Trey Benson Addresses Rushing Struggles, Team Working on Finding Rhythm During Bye Week

The No. 5 Seminoles are in an unfamiliar spot compared to recent years, and that is they are ranked as one of the top teams in the country. At this time last year, the ‘Noles were also 4-0 and had barely broken into the rankings before going on a three-game losing streak to Wake Forest, NC State, and Clemson.

Florida State was able to turn things around with a BYE week following the slide. They did so in a dominant fashion, scoring at least 30 points in each game to close out the season with a victory in the Cheez-It Bowl and a final ranking of No. 11 in the AP poll.

A big part in the success of Florida State’s turnaround was running back Trey Benson, who was 10 yards shy of 1000 rushing yards on 154 carries. Despite the offseason hype around the Florida State run game, things haven’t shaped up to the way the team has envisioned things as Benson has just 189 yards on 40 carries in the four games the ‘Noles have played this season.

“I feel like we’ve got a lot of room to improve. We’ve just got to get in that rhythm. We’ve been passing the ball well, these next couple of games we’re gonna get the run game going for sure,” Benson said.

As the ‘Noles have hit the much-needed week off for the running backs with strong momentum after a win over rival Clemson, Benson hopes to use the extra week to prepare for the upcoming matchup against Virginia Tech.

“We only had I think 22 yards rushing, so basically this BYE week and next week we’re going to work on the run game, and see what we can do better. We got to trust our track and trust our training," Benson said.

Despite what some might call a poor performance on the ground from the running backs, they have been utilized when it comes to catching the ball, as Benson has six receptions for 78 yards, which is already over half of what he had throughout the 2022 season.

“All of us can catch, and down the road, you’ll see that for sure," Benson said. "Me, Caziah, Rodney, CJ, all of us can catch, we’ve all got great ball skills, so as the season goes on we’ll be able to showcase that a little more too."

As Benson and the rest of the Seminoles prepare to play in a sold-out Doak Campbell Stadium for the first time this season against the Hokies, the team continues to work on the mistakes they have made throughout the season and address some of the missed opportunities left on the field during this bye week.

Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the 2023 season.

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