5 Plays That Changed The Game In FSU Football's Soul-Crushing Loss To Louisville

For a program desperately searching for answers and signs of progress, Florida State offered plenty of reasons for optimism during the opening moments of Friday night’s contest. Fresh off a convincing victory over Virginia the week prior, the ‘Noles appeared to be riding that wave of momentum into Louisville, seemingly picking up right where they left off.

The offense was clicking, the defense was holding its own, and Mike Norvell's squad appeared poised to accomplish something that had eluded the program for nearly three years. For all of 15 minutes, the Florida State football team looked like a team on the verge of winning its first road game in nearly 1,050 days. Unfortunately for the Seminoles, football games last 60 minutes.

What initially appeared to be an opportunity for FSU to turn the corner quickly devolved into an all-too-familiar collapse. Costly mistakes on both sides of the ball and an inability to respond to adversity allowed Louisville to seize control of the contest. Continuing a trend that has plagued the Seminoles all season, FSU watched its lead evaporate before halftime, and the Cardinals never let them back in.

By the time the clock hit zero, Louisville had handed the Seminoles a demoralizing 44-20 defeat. Perhaps more troubling than the final score was the manner in which it unfolded. Reminiscent of previous performances, the ‘Noles squandered opportunity after opportunity in what was clearly a winnable contest, proving to be its own worst enemy yet again.

The loss effectively erased what little goodwill had been generated by the previous week's performance and has reignited questions about the direction of the program under Norvell. It took only a handful of key plays for Louisville to cruise past the Seminoles and send them into yet another downward spiral. Here are five plays that ultimately shifted the game in the Cardinals’ favor.

1. Micahi Danzy reels in one-handed catch en route to the end zone and a 14-0 lead

Florida State’s offense was the first to take the field on Friday night, and by the looks of their first drive, they had hardly lost a step since their performance against the Virginia Cavaliers last week. Louisville was struggling to stop FSU’s run game, and both Ousmane Kromah and Tre Wisner took advantage of that as the Seminoles marched down the field with relative ease.

Quarterback Ashton Daniels provided a balanced attack through the air as well, hitting his favorite target, Micahi Danzy, for some chunk yardage. Before long, Mike Norvell’s offense was in the end zone for their first touchdown of the game. The 14 play, 75 yard drive was a display of efficient offense that resulted in a Daniels rushing touchdown.

Following the quick score, it fell upon Tony White’s defense, a group that has had trouble with consistency for the better part of 2 seasons now, to deliver the kind of dominant performance that was witnessed last week. When Louisville began their first offensive drive of the night, it looked as though that would be the case for the ‘Noles. FSU’s defense forced the Cardinals to face an early third down.

Louisville QB Lincoln Kienholz escaped for an 11-yard scramble and a first down, but the Seminole defense dug back in and brought the Cardinal offense to a stall around midfield. On 4th & 1 from the FSU 45-yard line, none other than FSU LB Chris Jones brought the running back down short of the line to gain, and the Seminoles forced a crucial turnover on downs.

Daniels and the offense returned once more, and giving the ball to Ousmane Kromah quickly yielded the same results for FSU. The Seminoles chipped away at the Louisville defense and inched their way ever further into Cardinals territory. After a 15-yard pass and a handful of short gains thereafter, the ‘Noles were just outside of the red zone with a fresh set of downs.

With three receivers spread out to his right on 1st & 10, Ashton Daniels called for the snap and immediately motioned to hand the ball off to the running back beside him. In an instant, however, the quarterback pulled the ball back and took aim at speedster Micahi Danzy, who was sprinting uncovered up the seam.

Daniels uncorked a throw but failed to hit his receiver in stride, sending the ball a tad behind its intended target. For a moment, it appeared as though the two would fail to connect on a golden opportunity.

In a remarkable display of athleticism, however, Danzy adjusted his feet, swiveled his hips, and stretched his left arm behind him. His outstretched hand met the ball, and he somehow managed to reel it into his chest. Completing a full pirouette, Danzy turned back toward the end zone and raced across the goal line before the Louisville defense could track him down.

For the first time since 2023, FSU had scored on both of its first two drives, and the Seminoles held a quick 14-0 lead in Louisville.

2. Louisville holds on 4th & Goal to prevent 3-score deficit

Facing a 14-0 deficit, the Cardinals simply had no answer for FSU's attack on either side of the ball. Kienholz and the Louisville offense marched deep into Florida State territory on the ensuing possession, but a missed 54-yard field goal from kicker Carson Hilbert left the home team empty-handed.

Momentum was firmly on Florida State's side, and the Seminoles knew it. Norvell's offense looked like a group on a mission. Kromah continued to punish the Louisville defense on the ground, while a 15-yard pass interference penalty drawn by Duce Robinson further aided the FSU cause. In just nine plays, the Seminoles found themselves knocking on the door of the end zone yet again.

Daniels rushed ahead for seven yards on 1st & Goal, but the Cardinals stood their ground on the next two downs, forcing a 4th & Goal from the Louisville 3-yard line. Having already converted both of their 4th down attempts in the game thus far, Norvell made his intentions clear by keeping the offense on the field for 4th & Goal. He wanted to take command of the contest before it even reached halftime.

