Florida State edges Pitt 16-10 for second straight road win under interim coach Rick Stockstill

Florida State's defense allowed one touchdown, kicker Gabe Panikowski made three field goals and the Seminoles beat Pittsburgh 16-10 on Friday night at Acrisure Stadium. It was Florida State's second straight road win since interim coach Rick Stockstill took over, and it left the Seminoles one victory away from bowl eligibility.

Florida State improved to 5-5 overall and 3-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Pittsburgh, which entered as a 3-point favorite according to the betting line listed by ESPN, fell to 6-4 and 3-4 in league play, its fourth loss in five games.

"These last two weeks, we've done something nobody thought we could do," Stockstill said, according to The Associated Press. "We hadn't won a game on the road in 2 1/2 years, and we've gone back-to-back."

A coaching change in Tallahassee

Florida State fired Mike Norvell on Sunday, Nov. 1, the day after a 36-24 home loss to Clemson dropped the Seminoles to 3-5. University president Richard McCullough said that loss was a "defining moment" for him, according to ESPN. Norvell went 41-39 in seven seasons, a run that included an unbeaten ACC championship team in 2023 followed by a 2-10 season in 2024 and a 5-7 finish in 2025. ESPN reported his buyout at $50.3 million.

Stockstill, the program's director of scouting and a former Florida State quarterback, spent 18 seasons as head coach at Middle Tennessee. The school said its search for a permanent coach would begin immediately, and McCullough said a search firm would help find both a new head coach and a new athletic director.

The Seminoles had opened this season 3-2, with home wins over New Mexico State, Central Arkansas and Virginia around losses to SMU and at Alabama. Then came three straight defeats: 44-20 at Louisville, 43-35 in double overtime at Miami and the Clemson loss that ended Norvell's tenure. Florida State also fired defensive coordinator Tony White, with linebackers coach Ernie Sims taking over as interim coordinator and offensive coordinator Tim Harris Jr. calling plays, according to ESPN.

Since the change, the Seminoles have won twice away from Doak Campbell Stadium, beating Boston College 31-24 on Nov. 7 before Friday's win in Pittsburgh. The defense under Sims has now held Pitt to its lowest point total of the season.

How the game unfolded

Florida State's defense stopped Pittsburgh on its first two possessions, and the offense covered 56 yards in nine plays to set up Panikowski's 37-yard field goal with 3:41 left in the first quarter. After a third straight Pitt punt, quarterback Ashton Daniels hit freshman receiver Jasen Lopez for 46 yards to spark an 11-play, 83-yard drive that ended with Panikowski's 27-yarder for a 6-0 lead.

Pitt took its only lead with 3:07 left in the first half, when freshman quarterback Corey Dailey threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Ja'Kyrian Turner. The Panthers led 7-6 at halftime.

The game swung on Pittsburgh's first drive of the second half. Senior defensive lineman Rylan Kennedy intercepted Dailey on a pass that the AP reported deflected off a helmet, the first interception of Kennedy's career. Florida State needed five plays to cover 32 yards, and freshman running back Amari Thomas scored on a 1-yard run for a 13-7 lead with 10:49 left in the third quarter.

Antonio Chadha's 34-yard field goal pulled Pitt within 13-10 late in the third. Florida State's defense then stopped the Panthers on fourth down on back-to-back possessions. The Seminoles followed with a six-play, 23-yard drive from their own 48, and Panikowski made a season-long 47-yard field goal for a 16-10 lead with 6:27 to play.

Daniels was stripped on a fourth-quarter scramble after picking up a first down, Florida State's only turnover. With about two minutes left, punter Daniel Hughes boomed a 64-yard punt that pinned Pitt at its own 2-yard line. Dailey ran for most of his 58 rushing yards on the final drive, but on fourth-and-4 from midfield, linebacker Omar Graham Jr. pressured him into an incompletion that sealed the win.

By the numbers

Neither offense found much room. Florida State converted only 3 of 13 third downs, while Pitt went 1 for 4 on fourth down.

Daniels completed 16 of 24 passes for 163 yards and ran for 27 more. Lopez set career highs with five catches and 72 yards. Thomas led the Seminoles with 30 rushing yards and the touchdown.

Dailey, making his second start in place of injured quarterback Holden Geriner, completed 16 of 34 passes for 157 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Turner ran for 42 yards and caught seven passes for 41. Pitt has been shuffling quarterbacks for weeks: the AP reported that starter Mason Heintschel was lost for the season to a knee injury in an early October win over Virginia Tech, and Geriner has since been sidelined by a hip injury. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi took responsibility for the failed fourth-down tries. "I put them in some tough positions by going for it and giving them some short fields," he said, according to the AP.

Defense and a perfect kicker

According to Florida State athletics, the Seminoles recorded seven tackles for loss and two sacks, and the program has now won 139 consecutive games when allowing 10 points or fewer. Junior linebacker Chris Jones led the team with seven tackles and passed 250 for his career. Senior linebacker Caleb LaVallee had six tackles and a sack.

"Our hearts were on display out there," LaVallee said, according to the AP. "We pushed through, and we were the tougher team for longer, so that allowed us to get the victory."

Panikowski is 11 for 11 on field goals this season, and his 26 consecutive made field goals at the NCAA level are the longest active streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision, according to the school.

What's next

Florida State returns to Tallahassee to host NC State (4-6) on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 3:30 p.m. on ACC Network for homecoming and the annual Seminole Heritage game. A win would make the Seminoles bowl eligible. If they lose, they would need to beat Florida in the regular-season finale at Doak Campbell Stadium on Friday, Nov. 27. The Gators became bowl eligible on Saturday by winning 21-14 at Kentucky, giving the in-state rivalry added stakes for both programs.

Pittsburgh plays at Louisville on Nov. 21.