Taking care of business against an overmatched opponent is a positive sign for any rebuilding program.
It is particularly positive for a Florida State team that stumbled in a similar situation earlier this season.
Six weeks after getting stunned at home by Jacksonville State, Mike Norvell's Seminoles completely overwhelmed Homecoming opponent UMass on Saturday, opening up a 35-point lead at halftime and cruising to a 59-3 victory.
It was FSU's largest margin of victory against an FBS opponent since the Seminoles defeated Syracuse by the same score in 2013.
"Today, we did what we needed to do," Norvell said. "We were dominant in the football game. It's been a while since we've been able to showcase what we're capable of."
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Of course, Norvell also was quick to point out that the Seminoles still missed out on some opportunities in this game, and he knows they likely will have to play even better to earn victories against their final five opponents.
"We have a lot of things to work on," he said. "We've got a big challenge ahead of us."
The visiting Minutemen, who are coached by former FSU offensive coordinator Walt Bell, actually got a huge break early when Travis Jay fumbled the opening kickoff at the Seminoles' 26-yard line. But in what would be a bit of foreshadowing, the FSU defense stood tall and limited UMass to a 45-yard field goal.
From there, it was all Seminoles as FSU finished the game with 59 unanswered points.
Florida State finished the first half with four rushing touchdowns by four different players -- QB Jordan Travis scored on a 3-yard run, Jashaun Corbin sprinted in from 29 yards out, Treshaun Ward added a 17-yarder, and D.J. Williams rumbled in from 23 yards.
The Seminoles capped off the first-half barrage with a 70-yard interception for a touchdown by cornerback Jarvis Brownlee to make it 38-3 at the break.
FSU then kept pouring it on in the third quarter, even after the backups got in the game. Redshirt freshman quarterback Chubba Purdy threw touchdown passes of 12 yards to Camren McDonald and 5 yards to Jordan Young, and redshirt freshman tailback Lawrance Toafili rushed for a 10-yard score.
It was Purdy's first game action since he underwent season-ending surgery in 2020.
"The last time I played in a football game was N.C. State last year," Purdy said. "This is my first game coming back and getting some reps. I was super excited, and I just can't thank God enough for that opportunity. I'm just glad to be healthy and be back practicing."
Florida State finished with nearly 600 yards of total offense, while UMass finished with 241. Corbin led the Seminoles with 127 yards on 11 carries.
With the victory, Florida State improves to 3-4 heading into next Saturday's game at Clemson.
The Seminoles are the first team in ACC history to start a season 0-4 and then win the next three games.
Stay connected with Warchant.com for more on this story.
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