Florida State’s ACC opener became a night defined by two kinds of silence at Doak Campbell Stadium: the long blackout that stopped play for nearly two hours, and the quieter stretches when the Seminoles’ offense simply couldn’t keep up once the game restarted.
No. 19 SMU left Tallahassee with a 27-24 win on Monday, and Kevin Jennings was the difference.
The SMU quarterback delivered a career-high 430 passing yards, went 26 of 36, and threw three touchdowns despite two interceptions. He also helped close the game with a composed final drive that set up Nick Reed’s 20-yard field goal with 21 seconds remaining.
Jennings’ night included a 50-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Cooper and a 10-yard scoring throw to Randy Pittman, the former Seminole who made his return to Tallahassee count. SMU finished with 585 total yards and converted 8 of 14 third-down chances, a strong response after the unusual delay and the early turnover issues that could have easily unraveled the evening.
Rhett Lashlee said Jennings showed poise, mixing downfield shots with useful runs when SMU needed them. The Mustangs also put together two scoring drives in the fourth quarter, and that late efficiency ultimately separated them from Florida State.
The Seminoles had chances of their own, especially on the ground. Ousmane Kromah turned in his second straight 100-yard game, finishing with 116 yards and a seven-yard touchdown. Ashton Daniels also gave Florida State a lift with a 39-yard touchdown pass to Samuel Singleton Jr. and an eight-yard touchdown run, helping the home team build some early momentum.
But the passing attack never settled in, and the protection problems that have dogged Florida State showed up again. The Seminoles failed to convert their first 10 third-down tries and ended the night 2 of 15 on third down. Even with the defense forcing two second-half interceptions and recovering a muffed punt, the offense couldn’t turn those breaks into enough points to hold off SMU’s late push.
Mike Norvell pointed to missed opportunities after the loss, calling out the breakdowns in pass protection and the inconsistency in critical moments.
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