For the second straight game, the Florida State football team off got off to a fast start and then completely collapsed against another one of the worst teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Just as they did at Louisville two weeks ago, the Seminoles looked sharp on their opening drive against Pitt and raced out to an early 14-3 advantage. They would lose their lead in the second quarter, starting quarterback Jordan Travis at halftime and any hope for a comeback shortly after that.
The struggling Pitt Panthers, who had lost four straight games coming in, took advantage of a number of Florida State miscues and cruised to a 41-17 victory. Pitt improves to 4-4 overall (3-4 in the ACC), while FSU falls to 2-5 and 1-5. The loss assures that head coach Mike Norvell’s first season at FSU will end with a losing record.
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With Travis sidelined by an undisclosed injury, junior James Blackman took over at quarterback for the first drive of the third quarter and promptly threw an interception. The Panthers took advantage of that opportunity as well and punched it in for another touchdown and a 31-17 advantage.
Freshman Chubba Purdy played the remainder of the game at quarterback and mostly struggled behind a porous Seminole offensive line. That group, which played surprisingly well during the first half of the season, had little chance once starting left tackle Devontay Love-Taylor went down with an apparent knee injury and the athletic Travis was sidelined.
Pitt’s defense, which leads the nation in sacks and tackles for loss, teed off in the second half and eventually capped the scoring with a pick-six in the fourth quarter.
The Panthers also were helped by the return of senior quarterback Kenny Pickett, who had missed the last two games with a sprained ankle. Pickett completed 21 of 27 passes for 210 yards, and he rushed for a touchdown.
While the final score wouldn’t suggest it, the Seminoles actually got off to a great start, scoring touchdowns on each of their first two drives to take a 14-3 lead.
First, they marched 75 yards on 10 plays and scored on a one-yard touchdown plunge by tight end Wyatt Rector. The former quarterback went in motion from right to left, stopped behind center Maurice Smith, took the snap and surged into the end zone for a 7-3 lead.
Then on the Seminoles’ next possession, QB Jordan Travis broke through the Pitt defense on a third-and-3 from deep in FSU territory and sprinted for an 88-yard touchdown. That gave the Seminoles a 14-3 advantage midway through the first quarter. It was the longest touchdown run by a Florida State quarterback in school history.
The rest of the first half was pretty much a disaster. The Seminoles did very little on offense, and Pitt took advantage of a slew of FSU mistakes to race back to a 24-17 lead at halftime.
The Panthers got the ball to start drives three times in FSU territory and scored touchdowns each time. FSU’s Parker Grothaus gave the Seminoles a bit of late momentum with a 47-yard field goal before halftime, but they were unable to carry it into the second half without Travis.
FSU returns to action next Saturday at N.C. State.
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