Florida State moved to 2-2 on the season with the 34-7 win over the Central Arkansas Bears after dropping the Week 3 battle against Alabama. Sometimes things need to be taken one game at a time, and the Seminoles got the win, which is what ultimately matters.
Coach Mike Norvell entered the game against his alma mater with high expectations, and Florida State delivered at times. The overall performance of the team was not completely satisfying, particularly the performance of quarterback Ashton Daniels, just one week after finding notable success against one of the toughest defenses in the country in Alabama.
Performance Grade: QB Ashton Daniels - B-
Daniels finished the game with 224 passing yards, two touchdowns, and an interception, while completing 66.7% of his passes. Daniels was quiet on the ground, with just three carries for 34 yards against the Bears' defense. The offensive line did not have a great game either, with a consistent stream of pressure allowed, as well as a holding penalty on Nate Pabst.
The quarterback finished the game with an average of 12.4 yards per completion and a long of 34 yards. Daniels further developed a new connection with Jayvan Boggs, while Florida State experimented with playing Duce Robinson in the slot. Daniels was ultimately pulled from the game in the fourth quarter, but the star of the 34-point Seminoles' performance on offense was Ousmane Kromah.
The Positives
Florida State was able to benefit from an early connection between Robinson and Daniels for a 29-yard touchdown. Later, Daniels dropped a pass right into the hands of Boggs for a big 34-yard touchdown that helped build the gap between the two teams. Daniels connected with Boggs multiple times, which is a great thing to see as the quarterback showed there are multiple receiving options present.
For the most part, Daniels avoided pressure and got rid of the football before the team could have taken a significant loss. The offensive line is not the best, and everyone knows that, so the quarterback needs to adapt to the situation in order to produce. Daniels is doing a solid job at adapting to the situation, and he deserves credit for that.
FSU talked about putting Duce Robinson in the slot more over the summer to keep him involved.
— John Evans (@_jpevans_) September 26, 2026
Numbers have been the same (19.8% of his snaps after 19.5% last year), but he gets the free release here to work on the safety over the middle for six.pic.twitter.com/QtWrTm6ztK
The Negatives
For the third time this season, Daniels tossed an interception, and the timing is unfortunate after throwing three picks against Alabama in Week 3. When Daniels connected with his receivers against the Crimson Tide, special things happened, but when he missed, it cost the team. Limiting turnovers is going to be key to Florida State surviving the ACC, and Daniels did not show the improvement he needed to against Central Arkansas.
The Daniels that played against Alabama felt like a quarterback who was finally willing to trust his arm, but the Daniels that played in Week 4 felt like someone heading back into his shell. Florida State needs a confident quarterback who can bounce back from his mistakes, and Daniels looks more and more like a quarterback who fails to recognize where the mistake was made.
Daniels has turned this type of performance in his version of average, and at some point, Florida State needs far better than average to win games.
The interception would certainly be a notable one for Daniels, as he threw a pass down the middle of the field into the hands of the linebacker Ashtyn Williams. Even if Williams was not there, multiple Bears' defenders were in the area, resulting in far too much traffic to attempt threading the pass. Daniels took the blame following the win for his interception after forcing the throw to avoid a sack.
Ashton Daniels throws a pick right to the defender on a 2-minute offense to Central Arkansas.
— Logan B. Robinson (@LogansTwitty) September 26, 2026
Mike Norvell having a nice chat with him afterward on the sideline.
Conclusion
Daniels needs to find a way to be more consistent, even if the offensive line is not necessarily what it should be. There is enough talent surrounding the quarterback to take some pressure off his shoulders, but his weapons have not been used to their full potential. Daniels is still missing open receivers and throwing to the wrong guys, and Florida State needs more than that to compete against a tough ACC crowd this season.
At some point, Florida State needs a version of Daniels that is not afraid to use his arm to hurt opposing defenses. The Seminoles need a quarterback who can make plays with confidence, while avoiding committing costly errors, and Daniels still has not proven himself to be that player.
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