Florida State did not score many points on Friday night in Pittsburgh. It did not need to. The Seminoles leaned on their defense and on Gabe Panikowski's right leg to leave Acrisure Stadium with a 16-10 victory over Pitt — their second straight road win, and a result that moves them to 5-5, one win from a bowl game.
The win, on a cold night with temperatures in the mid-30s, was the second in as many weeks under interim head coach Rick Stockstill, who took over after Mike Norvell's dismissal. Florida State had not won a game on the road in two and a half years before beating Boston College last week; now it has won two in a row away from home.
Defense Wins It
The Seminoles' defense did the heavy lifting. Pitt managed just 10 points all night and none in the fourth quarter, as Florida State stopped the Panthers on three of their four fourth-down attempts, including the final possession. The group allowed only three points in the second half, grabbed an interception and forced three turnovers on downs.
The conditions suited a defensive game. With temperatures as low as the mid-30s in Pittsburgh, both offenses struggled to find rhythm, and the game turned on field position and mistakes. Florida State's offense managed just 260 yards and regularly bogged down — but the defense kept giving it the ball back in good spots.
The game's only touchdown came off that interception. In the third quarter, defensive lineman Rylan Kennedy picked off Pitt quarterback Corey Dailey — the pass deflected off a helmet and into Kennedy's hands deep in Panthers territory — and freshman running back Amari Thomas punched it in from the one-yard line a few plays later. It was the only time either team reached the end zone all night.
Dailey, a freshman making his second start after a hip injury sidelined Holden Geriner, completed 16 of 34 passes for 157 yards, with a touchdown and the interception. Pitt outgained Florida State 306 yards to 260, but yardage was not the story: the Panthers could not finish drives, and the Seminoles' defense kept standing up when it mattered.
The fourth quarter told the story. Pitt drove, and Florida State stopped them. Pitt went for it on fourth down, and Florida State stopped them again. The Panthers' final possession ended the same way, on downs, and the Seminoles ran out the clock from there.
Panikowski's Perfect Night
The rest of Florida State's scoring belonged to Panikowski. The kicker made all three of his field goals, including a 47-yarder with 6:27 left in the fourth quarter that supplied the final points. The three kicks moved him to 11-for-11 on the season and 26-for-26 in his career — the longest active streak in the FBS.
Ashton Daniels, the Seminoles' quarterback, passed for 163 yards and protected the football, adding 27 yards on the ground. His favorite target was true freshman Jasen Lopez, who caught five passes for 72 yards. Thomas, who scored the touchdown, left the game in the second half with an apparent ankle injury, adding to a running back room already thinned by injuries.
What It Means
The win keeps Florida State's season alive. At 5-5, with two games left — NC State at home on November 21 and Florida on November 27 — the Seminoles need one more victory to reach a bowl game for the first time since 2023. A season that looked headed for another disappointing finish now has a chance to end with a postseason trip.
The turnaround has been fast. Two weeks ago, Florida State was a team that had fired its coach, lost its way on the road, and looked headed nowhere. Under Stockstill, a Florida State alum and longtime Middle Tennessee State coach, the Seminoles have found something they lacked in the final weeks of Norvell's tenure: grit, on both sides of the ball.
For Pitt, the loss stung in a different way. It was Senior Night at Acrisure Stadium, the Panthers' final home game, and they fell to 6-4 despite outgaining the visitors. Boosie Turner, appearing in just his fourth game of the season, ran for 42 yards and caught seven passes for 41 yards and a touchdown. Pitt closes with trips to Louisville on November 21 and California on November 28.
Pitt's own story is one of what-ifs. The Panthers held Florida State to 260 yards and won the yardage battle, but lost the turnover battle and the fourth-down battle, and in a 16-10 game that was enough. Their season is not over — at 6-4 they are already bowl-eligible — but Senior Night was supposed to be a celebration, and it ended in defeat.
Next up is NC State, at home, where Florida State will try to win a third straight game under Stockstill and clinch that bowl berth in front of its own fans. Then comes Florida, the rivalry game, on November 27. Two games, one win needed — and a team that, two weeks ago, could not win anywhere.
