Florida State Edges Pitt 16-10 for Second Straight Road Win
Florida State did not play a pretty game on Friday night in Pittsburgh. It did not need to. The Seminoles leaned on their defence and the right boot of Gabe Panikowski to leave Acrisure Stadium with a 16-10 victory over Pitt, their second straight road win under interim coach Rick Stockstill and a result that leaves them one victory from bowl eligibility.
Ashton Daniels passed for 163 yards, Panikowski kicked three field goals, and freshman running back Amari Thomas scored Florida State’s only touchdown as the Seminoles improved to 5-5 overall and 3-4 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, as The Associated Press reported. Pitt fell to 6-4 overall and 3-4 in the league on its senior night.
“Friday night wasn’t a pretty game,” Stockstill said afterwards. It was, however, exactly the kind of game Florida State has learned to win since he took over.
Defence and Panikowski do the heavy lifting
Florida State managed just 262 yards of total offence, and its drives regularly bogged down in Pitt territory. Daniels completed 16 of 24 passes for 163 yards and added 27 rushing yards, avoiding major mistakes and keeping the Seminoles on schedule in a game played largely on their terms.
Jasen Lopez led the receivers with five catches for a career-high 72 yards, while Thomas provided the night’s only Florida State touchdown. Panikowski supplied the rest of the scoring, converting all three of his field goal attempts, including a 47-yard kick that restored the Seminoles’ lead at 16-10 after Pitt had threatened to take control.
The Seminoles were short-handed on the ground, missing their top three running backs, and rushed for only 25 yards in the first half before finding 72 more after the break. It was not a fluent attacking display, but the defence, led by interim defensive coordinator Ernie Sims, made it stand up.
Pitt freshman quarterback Dailey, making his second start of the season after a hip injury sidelined Holden Geriner, completed 16 of 34 passes for 157 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. Boosie Turner, appearing in only his fourth game of the season, ran for 42 yards and caught seven passes for 41 yards and a touchdown.
A fourth-quarter scare
The game turned on a controversial moment midway through the fourth quarter. On third-and-six, Daniels kept the ball and powered forward for 14 yards, but as he continued moving in a scrum, the officials did not blow the whistle, allowing Pitt linebacker Alex Sanford to rip the ball away. Pitt recovered with 12:30 remaining, and the home crowd sensed a swing.
Florida State’s defence held, however, and the Seminoles capitalised on a later turnover on downs. Panikowski’s 47-yard field goal pushed the lead back to 16-10, and the defence finished the job from there, closing out a win that owed far more to toughness than to style.
A road drought now firmly behind them
The victory carried meaning beyond the standings. Florida State had gone nearly three years without a road win before breaking a 1,078-day skid last week at Boston College. Friday’s result made it two straight away from home, the first time the Seminoles have managed that since the drought began.
The win also means Florida State will add to its Sod Cemetery outside Doak Campbell Stadium for the first time since it won the 2023 ACC Championship, a tradition reserved for road victories over ranked opponents and in championship games, and one the programme had been unable to observe for two years.
Stockstill is now 2-0 since replacing Mike Norvell, who was fired following Florida State’s loss to Clemson. The veteran coach, who owns a 114-111 career record over 19 seasons as a head coach, has steadied a season that looked headed for a disappointing finish, and his players have responded with the grit that was lacking during the final weeks of Norvell’s tenure.
What comes next
Florida State returns home to host NC State on Saturday, November 21, before finishing the regular season against Florida on November 27. One more win would secure bowl eligibility and complete a turnaround few expected when the coaching change was made.
Pitt, meanwhile, travels to Louisville on November 21, looking to regroup after a defeat on senior night. The Panthers remain in the thick of the ACC race, but Friday’s loss was a reminder that, in this conference, even a short-handed opponent can come into your stadium and leave with the game.
For Florida State, the formula is now clear. It may not always be pretty, but with a defence playing this way and a kicker this reliable, the Seminoles have found a way to win on the road again — and that, after three years of waiting, is worth celebrating.
