FSU football loses starter to injury, how it affects the offense

One of FSU's most experienced running backs is dealing with an injury.

Nov 9, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell watches in the third quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images | Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

The Florida State Seminoles are relatively healthy coming out of the season-opening win against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

It's still early in the year but the Seminoles will presumably be without one veteran player this weekend when East Texas A&M travels to Tallahassee.

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On Monday, Florida State released its updated depth chart and redshirt senior Roydell Williams was no longer on the two-deep, replaced by redshirt junior Gavin Sawchuk as a starter.

FSU Running Back Roydell Williams Dealing With Injury

Apr 20, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles running back Roydell Williams (24) runs the ball during the Spring Showcase at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

At his opening week press conference a short time later, head coach Mike Norvell announced Williams is dealing with an injury. The Seminoles aren't expecting the ailment to keep him out long-term.

"Roydell Williams will miss a period of time. The overall extent of that we'll see but I absolutely hate it for the young man," Norvell said. "It's not something we're expecting to stretch into anything for the season but he will miss a period of time this week and obviously I just hate with him to miss anything."

"I thought he was a great factor in the game the other day, the fourth down run there in our own end of the field," Norvell added. "He showed power and he showed toughness and was definitely a great contributor in that win."

This is unfortunate news after Williams missed the majority of his first year at Florida State with an injury suffered in practice. He was limited to just four appearances in 2024.

In the win against Alabama, Williams rushed six times for 14 yards. He might not have flashed on the statsheet but Williams converted one of the bigger plays, keeping a late offensive drive alive on fourth down in Florida State's own territory. The Seminoles went on to score and put the game out of reach.

If there's one thing we know about FSU after one victory, it's that the backfield has a chance to be dynamic. Even with Williams getting banged up, there's plenty of talent to rely on between Sawchuk, redshirt junior Jaylin Lucas, and true freshman Ousmane Kromah.

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