Football is a weird game. Sometimes you turn on the TV expecting a competitive slugfest, and instead, you witness a statistical anomaly that feels more like a video game played on "Easy" mode. That's basically what happened when the Florida State Seminoles football team met the Kent State Golden Flashes football program on September 20, 2025.
People expected a blowout. Honestly, everyone knew the Noles were going to win. But nobody—not even the most die-hard fan in Tallahassee—quite expected the absolute track meet that unfolded at Doak Campbell Stadium. It wasn't just a win; it was a 66-10 demolition that rewrote the Florida State record books and left Kent State looking for answers in a season that felt increasingly like a long, uphill climb.
Why Florida State vs Kent State Was a Record-Breaking Mess
If you missed the first quarter, you basically missed the entire competitive portion of the game. FSU came out like they had a plane to catch. They dropped 35 points in the first fifteen minutes. Thirty-five! That tied a school record for points in a single quarter.
It was a nightmare for Kent State. They fell behind 14-0 before many fans had even found their seats. But, surprisingly, the Golden Flashes actually showed a flicker of life early on. Dru DeShields found DaShawn Martin for a staggering 75-yard touchdown pass that briefly made it 14-7. For about eleven seconds, it felt like we might have a game on our hands.
Then the floor fell out.
Florida State responded with 21 unanswered points before the first quarter siren even sounded. By the time the dust settled, the Seminoles had racked up:
- 498 rushing yards (a new program record).
- 8 rushing touchdowns (another program record).
- 775 total yards of offense.
- 37 first downs.
Tommy Castellanos was surgical. He only threw 13 passes because he didn't need to throw more. He spent most of his afternoon tucking the ball and running or handing it off to Gavin Sawchuk and Micahi Danzy, who treated the Kent State defense like a collection of orange traffic cones.
The Ground Game That Wouldn't Stop
Let's talk about that rushing record for a second. 498 yards on the ground is insane. That’s nearly five football fields of just... running. Florida State didn't just win; they bullied the line of scrimmage.
Micahi Danzy, making his first career start, was a lightning bolt. He had 176 total yards of offense, including a 64-yard touchdown run that made the defenders look like they were running in sand. Then you had Samuel Singleton Jr. and Gavin Sawchuk chipping in multiple scores each. It was a rotating door of fresh legs and explosive speed.
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Kent State, meanwhile, couldn't get anything going. Their ground game was held to a measly 43 yards. When you're getting out-rushed by over 450 yards, you aren't just losing a game; you’re losing a physical battle at the most basic level of the sport.
The Reality for Kent State Golden Flashes Football
Look, being a "Group of Five" team playing a "Power Four" giant is always a tough gig. These "buy games" are necessary for the budget, but they're brutal on the soul. Kent State entered this game already struggling, and leaving Tallahassee with a 56-point loss didn't help the optics.
The Golden Flashes are in a rebuilding phase under Kenni Burns, and it’s been a rough road. Their 2024 season was historically difficult—going 0-12—and 2025 hasn't been much kinder. Facing a top-10 ranked Florida State team in their house is a tall order for anyone, but the lack of defensive resistance was particularly tough to watch.
The highlight for Kent was undoubtedly that 75-yard strike to DaShawn Martin. It showed that the talent is there, but the depth and the trench play just aren't at the level required to hang with a team like FSU for sixty minutes. They also managed a field goal in the fourth quarter from Will Hryszko, but by then, the Noles were playing their third and fourth-stringers.
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Florida State's Momentum Swing
For FSU, this game was exactly what the doctor ordered. They were 3-0 at the time and needed a "tune-up" before heading into the meat of their ACC schedule. Coach Mike Norvell played 89 different players in this game. 89! That’s basically the entire roster.
It gave the staff a chance to see guys like Brock Glenn and Kevin Sperry under center. It allowed the younger defensive backs to get some reps. Most importantly, it kept the starters healthy. When you can put a game away by halftime, you save your best players' legs for the long November stretch.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Matchup
There’s a common narrative that these games are "pointless" or just "bullying." I sort of disagree. While the score was ugly, these games serve as a massive reality check for coaching staffs.
For Florida State, it proved their offensive line depth was better than advertised. For Kent State, it exposed a fundamental weakness in gap discipline that they had to fix before getting into MAC play. If you can't stop the run against FSU, you definitely won't stop it against the physical teams in the Mid-American Conference.
Also, we have to acknowledge the heat. It was 94 degrees at kickoff. If you've never been to Tallahassee in September, imagine standing in a sauna while wearing 20 pounds of plastic and padding. The humidity is a factor that doesn't show up in the box score but absolutely drained the Kent State defense by the second quarter.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
If you're following these two programs, there are a few things you should actually keep an eye on moving forward. Don't just look at the 66-10 final score; look at the "how" and the "why."
- Watch the FSU Rushing Trends: FSU's ability to rotate four different backs without losing production is their biggest strength. If their rushing average stays above 6 yards per carry, they are a playoff lock.
- Monitor Kent State’s Quarterback Stability: DeShields has the arm, but he’s under constant pressure. If they can't develop a quick-release passing game, his talent will be wasted behind that struggling line.
- The "Post-Blowout" Hangover: History shows that teams coming off a 50+ point win sometimes come out flat the next week. Check the betting lines for FSU’s next road game at Virginia—it might be closer than people think.
The Florida State vs Kent State game was a showcase of pure, unadulterated speed. It wasn't a tactical chess match; it was a physical mismatch that ended exactly how the oddsmakers predicted, just with a few more record-breaking runs than we expected.
To really understand where these teams are headed, keep an eye on the injury reports for FSU's offensive line—they are the engine of that record-breaking run game. For Kent State, look at their recruiting in the portal for defensive tackles; until they get bigger up front, these scores will keep happening against elite competition.