Florida State had SMU on the ropes more than once Monday night, but the Seminoles never landed the finishing punch. In a 27-24 loss at Doak Campbell Stadium, FSU forced four turnovers, rallied from three different deficits and kept finding answers - until one final third-down snap tilted everything back to the Mustangs.
The game turned on a handful of moments, each one swinging momentum just enough to matter. Florida State’s ACC opener had the feel of a heavyweight bout in the second half, with interceptions, special teams chaos and explosive scoring plays piling up one after another.
The first big swing came early in the third quarter, when SMU was threatening to stretch a 17-10 halftime lead. The Mustangs had the ball at the Florida State 6-yard line and were facing third-and-goal when Kevin Jennings tried to fit a pass into the end zone. Chandler got there first, jumping in front of the throw for his first interception of the season.
That stop mattered because SMU looked ready to widen the gap. Instead, Florida State stayed within one score, even if the offense couldn’t cash in on the turnover.
A few minutes later, the Seminoles got another life on special teams. Yamir Knight muffed Daniel Hughes’ punt, and Sands recovered at the SMU 29-yard line. That gave FSU its best field position of the night and set up a possession the offense badly needed to finish.
Florida State still had work to do from there, but the Mustangs helped out with an offside penalty on fourth down. Then Ashton Daniels hit Desirrio Riles on another fourth-down conversion, and Ousmane Kromah finished the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run. Just like that, the Seminoles were tied at 17 late in the third quarter.
The tie didn’t last long. On SMU’s first possession of the fourth quarter, Jennings found Yannick Smith slipping free from coverage, and Smith raced 79 yards to the end zone untouched. It was an 83-yard scoring drive, and it instantly wiped away the momentum Florida State had built.
FSU answered with its best drive of the second half, going 75 yards in eight plays. Daniels used his legs to pick up a first down, then found Micahi Danzy for 21 yards. Three plays later, he dumped it off to Samuel Singleton Jr., who turned upfield and outran the defense for a 39-yard touchdown.
That score came after a four-minute, 20-second march and tied the game at 24. It was also the longest reception of Singleton’s career, and it gave Florida State a real shot to steal the win.
Then came another chance. Ashlynd Barker picked off Jennings soon after the tying touchdown, putting the Seminoles in position to grab their first lead. But the offense went three-and-out, and SMU got the ball back with the game still hanging in the balance.
On third-and-10, Jennings escaped pressure and lofted an off-balance throw to Dramekco Green for 29 yards. That catch pushed the Mustangs into range, and Nick Reed finished the job with a 20-yard field goal with 21 seconds left.
Florida State never answered, and Green’s third-down grab ended up being the play that decided the night.
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