5 questions, 5 answers: Takeaways from FSU’s blowout loss to Louisville

Florida State has not won a road game since November 25, 2023.

The Seminoles’ latest loss away from Tallahassee came in the form of an embarrassment at the hands of the Louisville Cardinals, who turned a 14-0 deficit into a 44-20 win to drop FSU to 3-3 (1-2 ACC) on the season.

What takeaways are there from the loss? The Tomahawk Nation staff breaks it down below.

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Did you agree with the decision to go for it on fourth down up 14-0?

• LastNoleofKrypton: Yes, the playcall was just horrendous.
• Jacob Smith: As much as the decision backfired, yes. If you can’t gain 2 yards, you don’t deserve that score. It just wasn’t meant to be.
• Jon Loesche: Yes. You had a team on the ropes for a game that most figured was a tossup at best going into the season. Just a very bad playcall.
• FrankDNole: Yes, but not the play call on the previous down and on the 4th as well.
• Jordan Silversmith: I did. They had converted 4th downs earlier in the drive. I disagreed with the play call though, which had to be a run. CMN was calling a great game up until that point, but called two eye-candy plays on 3rd and 4th and goal and paid the price.
• Curt Weiler: I did. Blood was in the water. That score may have been enough to all but end the game.
• Tony Morris: Sure, I mean you convert it then Norvell looks like he’s back to his old ways pre-snub of being aggressive and gutsy. Just called an awful play which changed momentum greatly.
• Matt Minnick: No, I did not. Math is math and humans are humans. FSU is a mentally fragile team. That’s not a secret. The Seminoles play well when things are going their way and crumble when they aren’t. It’s like the movie What About Bob. “Baby steps, baby steps.” Going up 17-0 is a meaningful positive step for this team. That is what’s needed when you haven’t won a road game in 3 years. And the fact that Mike Norvell still doesn’t have a pulse on his guys’ fragile mentality and culture after this many years is ultimately why he will, at some point, be fired.
• NoleThruandThru: I would have preferred the FG but I wasn’t upset about the decision. The playcalling inside the redzone though? Who the hell calls a play for a 4th-string TE period, let alone in that situation? One of the worst play calls in the Norvell Era.
• Perry Kostidakis: Yes, especially considering that FSU’s defense was obviously not going to be able to keep holding Louisville’s offense back, but the playcall there (and on second down) doomed the possession and was the canary in the coal mine for how the rest of the game would play out.

Outside of the fourth-down stop, what was the most pivotal play of the game?

• LastNoleofKrypton: 97 yards on the next play; FSU quit after that. I won’t be convinced otherwise.
• Jacob Smith: Kienholz’s rushing touchdown to go up 21-14, officially erasing and adding insult to injury that FSU once had a 14-0 lead.
• Jon Loesche: The TD on the next play. FSU was already reeling and that was the haymaker.
• FrankDNole: The play that followed for a record run against a FSU defense. Also Danzy’s drop was disappointing.
• Jordan Silversmith: To me, it was the decision to run the ball out after UL scored the TD. UL was not going to be shut out. But, that negative snowballed the momentum, leading to an FSU three-and-out and a short field for UL to tie the game.
• Curt Weiler: The play right after it. A Louisville offense that was struggling to move the ball and hadn’t scored in two drives wasn’t likely to do much with the ball at its own 3-yard line unless it busted a 97-yard touchdown, like it did on the play immediately after the fourth-down stop.
• Tony Morris: Besides the 97-yard run, I’d say the 71-yard return to start the half. Game was still tied and hope was still there but after that then a few plays later, a score. FSU looked depleted.
• Matt Minnick: The kickoff return by UL to open the second half. Or perhaps that could be framed as the inability to kick a touchback by FSU to open the second half.
• NoleThruandThru: I thought Norvell did a nice job with his calls leading up to that disaster. Just about everything afterwards was brutal.
• Perry Kostidakis: Micahi Danzy’s drop on third down on Florida State’s opening possesion of the third quarter. Louisville had stolen all the momentum back, but FSU still had a chance to make it a back-and-forth shootout. Instead, it lost out on a shot to assert itself and Louisville didn’t look back.

Who had the most disappointing performance in the loss?

• LastNoleofKrypton: The front-6, almost 400 yards rushing surrendered.
• Jacob Smith: I have to second with the defensive being the disappointment. 400 yards being let up is just plain ugly, no good, whatever you want to call it.
• Jon Loesche: Defense as a whole. 10 yards a carry for 400 yards is just unacceptable at any level.
• FrankDNole: The defensive front 3, and the middle 3, and the 5 behind them.
• Jordan Silversmith: Florida State’s front seven. I wanted to believe they turned a corner after UVA. I really wanted to believe it after Chris Jones’ tackle to force a TOD in the 1st quarter. But, after the long TD run, they melted, and FSU gave up over 400 yards on the ground.
• Curt Weiler: The defense as a whole. After that explosive run, the run defense never found its footing again. Even though Louisville was down one of its top two running backs, it still managed to finish with (FINAL TOTAL) rushing yards.
• Tony Morris: D-Line who I praised last game for how good they looked was just flat out non existent this game. Looking similar to how they did pre UVA game.
• Matt Minnick: Michai Danzy. I understand he had two TDs. But the question isn’t who was the worst player, it’s who was most disappointing. The one handed catch was awesome, but he had multiple drops that would have extended drives when the game’s outcome was still in doubt. He’s the kind of player I expect more from. Hence the disappointment.
• NoleThruandThru: I have been so disappointed in Duce Robinson. He’s regressed in his route running and blocking, and you can see the dip in confidence. I understand that Daniels is not a great fit for someone with Duce’s skill set, but he’s become a non-factor and it’s sad to see.
• Perry Kostidakis: Everybody has talked about the defense, but I do put a lot of fault on the offense’s inability to do anything until a fourth-quarter touchdown that was essentially in garbage time. Ashton Daniels has had some impressive moments, but they’ve been few and far between in a wave of slow processing and mistimed throws, Danzy had an amazing touchdown catch but then multiple drops after that, the offensive line was repeatedly getting beat by a Louisville front that has struggled this season. We knew heading in that FSU was going to give up points and that hanging on the scoreboard with the Cardinals was the only way the Seminoles would leave with a win, and they failed to do so.

