FSU vs. Louisville: Score and Twitter Reaction
In 2013, Florida State made it look so easy you'd wonder if it was trying. In 2014, Jameis Winston and Co. seem determined to do anything other than take the clear path.
No matter, the result is still the same.
Winston threw three second-half touchdowns and Dalvin Cook scored on a 38-yard run with under four minutes left, as second-ranked Florida State came back from 21 points down to earn a thrilling 42-31 road win over Louisville on Thursday.
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Behind a raucous mixture of red and black at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, the Cardinals got off to a rousing start. Their defense throttled the Seminoles offense, picking Winston off twice in the first half to spur a 21-0 run led by Michael Dyer and the ground game.
But as they have all season, the Seminoles made plays with their backs against the wall.
Nick O'Leary recovered a Karlos Williams fumble for a touchdown to give Florida State its first score before the half, and Winston turned on the jets after the break. He threw touchdowns to Travis Rudolph and Ermon Lane of 68 and 47 yards, respectively, and made a number of big plays despite being obviously hobbled by a leg injury.
The turning point for Winston came on Florida State's opening possession of the second half, when it appeared his third interception would clinch the Louisville upset.
As Cardinals defensive back Gerod Holliman returned the pick deep into Seminoles territory, he was falling to the ground as a diving Winston came in and knocked the ball free. Florida State's ensuing drive would stall, but Winston was an entirely different player from that point.
He drilled Rudolph over the top on the third play of Florida State's next drive, starting a procession of trips into the heart of the Louisville defense. Only a Roberto Aguayo missed field goal kept Florida State from following that opening drive with four straight scores.
Cook accounted for 74 of the 80 yards on a drive to bring the Seminoles within 24-21, including a 40-yard touchdown scamper. Winston gave Florida State its first lead of the game two drives later, connecting with Lane from 47 yards out. Lane's catch was helped along when two Louisville defenders collided on what looked like a sure interception.
Dyer scored his third touchdown of the game on Louisville's ensuing drive to give the Cardinals a 31-28 advantage that proved short-lived. A bad Ryan Johnson punt on the Cardinals' next possession gave Florida State the ball at the 38-yard line, and Cook needed only one play to break outside for the game-winning touchdown.
The freshman back finished with 150 total yards on 13 touches, including the two scores. He's gone over the 100-yard mark in two of the last three games and may be emerging as the superior option to Williams, who had 72 yards on 16 carries.
Even in the loss, Louisville's skill-position players had a night to remember. Back at 100 percent health for the first time all season, Dyer and wide receiver DeVante Parker sliced into the Seminoles defense—especially in the first half.
Parker and quarterback Will Gardner delivered a shocking blow on Louisville's opening play, connecting on a 71-yard strike. While the Seminoles defense would manage to get a stop on fourth down, it was one of a select few for the formerly powerful unit.
The Cardinals gained 488 yards and were forced to just two three-and-outs. Despite a number of Florida State mistakes giving Louisville shortened fields, Dyer and the running game helped the Cardinals win the time-of-possession battle 31:34 to 28:26 and control the tempo for most of the game.
The senior back, whose collegiate career has spanned four schools amid off-the-field troubles, lives for opportunities like these. Three years after being the Offensive Player of the Game at the 2011 BCS National Championship Game for Auburn, Dyer is back on the grandest stage making players miss.
It took a transfer from Auburn and aborted stops at Arkansas State and Arkansas Baptist College to get here, but he's come up big since becoming the Cardinals' primary back.
"Michael looks even better than he did before the North Carolina State game," Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino told reporters this week, referring to the number of injuries Dyer's had since coming to the university.
Dyer 134 yards to go along with his three scores. He's now gone over the 100-yard mark in back-to-back games for the first time since October 2011.
Parker, a potential first-round pick who missed the first seven games with a foot injury, was a constant thorn in the side of Jimbo Fisher's secondary. The senior set a career high with 214 receiving yards on his eight receptions. He accounted for nearly two-thirds of Gardner's 330 yards through the air.
Gardner's more famed counterpart capped off his team's second-half turnaround with a 35-yard touchdown to Freddie Stevenson. He finished with 401 passing yards and three touchdowns against as many interceptions. It was the first time in Winston's career he'd thrown three interceptions in a game.
Those picks will be a fitting reminder of how close Florida State came to losing Thursday night. For the second time in as many contests, the Seminoles were left sweating bullets as the final minutes were ticking off the fourth-quarter clock. Defined by their all-time excellence a year ago—no team came closer to two touchdowns in the 2013 regular season—these Seminoles are defined by how they overcome their flaws.
Warchant.com provides Winston's take on FSU's ability to play from behind:
From a difficulty perspective, this should be FSU's most noteworthy contest before the ACC Championship Game. Florida State does not have another ranked opponent on its schedule, and its only road game is in two weeks against a shaky Miami outfit.
Then again, most people thought the Seminoles would come in and flex their muscles against ACC newbie Louisville on Thursday. If there's anything these first eight games have taught us, it's that those muscles might not have as much mass as they did in 2013.
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