Florida State spent much of Saturday night chasing Clemson, and the Seminoles never quite caught up in a 36-24 loss at Doak Campbell Stadium.
The offense had enough explosive plays to keep things interesting, but Clemson’s steady scoring and Florida State’s inability to finish the job in the second half proved decisive. The Seminoles dropped to 3-5 overall and 1-4 in the ACC, while Clemson improved to 5-3 and 3-2 in league play.
Junior receiver Micahi Danzy was the biggest spark for Florida State, finishing with 108 receiving yards on four catches and a touchdown. He also crossed 1,000 career receiving yards and piled up 145 all-purpose yards.
Fifth year quarterback Ashton Daniels delivered the kind of stat line that usually gives a team a chance: 21 completions on 33 attempts for 350 yards, two passing touchdowns, 21 rushing yards and another score on the ground. It was his fifth game this season with multiple passing touchdowns and his second with at least 350 passing yards.
His 12 rushing touchdowns now tie Cam Akers (2019) for the most by a Seminole in the first eight games of a season since 1995.
Florida State also got a milestone night from freshman receiver Jasen Lopez, who set career highs with four catches and 52 receiving yards while grabbing his first career touchdown. Senior running back Quintrevion Wisner added 43 rushing yards on 13 carries and chipped in 50 receiving yards on five receptions.
On defense, junior defensive back CJ Richard Jr. was everywhere, posting a career-high 13 tackles. Junior linebacker Chris Jones added a season-best 10 stops, and fifth year linebacker Omar Graham Jr. finished with five tackles to push his season total to 40, topping his previous career high of 38 set in 2025.
Clemson struck first on its second possession, but Florida State answered quickly. Junior defensive lineman Jalen Anderson got to the quarterback for his third sack of the season to stop the Tigers’ third drive, and the Seminoles needed only two plays to tie it. Daniels hit Danzy in stride for a 46-yard touchdown, Danzy’s third receiving score of the year, to make it 7-7 with 7:08 left in the opening quarter.
The Seminole pass rush kept working. Clemson reached the red zone on its next trip, but two more sacks forced the Tigers to settle for a field goal.
Sophomore defensive lineman Darryll Desir recorded his first sack of the season for an eight-yard loss on first-and-10 from the FSU 11, and on third-and-14, fifth year linebacker Mikai Gbayor added his third sack of the season to help hold Clemson to three points. The Tigers led 10-7 after the first quarter.
Florida State pulled even again on a 10-play, 43-yard drive that ended with Gabe Panikowski’s 35-yard field goal. Daniels’ 28-yard completion to senior wide receiver Duce Robinson moved the Seminoles across midfield, and Panikowski kept his streak alive by extending it to 23 consecutive made field goals dating back to 2023.
But Clemson kept answering. The Tigers added another field goal with 7:21 left in the first half, then scored a touchdown and tacked on a field goal at the horn to take a 23-10 lead into the break. They stretched it to 26-10 with a field goal eight minutes into the third quarter and later pushed the margin to 29-10 with their fifth field goal of the night.
Florida State finally broke through again with 8:52 remaining. Daniels capped a five-play, 75-yard drive with a 13-yard rushing touchdown after connecting with Danzy for 52 yards to the Clemson 13. Daniels then found senior tight end Desirrio Riles on the two-point conversion to trim the deficit to 29-18.
The defense got the stop it needed next, as Clemson went three-and-out, and the Seminoles turned that into another touchdown. Daniels needed just three plays to guide a 54-yard drive, then found Lopez for a career-long 41-yard touchdown. Florida State couldn’t convert the two-point try, leaving Clemson ahead 29-24 with 5:30 to play.
Clemson answered with a late touchdown to close out the 36-24 win.
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Florida State's Mike Norvell Backlash Just Turned Into A Public Spectacle
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Florida State Pressure On Mike Norvell Just Turned Public
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The matchup carries extra weight because Florida State has not beaten Clemson at home since 2014, and the current losing streak has only sharpened the mood. Now there is speculation that some fans could stay away from the game altogether, a message that would land as much with the administration as with the team, especially with the financial stakes of any future move on Norvell hanging over the program. [Read more 🡒]