SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Florida State's fan base didn't expect much Saturday night.
Not after seeing the Seminoles put up very little fight at Miami two weeks ago. Not after recent games against the Hurricanes, Clemson and Florida -- and a dismal trip here two years ago -- all ended with FSU losing in blowouts.
Not with Las Vegas oddsmakers listing No. 5 Notre Dame as a 21-point favorite and the Fighting Irish having won 20 straight games at home.
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It wasn't until the game was over and Florida State had fallen, 42-26, that it became clear that the Seminoles' players and coaches had very different expectations.
While acknowledging there were some positives to build on, FSU coach Mike Norvell and his players were clearly not satisfied with anything that happened Saturday inside historic Notre Dame Stadium.
"We don't do things for moral victories," Norvell said. "I don't really care what oddsmakers or peoples' outside perceptions. I want to see us play our best ball."
"We should be winning," added redshirt sophomore quarterback Jordan Travis, who accounted for 300 yards of total offense in his first college start. "We're a good team. There's little things that matter ... we make mistakes, little mistakes that matter so much, and it cost us a couple touchdowns today."
Indeed, there were plenty of mistakes, especially on defense.
After allowing their first three opponents -- Georgia Tech, Miami and even Jacksonville State -- to churn up yardage with quick, short passes that turned into lengthy drives, the Seminoles' defensive coaches tried to force the issue against Notre Dame.
They played tighter coverage on the corners. They played more man defense. They brought their safeties up closer to the line of scrimmage.
It backfired spectacularly.
Playing behind a dominant offensive line, Notre Dame (3-0, 2-0 ACC) rushed for 353 yards and passed for 201 more. And 335 of those 554 yards came on just 13 plays.
Seemingly every time one of the Irish running backs broke through the first wave of Seminole defenders, they were off to the races. They had nine carries of 10 yards or more, and three of those went for at least 45 yards.
"We've got to make tackles, we've got to make sure we're fitting out gaps," Norvell said. "We had some missed opportunities in both of those areas. ... It provided some big-play opportunities when they broke through the forcing unit."
