FSU football gets run over by Louisville in 44-20 blowout loss
· Yahoo Sports
Once ahead 14-0, Florida State football allowed 35 unanswered points as Louisville extended the Seminoles' nearly three-year-long road losing streak with a 44-20 win on Friday, Oct. 9 at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium.
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FSU (3-3, 1-2 ACC) has not won away from Doak Campbell Stadium since the 2023 ACC championship against Louisville, and has lost 13 straight away from home when accounting for neutral-site contests.
Cardinal running back Isaac Brown accounted for 313 total yards, including a 71-yard kickoff return to open the second half and two long rushing scores. In total, Louisville rushed for 397 yards, the most allowed in program history.
Louisville quarterback Lincoln Kienholz went 11-for-15 for 140 yards, while FSU quarterback Ashton Daniels went 21-for-37 for 209 yards and a pair of touchdowns alongside an interception.
Here are three takeaways from the Seminoles' blowout loss to Louisville.
A 4th down gamble that bankrupted FSU
Ahead 14-0 and on the two-yard line with goal to go, Norvell rolled the dice and went for it on fourth down. A screen pass to Jasen Lopez was blown up, and it resulted in a turnover on downs, but left FSU's defense in a favorable position.
That is, until Brown ripped off a 97-yard touchdown run that flipped the momentum of the game.
The ensuing kickoff after the score was taken out of the end zone, rather than being a touchback, and FSU started its drive at the 12-yard line. The Seminoles went three-and-out, with back-to-back runs for a loss of yards. Louisville completed its momentum turn with a 7-play, 59-yard drive that ended with a Marquise Davis six-yard score to tie the game at 14.
After the 4th-down stop, Louisville rattled off 35 unanswered points and scored 44 total to storm back into the game and into the win column. The Seminoles collectively shut down after the turnover on downs, and the Cardinals' comeback mirrored what FSU did to Virginia last week. Despite success on the ground, the Seminoles' passing attack was marred by drops and mental errors.
A roller coaster performance from Ashton Daniels
Daniels started the game with his 10th rushing touchdown of the game, which capped off a 14-play, 75-yard drive that looked easy. It seemed he was set to build off his record-breaking five rushing touchdowns against Virginia, and while he found success on the ground, his struggles throwing the football were apparent.
Hesitation and indecisiveness in the pocket stalled plays, and when he got the chance to get the ball off, accuracy was at a premium. Add in a case of the drops from FSU's wide receivers, and the aerial attack was never able to get going against the Louisville secondary.
Daniels finished the night with one touchdown, a throw behind Micahi Dazny that required an impressive one-handed snag from the receiver. He rushed for 45 yards on 13 carries, but he never looked confident after the fourth-down stop on the play to Lopez.
While he didn't turn the ball over until the game was already out of reach, Daniels struggled to locate the football and only completed 9 of his 19 passes in the second half. Even with success on the ground, 153 yards, including a sixth straight game of 80 or more yards by Ousmane Kromah (88 yards), FSU found itself needing Daniels to make plays to get back in the game.
He was unable to do so as Louisville's secondary was strong in coverage and the Cardinal pass rush got home for four sacks.
Louisville gashes the Seminoles on the ground
And Daniels wasn't aided by the Seminoles' defense.
The Cardinals averaged 163.9 rushing yards entering the game and recorded more than double with 397 yards. All of that was done without star running back Keyjuan Brown.
Despite his absence, I. Brown accounted for 313 total yards and rushed for 325 yards on 17 carries with two touchdowns. His 97-yard score ignited the comeback, and the Cardinals' success on the ground started in the second quarter with 147 yards.
The Cardinals scored six times on the ground, with four players recording a rushing score, including a pair by Kienholz and Brown, who scored on long runs of 97 yards and 68 yards, which was the dagger in the fourth quarter.
After a dominant performance against Virginia, FSU's defense failed to carry over any momentum, which Louisville gratefully accepted with its dominant run game.
Florida State football schedule 2026
(Current Record 3-3, 1-2 ACC)
vs. New Mexico State | 34-17 W
vs. SMU* | 27-24 L
Bye
at Alabama | 50-36 L
vs. Central Arkansas | 34-7 W
vs. Virginia* | 38-7 W
at Louisville* | 44-20 L
at Miami* | Oct. 17
Bye
vs. Clemson* | Oct. 31
at Boston College* | Nov. 7
at Pittsburgh* | Nov. 13
vs. NC State* | Nov. 21
vs. Florida | Nov. 27
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at [email protected] or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football gets run over by Louisville in 44-20 blowout loss