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Ashton Daniels' 44-yard strike to Micahi Danzy on third-and-8 was the offense's cleanest rep of the night, with Samuel Singleton Jr. picking up a blitzer to give Daniels a clean pocket against a busted Tampa 2 look.

A 24-yard corner route to Duce Robinson out of the slot and a 20-yard Singleton run behind strong edge blocks from Jasen Lopez and Jayvan Boggs rounded out the offense's best sequences, while linebacker Mikai Gbayor's no-gain tackle on a play-action slide was the defense's signature rep.

Daniels' second-quarter interception traced back to a protection breakdown, with center Bradyn Welch-Joiner losing quickly on a stunt and Daniels forcing a ball to Chase Loftin that both he and Norvell later called a clear mistake.

New Mexico State's two touchdown passes both exploited coverage busts, a blitz that left Ja'Bril Rawls without safety help on the first, and a switch release that beat Ricky Knight III on the second, while a blown screen assignment from Xavier Chaplin cost Quintrevion Wisner a five-yard loss on an otherwise well-designed play.

Running back earned the only A on the team, with Ousmane Kromah, Samuel Singleton Jr. and Quintrevion Wisner combining for 191 rushing yards and doing their best work when the line actually created movement.

Wide receiver graded out a B, with Danzy, Robinson and Boggs all creating separation when given the chance, even though roughly a third of Daniels' targets came on screens rather than downfield shots.

The offensive line earned a C-, the lowest grade on the team, after averaging just 1.92 yards before contact and allowing pressure that directly led to Daniels' interception.

Quarterback landed at a C+, weighed down by a rising average time to throw (3.42 seconds, up from 2.56 at his best in 2025) that didn't match the quick-game identity FSU built around him.

The secondary graded out a C, undone by soft coverage and miscommunication on third downs even as the group held up reasonably well against the run.

Ousmane Kromah led the entire team at 80.7, forcing five missed tackles and averaging six yards after contact, while Quintrevion Wisner (72.1) and Samuel Singleton Jr. (70.2) rounded out a backfield that dominated the grading sheet.

On defense, linebacker Chris Jones topped the team at 83.3 in his debut, with Mikai Gbayor (77.6) grading as the most disruptive front-seven player on a per-snap basis.

Cornerback Ja'Bril Rawls finished as PFF's lowest-graded defender at 64.7, allowing a team-high 80 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets.

Freshman receiver Jasen Lopez graded lowest overall on offense at 55.0 after playing just 16 snaps without a target, while defensive tackle Daniel Lyons (62.6) was credited with neither a tackle nor a pressure across 41 snaps.

Trey Hedden completed 10 of 13 passes for 158 yards and both touchdowns specifically on third down, a stark contrast to his 55 percent completion rate on every other down, as FSU's blitzes got him the ball out quickly against soft underneath coverage.

New Mexico State converted six of its first seven third downs to open the game, chewing nearly seven minutes off the clock before Quindarrius Jones' interception finally bailed the defense out.

Linebacker Chris Jones didn't mince words afterward, calling the third-down defense a case of not playing "up to our standard" and pledging that the leadership group would address it in practice this week.

Norvell agreed, calling the two coverage breakdowns that led to touchdowns "self-inflicted" and something the staff has to get corrected before facing a much better quarterback in SMU's Kevin Jennings.

Singleton finished with 164 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, rushing, receiving and returning kicks, after entering the fall as an afterthought behind Ousmane Kromah and prized Texas transfer Quintrevion Wisner.

Rather than transfer after a career that totaled just 551 rushing yards through three seasons, Singleton chose to stay. "I love Florida State," he said. "I wasn't trying to go nowhere." Norvell said he envisioned exactly this kind of impact from him heading into the year.

Norvell called Singleton up to break FSU's ceremonial rock after the win, a tradition carried over from his Memphis days that only happens after victories and gets signed by the full team and coaching staff.

It's a fitting symbol for a player who bet on himself rather than the portal, and Saturday was the clearest payoff yet.

FSU improved to 61-19 all-time in home openers and 23-2 under Norvell when allowing fewer than 20 points, while Ashlynd Barker's eight tackles and Ousmane Kromah's 115 rushing yards were both career highs.

Kicker Gabe Panikowski stayed perfect at the college level, and Quindarrius Jones' end-zone interception was FSU's first takeaway on an opening drive since 2020.

Twenty-six players made their FSU debut on Saturday, including all five starting offensive linemen, six defensive backs and every specialist on the roster.

Duce Robinson (66 snaps) and Ja'Bril Rawls (62 snaps) topped the snap count at their respective position groups, while Rylan Kennedy's 44 defensive snaps led a defensive line rotation that got real contributions from nine different players.

SMU opened as a 3.5-point favorite on Polymarket over FSU for Monday's 7:30 p.m. primetime kickoff on ESPN, with the over/under set at 53.5 and traders giving the Mustangs a 62 percent chance to win outright.

SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings, a potential Heisman contender who threw for 3,641 yards and 26 touchdowns last season, gets to make his season debut fresh off a full week of rest while FSU already has a game of tape on itself for opponents to study.

On3's Josh Pate called FSU's upcoming schedule "a recipe for disaster," saying the Seminoles looked far more evenly matched with New Mexico State than a 31.5-point favorite should. "I just don't think Florida State's team is that good," he said.

CBS Sports listed Norvell among its Week 0 losers despite the win, noting the program has little margin left for slow starts given the season's stakes.

Top100 interior lineman George Selvie III, who saw FSU lose last season, called Saturday's win "a much better" experience and said he plans to make a decision by the end of his junior year, with player development at the next level as his top priority.

FSU extended a fresh offer to Picayune, Mississippi defensive lineman Jeremiah Mark, whose recruitment has exploded with recent offers from LSU, Miami, Alabama and Ole Miss, and he singled out FSU's fan loyalty as what stood out most.

Top247 edge Jeremiah Figaro, offered just six weeks ago, said he spoke with four different defensive line coaches on his visit and was impressed watching FSU's front adjust its pass-rush plan as the game went on.

Four-star quarterback Brady Quinn called the atmosphere for his first Doak Campbell visit "pretty sick" and said Ashton Daniels "played pretty good" for a season opener, while Top247 running back Xander Edwards used his first visit of the season on FSU, with running backs coach Kam Martin in daily contact.