Florida State football opened the 2022 season with a convincing 47-7 win against Duquesne on Saturday afternoon during “Week 0,” a few days ahead of when most college football programs play their first games.
The Seminoles and the Dukes had to wait out a significant lightning delay before starting the game as severe weather affected the local area.
Florida State football won in convincing fashion as expected against FCS foe Duquesne in both teams’ 2022 season opener on Saturday, Aug. 27.
Duquesne plays at the FCS level and is a member of the Northeast Conference along with schools like Sacred Heart and Central Connecticut State. The Dukes finished 7-3 last season, which actually included a win over an FBS opponent, Ohio. Duquesne did, however, begin its 2021 campaign with a 45-3 loss at TCU.
The season-opening win against Duquesne marked the Seminoles’ largest margin of victory since a 59-3 win against Massachusetts last year.
Three different Florida State players topped 100 rushing yards as the home team dominated the line of scrimmage. That set the tone from early on, taking the pressure off Noles quarterback Jordan Travis.
Getting off to a strong start to the season was imperative for head coach Mike Norvell and the Seminoles with a Sunday night matchup against LSU in New Orleans looming in Week 2. Although FSU owns a 7-2 series lead against the Tigers since the teams’ first meeting in 1968, the two programs haven’t met since 1991.
That year, ironically, marked FSU’s final season as an independent — the Seminoles would join the ACC for the 1992 season, now 30 years ago. The team was ranked No. 1 in the country before and after the 27-16 win at LSU in Tiger Stadium, though FSU would lose to Miami and Florida in successive weeks to conclude the regular season en route to an 11-2 record.
A 1-0 Florida State squad will now set their eyes on LSU for Week 1.
Here are the three biggest takeaways from Florida State’s season-opening win vs. Duquesne: