Game Preview: No. 25 Florida State Seminoles vs. Pittsburgh Panthers

Saturday night was a disappointment for the Florida State Seminoles, falling 28-22 to the Miami Hurricanes in a game that was never that close. FSU only had three points through the first three quarters before a late rally fell short. That makes it a second straight loss, and it won't be an easy task to avoid a third straight as the Pitt Panthers come to town with a 3-2 record.

Don't take that record lightly, though. The loss to West Virginia was a bad one, but that was a rivalry game. They also hung around with a good Louisville team, only losing by a touchdown. They have an experienced roster, a solid coach in Pat Narduzzi, and they're coming off a blowout win over Boston College.

FSU needs to bounce back. This game could be the difference in rebounding for a 9-3 type of season, or falling to a 6-6/7-5 type of season. They have to win this game, but will they?

This will be a noon kick inside Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, October 11th.

Seminole Headlines

Please Be Healthy, Micah Pettus

Micah Pettus left the Miami game early, and it was apparent, because the running game fell off a cliff as soon as he was out. Ignore his mediocre PFF grade, and instead look at the pressures that Adrian Medley allowed when he was kicked out to right tackle.

Medley is a solid guard, but he is not a tackle, and that was proven last week when he allowed a whopping 10 pressures. Now, it's not every game that FSU will be playing against an EDGE tandem like Rueben Bain and Ahkeem Mesidor, but Pettus is a clear difference maker when he's on the field. They need him on the field and healthy as soon as possible.

Pitt Has a Freshman Quarterback

Eli Holstein was expected to be in the upper half of ACC quarterbacks this year, but he has already been benched in favor of true freshman Mason Heintschel. And Heintschel was slinging it against Boston College, going 30/41 for 323 and 4 touchdowns. Granted, Boston College is a bad team, but Florida State's secondary hasn't exactly been stout the last few games, either.

Heintschel will be making just his second career start, and it'll be his first time on the road. How does he respond in that situation against a team desperate for a win? That's something worth watching.

Oct 4, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel (6) looks to pass against the Boston College Eagles during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Figuring Out Florida State's Running Back Rotation

Roydell Williams is still listed as a co-starter at running back, and it just doesn't make sense. Gavin Sawchuk has clearly been the best running back on the team, and Ousmane Kromah has a lot of juice to him as a true freshman. Those two should be the primary running backs, with some Jaylin Lucas mixed in as a change-of-pace back.

There is a thing as having too much depth; this is one position that has it. And as much talent as there is in that room, they need to be rolling with Sawchuk and Kromah unless someone gets hurt (knock on wood).

Burning Questions

Are Defenses Figuring Out Florida State's Offense?

Saturday's game against Miami was ALARMING for the offense. The Hurricanes were prepared for the end-arounds to Micahi Danzy, the run game had nowhere to go, and the passing attack didn't have many options outside of Duce Robinson. So are people figuring out the Seminoles? Or was that a one-time thing with a talented defense and a good play-caller at Miami?

Pitt's defense has been solid this year, only allowing 19.6 PPG and 291.8 total yards per game, including just 64.6 rushing yards per game. West Virginia was the lone team to break even 60 rushing yards against Pitt, but the Mountaineers torched them for 174 yards on the ground. That will be the story of the game here.

Can Someone Help Duce Robinson Out Wide? Please?

Duce Robinson has been mostly phenomenal this season, besides the one drop in the endzone in overtime against Virginia: 23 catches for 433 yards and 3 touchdowns. Micahi Danzy has the second most receptions on the team at wide receiver with 9 catches for 197 yards (126 of those yards came against East Texas A&M and Kent State).

FSU needs someone to step up at wide receiver, but Tommy Castellanos also has to be able to get to his second and third reads occasionally instead of bailing if the first option isn't open.

Sep 6, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Duce Robinson (0) catches a touchdown during the first half against the East Texas A&M at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

How Does Jerry Wilson and the Secondary Bounce Back?

Last Saturday was a ROUGH outing for the secondary, but specifically for Houston transfer Jerry Wilson, who allowed 4 catches on 8 targets for a whopping 102 yards and two touchdowns. It was a bad game overall for the secondary, which was consistently beaten deep by Miami.

They're going to have to bounce back in this game. Pitt's rushing attack isn't anything to write home about, averaging under four yards per carry for the season, so they rely on the passing game.

Earl Little Jr. needs to play much better, Jerry Wilson has to look like the high-level corner we saw last year at Houston, and Edwin Joseph has to play with more intensity. Getting Ashlynd Barker back would be huge, too.

Game Forecast

Florida State is favored by 10.5 points with an over/under of 57.5, per FanDuel Sportsbook.

This is a tough one to pick. You could argue this is a must-win for Mike Norvell and the Seminoles, as starting 0-3 in ACC play after beating Alabama would be heading the wrong way, but Pitt is a solid team whose strengths may give FSU fits.

A spread of 10.5 is shockingly high. If FSU finds a way to cover that, I'd genuinely be impressed. But with how Pitt's defensive front has played against the run, and a Florida State offense that has mostly struggled to pass, it's going to come down to how well Pitt's freshman quarterback performs in his first road start.

I think FSU wins. I'm not confident in that in the slightest. I'm tired of Mike Norvell saying that he's liked the way the team has responded in practice. It's time they show it on the field in a game.

Florida State 30, Pitt 27

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