Florida State vs. Louisville: Game Grades, Analysis for Seminoles vs. Cardinals
Head coach Bobby Petrino and No. 10 Louisville made a resounding statement Saturday when the Cardinals blasted No. 2 Florida State in a 63-20 demolition in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.
The Cardinals (3-0) scored the first 14 points of the game before the Seminoles (2-1) got off the mat and answered with 10. That's when Lamar Jackson and the Louisville offense flexed their muscles, ripping off seven unanswered touchdowns to bury Florida State in a hole it couldn't crawl out of.
The ACC, which looked like a two-horse race between Clemson and Florida State heading into the season, has a new bully with the emergence of Louisville.
Here are the game grades from the Cardinals' surprising rout of the Seminoles.
Florida State: Offense
1 of 6
In a trend that spans multiple seasons, Florida State's offense got off to a slow start against the Cardinals. The Seminoles managed just 61 total yards in the first quarter, and while it looked like the team was getting on track with back-to-back scoring drives midway through the half, the Seminoles still managed just 142 total yards and 10 points before the break.
That's essentially where they lost the game. Florida State failed to keep pace with Louisville in the first half, when a Deondre Francois fumble set Louisville up in the red zone and ultimately take an unconquerable lead.
The third quarter is usually the time when Florida State's offense turns it on, but the unit managed nothing against the Cardinals' inspired defense. The Seminoles mustered only 18 yards in the third quarter and finished with 284 total yards of offense largely because of two garbage-time scores late in the fourth quarter.
Grade: D-
Louisville: Offense
2 of 6
The Cardinals offense came out red hot to open the game, as Bobby Petrino used Lamar Jackson's running ability and running back Brandon Radcliff to put Florida State's defense on its heels. The pair ran for 118 yards in the first quarter alone, and Jackson had two rushing touchdowns to open a 14-0 first-quarter lead.
But the real separation came in the second quarter, when Jackson added two more scores and the Cardinals offense sliced through the Seminoles defense. Louisville had 375 total yards and 35 points after 30 minutes of play.
The Cardinals kept pouring it on in the second half. Jackson finished with 362 total yards and five touchdowns despite not playing for most of the fourth quarter, and the offense piled up 530 total yards. On top of that, Louisville became the first team ever to score more than 60 points against the Seminoles.
Grade: A+
Florida State: Defense
3 of 6
Not even safety Derwin James could have saved the Florida State defense from Lamar Jackson.
Much was made of the injury to the star safety, especially after he was knocked out the week before facing the country's hottest offense. But Louisville gashed Florida State's defense, setting a harsh tone with 375 total yards and 35 points in the first half alone.
There were no adjustments to be made at halftime, as Louisville came out and kept piling on FSU in the second half. The Cardinals offensive front pushed around the defensive line, allowing Jackson and Louisville's host of playmakers to do their worst in the open field.
Grade: F
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Louisville: Defense
4 of 6
Louisville's dominant defense was the surprise of the game.
All the hype before the game surrounded Lamar Jackson and the Louisville offense, but the Cardinals defense was just as good in shutting down Florida State's offense. In the first half, the Seminoles managed just 142 total yards and two big plays—a 41-yard run by backup running back Jacques Patrick and a 20-yard touchdown pass from Deondre Francois to Auden Tate.
The Cardinals only tightened the clamps after the break, as they allowed just 18 total yards in the third quarter. The 10 fourth-quarter points (and a bulk of the Seminoles' second-half yardage) came after Bobby Petrino had called off the dogs and pulled the starters.
Grade: A+
Florida State: Coaching
5 of 6
No coach has been better at helping his team battle back from big first-half holes than Jimbo Fisher in recent years.
It started with Jameis Winston's squad in 2014, when the Heisman Trophy winner would help his team battle back from seemingly impossible deficits. The Seminoles did the same a number of times a year later, and it happened again in the season opener against Ole Miss when they overcame a 28-6 first-half deficit for a comeback 45-34 win.
The magic ran out for Fisher and Co. in Louisville, Kentucky.
Nothing worked for Florida State in the first half when it buried itself in a 35-10 hole, and nothing it did after the break could stem or reverse the tide. The Cardinals outclassed the Seminoles in every phase on the field—on offense, defense and special teams—and Bobby Petrino ran circles around Fisher and the Florida State coaching staff.
Grade: F
Louisville: Coaching
6 of 6
Bobby Petrino and the Louisville coaching staff created poetry in motion against the No. 2 team in the country Saturday afternoon.
The Cardinals dominated every phase of the game. Lamar Jackson and the offense had no problem with defensive end DeMarcus Walker and a loaded Florida State defense. Nothing seemed to surprise the Cardinals, and Jackson produced a Heisman Trophy-worthy performance on college football's biggest stage.
But the best piece of coaching in the game, without question, belonged to Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. The Louisville defense overwhelmed Florida State from the opening whistle until the clock hit zero. Together, Petrino and Grantham have the Cardinals as the country's hottest team and in prime position for a playoff run.
Grade: A+
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