Ashton Daniels has TD pass, TD run in Florida State's 34-17 win over New Mexico State

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Ashton Daniels passed for 202 yards and had a touchdown passing as well as rushing as Florida State defeated New Mexico State 34-17 in a season opener on Saturday.

After starting at Stanford for two seasons and playing at Auburn in four games last fall, Daniels completed 17 of 27 passes with a 4-yard touchdown to Samuel Singleton Jr. and an interception in his debut with the Seminoles. He also had an interception.

“I think the team did well, I think the offense did well,” Daniels said. “Obviously, there’s some plays that we want to have back. But I think that we responded very well to some negative plays, putting points on the board.”

Ousmane Kromah had a weaving 52-yard run in the fourth quarter. The sophomore enjoyed his first 100-yard game, picking up 115 yards on 14 carries.

Florida State, which finished with 217 rushing yards on 39 carries, won a season opener for the fourth time in five years.

Singleton Jr. did a little bit of everything. He had nine carries for 42 yards and caught four passes for 54 yards. Singleton’s 46-yard kickoff return also set up Florida State near midfield, and he finished off the drive with a 2-yard TD run.

A year ago, Singleton Jr. had four touchdowns but just one catch. He stuck around for an opportunity to be a bigger contributor this fall.

“I believe in myself, I believe in what I can do,” Singleton said.

New Mexico State quarterback Trey Hedden found success with clean pockets and was a big part of converting 10 of 16 third-down attempts. Hedden, a transfer from Furman of the FCS, completed 26 of 42 passes for 272 yards and touchdowns to TK King and Brodie Malone-Bradford for the Aggies. He also threw an interception on the Aggies’ opening drive.

“It’s a lot different when you’re playing in these money games and you walk in the locker room and there is some genuine disappointment that there was a great opportunity there,” New Mexico State coach Tony Sanchez said. “I think we all own that, myself included.”

Red zone success

Florida State scored on 80.7 percent of its red-zone trips, which ranked just 95th in the FBS in 2025. The Seminoles were even worse with a touchdown on just 59.6% of their trips.

But on Saturday, Florida State was 6 of 6 with four touchdowns and two field-goal attempts.

The takeaway

New Mexico State: The Aggies were able to pick apart Florida State's pass defense over the middle. But New Mexico State could not run, picking up just 47 yards on 23 carries.

Florida State: The Seminoles welcomed 62 new players, but there were plenty of struggles on both sides of the ball. While it was a winning debut, there are concerns about the offensive line, passing attack and pass defense as the competition gets tougher.

Up next

New Mexico State: The Aggies will play host to FCS Mercyhurst on Saturday.

Florida State: The Seminoles will have extra time to prepare for their ACC opener against No. 19 SMU on Labor Day.

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