TALLAHASSEE — When No. 25 Florida State runs, the rest of the pieces fall into place. When the Seminoles can’t run, there’s no foundation for the offense.
FSU showed its identity through the first four games — a physical and experienced offensive line would create rush lanes for big, bruising backs and mobile quarterback Tommy Castellanos. When receivers and tight ends blocked on the perimeter, those short runs became gains of 10 or more yards. And FSU ranks among the top 10 in the FBS with 50 runs of 10+ yards.
It’s accurate to say the Seminoles are No. 2 in the FBS in rush offense (295.4 yards). But it’s not a precise stat until context is provided: The Seminoles had just 132 rushing yards (3.5 yards per carry) against Miami’s nasty defensive front.
The Seminoles (3-2, 0-2 ACC) must re-establish the run on Saturday against Pittsburgh (3-2, 1-1) to find any success on offense. It’s the lifeblood of their scheme under first-year coordinator Gus Malzahn.
“We’re a run, play-action team,” Malzahn said. “We got to run the football, too.”
In fairness, Malzahn was defending Castellanos and his two interceptions in the 28-22 loss to Miami. But he was also painting a portrait of the big picture for FSU’s offense.
Miami is clearly in the mix for the 12-team College Football Playoff. And the Hurricanes no doubt overwhelmed the Seminoles with their defensive front.
But FSU made Miami’s job easier with penalties that halted drives. And on the three plays before Castellanos’ interception on fourth-and-8 in the second quarter, FSU ran on first down (1-yard gain), ran on second down (1-yard loss) and ran on third down (2-yard gain). That puts enormous pressure on Castellanos to make a play through the air.
Will the run game return to form this week? It’s a major question for FSU, especially considering right tackle Micah Pettus is questionable after leaving the Miami game due to injury. FSU’s line shifted guard Adrian Medley to right tackle and inserted Jacob Rizy to Medley’s spot. But FSU’s offense struggled until the fourth quarter.
The Seminoles certainly will make the run their mission against Pittsburgh, which has allowed just 64.6 rushing yards per game (No. 2 in rush defense in FBS). While West Virginia ran for 174 yards against Pitt, the Panthers held Louisville to 53 rushing yards and BC to 27 rushing yards the last two weeks.
Malzahn’s rush offenses were No. 5 at UCF in 2024 and ’23. He’s been creative in designing plays to help FSU run, tailoring it to the opponent. Don’t expect him to change the run-centric emphasis. But the loss to Miami was a reminder: Everything the Seminoles do, and everything they want to achieve, revolves around the run.
