Ashton Daniels threw for 202 yards and a touchdown Saturday night while Ousmane Kromah added 115 rushing yards and a TD as Florida State opened its season with a 34-17 win over visiting New Mexico State in Tallahassee.
Daniels, an Auburn transfer, completed 17 of 27 passes with an interception for the Seminoles. They were favored by 31 1/2 points and never trailed but didn’t put the Aggies away until Kromah scored on a 1-yard run with 4:01 left in the game for a three-score lead.
Florida State earned a 419-319 advantage in total yardage.
Trey Hedden hit 26 of 42 passes for 272 yards and two scores for New Mexico State, leaning heavily on TK King and Brodie Malone-Bradford. King caught seven passes for 78 yards and one TD, while Malone-Bradford added six receptions for 96 yards and a score.
The Seminoles initiated scoring at the 3:05 mark of the first quarter on Gabe Panikowski’s 43-yard field goal. Daniels made it 10-0 just 45 seconds into the second quarter, capping a seven-play, 60-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run.
Hedden got the Aggies on the board with 10:49 left in the half, connecting with Malone-Bradford on a 33-yard scoring strike. Daniels took Florida State on a 58-yard drive late in the half, completing it by finding Samuel Singleton Jr. for a 4-yard touchdown pass to make it 17-7 at the break.
Ilya Uvaydov converted a 38-yard field goal with 7:36 left in the third quarter, pulling New Mexico State within 17-10. However, the Seminoles answered with a 51-yard touchdown drive that Singleton finished with a 2-yard run at the 2:09 mark.
Panikowski tacked on a 41-yard field goal with 10:41 remaining in the game for a three-score lead before Hedden and King hooked up for a 34-yard scoring strike with 7:42 on the clock that got the Aggies within 27-17.
New Mexico State couldn’t mount much of a rushing attack, managing just 47 yards on 23 carries. The Aggies also committed eight penalties for 68 yards, to seven for 65 for the Seminoles.