Florida State football’s offense recorded more yards and points in one half against East Texas A&M than the Seminoles recorded in any game last season.
A statistic that showcases the turnaround the Seminoles have had under offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn. No. 10 FSU’s (2-0) offense currently ranks top 10 nationally in total offense, scoring offense and rushing offense through two weeks, and has scored 15 touchdowns, already four short of the 19 total touchdowns the Seminoles scored in 2024.
In the spring, the Seminoles were hampered by injuries, and it wasn’t until fall camp that the FSU offense had full participation.
While the early returns are promising, Malzahn said that the offense is still a “work in progress.”
“We didn’t have our pieces of the puzzle until about two and a half, three weeks ago to really start getting the continuity and the working together. … So, I’ve been really pleased with them. We’re still a work in progress,” Malzahn said. “But I’m real pleased with the big picture. We do have some playmakers. I think everybody can see that, and just getting the details down to the fine-tuning things to be a very effective offense, no matter who we play.”
Despite that, Malzahn’s offense hasn’t missed a beat and is averaging 8.29 yards per play and 555.5 yards per game, beating Alabama 31-17 and East Texas A&M 77-3.
Tommy Castellanos makes FSU football’s offense tick
At the heart of Malzahn’s offense and the Seminoles’ turnaround is quarterback Tommy Castellanos. He’s thrown three touchdowns and rushed for another, with 474 total yards of offense.
In the opening two games of the season, Castellanos has been used in multiple ways, as a run-first quarterback against Alabama and then as a more pass-friendly signal caller against the Lions.
In Malzahn’s eyes, he’s playing with confidence and has shown growth in key areas since the pair first worked together at UCF in 2022, Castellanos’s freshman year.
“You can tell he’s a more experienced guy. I could sense that in the spring, too. Even though we were beat up, he didn’t have all his pieces of the puzzle around him,” Malzahn said. “You could tell his playmaking ability and his experience was completely different than when I had him as a true freshman.”
He has shown an early connection with wide receiver Duce Robinson, connecting with him for 173 yards and two touchdowns on five receptions against East Texas A&M in the first half.
“That’s what we’ve seen in practice all the way back to spring,” Malzahn said. “They have a special connection, there’s no doubt with that.”
FSU football’s run game is one of the best in the nation… so far
Castellanos’ impact on the run game is apparent, with the quarterback’s ability to get out of the pocket forcing teams to be cautious in coverage approaches.
The Seminoles are averaging 295.5 yards per game, ranked fifth in the country. A year removed from averaging 89.9 per game, FSU has recorded 591 yards in two games, posting 230 rushing yards and four touchdowns against Alabama in the first game of the season.
In total, FSU has six different players with rushing scores, led by Gavin Sawchuk with three scores. With Roydell Williams on the sidelines for a few weeks, Sawchuk’s importance to the ground game mirrors Castellanos, showcased with his two rushing touchdowns and one touchdown catch last week.
“Obviously, in Roydell’s absence, we wanted to get him going early. He’s an experienced guy, played a lot of football,” Malzahn said. “We know a lot about him, but it was good to get him behind our offensive line and get those carries early.”
As FSU enters an important three-game stretch after the bye week against Kent State, Virginia and No. 5 Miami, the ground game will continue to be a key factor for the surging Seminoles, who have one of the nation’s best offenses early in the season.
FSU football 2025 schedule
Games with an asterisk are ACC games.
- August 30: vs. Alabama, W 31-17
- September 6:Â vs. East Texas A&M, W 77-3
- September 13:Â Bye
- September 20:Â vs. Kent State (shop tickets)
- September 26:Â at Virginia*, 7 p.m. (Friday, ESPN)
- October 4:Â vs. Miami*, (shop tickets)
- October 11:Â vs. Pittsburgh*, (shop tickets)
- October 18:Â at Stanford*, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)
- October 25:Â Bye
- November 1:Â vs. Wake Forest*, (shop tickets)
- November 8:Â at Clemson*
- November 15:Â vs. Virginia Tech*, (shop tickets)
- November 21:Â at NC State*, 8 p.m. (Friday)
- November 29:Â at Florida (shop tickets)
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LR*****@*****tt.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Gus Malzahn, FSU football offense among college football best already
