Florida State wants to control Monday's opener on the ground, making SMU's rebuilt defensive front the key to keeping Ashton Daniels in the pocket.
SMU opens its season Monday night at Doak Campbell Stadium in a standalone national television window, and the blueprint for beating Florida State starts up front.
The Seminoles ranked 11th nationally in rushing last season at 218.7 yards per game and tied for 18th with 31 rushing touchdowns.
In their Week 0 win over New Mexico State, Florida State outrushed the Aggies 217-47, with sophomore Ousmane Kromah setting a career high with 115 yards.
Quintrevion Wisner and Samuel Singleton give Mike Norvell three trusted backs.
Ashton Daniels is the other half of that equation.
The fifth-year quarterback has 1,397 career rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns to go with 4,783 passing yards.
He added 30 yards and a score on the ground in his Seminole debut. When Daniels has played his best football, it has come with his legs involved, including a 442-yard total offense performance against Vanderbilt last season.
SMU's game plan has to begin by taking away the designed runs, closing the edges on the read game and forcing Daniels to win from the pocket.
That approach worked against New Mexico State, at least in theory. Daniels completed 17 of 27 passes for 202 yards but threw an interception on a poor decision.
Florida State's offensive line, breaking in five new starters, also struggled to move a middling Conference USA front.
If the Mustangs win at the line of scrimmage, the Seminoles' offense could get uncomfortable quickly.
There is turnover on SMU's side too. Scott Symons left for the Dallas Cowboys, and Maurice Crum Jr. takes over as defensive play caller alongside co-coordinator Rickey Hunley Jr.
Both were internal promotions, so Rhett Lashlee has downplayed the idea that the staff is starting from scratch. The scheme should look familiar.
SMU lost RJ Maryland, Isaiah Nwokobia and Isaiah Smith to the NFL draft, and the front had to be rebuilt through the transfer portal. Five new defensive linemen and edge players arrived, with four projected to work with the first team.
Ira Singleton brings edge-rushing ability from South Florida, while Marques White posted 11 tackles for loss, five sacks and two forced fumbles for UMass last season. Kansas State transfer Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder and junior college signee David Chukwuemeka add more potential up front.
Behind them, Brandon Booker Jr. carries much of the responsibility.
The junior linebacker enters his third season as a central figure in the 4-2-5, and stopping the run will fall largely on him and Alexander Kilgore. Booker posted 60 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions last season and enters 2026 as a preseason second-team All-ACC selection.
There is one caveat to the make-him-throw approach. SMU's pass defense was its glaring weakness last season.
The Mustangs finished second-to-last nationally in passing yards allowed per game and surrendered 150 completions of 10 yards or more, the third most in the FBS. Simply daring Daniels to throw carries risk if the secondary has not improved.
That is why the pass rush matters as much as the run fits. Forcing third-and-long situations only helps if SMU can get home. Crum and Hunley do not have to reinvent anything; they have to prove the standard carried over.
Florida State finished 5-7 last season, and Norvell is coaching with real pressure on him. A home win over a ranked SMU team on Labor Day would change the temperature in Tallahassee.
For the Mustangs, the path is straightforward, even if executing it is not: Make Florida State one-dimensional, keep Daniels in the pocket and trust the front to finish.
