One step forward, two steps back.
Florida State followed up its best win of the season with its worst, a stunning 44-20 loss at Louisville on Friday night — a game in which the Seminoles led 14-0 and were on the cusp of a third score before the Cardinals made a fourth-down stop on the goal line.
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Now, coach Mike Norvell is on the precipice, staring into the abyss after an 11th straight road loss that dropped the Seminoles to 24-28 in ACC play since he arrived in 2020.
“There were too many times we were pressing, didn’t show the detail, the discipline, the mental toughness that’s necessary on the road,” Norvell said. “It starts with me. At the end of the day, what we put out there — obviously guys were not prepared for those moments like they needed to be. We all need to take ownership in it — coaches, players, everybody involved.”
A week after a 38-7 win over Virginia, the pressure is back on Norvell and the staff as they scramble to find solutions ahead of a matchup at No. 4 Miami on Saturday.
Here are five things we learned from the loss:
A nearly $30 million roster is 3-3
FSU’s player acquisition budget was approximately $30 million for the 2026 team. Simply put: Norvell and the Seminoles (3-3, 1-2) have not allocated their money well enough to compete against the rest of the ACC.
Three rivalry games are ahead for FSU — Miami is up next, Clemson on Halloween and Florida on Black Friday. The Seminoles face the Tigers and Gators at home, which should help, but Norvell didn’t defeat a rival in 2024 or ’25 and five of those six losses were by double figures.
Too many leaks on defense
The last time FSU gave up 400 rushing yards was in 2009, when Georgia Tech finished with 401 in Bobby Bowden’s last season. Louisville took a few victory-formation kneel downs to close out Friday’s game and had 397 rushing yards, averaging 9.2 yards per carry.
FSU’s defense allowed just 37 rushing yards in the win over Virginia, and the Seminoles exposed Beau Pribula as an inaccurate passer (14 of 32 for 168 yards, one touchdown) who could not rally the Cavaliers.
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Louisville’s Lincoln Kienholz was a more effective runner, grabbing two of the Cardinals’ six rushing touchdowns, but he also completed 11 of 15 passes for 140 yards and had a deep strike to FSU transfer Lawayne McCoy for 35 yards that set up a touchdown.
Kromah a consistent bright spot
Ousmane Kromah had 88 rushing yards, with 62 of them coming after initial contact (according to Pro Football Focus). He was also credited with forcing 10 missed tackles by PFF.
Kromah has 80 or more rushing yards in all six games this fall, leading a ground attack that’s averaging 187 yards per game. With 565 rushing yards, he’s on track for a 1,000-yard season.
Passing game out of sync
Ashton Daniels can’t be asked to rally FSU from deficits. He lacks the precision and timing in the pass game, and much of Daniels’ success rests on scrambles where he connects with receivers. Daniels was just 21 of 37 for 209 yards, a pair of touchdown passes to Micahi Danzy and a fourth-quarter interception.
What’s also glaring is Daniels’ attempts to connect with Duce Robinson, who was targeted nine times but caught just two passes for 14 yards at Louisville. Robinson is coming off a 1,000-yard season but has just 17 catches for 294 yards and two touchdowns.
There may not be good solutions
President Richard McCullough and Board of Trustees chair Peter Collins dismissed athletics director Michael Alford on Sept. 14. McCullough and Collins can dismiss Norvell. They can dismiss defensive coordinator Tony White. They can give Norvell more time.
Norvell could turn to a backup quarterback or make other personnel moves. Whatever he chooses, the clock is ticking with Miami coming up and then Clemson after the bye week.
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