The Atlantic Line
Florida State gives up 35 straight at Louisville and heads to No. 4 Miami with Norvell under pressure
Isaac Brown ran for 235 yards, including a 97-yard touchdown after a goal-line stand, as Louisville won 44-20. The Seminoles have lost 11 straight true road games.
Florida State led Louisville 14-0 on Friday night and lost 44-20, a collapse that turns up the heat on coach Mike Norvell a week before a trip to No. 4 Miami, ESPN reported.
The game flipped on one sequence in the second quarter. Florida State went for it on fourth-and-goal at the Louisville 3 instead of kicking for a 17-0 lead, and Kaleb Beasley stopped receiver Jasen Lopez short on a screen. On the next snap, Isaac Brown went 97 yards for a touchdown, the longest play from scrimmage in Louisville history. The Cardinals scored the next 35 points.
"It starts with me," Norvell said afterward, calling it an extremely poor performance.
The numbers
Brown finished with a career-high 235 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries, adding a 68-yard score in the fourth quarter, per the ESPN box score. ESPN said it was the biggest rushing night by any FBS running back this season, and it came with Louisville's leading rusher, Keyjuan Brown, out injured.
- Louisville ran for 397 yards and scored every one of its touchdowns on the ground. It was Florida State's worst rushing defense game since Georgia Tech ran for 401 in 2009.
- After the goal-line stand, the Cardinals outgained the Seminoles 438-190.
- Quarterback Lincoln Kienholz threw for only 140 yards but ran for two touchdowns.
- Ashton Daniels went 21 of 37 for 209 yards and two touchdowns for Florida State, both to Micahi Danzy, and ran for another.
Florida State has now lost 11 straight true road games and 13 straight away from Doak Campbell Stadium.
The pressure on Norvell
ESPN's Pete Thamel listed Norvell this week among six power-conference coaches whose buyouts will shape the coaching carousel, putting his at nearly $51 million. Norvell was 4-14 in his previous 18 ACC games going into Friday, and the school fired athletic director Mike Alford on Sept. 14. Thamel reported that Florida State has not seriously engaged a search firm for that job.
Next: Miami
Florida State (3-3, 1-2 ACC) visits No. 4 Miami (5-0) next Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN at Hard Rock Stadium. The Hurricanes are coming off an open date after beating Clemson 41-13 on the road. Norvell called it a rivalry game against a very talented team and said the Louisville performance had to be fixed first.
Louisville (3-3, 2-2) snapped a two-game skid and goes to Syracuse next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network. Prices for both games will be on the Florida State, Miami and Louisville team pages and the weekly board.
