Seminoles’ Singleton is a Weapon to Keep Locked and Loaded

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Florida
State running back Sam Singleton Jr. proved to be a dangerous weapon on the
gridiron for the Seminoles in Saturday night’s 34-17 victory over the New
Mexico State Aggies.

Whether the ubiquitous Singleton was carving up the
Aggies’ rushing defense or shredding their kickoff coverage, he was the
proverbial Swiss army knife for Florida State. He is an all-purpose weapon of
destruction that coach Mike Norvell must keep locked, loaded and ready to
deploy at all times.

The bewildered
New Mexico State defense could not stop Singleton, who ignited the Seminoles
offense for 164 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. It was a prime example of
what Norvell envisioned for his explosive playmaker.

“Sam is a guy that's a
really talented football player,” said Norvell at his post-game press
conference. “He’s growing and just in all areas. And I was so
proud of him to see his impact in all three phases of it…had a
big kickoff return. Obviously, had some good runs, but then also catching the
ball out of the back field was great to see, and to see his confidence growing,
and Sam is a wonderful example of that.”

Norvell is not a creative
genius when it comes to calling plays. So, whether he is drawing the plays in
the dirt on the sideline with twigs and bottle caps, or using some other crude
means of diagramming plays, he must figure out ways to get the ball in
Singleton’s hands so he can create big yardage plays in space.

“I envisioned, him and the explosiveness he has in the different areas that he could impact,”
said Norvell. “I think he saw the same thing. And so, it was a great start for
him to this season, and we're expecting big things as we continue to move
forward.”

As they prepare
for their next opponent, the SMU Mustangs, Singleton will put stress on the SMU defense as the Mustangs must now include him in their game plan.

On Saturday night, Singleton
was unconquered as he bobbed and weaved his way through traffic and gained 68
yards on two kickoff returns for a 34-yard average, tops among all players in
week zero. Singleton was one of the highest-graded offensive players for
Florida State on Saturday night. He earned a grade of 70.2 from Pro Football
Focus (PFF).

Singleton has stuck around
Tallahassee, resisting the urge to enter the transfer portal, and has worked hard
to improve his overall game. As a result, Singleton was voted as the most
improved offensive player last season by his teammates.

In 2024, Singleton’s teammates
voted him as the Special Teams Newcomer of the Year as a freshman, and was he named
a freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).

It was not a surprise that
Singleton performed the way he did against New Mexico State, but a breakout
game to start the season off with a victory is exactly what was needed to liberate
the Seminoles from the funk of the past two losing campaigns. This season will
not be easy, and Florida State owns the most daunting schedule of any ACC team.

Do the Seminoles have
things to clean up this week as they prepare for SMU? Absolutely. The offensive
line had issues with pass blocking, giving up three sacks to the Aggies. The Florida
State defensive secondary had coverage issues, and their communication skills
were lacking most of the night.

However, Singleton was a radiant
beacon that allowed the Seminoles to bask in the thrill of victory for the
first time in their last four games, and secured their second consecutive
season-opening win. A win is a win, and Florida State will take as many as they
get.

This is an important week
of preparation for the Seminoles. The nationally-ranked Mustangs of SMU are a
formidable opponent, considered to be the No. 2 team in the ACC, behind Miami. They
will display continuity at the quarterback position, as Kevin Jennings returns
for his third year at the controls of coach Rhett Lashlee’s venerable offense.

If Singleton can turn in another
outstanding all-purpose performance against a superior opponent, Florida State might
steal a win on Labor Day. That would be the catalyst to somehow silence the critics
and extinguish the flames on Norvell’s hot seat, at least for this game week.

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