Florida State’s season took another hard hit Saturday night, with Clemson leaving Doak Campbell Stadium with a 36-24 win and the Seminoles staring at a third straight loss.
The scene around the stadium had the feel of Halloween, but there was nothing playful about what unfolded on the field. Florida State was already under heavy pressure, and that only intensified before kickoff when a plane carrying a banner calling for Mike Norvell’s removal flew around the stadium.
The loss dropped Norvell to 1-5 against Dabo Swinney and Clemson at FSU, and the Seminoles fell to 3-5 overall and 1-4 in ACC play. Since the start of the 2024 season, they are 10-22.
Clemson quarterback Tait Reynolds did plenty of damage in both phases. He threw for 189 yards and two touchdowns while adding 85 rushing yards and another score. Florida State quarterback Ashton Daniels finished with 350 passing yards, two touchdowns, three interceptions and a fumble, a stat line that told the story of a night when the Seminoles moved the ball just enough to stay within reach, then gave it back too often.
Daniels’ final numbers looked better than the way the game actually went. He was picked off twice in the first half on throws into double coverage, then lost a fumble late in the third quarter on a fourth-down play in the red zone with Florida State trying to trim a 26-10 deficit. Daniels scrambled to the line to gain, but Clemson’s Derian Mayo stripped him and Jahiem Lawson came up with the loose ball.
Florida State did get a late push from Daniels in the fourth quarter. He hit Jasen Lopez on a 41-yard touchdown pass for Lopez’s first collegiate score, then later scored on a 13-yard run. But with the Seminoles at the nine-yard line and a little more than a minute left, Daniels threw his third interception, and Elliot Washington II sealed it with the pick.
Daniels was sacked four times, and Clemson kept him from using his legs until the game was already slipping away. That mattered because Florida State’s offense works best when he can threaten defenses as a runner. His 13-yard touchdown run, which came after a two-point conversion, cut the margin to 29-18 in the fourth quarter, but by then Clemson had already built too much separation.
The ground game never offered much help. With Ousmane Kromah and Samuel Singleton Jr. unavailable, the Seminoles were already short-handed, and Tre Wisner along with Daniels had a rough night against Clemson’s front seven. Florida State averaged just 2.2 yards per carry and finished with a season-low 65 rushing yards.
The opening stretch was especially rough. It took four drives before Florida State picked up a first down, and that came on a pass interference call.
The very next snap produced the offense’s biggest play of the night, as Daniels launched a 46-yard touchdown to Micahi Danzy. Danzy finished with 108 yards on four catches.
That was the loudest moment of the first half, and maybe the only one that truly changed the temperature inside the stadium. Florida State managed 133 first-half yards, with 98 through the air and 35 on the ground. The Seminoles ended with 415 total yards and went 1-for-10 on third down.
The bad night got worse when Duce Robinson left in the third quarter with an undisclosed injury. He stayed on the sideline and was moving gingerly, but he did not return.
Clemson’s offense entered the game near the bottom of the ACC, but it still found enough rhythm to put up its most points against a Power 4 opponent this season. The Tigers’ previous high was 37 against Charleston Southern. Against Florida State, they rolled up 351 total yards, with 189 through the air and 162 on the ground.
Reynolds threw both of his touchdown passes in the first half, matching Clemson’s total through the air from its first seven games combined. His biggest play came in the fourth quarter, when a third-and-12 near-sack turned into a 79-yard touchdown run that effectively put the game away.
Florida State’s defense did force Clemson into five field goals, but Noaln Hauser made every one of them, including a long of 50. The Seminoles were often working with poor field position after punts deep in their own territory, and the defense never found a way to turn Clemson’s offensive struggles into a game-changing stop.
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