Mishaps, mistakes and misery were the order of the night in Tallahassee, where Florida State’s annual rivalry game with Clemson turned into another familiar exercise in frustration for the Seminoles.
FSU’s defense, which has been terrible this season, let an inept Clemson offense double its passing touchdown total for the year and then finished the job by surrendering a 79-yard touchdown run to quarterback Tait Reynolds on third-and-long. Those kinds of uniquely bad numbers and backbreaking plays have become part of the weekly script for a Tony White defense.
The offense did its part in keeping the game messy. Florida State moved the ball and scored points, but four brutal turnovers handed Clemson 10 points and wrecked any real chance at a comeback. Quarterback Ashton Daniels’ flaws were exposed again, and the run game never found enough help without Ousmane Kromah to grind out tough yards.
Special teams joined the pile-on. Daniel Hughes’ punting gave Clemson short fields, and Dabo Swinney’s team also delivered a long kickoff return.
By the end, Florida State had failed in every phase of the game, a full-team breakdown that ended in a 36-24 loss at Doak Campbell Stadium. Clemson won its third straight in the series, and FSU’s struggles against its rival rolled on.
For a team sitting at 3-5 and 10-22 over the last three seasons, this was just another chapter in a story that keeps reading the same way. The details shift, but the outcome does not.
There are still four games left in the 2026 season, and Florida State needs to go 3-1 to reach bowl eligibility. With two road games and a rivalry matchup still on the schedule, even that modest target looks difficult based on what this team has shown.
And as has often been the case over the past 379 days, dating back to last season’s embarrassing loss at Stanford, the question hanging over everything is the same one: Will FSU fire head coach Mike Norvell?
Three statements later and a 5-8 record since that cross-country debacle, the frustration has only deepened. The answer has stayed “no” so far.
Now, as FSU’s Halloween horror night turns into November, the final call appears to rest with FSU President Richard McCullough, Board of Trustees Chairman Peter Collins, and a small group of others.
They have not offered specific benchmarks for what would trigger Norvell’s dismissal.
Maybe that changes.
Or maybe this program stays trapped in the same exhausting loop, one more unsatisfying night at a time.
In Other News...
Florida State's Mike Norvell Backlash Just Turned Into A Public Spectacle
The pressure around Mike Norvell has moved well beyond message boards and postgame grumbling. Florida States recent struggles have spilled into the public eye, capped by a viral plane banner that flew over Doak Campbell Stadium with a misspelled message aimed at the coach, a vivid sign of how far the frustration has spread around a program that has not finished with a winning season in three years.
Florida State is sitting at 3-4 this season, and the noise around Norvell only grows louder with each setback. The Seminoles already fired their athletic director in September, and the president has addressed the fan unrest as the school weighs a situation made more complicated by Norvells eight-year extension through 2031 and the hefty buyout attached to any firing. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Pressure On Mike Norvell Just Turned Public
Florida States frustration with the state of the football program has now spilled into public view, with fans organizing a plane banner protest calling for changes. The effort was financed through a GoFundMe campaign that raised $3,500, a sign of how organized and visible the discontent has become as the Seminoles continue to search for traction.
The message was meant to be pointed, though it also drew attention for a misspelling of Mike Norvells name. Meanwhile, president Richard McCullough has already acknowledged the poor results and discussed the situation at a recent Board of Trustees meeting, but no decision has been made on Norvells future as Florida State gets ready to face Clemson. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Fans May Send A Brutal Message Against Clemson
Frustration has been building around Florida State football, and it is starting to spill beyond the record itself. Seminoles fans have grown restless with the programs performance under Mike Norvell, while some are also unhappy with how the university has handled his tenure, creating a tense backdrop as Clemson comes to town.
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 🡒]