Louisville jumped out to a 21-0 lead Thursday night at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, and the college football world was lined up, ready to pounce on a pitiful effort from Florida State. Two quarters later, the Seminoles were walking off the field with a simply incredible 42-31 win.
Florida State vs. Louisville final score: 3 things we learned from FSU’s 42-31 comeback
The Seminoles are somehow still alive in the Playoff after overcoming a 21-0 deficit.
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Jameis Winston, apparently limping by the end of the game, was hardly ineffective. He went 25-of-48 for 401 yards and three touchdowns, but his three interceptions were especially brutal. FSU actually managed to outgain Louisville, 574-488, but the Cardinals were able to hit on more big plays earlier on.
FSU didn't get on the board until 33 seconds before halftime, when Florida State tight end Nick O'Leary -- who also had this insane suplex throwdown of a Louisville defender -- pounced on a fumble for the Noles' first touchdown. Two big plays in the third quarter -- a 68-yard pass from Winston to Travis Rudolph and a 40-yard Dalvin Cook run -- brought FSU to within 24-21 entering the fourth quarter.
The Noles scored again less than three minutes into the final quarter for their first lead of the game. That came on another big pass, a 47-yarder from Winston to Ermon Lane. Louisville responded three minutes later, as running back Michael Dyer -- who was stellar with 134 rushing yards and three touchdowns -- punched in a 1-yard run. The Cards soon ran out of gas, however, and the Noles scored two more touchdowns with increasing ease to escape with the win.
The game between the two teams was the first since 2002, when Louisville picked up a 26-20 home win.
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Three things we learned
1. Louisville’s defense is definitely ready for the ACC. The Cardinals battered the Noles’ offense all game long, especially Winston. FSU’s quarterback left the field in clear pain after being sacked on a third down with slightly more than six minutes left. Sideline reports indicated Winston took the blame for the sack that ended the drive after the Noles had reached the Cardinals’ 32.
Louisville entered the game with the nation’s fourth-best scoring defense at 14.6 points per game and was on pace for another similar outing before the wheels fell off. FSU didn’t look comfortable until later in the third quarter, when the tide slowly began to turn.
Of course, there’s work still to be done. The three-quarter effort from Louisville’s defense obviously doesn’t get the job done. The pass rush was still getting to Winston by the end of the game -- he was seen on the sideline taking the blame for taking a third-down sack in Louisville territory with six minutes to go -- but the Cardinals’ secondary left FSU’s receivers far too open on far too many occasions. Louisville can hang now, but it has to prove it can get the job done against elite teams like Florida State.
2. Florida State is unkillable. A six-point win over Oklahoma State. A six-point overtime win over Clemson. A four-point win over Notre Dame. A 15-point win over N.C. State, after falling behind by 17. Those are the tests FSU’s overcome this season, and it’s why this win was so critical. A loss would’ve likely killed the Noles’ Playoff hopes. A one-loss resume like that is nothing to look down upon, but it’s not quite Playoff candidacy.
The narrative tells us all we need to know about this FSU team. Winston piles up off-the-field headlines by the week, Noles fans claim their No. 2 team isn’t getting enough respect, and the rest of the nation wonders how in the heck FSU continues to escape. The fact is, distractions are the norm for this team, and for whatever reason, the players seem to thrive with them in tow.
3. The second half is always ridiculous with FSU. After the ridiculousness of the Notre Dame game, Thursday night’s second half was equally insane.
#FSU has outgained Louisville 380-170 in the second half, going 5-8 on 3rd downs. Cards: 0-6. Strong response by the Noles.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) October 31, 2014 Against the Irish, the Noles entered halftime down seven. A pair of touchdowns in the third quarter tied the game entering the fourth, before FSU’s defense held Notre Dame to just a field goal and then turned to its offense for a 10-play, 75-yard drive to win the game.
Thursday night, it was the same story, as all but seven of FSU’s points came in the second half. The collapse of Louisville’s offense certainly shares a great deal of the blame, but give Winston & co. credit for enduring some pass-protection struggles and turnovers to pull out the win.
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