While the Florida State football team fell for the fourth time in four tries Saturday versus visiting Louisville, 31-23, things took a drastic turn in the second half due in large part to an improbable defensive effort.
On the brink of a blowout loss, FSU’s defense rebounded from a poor start to shut out the Cardinals after halftime, limiting them to just 79 yards of total offense. The flip was a complete turnaround from how the game began.
At the end of the first quarter, the Seminoles had allowed 150 yards and 17 points, including a 59-yard Malik Cunningham touchdown pass that head coach Mike Norvell described as a “blown coverage” just two minutes into the game.
The damage continued well into the second quarter, as the Cardinals scored on each of their first five possessions.
“There was a lot of miscommunications, a lot of mistakes in the first half. I think that’s why we came out so hard and so tough in the second half,” redshirt freshman defensive back Jarvis Brownlee said. “We knew the mistakes we were making.”
Don't miss out on any of our great Football coverage. Get your 30-day FREE trial
Said Norvell: “We did not start how you need to start football games. That is a reflection on me. We’ve got to get these guys prepared to come out from the beginning.”
With FSU's defense at a loss, Louisville raced to to a 31-7 lead late in the first half; the Cardinals converted eight of 10 third downs en route to 316 yards of offense in those first two quarters.
The second half was a completely different story.
Louisville mustered less than 3 yards per play after halftime, and the Cardinals went 1-for-8 on third downs. FSU forced five straight punts, a crucial fourth-down hold, and then recorded two more stops until their final offensive possession.
“We are never going to give up, that’s not in our blood. We work hard and we know what we put in,” Brownlee said. “We just have to keep playing hard and executing. It all comes down to fundamentals. When you’re not doing that right, you can see how the game goes.”
As bad as FSU's defense looked on Louisville's first five possessions -- giving up points on each drive -- that's how strong the Seminoles looked on the next eight drives. They limited Louisville to just 79 yards of offense in the second half.
Even more impressive, FSU continued to grind out clutch defensive stops even while the offense stalled in its efforts to complete the comeback. Twice with the score at 31-20 in the third quarter, McKenzie Milton and the FSU offense were forced to punt and sent the defense back out onto the field once again, and that unit kept on delivering.
