Florida State Standout Running Back Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery

The Seminoles will be without their top four leading rushers in the Orange Bowl.

Florida State's running back room has been hit with a series of departures since the conclusion of the regular season and ACC Championship. The unit will look completely different when the Seminoles take the field in the Orange Bowl with Trey Benson (NFL), Rodney Hill, and CJ Campbell moving on from the program.

There will be at least one other running back missing from the lineup on Saturday. NoleGameday has been informed by an FSU spokesperson that redshirt junior Lawrance Toafili won't be able to play against the Georgia Bulldogs after undergoing season-ending surgery. That means the Seminoles will be without their top four rushers, and five of the top six, in South Florida.

Toafili was the leading remaining rusher on the team after rushing 69 times for 463 yards with four touchdowns on the ground during the season. He also caught 21 passes for 186 yards and another score. Toafili was named the MVP of the ACC Championship after rushing 10 ten times for a career-high 118 yards and the lone touchdown of the game.

Florida State Seminoles Release Depth Chart For Orange Bowl Against Georgia Bulldogs

With Toafili recovering from his injury, redshirt junior Caziah Holmes and redshirt junior Ja'Khi Douglas were listed as the two starters at running back. True freshman Samuel Singleton and redshirt sophomore Joshua Burrell are the primary backups.

Holmes steps into the lead role after contributing as a reserve for the majority of the season. He's rushed 21 times for 156 yards and two touchdowns while catching four passes for 56 yards and two more scores. Holmes did not record a carry during Florida State's victories against Florida and Louisville. Singleton has only rushed six times this season while Douglas and Burrell have yet to record an attempt on the ground.

Toafili has already announced that he plans to return to Florida State for his fifth season of eligibility in 2024. He's appeared in 43 games, with 15 starts, while totaling 231 rushes for 1,439 yards with 12 touchdowns on the ground while catching 67 passes for 690 yards and four more scores with the Seminoles. Toafili is the fifth player in program history to record a 70+ yard rushing and receiving touchdown.

Florida State will take on Georgia in the Orange Bowl to conclude its 2023 campaign. The game is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 30, and will be televised on ESPN.

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