On 4th & Goal from the 3-yard line, Daniels lined up in the shotgun with Kromah positioned behind him. Two receivers, TE Case Loftin and WR Duce Robinson, lined up to Daniels' right, while true freshman Jasen Lopez was the lone receiver split out wide to the quarterback's left.

Before the snap, Lopez motioned across the formation, crossing over to the right before trailing into the flat. As the ball was snapped, Daniels faked the handoff to Kromah before quickly delivering a pass to the waiting Lopez. The true freshman was supposed to follow his blockers into the end zone, but the Louisville defense had other plans.

An unmarked Cardinals defender was already wrapping up Lopez before the receiver even had a chance to turn upfield. The youngster made every effort to break free and stretch across the goal line, but his efforts proved futile. In an instant, a swarm of Louisville defenders converged on the play, joining forces to wrestle the Florida State receiver to the ground.

The Cardinals had stood their ground, bringing Lopez down well short of the goal line and denying the Seminoles an opportunity to extend their early advantage. Even worse for the Seminoles, the home crowd was coming to life, and momentum was beginning to shift.

3. Isaac Brown breaks free for 97-yard TD run

The L&N Stadium crowd had roared to life following its defense's goal-line stand, and the Cardinals' offense took the field eager to capitalize on the opportunity. To do so, however, Kienholz and company would need to travel nearly the entire length of the field.

Enter Isaac Brown.

With the end zone at his back and a hungry Florida State defense breathing down his neck, Kienholz lined up under center. On the first play from scrimmage, he took the snap and immediately handed the ball off to Brown. The running back followed ihs blockers and sifted his way through the defense before bursting into the second level untouched with space ahead of him.

Brown bounced toward the left sideline, turned upfield, and turned on the jets.

Before he had even crossed the Louisville 30-yard line, he was in the open field with nothing but green grass and ground to cover before reaching the end zone. Florida State's defenders gave chase, but their efforts were futile.

Brown was flat-out gone.

In the blink of an eye, the Louisville running back had taken the first snap of the drive 97 yards to the house, and just like that, the Cardinals were right back in the game.

4. Isaac Brown returns 2nd half kickoff 71 yards into FSU territory

The remainder of the first half ended with a whimper for the 'Noles, as the offense struggled to recapture its early rhythm while the defense began showing signs of the same tendencies that have plagued DC Tony White's unit time and time again. Missed assignments, poor tackling, and an inability to get off the field allowed Louisville to continue chipping away at the deficit until they ultimately pulled even before the end of the half.

Florida State looked like a team that had been punched square in the mouth and was too stunned to fight back. The confidence and energy that had defined the opening quarter had all but disappeared, leaving the Seminoles scrambling for answers at the break. The tide had turned decisively in Louisville's favor, and with the second-half kickoff coming their way, Jeff Brohm's Cardinals had an opportunity to deliver another devastating blow.

Fielding the opening kickoff of the second half, Isaac Brown went right back to work carving up the Florida State coverage unit. The return man navigated his way through the middle of the field, shedding two would-be tacklers in the process. Brown briefly lost his bearings on a spin before correcting course, sidestepping another defender, and breaking toward the sideline.

Once out on the edge, the speedster opened up his stride and raced deep into Florida State territory, leaving the Seminoles scrambling to catch him. Brown appeared destined for the end zone before a last-ditch horse-collar tackle finally brought him to the ground. The ensuing penalty for the illegal tackle pushed the Cardinals even deeper into the red zone to begin their second-half offensive attack.

The return handed Louisville prime field position, and the offense wasted little time making the Florida State defense pay. The Cardinals found the end zone 4 plays later on a 3-yard Kienholz rush, giving the home team their first lead of the game at 21-14. For the Cardinals, they had just completed a remarkable turnaround from their early deficit and would not look back. For the Seminoles, however, the nightmare was only getting started.

5. Former Seminole Lawayne McCoy reels in 35-yard pass to set up Louisville’s 4th unanswered touchdown

By this point, Louisville was firmly in the driver's seat, and the Seminoles appeared to have run out of answers on both sides of the ball.

Florida State's defense struggled to contain virtually every facet of the Cardinals' offensive attack, with missed assignments and broken plays becoming increasingly common in the third and fourth quarters. On the other side of the ball, Ashton Daniels was finding little success through the air, while Louisville's defense had seemingly figured out how to neutralize the rushing attack that had made Ousmane Kromah so effective in the opening quarter.

Empty possessions were beginning to pile up, and the 'Noles were doing themselves no favors.
Already leading 21-14, Louisville's offense was only beginning to hit its stride. To add insult to injury, it was a familiar face who would help Louisville extend its advantage.

Former Florida State receiver Lawayne McCoy hauled in a 35-yard reception on the Cardinals' second offensive drive in the third quarter to move Louisville deep into Seminole territory. The explosive gain brought the Cardinals all the way down to the FSU 6-yard line. Three plays later, Kienholz took matters into his own hands, punching the ball across the goal line to extend Louisville's lead to 28-14.

Louisville would go on to score 35 unanswered points before Florida State finally found the end zone again in the fourth quarter. By then, however, the damage had been done, and any odds of mounting a comeback were slim to none.

By game's end, Louisville had amassed a staggering 397 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns on the ground en route to a dominant 44-20 victory. FSU, meanwhile, limps back home after suffering yet another humiliating defeat and once again left searching for answers to an ever-growing list of questions and uncertainties.

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