Florida State’s first road win in nearly two years came with a little bit of relief and a lot of momentum, and now the Seminoles get another shot away from home.
Fresh off a 31-24 victory at Boston College last Saturday, Florida State heads to Pitt on Friday night for an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup looking for back-to-back road wins in the same week. The Seminoles had not won on the road since Nov. 25, 2023, until that breakthrough in their first game of the post-Mike Norvell era.
Interim coach Rick Stockstill, who took over when Norvell was fired on Nov. 1, made it clear the challenge changes quickly once the venue changes.
"You go on the road, you got to pack your toughness. We got to do that again this week," Stockstill said Monday.
"Get ready for a very physical, tough football game. That's how we're approaching it."
Pitt enters at 6-3 overall and 3-3 in the ACC after a convincing 34-11 win over Georgia Tech on Oct. 31. That result ended a three-game losing streak and locked up bowl eligibility for the Panthers, who had extra time to sit on the performance.
It was a sharp response after Pitt’s defense was shredded by then-No. 1 Miami a week earlier.
In that 52-point loss on Oct. 24, the Panthers gave up 506 yards, both season highs. Against Georgia Tech, they tightened things up dramatically, allowing just 238 yards.
Florida State’s offense will lean heavily on Ashton Daniels, who is tied for seventh nationally with 13 rushing touchdowns this season, a program record for a quarterback. He’ll be running into one of the nation’s stingiest run defenses, with Pitt allowing only 68.3 rushing yards per game, second-fewest in the country.
Pat Narduzzi knows exactly what kind of problem Daniels can create.
"It's a 225-pound big runner that can run you over. He's a linebacker playing quarterback.
He runs really well, and they'll have designed runs for him," Narduzzi said. "I think they're going to wear him out, get every ounce of what he's got.
So we got to lay some hits, we've got to gang tackle, and we got to get him on the ground. He's a big fella, and he's instrumental to the run game."
Pitt’s own ground game is trending up, too. Freshman Damon Ferguson Jr. broke out against Georgia Tech with 185 rushing yards and two touchdowns, giving the Panthers another weapon as they try to keep building on that win.
Florida State’s defense, meanwhile, has been vulnerable on the ground lately, allowing 11 rushing touchdowns over its past four games.