Florida State didn’t need a flashy night to survive at Acrisure Stadium. It needed timely stops, a steadier hand in the kicking game, and just enough offense to keep Pitt from ever fully taking control. The Seminoles got all three, and that was enough to leave Pittsburgh with a 16-10 win Friday night.
Gabe Panikowski was the difference on the scoreboard, drilling three field goals to account for nine points. Florida State also leaned on a defense that kept finding answers whenever Pitt threatened to flip the game.
The opening quarter set the tone for how choppy this one would be. After an exchange of punts, Florida State moved first.
Ashton Daniels hit Micahi Danzy for 12 yards, then drew a late hit that added 15 more and pushed the Seminoles into Pitt territory. The drive eventually stalled at the Pitt 19, but Panikowski finished it off from 37 yards for the first points of the night.
Pitt was already working through quarterback trouble, with Pat Narduzzi shuffling options after Mason Heintschel’s season-ending injury against Virginia Tech on Oct. 3.
Fifth-year senior Holden Geriner was a game-time decision but couldn’t go, which left freshman Corey Dailey to make his second career start. The early returns were rough.
Pitt managed only 63 first-quarter yards.
Florida State’s offense came back with another long drive in the second quarter. Daniels took a hit in the pocket, stayed upright and found Amari Thomas on a screen for 16 yards.
Later, he delivered the night’s first big throw, hitting Jasen Lopez for 46 yards on third down to put the Seminoles at the Pitt 10. Once again, though, the Panthers tightened up near the goal line and forced another Panikowski field goal, this one from 27 yards, for a 6-0 Florida State lead.
Pitt finally answered with a drive that looked like a momentum swing. The Panthers went 10 plays for 85 yards, with freshman running back Damon Ferguson Jr. breaking off a 24-yard run and Dailey connecting with Malik Knight for 28 yards. Dailey finished it himself with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Kyrian Turner, sending Pitt to the locker room with a 7-6 edge.
The game turned again after halftime, and Florida State’s defense made the first big play. On Pitt’s opening possession of the third quarter, Dailey’s pass floated into the hands of Rylan Kennedy, who picked off his first career interception.
Florida State quickly cashed in. Thomas opened the drive with a 16-yard run and capped it with a one-yard touchdown, putting the Seminoles back in front 13-7.
Pitt got another chance later in the third after Daniel Hughes shanked a 21-yard punt and handed the Panthers favorable field position. Dailey responded with completions of 22 yards to Knight and 18 yards to Censere Lee, moving Pitt to the Florida State 12. But the Seminoles held firm and limited the damage to a field goal, trimming the lead to 13-10.
Florida State then came up with another stop when it mattered most, stuffing Demetrice McCray for no gain on fourth down at the end of the third quarter and taking over at the Pitt 42. The Seminoles appeared ready to add to the lead after a 15-yard reverse by Danzy, but Daniels fumbled deep in Panthers territory and Shawn Lee Jr. recovered for Pitt.
That wasn’t the last tense stretch. Pitt nearly got a gift back when CJ Richard Jr. dropped an interception, and a targeting call on Chris Jones kept the Panthers alive on the same drive.
Jones finished with seven tackles. Pitt tried another fourth down later, but Caleb LaVallee, in for Jones, came through with a critical sack.
Florida State then moved to the Pitt 29, and Panikowski delivered again, knocking through a 47-yarder for his third field goal of the night and a 16-10 Seminoles lead.
The result keeps Florida State’s bowl hopes alive. The Seminoles are now 5-5 overall and 3-4 in the ACC, and they need one win in their final two games to get to six. Florida State also improved to 6-7 all-time against Pitt and won in Pittsburgh for the third straight time, a run that dates to 2013.
Next up, the Seminoles return to Doak Campbell Stadium to face NC State next week at 3:30 PM (Eastern).
In Other News...
Florida State Won Again But A Bigger Problem Is Already Emerging
Florida State kept rolling with an 84-60 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, moving to 3-1 under first-year coach Luke Loucks, but the box score did not exactly read like a clean offensive breakthrough. Sebastian Rancik led the Seminoles with 17 points and eight rebounds, giving them a steady presence inside while the rest of the attack worked through another uneven night.
The bigger concern was the perimeter game, where Florida State connected on just 2 of 21 three-point attempts. Loucks has already pointed to the need for sharper offense as the season moves forward, and while the Seminoles have the record they want for now, the shooting numbers suggest there is still plenty to sort out before the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Suddenly Has Life Again Under Rick Stockstill
Florida State found a way to steady itself in a 16-10 win over Pittsburgh, and it did so with the kind of formula that can keep a season from slipping away. Ashton Daniels managed the offense for 163 passing yards, Gabe Panikowski supplied three field goals, and the defense did its part by making the game uncomfortable from start to finish, including a key interception by Rylan Kennedy.
For a team that needed a response, this was the sort of performance that can change the mood around a program, even if it did not come with much flair. Pittsburgh never got comfortable against Florida States defense, as Corey Dailey finished 16 of 34 for 157 yards with one touchdown and one interception, and the Seminoles walked away with a win that felt bigger than the scoreboard alone. [Read more 🡒]
FSU Has A Postgame Travel Concern Fans Will Want To Watch
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The immediate concern now is the return leg after the game, with the team monitoring whether the travel disruption could spill into its postgame plans. For a program on the road for a conference matchup, even a delay on the back end can turn a routine trip into something worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]