Louisville Rallies Past Florida State After Early Deficit

Early lead slips away for Florida State

Florida State built a 14-0 lead on Friday night, but the Seminoles could not hold on. Louisville bounced back in a big way, handing Florida State a 44-20 defeat.

The game flipped near the Louisville goal line. Florida State receiver Jasen Lopez was stopped at the 3 yard line on fourth and goal by defender Kaleb Beasley. On the very next play, Isaac Brown raced for a 97 yard touchdown.

After that defensive stop, Louisville outgained Florida State 438 to 190. The Cardinals finished with 537 total yards. They gained 397 yards on the ground and scored all of their touchdowns on rushing plays.

Breakdown of key performances

Isaac Brown was the star for Louisville. He finished with a career high 235 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. To start the second half, Brown returned a kickoff 71 yards to set up a 3 yard touchdown run by quarterback Lincoln Kienholz, who scored twice in the game. Brown added a 68 yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Louisville dominated on the ground despite missing top rusher Keyjuan Brown due to an injury.

For Florida State, quarterback Ashton Daniels completed 21 of 37 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns. He also scored a rushing touchdown. The Seminoles generated 362 total yards, but they could not recover once Louisville took control.

Florida State has now lost 11 straight true road games and 13 straight games away from Doak Campbell Stadium. Head coach Mike Norvell called the loss an extremely poor performance. He stated that players were not as prepared as they needed to be and pointed to a lack of detail and discipline on the road.

What it means for the next game

Florida State Seminoles at Miami Hurricanes (College Football, Sat, 17 Oct): Miami Hurricanes win 87%, Florida State Seminoles win 13%; projected score Miami Hurricanes 38, Florida State Seminoles 18. Our safest pick: Miami -9.5.

Louisville Cardinals at Syracuse Orange (College Football, Sat, 17 Oct): Syracuse Orange win 68%, Louisville Cardinals win 32%; projected score Syracuse Orange 31, Louisville Cardinals 24. Our safest pick: Syracuse +3.5.