FSU football's Tommy Castellanos refuses to fold with one more opportunity on the table

The Seminoles need one more victory to make a bowl game, and Tommy Castellanos says the team isn't ready to quit.

Nov 1, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Tommy Castellanos (1) runs the ball during the second half against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Four quarters separate the Florida State Seminoles from their sixth win and an opportunity to qualify for the postseason. Sounds simple enough, right?

Well, unfortunately for Florida State, the final game of the regular season will fall on the road in Gainesville. The Seminoles are 5-2 in Doak Campbell Stadium but 0-4 outside of Tallahassee.

In every road defeat, it's been the self-inflicted wounds that have hurt Florida State the most. This team seemingly can't respond to adversity or climb back when facing a deficit without the home fans behind it.

READ MORE: Three honest thoughts on FSU's error-plagued loss to North Carolina State

That was no different on Friday night in another meltdown, this time at the hands of North Carolina State. In the 21-11 defeat, the Seminoles turned the ball over four times, committed eight penalties, and missed two field goals, along with countless other mistakes.

Senior quarterback Tommy Castellanos was at the forefront of Florida State's failures on offense. Countless inaccurate passes and forced decisions resulted in the Seminoles scoring their second-fewest points in a game this season.

Castellanos only completed 16/32 passes for 203 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions against the worst passing defense in the FBS. Despite the struggles, he's not giving up ahead of rivalry week.

"There's No Quit" In Florida State, Tommy Castellanos

Nov 21, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Tommy Castellanos (1) runs with the ball during the second half of the game against NC State Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Florida State is searching for a solution to solve its road woes.

In Raleigh, the offense only produced points on two of its nine possessions. FSU had three drives of 9+ plays that resulted in zero points, including a 17-play possession that resulted in a missed goal. Despite outgaining NC State by 97 yards, it was another loss on the scoreboard.

Following the game, Castellanos didn't blame the environment or the other team. He thought the Seminoles beat themselves.

"I'll just say self-inflicted wounds. I think every time we got in the red zone or the high red zone, we had a penalty or some type of focus penalty that just kills us," Castellanos said. "We can't score touchdowns when it's 1st and 20 or second and long."

"We practice in the indoor [facility] with noise that's louder than what we heard today. I don't know," Castellanos added. "We got to dial in and focus. I just think offensively we didn't play well today."

In seven home games, Castellanos has completed 92/146 passes (63%) for 1,571 yards with ten touchdowns to three interceptions. However, in four road games, Castellanos has completed 71/135 (52.6%) passes for 949 yards with three touchdowns to five interceptions.

That means he's basically doubled his interceptions outside of Tallahassee in about half of the games. Castellanos' completion percentage also drops by 10.4% on the road.

Though there have been plenty of ups and downs, Castellanos and the Seminoles will go back to the drawing board this week. Preparation will be crucial ahead of the short drive to face the Gators.

"Most definitely [we believe], like I said all season, there's no quit," Castellanos said. "Yeah, we're beat up today and kind of down, but Sunday, when we get back in the building, guys will be up and going. Sunday night, we practice, and we do a good job of coming in and getting work in."

"That whole week for Florida, the emotions and going into that game is going to be big," Castellanos continued. "Hopefully, we can put together a great week, and we can go out there and we can win."

The Seminoles have lost five consecutive games to rivals, including a season-closing defeat to Florida in 2024.

Florida State and Florida will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET or 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2 on Saturday, November 29.

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READ MORE: FSU football's bizarre special teams chaos defies explanation: 'once in a lifetime'

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