Florida State lost its mind on Friday night after blowing a 14-0 lead to Louisville. Head coach Mike Norvell called it an “extremely poor performance” while quarterback Ashton Daniels admitted they beat themselves. The Seminoles gave up 35 straight points and let the Cardinals rush for 397 yards. This was not a bad game; it was a total breakdown of discipline and confidence.
The turning point came early in the second quarter when Florida State was stopped by Louisville on fourth-and-goal at the 2-yard line. Instead of kicking a short field goal to make it 17-0, the team went for it and failed. On the very next play, a 97-yard touchdown run was made by Isaac Brown. That single decision flipped the script. Louisville tied the game before halftime and never looked back.
One Play Killed The Momentum
In his postgame interview, Norvell supported the call, yet the result speaks louder than any justification. He said, “We felt good about the play, still feel good about the thought process of it. Unfortunately, we didn’t do a good enough job in that moment.” The problem was that the defense never recovered from the 97-yard run. Defensive lineman Rylan Kennedy put it simply: “After that long run, we kind of lost control. We wasn’t us.”
The Cardinals accumulated 397 rushing yards on 43 carries. Florida State had not allowed more rushing yards since Georgia Tech gained 401 yards in 2009. The defense looked lost and tired. Norvell noted the shift in body language immediately after the stop. He told his players to rise up and do their jobs, but they simply could not execute when it mattered most.
Confidence Vanished in an Instant
Chris Vannini of The Athletic wrote on X that the team has had “zero confidence since the 4th down stop and 97-yard Louisville run.” He added that he would have taken the 17-0 lead and ignored the analytics. The Seminoles scored just one more touchdown the rest of the night. With two scores and an interception, Ashton Daniels completed 21 of 37 passes for 209 yards. He also ran for a touchdown, but it was not enough to stop the bleeding.
Norvell lost his patience during the press conference. He expressed frustration that the team allowed 400 yards rushing. Since the team had stopped the run well a week earlier, the frustration was clear. The coaching and playing on Friday night just were not good enough.
Own The Mistake
Louisville, powered by Isaac Brown’s career-high 235 yards and two touchdowns, defeated the Seminoles. His second score was a 68-yard run in the fourth quarter that sealed the 44-20 loss. He also set up a Louisville touchdown with a 71-yard kickoff return. Florida State could not handle the outside zone rushing attack that stretched their linebackers.
Norvell said the loss comes down to everyone, including himself.
