TALLAHASSEE — Ethan Pritchard led coach Mike Norvell and the Florida State football team through a sea of fans, a pregame routine where coaches and players make the trek from the buses into Doak Campbell Stadium.
Pritchard’s return to practice on Friday brought smiles to his face as well as teammates and coaches. The Sanford Seminole star linebacker was an emotional pregame lift for the Seminoles, who defeated Virginia Tech 34-14 on Saturday.
“It’s a miracle,” quarterback Tommy Castellanos said. “We’ve been praying for him and his family.”
Castellanos called it an emotional day for the Seminoles, who had their teammate back for the first time since he was shot in the head on Aug. 31 in Havana, Fla. Pritchard is in a wheelchair, but his father, Earl, said Ethan could be walking in January and hopes to play football again.
“Most of the times I’m Facetiming him he’s in the middle of a workout or his rehab,” Norvell said. “He has sweat going down his forehead — ‘Coach, they’re pushing me.’ I said, ‘Sorry, buddy, you’re built for it.’ He said, ‘Yes, I am.’ ”
Grateful for Pritchard’s recovery, FSU (5-5, 2-5 ACC) dominated VT. Here are five things we learned Saturday:
FSU’s run game was efficient once again
FSU’s coaches seemed to rotate tailbacks too often, causing pre-snap confusion early. But the Seminoles finished with 237 yards and averaged 5.2 yards per carry, with Ousmane Kromah (59 yards), Samuel Singleton Jr. (53 yards) and Castellanos (45 yards, two rushing touchdowns) leading the way.
FSU doesn’t necessarily need 200-yard rushing days but needs to be physical in the remaining games at NC State (No. 54 rush defense, 140.5 yards) and Florida (143.2 yards).
FSU’s run defense bent far too often
The Seminoles knew what was coming: VT struggles to pass and leans heavily on the run. But tailback Marcellous Hawkins and quarterback Kyron Drones were productive as they led the Hokies to 238 rushing yards (5.8 yards per carry).
A positive for the Seminoles: A forced fumble and a pair of fourth-down stops in the fourth quarter. On a 4th-and-6 play, linebacker Omar Graham Jr. and defensive lineman Mandrell Desir kept Drones from converting. A drive later, linebacker Blake Nichelson wrapped up Drones short of a first down.
Duce Robinson, difference-maker
Castellanos struggled to complete short passes, finishing 12 of 24 for 189 yards. But six of those completions went to Duce Robinson for 134 yards. And Robinson had two drops on short-yardage passes where Castellanos threw fades into the end zone to the 6-foot-6 receiver.
Robinson has made catches like those in 2025, and he later grabbed a 50-yard touchdown where he broke a tackle and raced for the end zone. With 49 receptions for 947 yards (and five touchdowns), Robinson is on the cusp of being FSU’s first 1,000-yard receiver since Tamorrion Terry in 2019.
With win on road, FSU’s bowl-eligible
FSU finished the home schedule 5-2, including wins over three Power 4 teams (Alabama, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech). Now the Seminoles hit the road, where they are 0-3 and scored just 13 points in the loss to Stanford and 10 points in the defeat to Clemson.
The Seminoles have lost their last three games at NC State, which is among the toughest places to win in the ACC. The Wolfpack (5-5) have lost three of four games but are also fighting to be bowl-eligible. Then FSU plays at Florida (3-7), which has little to fight for — other than ruining a rival’s season. These results could have a significant impact on how FSU administrators evaluate Norvell.
Weinberg can’t miss high-percentage kicks
Redshirt freshman kicker Jake Weinberg has made 11 of 15 field-goal attempts but two recent misses are cause for concern as he missed a 40-yarder at Clemson and a 34-yarder against Virginia Tech.
Weinberg’s miss against the Tigers came with FSU trailing 18-7. Opening the third quarter, the Seminoles’ drive stalled and a made field-goal attempt could have given momentum to a comeback. His miss against VT turned out to be inconsequential, but the FSU coaches must be able to trust Weinberg on field-goal attempts of 40 yards or less.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/16/5-things-learned-from-fsus-victory-over-virginia-tech/
