to guy regardless of the situation that we find ourselves in. He showed up and is just continuing to get better.“

Second Thought: The Easy Way

The old saying of “We can’t start winning until we stop losing” certainly rang true for Florida State this season. In all of their four losses, self-inflicted wounds were either the primary culprit or a critical reason for coming up short. Luckily for Florida State, they met their match in a Wake Forest team that holds themselves back just like the Seminoles. The Demon Deacons came into today’s game ranked at the bottom in the FBS in penalties and penalty yards per game, and it reared its head on Saturday. Wake Forest took 11 penalties for 95 yards while FSU only took four for 45 yards — a week after flags caused FSU to lose to Stanford. Along with taking fewer penalties, Norvell’s team held on to the ball and won the turnover battle. They came out and played a clean game in all three phases and the Demon Deacons were unable to compete when having to play straight up. It does seem like the bye helped address some of the fundamental issues that plagued Florida State earlier in the season, leading to a well-played ball game and a well-deserved win.

“I thought it played a huge part of tonight’s game, and it’s absolutely going to be a top priority for us to make sure that we’re owning the football, which we came out, I think we were plus one in the turnover margin. We were able to be the most disciplined team and the fewest penalties tonight. Those are going to be great avenues for success if we can continue that.“

Third Thought: Coaching Carousel

The coaching carousel will likely take another spin this week after Clemson and Auburn both lost to unranked opponents at home. Dabo Swinney is likely safe, but Auburn will have to take a long look at what to do with Hugh Freeze. If the Auburn job becomes available, that will be another landing spot with more priority over Florida State, making these wins that much more critical for FSU. As strange as it sounds, it would be in FSU’s best interest to keep Norvell through the offseason and into 2026. While the ceiling is obvious with Norvell at the helm, if Florida State can avoid being in this crazy job cycle and continue to save/renegotiate the head coach’s buyout, the school will be better set up for success in the long run. A win over Wake Forest means the program has paused its free fall and sets itself up for a strong finish in November. Sitting at 4-4, becoming bowl eligible, and defeating either Clemson or Florida should be enough for Norvell to save his job. Even if 2026 is a bust, Florida State will be better for it.

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