TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A short week of rest coming off an emotional Labor Day night game on Monday could've meant bad news No. 3 Florida State on Saturday.

Instead, it was all good in the Seminoles' 2016 home opener.

Quarterback Deondre Francois threw three touchdowns, Heisman hopeful running back Dalvin Cook scored twice and Florida State breezed to a 2-0 start with a 52-8 win against FCS opponent Charleston Southern in front of 75,831 fans at Doak Campbell Stadium.

"It was great to get back to Doak Campbell, our friendly confines," said Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher, whose team played its season opener just 4 1/2 days ago in Orlando against Ole Miss. "It was beautiful out there today."

The Seminoles had to be feeling some of the effects of a historic win Monday, rallying from 22 points down to beat the Rebels 45-34 in what was the biggest comeback victory in school history.

But you couldn't tell Saturday.

Florida State scored on five of their first six drives, mounting a 29-point lead over Charleston Southern (1-2) by halftime and a 49-6 edge by the end of the third quarter. The Buccaneers, however, came into the game severely undermanned after the program suspended 14 players -- 10 of them starters -- on Friday before the game for violating an NCAA financial aid rule related to school book purchases.

Charleston head coach Jamey Chadwell wouldn't blame Saturday's loss on talent or warm bodies, but he did address it.

"Let me say this about the team: I was very proud of the guys that came down here under the circumstances and the way they fought," said Chadwell, who team plays four of its first five games of the season on the road. "You saw the guys that were here, we didn't focus on who wasn't here. And those guys got an opportunity against a top team and did some good things. Hopefully, we got out here healthy, we represented ourselves well and we get our check (from Florida State) on the way out."

Florida State's focus now turns to its ACC opener next weekend at No. 13 Louisville -- a matchup that is currently scheduled for noon, but may still become ESPN's game of the week. An announcement on kickoff time is expected by Sunday.

Either way, it'll be a huge test, Fisher conceded.

"They're awesome," Fisher said when asked about Louisville, whom he watched pile up an ACC record 845 yards of offense in Friday's 62-28 rout of Syracuse. "We're going to be severely tested next week."

Francois finished 25 of 32 for 262 yards and three touchdowns Saturday -- with two going to receiver Travis Rudolph, who caught scores of 36 and 21 yards in the first quarter and finished as the leading wideout with seven receptions for 105 yards. Backup wideout Auden Tate caught Francois' other score in the third quarter, just before the remaining starters exited the game.

Cook followed up his big game against Ole Miss -- in which he totaled 192 yards rushing and receiving -- with a solid, but quick, afternoon Saturday. The junior, who played the first and second quarters and then just one series in the second half, finished with 83 yards rushing on 11 carries. Cook scored Florida State's second and sixth TDs of the game before giving way to backup RB Jacques Patrick, who notched one TD on Saturday late in the second quarter.

While Florida State started hot in the two teams' second-ever meeting, it was the opposite for the Bucs, whose first five possessions ended in two fumbles and three punts. Florida State defensive lineman Demarcus Christmas recovered the first cough-up -- a botched snap by Bucs quarterback Robert Mitchell -- while fellow defensive lineman DeMarcus Walker forced the second fumble, which was recovered by defensive back Marcus Lewis.

On Charleston's second punt, Florida State returner Jesus Wilson took the kick back 89 yards for the touchdown to put the Seminoles ahead 28-0. The score marked Florida State's first punt return for a TD since 2012, and it was the third-longest scoring return in school history.

Wilson, a senior, said he knew all about the Seminoles' punt return drought.

"It felt really good. It's been four years since we've done that," he said with a smile. "We've been taking special teams this year really serious."

The Buccaneers lone TD came when Mitchell, who finished 7 of 20 for 142 yards, found wide-open receiver Kameron Brown for a 57-yard score.

Charleston Southern's defense got a second-quarter interception by defensive back Seth Harrelson, while linebacker Solomon Brown led the Bucs with nine tackles and a sack. Defensive lineman Mike Taylor accounted for the Bucs' only other points when he dropped backup Florida State quarterback J.J. Cosentino for a safety early in the fourth quarter.

The Seminoles' defense was paced by backup linebacker Brian Burns with five tackles and two sacks, and defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi added a sack of his own.

Star defensive back Derwin James was carted off the field in the third quarter after suffering a knee injury. The severity of the injury was not immediately known, but James did not return. Fisher said in his postgame press conference he no other information on James' injury and would "wait to talk to the doctors" before saying more.

Monday's defensive star DeMarcus Walker, who finished with 4 1/2 sacks against Ole Miss on Monday night and said most of the team didn't get to bed until after 5 a.m. Tuesday morning, was proud of the defense in Saturday's win on such short rest.

"It was hard, but the coaches took care of us. Everybody got their treatment, everybody took a lot of mental reps and coaches did a good job of saving our legs," said Walker, who then turned his attention to Louisville and quarterback Lamar Jackson next. "What I got to do, as a leader, is to keep my team ready and then do what I did to (Ole Miss quarterback) Chad Kelly: Study him, break him down. Preparation is key. It's gonna be a great game."

NOTES: Florida State K Ricky Aguayo, who broke the school record last week with six field goals against Ole Miss, drilled a 46-yarder in the fourth quarter in his only try to cap the scoring in Saturday's win. ... Saturday's game against Florida State marked the 18th FBS opponent Charleston Southern has played in school history, and the Seminoles were the third straight Top 10 team the Bucs have faced in the last two seasons (No. 9 Georgia and No. 1 Alabama in 2015). ... Florida State RB Dalvin Cook's 28th career TD on Saturday moved him to fifth all-time in school history ... Florida State was without starting OL Kareen Are (concussion) for the second straight game Saturday, while starting fullback Freddie Stevenson (ankle) -- who actually played and scored a touchdown in the opener against Ole Miss -- was also held out. ... Counting the final nine drives against Ole Miss and the first four Saturday against Charleston Southern, the Seminoles scored on 13 consecutive drives between the two games. ... Saturday was just the second time Charleston Southern and Florida State had ever met, with the Seminoles now owning a 2-0 record thanks to a 62-10 win in Tallahassee in 2011.