Florida State 16, Pittsburgh 10: Panikowski's leg and a stingy defense

Florida State won a low-scoring game at Acrisure Stadium on Friday night, beating Pittsburgh 16-10. G. Panikowski kicked three field goals and accounted for 10 of the Seminoles' points. The defense held Pitt to a single touchdown and 5 of 14 on third down.

The win moves Florida State to 5-5 and gives it consecutive wins after last week's 31-24 result at Boston College. Pittsburgh falls to 6-4, its fourth loss in its last five games.

The 16 points were Florida State's lowest total of the season. It was enough because the 10 it allowed were the fewest since the 38-7 win over Virginia. This came from a team that had given up 36, 43 and 44 points in three of its previous four games.

How it was won

Florida State scored first. Panikowski made a 37-yard field goal with 3:41 left in the first quarter and a 27-yarder at 8:24 of the second for a 6-0 lead.

Pitt answered at 3:07 of the second quarter. Corey Dailey found Ja'Kyrian Turner for an 11-yard touchdown, and A. Chadha's kick put the Panthers ahead 7-6 at the break.

The Seminoles retook the lead early in the third. Amari Thomas scored on a 1-yard run at 10:49, and Panikowski's extra point made it 13-7. Chadha hit a 34-yard field goal at 4:23 to cut the gap to 13-10.

The last points came at 6:27 of the fourth quarter. Panikowski made a 47-yarder, his longest of the night, for the 16-10 final.

The box score was close. Pittsburgh outgained Florida State 271 to 253, led in first downs 14 to 12, and held the ball 28:40 to 26:01. Each side committed one turnover. Pitt ran for 114 yards to Florida State's 90, but it could not turn that into points after halftime.

Ashton Daniels went 16 of 24 for 163 yards without a touchdown and added 29 yards on seven carries. Jasen Lopez caught five passes for 72 yards, and Micahi Danzy had two for 24. Thomas found little room, with 30 yards on 13 carries, but he scored the game's only rushing touchdown.

For Pitt, Dailey finished 16 of 31 for 157 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Turner was the main threat, with 42 rushing yards on 12 carries plus seven catches for 41 yards and the score. Malik Knight caught three passes for 55 yards, and Damon Ferguson Jr. ran seven times for 32.

Third down was the clearest split in the numbers. Florida State converted only 2 of 11 and still won, because Panikowski kept turning stalled drives into points.

Against the number

Pittsburgh closed as a 3-point favorite. Florida State covered and won outright, paying +130 on the moneyline against Pitt's -155.

The total closed at 52.5. With 26 points scored, the under came in by more than 26 points. That was never in doubt once the first half ended 7-6. The odds and line movement are on the game page.

What's next

Neither team's next opponent was in the schedule information available at publication, so we are not listing them here. Check each team's page for the next game and the odds once the market posts them.

Florida State goes forward at 5-5 with two straight wins. Pittsburgh is 6-4, and its loss here follows earlier defeats to North Carolina, Boston College and Miami. It has already reached six wins.