It was the fourth quarter of a 52-10 rout. Most of the people who had been watching on television had long since changed the channel. Or gone to bed.

But even in the midst of one of the darkest nights in recent Florida State football history, there might have been a tiny fraction of a glimmer of light. In the form of a bunch of young Seminoles who got the first extended actions of their careers.

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The headliner, of course, was running back Lawrence Toafili, who led Florida State with 64 yards rushing on eight carries. He also had two catches for 35 yards and likely vaulted himself into a much bigger role in the FSU offense moving forward.

"I think Lawrence is a young man who has really worked hard throughout this fall camp," FSU head coach Mike Norvell said after the game. "He has grown each and every week. We thought he would have more of an opportunity (against Miami) to really make more an impact. It was good to see him go in there and perform at a really high level from what I could see there on TV.

"It was good to see him continue to play hard, and he gave us some explosive plays throughout the course of the game."

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In the fourth quarter, with the Miami defense playing many of its back-ups as well, an FSU offense featuring a number of true freshmen marched right down the field.

Tate Rodemaker was at quarterback, Toafili and Ja'Khi Douglas at running back, Kentron Poitier, Darion Williamson and Bryan Robinson at receiver, and Robert Scott Jr. and Thomas Shrader on the offensive line.

The drive ended deep in Miami territory, but it was an impressive march that included 47 passing yards by Rodemaker.

"I was just impressed with his overall demeanor, the way he handled the situation," junior tight end Cam McDonald said of Rodemaker. "Being a true freshman out of high school, that's not an easy situation to be thrown into. But the way that he approached it, and the way that he conducted himself on the field, I was impressed. And I'm excited about the future (for) Tate

Not that it means a whole lot when you get obliterated by six touchdowns, but out of the top 11 offensive grades by FSU players according to Pro Football Focus, five were true freshmen. That group was led by Toafili, who had the second-highest mark on the team behind McDonald.

Rodemaker wound up taking 21 snaps. So did Poitier. Shrader and Scott got seven and 13, respectively. Toafili had 25, Williamson had 12 and Douglas had 15.

These were small sample sizes, obviously. But that doesn't mean they don't matter at all. Not in a program that needs all the help it can get. Quickly.

"The experience is going to be great for those guys," Norvell said afterward. "Obviously, they've got to continue to develop. ... With the good and the bad that showed up, it is invaluable for what they're going through early in their careers."

Stephen Dix Jr. was the true freshman on the defensive side of the ball that got the most extensive action. The linebacker was on the field for 52 plays and wound up making six tackles, including one for loss.

Norvell wouldn't commit to saying a youth movement is definitely coming for the Seminoles in the weeks ahead, but it wouldn't be stunning to see the first-year head coach try to get as many valuable reps for the newcomers as he can.

"I was talking about how impressed I was with Lawrance Toafili while I was on the sideline," McDonald said. "Just the way that he carries the ball and the way that he runs downhill, and he makes people miss. I'm so excited about the young group of guys that we have, along with Ja'Khi Douglas and Kentron. And really all the young guys that got in and played today showed a lot of upside and a lot of things that we can build on going into the future."

The season doesn't appear to have much hope of being turned around at this point. Not after two losses in two games, including one to a rival by 42 points.

So, in a way, there's nothing to lose for Norvell and his staff as the Seminoles try to navigate a season unlike any other.

"I will tell you, there are great days ahead for this program," Norvell said. "And we are going to work at an extremely high level in every aspect to make sure we're doing our part to improve in each moment we get.

"So, we have to improve. ... We have to get better, and we have to get better quickly."

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