When will FSU win a game again?

• LastNoleofKrypton: When Mike Norvell is gone.
• Jacob Smith: While I’m not going to be as much of a doomer as my peers are, I genuinely think the Clemson game could be competitive. It’s at Doak, and FSU could have a meaningful chance to win against a middle-of-the-road Tigers team.
• Jon Loesche: If the team that ran over UVA shows up at BC or Pitt it’s possible. Otherwise it’s going to be a long few weeks.
• FrankDNole: They will beat Miami next week because having the extra day (tomorrow) for the staff to game plan will have the team prepared.
• Jordan Silversmith: It’s difficult to know which game, but they will win another game this year, probably multiple. Even last year they beat VT and WF. But, this is who they are under Norvell, one step forward, 10 steps back. I never bought into anything after the UVA win, because they have not played quality games back-to-back in years.
• Curt Weiler: Possibly that Clemson game in the first game after Mike Norvell is fired if it happens during the post-Miami bye week. Otherwise, the road losing streak has to stop Nov. 7 at Boston College…right?
• Tony Morris: The next game not on the road which happens to be Clemson, even then it’ll be a tough game.
• Matt Minnick: Clemson.
• NoleThruandThru: Norvell is usually good for one head-scratching win each year- if it wasn’t used up with UVA, maybe it’ll be NC State or Pitt.
• Perry Kostidakis: November 7 against Boston College, maybe? If this had been a close loss or at least somewhat competitive, then I would have leaned towards maybe stealing one from Clemson, but I’ve got no faith in this team’s ability moving forward.

Free space: Get your frustrations off your chest

• LastNoleofKrypton: I’ve never seen a team quit after one bad thing after going up 14-0. His loser blood spreads pervasively like a hyper-active airborne disease that somehow only affects football players in Tallahassee. A Mike Norvell-led football team will always snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
• Jacob Smith: YOU WERE OUTSCORED 44-6 AFTER BEING UP 14-0 AUUUUUUUUUUUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
• Jon Loesche: The last time FSU won a road game was 11/25/2023. I just had proposed to my girlfriend a month prior. We ended up being engaged for 2 years because she wanted to get married on Halloween and didn’t want it to be in the middle of the week. Our one year anniversary will be in a few weeks. FSU has still not won another road game. On another note I would really love for the end of a road game to not end with opposing fans mocking the warchant to end the game. But it’s more likely that starts happening because beating FSU means nothing.
• FrankDNole: Tonight Florida State showed the entire nation on prime time how inept the FSU coaching staff really are and why the fans of a once storied program are so pissed. It is very sad for longtime fans.
• Jordan Silversmith: I just feel for the fans. We are desperate to wrap our arms around something. That one win against UVA shot up views and interactions on FSU’s social media. At 14-0, many were ready to buy-in for the rest of the season. All the apathy seemed to be changing. Then this happened, and that momentum stopped. The fans deserve better. I honestly didn’t think I would feel this frustrated after a loss this season, because, as I said, I know what CMN is. But, this was pathetic, and anyone who tries to defend this is a liar.
• Curt Weiler: After this game, I think we can all agree Virginia was a blip, not the beginning of an upward trend. Somehow, Tony White staying as defensive coordinator for a second season was more harmful to this team than Gus Malzahn’s abrupt retirement from his offensive coordinator position in February.
• Tony Morris: I’m tired of Tony White staying as the DC honestly, it’s the same thing every single week besides the UVA game. His 3-3-5 scheme just flat out doesn’t work nowadays, I could care less how good he was pre-FSU. The guy simply is not it and should’ve been gone before Alford. Plain and simple.
• Matt Minnick: Ehh. It’s not worth it. The admin punted on the season so I’ll punt on the question.
• NoleThruandThru: Leave Tony White and JaBril Rawls in Louisville. Throw a seven-figure Hail Mary to see if Mark Stoops might be willing to serve as interim DC.
• Perry Kostidakis: I can’t believe I managed to delude myself into thinking FSU turned a corner, failing to forget the fugazi showings last season against Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. When FSU was up 14-0, I still wasn’t confident that a win was happening, despite predicting one ahead of the matchup. I honestly think that even if Florida State goes up 21-0, the Seminoles still lose tonight because the success was the result of a scripted opening drive, a fortuitous fourth-down stop and a missed field goal.