Florida State (3-3, 0-3) saw its crash to earth take it through the crust down to the core on Saturday, with a third straight loss coming at the hands of a 10.5-point underdog in Pitt (4-2, 2-1 ACC).
The Seminoles managed to earn a 21-14 lead at halftime but failed to score another touchdown until just over a minute left in the game, suffering an eighth-straight conference loss.
FSU was outgained 476-415 on offense, with the Panthers being led by true freshman Mason Heintsche in the win.
What is there
to take away from yet another Florida State loss? The Tomahawk Nation staff breaks it down below.
- What was the most disappointing aspect of FSU’s loss today?
Matt Minnick: That you knew it was coming as soon as FSU didn’t score out of halftime.
LastNoleofKrypton: The fact that they were better on 3rd down and won the turnover battle and still lost the game. Poorly coached teams routinely play poor situational football.
Jacob Smith: They let up 34 points to Pitt, a team that had a QB making his first career road start at Doak. Poorly timed turnovers and a total lack of a defense killed this team today.
Tim Scribble: The defense. Feels like zero improvement. Linebackers are bad, angles are terrible, tackling is poor. Every player appears to want to make a kill shot.
Jon Marchant: FSUs defense? Tony White? The offense in the second half? Special teams again? Take your pick. All of it contributed to a poor showing as a 10-point favorite.
NoleThruandThru: Complete coaching failure. Inexcusable loss. You name it.
Perry Kostidakis: That this really is just the reality of FSU under Mike Norvell. Even when FSU took the lead to make it 21-14, it was off a lucky (albeit impressive) catch in the closing seconds of the first half. It took a bunch of things to break for Florida State to find itself back in the game, something that should just not be the case as a ranked team in year six of a coaching tenure but has been over the course of the Seminoles’ losing streak.
- Was this on the defense or offense?
Matt Minnick: It’s on the head coach.
LastNoleofKrypton: You score 31 points you should win the ball game. Tony White let a true freshman throw for 321 and average 11 ypa in their first road start at Doak.
Jacob Smith: Defense, unfortunately, as Tony White’s squad, again, let up 34 points.
Tim Scribble: Defense (see above).
Jon Marchant: Mostly defense, which lacks talent and is poorly coached. A lot of it looks similar to Fuller’s units, which points to a lack of talent. But this particular unit doesn’t do the fundamentals well. Can’t tackle, can’t force offensive players back inside, can’t cover, can’t spy. The only thing they do well is blitz and White doesn’t want to call blitzes.
NoleThruandThru: Both.
Perry Kostidakis: 60-40, majority defense. Florida State’s offense stalling out late in the game opened a window for Pitt to take a lead and then extend it, but the defense was shredded from opening to closing whistle.
- What, if any, bright spots did you see from Florida State today?
Matt Minnick: Danzy is turning into a multi-faceted weapon.
LastNoleofKrypton: If this is Mike Norvell’s last year in Tallahassee the next coach will enjoy Micahi Danzy.
Jacob Smith: Offense looked good. 31 points, 415 yards. I truly can’t complain about that.
Tim Scribble: The Desir twins. I’d say Holmes too if it weren’t for that fumble.
Jon Marchant: Ousmane Kromah and Micahi Danzy.
NoleThruandThru: If you can develop Danzy into a well-rounded receiver, you really have something.
Perry Kostidakis: Kromah, the Desirs and Landen Thomas.
- Has the answer to “is Mike Norvell right for FSU?” officially been answered in your mind?
Matt Minnick: It was answered well before this game.
LastNoleofKrypton: The question has been answered and the answer is a resounding No. He does not coach at the level required to win consistently at FSU and he does not recruit at the level needed to get FSU to where they want to be.
Jacob Smith: I don’t think this falls on Mike as much as it does White’s failure to adjust to the defense’s strengths. I’m still thinking Mike has proved he is worthy to keep his job.
Tim Scribble: Yep. 2023 is the outlier.
Jon Marchant: Yes, the answer is no. I like Mike and I thought he could have been successful here but the lack of results speak for themselves. The main issue is lack of talent and there’s no reason to think that will improve under Norvell.
NoleThruandThru: Yes. I’ve been trying to give him benefit and he’s a great person, but I’m officially joining many of you on the Fire Norvell train and not moving off. This level of football is just too big for him.
Perry Kostidakis: It’s devastating to finally enter into “this guy has to go” territory not just because it means that FSU has reached another low in his tenure but because, outside of the whole winning thing, he truly has done stuff the right way. Unfortunately, as Tim pointed out, 2023 is the outlier. Each year of Norvell’s tenure has been defined by disappointment one way or another, starting with 2020’s opening loss to Georgia Tech, joined by the program’s first losses to an FCS team and to Duke, aided by the worst bowl loss in FSU history and compounded by one of the worst seasons ever put together by a college football team.
- Where does FSU go from here?
Matt Minnick: Can’t afford to fire Mike. Sort of in purgatory for a couple of years while we wrap up our tenure in this leaderless conference. I’d like to see us buy an elite baseball closer, elite starting softball pitcher, and a top-shelf point guard and wing.
LastNoleofKrypton: Work the money out; Bobby Bonilla it or something because Mike Norvell can’t be expected to be in Tallahassee much longer.
Jacob Smith: They’re out of the CFP and ACC race, but a good bowl game is still very much in contention. Take care of business against Wake and Stanford, things are back on track. If they don’t…despair yet again.
Jon Marchant: They have to find the money to move on as soon as possible.
NoleThruandThru: I’m not confident in the leadership to make any competent decisions. Decommitment season is on the way for this class. Worst of all, I’m apathetic.
Perry Kostidakis: Try and get back on track this season with a schedule that is still slated for your success, start making calls to all the high-profile boosters you can and prep for the possibility of “Gus Malzahn, interim head coach” in 2026.
