Florida State heads into Saturday’s trip to Miami carrying a problem that has already cost it twice: strong starts that turn into long, painful fades.
Defensive coordinator Tony White is still trying to piece together why the Seminoles keep losing control after building early cushions. FSU led Alabama 21-3 before being outscored 47-15 the rest of the way, then jumped on Louisville 14-0 before the Cardinals flipped the game and rolled to a 44-20 win.
White said Monday that the issue isn’t just about one drive or one busted assignment. It’s about keeping the defense steady when the game starts to turn.
"We got to figure out the formula to just get the guys calm and do that stuff again," White said. "It just never was able to do that. So, I've never been part of that, but that's something that we got to fix."
That search for a reset has become the main storyline for a Florida State team sitting at 3-3 and trying to salvage the second half of the season. White pointed to the Seminoles’ ability to hang with elite opponents early, but the late-game drop-off has been brutal.
Against Louisville, the backbreaker came after FSU came up empty on a fourth-and-goal try from inside the 2-yard line. On the very next snap, Isaac Brown ripped off a 98-yard touchdown, and Louisville never looked back.
The Cardinals finished with a school-record 397 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.
"It takes one play for it to flip in our favor," White said. "You're searching for the guys on the grass to go out there and one guy to make a play, and all of a sudden it flips. You're searching for those things.
"As a play caller, the things I can control, you're trying to say, 'Okay, let's go back to doing this and calm them down,' and it just seemed like you couldn't put the train back on track."
Even with the setbacks, White is still looking at what Florida State can do over the final six regular-season games. Bowl eligibility remains on the table, and he said the group still has room to make something of this stretch.
"We want to win as many games as possible," White said. "We want to go to a great bowl game.
We want to represent Florida State there in the postseason. We want to do those things, and it's still all possible, all in front of us.
We just need to find out what that tweak of the formula is."
The next test is a big one. Miami comes in off a bye and brings one of the country’s most dangerous offenses, averaging 554.4 yards and 49.6 points per game. Florida State is giving up 410.2 yards and 25.3 points per contest.
White also knows exactly what this game means.
"This is the game. This is rivalry.
This is history. This is tradition," White said.
"We don't like them. They don't like us.
I get it.
"So, we got to get our guys in a position. I know that inside and emotionally they'll be ready to play, but we got to get them right physically.
Got to get them right mentally and got to get them right schematically. That way it gives them a chance to go out there and play their best game and give us the best chance to win."
Saturday’s showdown could tell a lot about whether Florida State can finally stop the bleeding and close out the kind of game it has been starting well. For White, the assignment is simple: find a formula that lets the Seminoles finish what they begin.
Florida State 2026 schedule
Aug. 29: vs. New Mexico State, W 34-17
Sept. 7: vs. SMU, L, 27-24
Sept. 13: Bye
Sept. 19: at Alabama, L 50-36
Sept. 26: vs. Central Arkansas, W 34-7
Oct. 3: vs. Virginia, W 38-7
Oct. 9: at Louisville, L 44-20
Oct. 17: at Miami, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Oct. 24: Bye
Oct. 31: vs. Clemson, TBD
Nov. 7: at Boston College, TBD
Nov. 13: at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. (ESPN, Friday)
Nov. 21: vs. NC State, TBD
Nov. 27: vs. Florida, 3:30 p.m. (ABC, Friday)
In Other News...
Florida State Faces A Brutal Defensive Test At Miami
Florida State heads into another hostile road environment already searching for answers on defense after two away losses exposed just how much ground this group still has to make up. The Seminoles have been vulnerable to big plays and sustained drives away from Tallahassee, and now the challenge gets steeper with a trip to face No. 3 Miami, whose offense has been humming at a level few teams in the country can match.
The Hurricanes bring the top-ranked attack in college football into a rivalry game that can quickly turn ugly if Florida State does not clean up the same issues that have followed it on the road. Darian Mensah has been steering the offense efficiently and Malachi Toney has been one of the most dangerous targets in the mix, which helps explain why Miami is a heavy favorite. For Mike Norvell, the pressure only keeps building as the Seminoles try to show their defense can hold up against an elite lineup rather than fold under it again. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Keeps Flashing Potential While The Season Starts Slipping Away
Florida States season has reached the point where every stumble feels bigger than the last, and the latest one came against a Louisville team that was dealing with injuries of its own. In the wider ACC picture, Miami has surged into the conference lead while the Seminoles keep trying to find traction, leaving their early flashes looking more like isolated moments than the start of something sustainable.
The loss only deepens the sense that Florida State is running out of room to prove it can still compete at the level its talent suggests. With the league standings tightening around the teams on top and the updated ACC hierarchy shifting beneath them, the Seminoles are left trying to show there is still a path back before the season slips too far away. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Has A Bigger Problem Than The Louisville Loss
Florida State came out with real purpose against Louisville and looked like it might carry over the defensive edge it showed a week earlier against Virginia. Instead, the game turned on a critical failed fourth-and-goal try, and from there the Seminoles never found a way to steady themselves, eventually falling 44-20 in a result that exposed how fragile the margin still is for this group.
Mike Norvell pointed to the teams response to adversity, and that is where the concern goes beyond one loss. The Seminoles have shown they can look organized and physical in stretches, but the next step is proving they can absorb a setback and keep playing with the same detail and urgency, something that did not happen after Louisville swung the game. [Read more 🡒]