Florida State did exactly what fans were hoping for on Saturday night during the home opener; dominate a less-talented opponent and get out of the game healthy. The Seminoles rolled over Southern Miss, 66-13, as a ton of reserves and freshmen were able to shine under the lights in Doak Campbell Stadium.
The defense flat-out went to work, limiting the Golden Eagles to 4/13 on third-down attempts and 0/1 on fourth-down attempts. Southern Miss only totaled 70 yards of offense in the first half as the Seminoles held Billy Wiles to 4/13 passing for 61 yards, sacking him twice.
One of the stars of the evening was redshirt senior cornerback Jarrian Jones, who finished with one tackle and one interception that he returned 30 yards for a touchdown. The pick-six was the first of Jones' career and the first for Florida State since 2021.
Following the victory, Jones was recognized for his performance by head coach Mike Norvell with the honor of breaking the rock. This was the second time in his tenure with the Seminoles that he's swung the sledgehammer. Jones also earned the nod after FSU's win against North Carolina in 2021.
"I think I broke the rock last year or the year before that. I think this is my second time," Jones said following the game. "It's always fun breaking the rock. It's way heavier than I thought, like way heavier than I thought. I think I did a good job. I broke it like four times."
"That was big. I mean, ain't nothing in the world I wouldn't do for my guys," Jones continued. "I wear my emotions on my sleeves. Just being able to do stuff like that, being together, doing stuff like that, I really appreciate stuff like that."
This is the second rock the Florida State has shattered this season. Wide receiver Keon Coleman earned the sledgehammer against LSU after scoring three touchdowns in his debut with the program.
Check out the moment below.
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