Florida State came into Acrisure Stadium already thin in the backfield, and the first half against Pitt showed just how much that mattered. The Seminoles moved the ball enough to create chances, but without a reliable run game, those drives kept stalling out and settling for field goals.
At halftime, Florida State trailed Pitt 7-6 and had only 25 rushing yards on 12 carries. Freshman Amari Thomas, who had just broken through at Boston College, was held to eight yards on eight attempts. The passing game helped get the Seminoles into scoring position, but the ground attack never gave those possessions the push they needed.
Thomas has been thrust into a much bigger role because of the injuries around him. Ousmane Kromah went down with a season-ending injury at Miami, and Samuel Singleton Jr. has been out since getting hurt at Alabama.
Earlier tonight, Florida State also ruled senior Quintrevion Wisner out for the game. Those absences left the Seminoles without two established backs and forced others to absorb more of the load.
Kromah had topped 80 rushing yards in each of the season’s first six games, tying a school record for the longest such streak to start a season. Singleton brought value as a receiver and a versatile piece out of the backfield. Replacing that kind of production was never going to be simple.
Thomas gave Florida State a glimpse of what he could do last week, rushing for 98 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries in the 31-24 win at Boston College. His 11-yard touchdown with 2:29 left delivered the winning points in Rick Stockstill’s first game as interim head coach.
Friday night, though, Pitt made the freshman work for everything.
Thomas was flagged for a false start before Florida State’s first offensive snap. Later in that opening possession, he coughed up a fumble on a third-down run, but offensive tackle Xavier Chaplin recovered it to keep the Seminoles from turning it over. The play still went for a two-yard loss, and the drive ended in a punt.
Florida State finished the first quarter with just one rushing yard on four carries, all by Thomas.
There were a few better moments in the second quarter. Ashton Daniels opened one drive with an eight-yard keeper, Thomas followed with a four-yard run to move the chains, and Zay Parks added seven yards on his only carry.
Thomas then picked up no yards on first down and two on second down, Daniels scrambled for nothing, and Gabe Panikowski came on to make a 27-yard field goal. A drive that covered almost the entire field still ended without six points.
Thomas also caught a 16-yard pass on that series, showing he can contribute in more than one way. Even so, Florida State needed more consistent production on the ground to keep those drives from bogging down once the field tightened.
The injuries explain the burden Thomas is carrying. They do not make the assignment any easier against a defense that kept shrinking his space. For Florida State, the second half demanded a better answer: more room, more manageable downs, and touchdowns instead of field goals.
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 🡒]