Following two consecutive conference losses, the 3-2 Florida State Seminoles were 10-point favorites as they hosted the 3-2 Pittsburgh Panthers in Doak Campbell Stadium Saturday afternoon. But, to quote baseball legend Yogi Berra, what happened was “Deja Vue all over again” as the Noles left the field winless in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) after dropping their third straight one-score game 34-31.
With Saturday’s loss, FSU has lost 10 of its last 11 ACC games and finds itself sharing last place in the conference. The Noles face five more ACC opponents and Head Coach Mike Norvell says he knows that he needs to turn things around quickly.
“You know, ultimately, it all falls on my shoulders that we’re not getting it done...As a group, talking to the guys in the locker room, it’s a pissed off football team,” Norvell commented during his postgame press conference. “You can be pissed off, but we got to see application and execution in the moment from all of us, every one of us, of what we want it to look like, what we want it to be, and to get the job done to come out on top.”
Florida State’s defense didn’t seem to have an answer for the Panther’s offense. On their first drive of the game Pittsburgh converted three consecutive fourth downs. Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel, a true freshman making his first career road start, threw for 321 yards and two touchdowns, and gashed the Seminole defense scrambling and finding gaping holes to rush for 64 yards. Desmond Reid, the 5’8” Pitt running back caught eight passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for 45 yards.
The Noles intercepted Heintschel twice in the first half and scored 14 points off of those turnovers. FSU’s third score at the end of the second quarter came on a highlight-worthy desperation pass from quarterback Thomas Castellanos to receiver Micahi Danzy and the Seminoles took a 21-14 lead into halftime.
Castellanos threw for 245 yards, and three touchdowns and Danzy caught two of those touchdowns and ended the game with 133 yards receiving. But FSU’s offensive struggles for most of the second half, until a late-game touchdown, didn’t keep pace with the 20 points by Pittsburgh. And after a Nole onside kick attempt was unsuccessful, Pittsburgh was able to run out the clock and moved to 4-2 on the season with their second conference win.
During the game FSU recognized Breast Cancer Awareness month and honored women’s basketball Coach Brooke Wyckoff and softball coach Lonni Alameda.
The 3-3 Seminoles travel to the west coast to face 2-4 Stanford for a Saturday night game.
