Florida State football was defeated by the arch-rival Miami Hurricanes by a score of 28-22 on Saturday. This allowed the fan base to get frustrated, and some individuals even thought that head football coach Mike Norvell should be fired.
This shouldn't be a "the sky is falling" moment. The Seminoles still have a ton to play for. However, their margin for error is slimmer. We at Chop Chat always want to highlight the positive notes of the program that we love, so here we go, let's discuss three positives of Florida State football's 2025 season so far.
1. PLAYING TRUE FRESHMEN
Florida State football played true freshmen last season, too, but the 2024 season was such a wash that the coaching staff almost had to play them to see what they were working with for the next year. However, the 2025 recruiting class has been productive, where they have played eighteen true freshmen, because they help them win football games. That is a positive for long-term sustainability.
2. RUNNING THE BALL AT AN EFFICIENT RATE
Florida State had one of the worst rushing attacks in college football during the 2024 season, with 89.3 rushing yards per game. However, the Seminoles added offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn this offseason. Fans knew that he wanted to scheme his offense around running the football. Coach Malzahn has done just that, as the Seminoles have averaged 295.4 rushing yards per game.
3. PLAYING WITH HEART
I do not want to advertise the "moral victories" of playing with heart. This is Florida State, plain and simple. This is a university that has a proud tradition of winning football, but there have been instances where the squad has quit. It doesn't look like that is the case, as the Seminoles battled back from a 28-3 score in the fourth quarter to cut it to 28-22. The bigger concern is not allowing the contest to get to that point, but it is encouraging that they can fight when adversity strikes.