FSU defense stands tall in second half during comeback road win at Louisville

With their backs against the wall after struggling for two quarters Friday night at Louisville, Florida State’s defense held strong much of the second half — and especially the final two drives — to down the Cardinals on the road, 35-31.

FSU, short-handed in the win with key injuries at several spots including the defensive line,, forced a fourth-down stop at their own 43, followed up by a game-saving interception from defensive back Kevin Knowles that clinched the program’s first 3-0 start since 2015.

Despite allowing 495 total yards, FSU successfully dipped into the reserves along the defensive line with starters Jared Verse and Fabien Lovett out, reaching far back for three key turnovers and four three-and-out drives on the evening to carve out a win.

“The defensive front, Patrick Payton coming in for Jared when he went down. Malcolm Ray, with Fabien not playing tonight, we got really into our depth at defensive tackle,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said. “Across our whole team, it was a heck of a response.”

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Leading the way in tackles for FSU with 10 each were safety Akeem Dent and linebacker Tatum Bethune, who exited briefly in the first half but returned to make his presence felt. Ray chipped in four tackles, and defensive backs Jammie Robinson and Renardo Green each finished with nine total stops.

In what was a tall task stopping the Louisville offense, FSU allowed quarterback Malik Cunningham to gash the defense on the ground with 127 yards and two scores rushing to go along with 243 yards and a touchdown passing. It certainly wasn’t a flawless performance from FSU — the Cardinals finished with over 250 yards rushing for the game.

“That is a very talented offense, playing at home, you could just feel it. Malik Cunningham is a special player,” Norvell said. “I thought those running backs ran hard, the receivers made plays. It was a challenge.”

Timely turnovers earlier in the game certainly helped FSU overcome some struggles. On a Louisville third-and-goal in the second quarter all tied up at 14-14, defensive end Derrick McLendon recovered a huge fumble. Bethune recovered another fumble late in the second quarter to preserve a seven-point deficit going into halftime.

“There were some plays that they had, but ultimately, we created some takeaways. We knew that was going to be big in this game. They were going to make some plays. If we could make those explosives in being able to get the ball back,” Norvell said. “How about the fourth down stop in the sequence before the last drive?”

While the offense, behind a breakout performance from wideout Johnny Wilson, tied things up to start the third quarter, FSU’s defense forced two big Louisville punts coming out of halftime.

The Seminoles held UL just enough in check to protect an offense that was still figuring things out under center due to the loss of quarterback Jordan Travis — enough to keep the game at one possession and give backup Tate Rodemaker enough time to toss two touchdowns after trailing 28-21 to open the fourth quarter.

Knowles recognized the enormity of what his fellow younger teammates like defensive end Patrick Payton, who “came in and made a play” and is someone the team depends on now and “will depend on in the future.”

Knowles praised both him and Rodemaker for stepping into big shoes, making essential plays themselves to set Knowles up to deliver his own game-clinching, toe-tapping highlight along the sideline.

“Through the ups and downs, adversity through it all, our coaches have been preaching since day one: adversity is going to hit, but it’s on us. Momentum only affects the person who lets it. With the injuries, big plays, Jared Verse going down, [Jordan] Travis going down, that’s people who we depend on,” Knowles said. “But we know people behind them, we are going to depend on them just as well. They came and stepped up to the plate.”

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Then came the aforementioned fourth-down stop on the second-to-last drive.

The Cardinals, now down 35-31 after leading much of the game, embarked on a drive that got across the midfield, but linebacker Kalen DeLoach and Dent forced Cunningham out of bounds two yards short on a third-down run down the left sideline. Dent was there to impact an off-target Cunningham pass on the ensuing fourth-down attempt.

When it came to discussing his own game-breaking interception, Knowles praised the FSU staff for preaching the situation, stating he was simply doing his job, which put him around the ball in position to make the play that sent FSU to 3-0.

“We came a long way and we got a long way to go. We continue to grow every day, build the bond every day,” Knowles said. “This team can be unstoppable, it’s on us to see how far we want to go.”

When it came to the win-loss column, all the offensive numbers, quarterback scrambles and big plays seemed to vanish once FSU’s defense earned those two crucial late stops.

Now at 3-0 and an ACC victory under their belt, Norvell and the ’Noles are focused on cleaning up the mistakes while continuing to learn from a win.

“Those moments, the guys, they just rose up. I am just so proud of them. I thought our defense really played hard. There were some times where we had bad communication, with all the right intentions, we gotta continue to put that best foot forward,” Norvell said. “We found a way. At the end of the day, the defense was on the field and they needed a stop, and they went and got that stop.”

Next week, FSU returns home to face Boston College (0-2, 0-1 ACC) with kickoff set for 8 p.m. ET (ACC Network) inside Doak Campbell Stadium.

Watch the Warchant TV Zaxby’s post-game show replay recapping FSU’s wild 35-31 win.

Talk about this story with other die-hard FSU football fans on the Tribal Council.