Florida State football lost its third consecutive game in a 34-31 defeat to Pitt on Saturday, Oct. 11 at Doak Campbell Stadium.
The Seminoles (3-3, 0-3 ACC) have lost 10 of the program’s last 11 ACC games, and have lost three in a row after starting the season 3-0, including a win over Alabama.
FSU won the turnover battle, but a fourth-quarter fumble from Caziah Holmes proved costly. It was the only Seminole turnover of the night, but it allowed Pitt to tie the game, and it was followed by back-to-back three-and-outs from FSU, which the Panthers converted into 10 points on the next two drives.
With injuries to key pass catchers and a run game that was stuffed late, the Panthers were able to stiffle the Seminoles’ offense in key moments in the second half. Quarterback Tommy Castellanos finished the game 16-of-23 for 245 passing yards and three touchdowns, connecting with Micahi Danzy seven times for 133 yards and a pair of scores.
Pitt recorded 472 yards of offense, with 321 yards coming in the air. Freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel went 21-of-29 for 321 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Here are three takeaways from the Seminoles’ loss to Pitt.
Tommy Castellanos, FSU football couldn’t overcome a slow first quarter, injuries
The Seminoles were hit with injuries, down three key pass catches ahead of the game, and lost two more key pieces during the game. Wide receivers Squirrel White and Jayvan Boggs, alongside tight end Randy Pittman Jr were all ruled out before the game kicked off, and the misery was compounded with Roydell Williams getting hurt in warmups and Duce Robinson exiting the game in the second quarter.
Despite that, and a first quarter that ended with 55 total yards, including six passing yards and one touchdown, the Seminoles posted 177 yards in the second quarter and finished the game with 415 total yards of offense.
Castellanos threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter, with the first a deep ball over the top of the Pitt defense that Micahi Danzy dove for and caught for the score. With 10 seconds on the clock before half, Castellanos spun out of pressure and threw downfield to Landen Thomas for a score while evading a sack.
The Seminoles posted 170 rushing yards against the Panthers, who had the nation’s second-ranked rush defense coming into the game, allowing 64.6 yards per game.
Even with that, FSU struggled in the second half, as Pitt sold out to stop the run, and Castellanos struggled to connect with his receivers late in the game, allowing the Panthers to sit in coverage and frustrate a Seminoles offense that looked out of sync.
FSU’s defense forced key takeaways, but struggled in defending the middle of the field, converting pressure
FSU’s defense forced two turnovers on back-to-back drives, with Earl Little Jr and Edwin Joseph recording critical interceptions late in the second quarter. Joseph’s interception led to Castellanos’s touchdown to Thomas. While the takeaways were crucial, they didn’t do enough to mask an inconsistent display from the defense.
While FSU held Pitt to zero third-down conversions on its opening drive, it allowed them to convert on three fourth-downs to set up the game’s opening touchdown. The Panthers finished the game 5-of-14 on third down and 3-of-3 on fourth down.
The area that proved most costly to the Seminoles’ defense was defending the middle of the field, as the Panthers gashed the defense with simple crossing routes and plays that attacked the zones between the linebackers and in front of the secondary.
FSU got pressure in the face of Heintschel, but on too many occasions failed to convert it into a sack, despite finishing the night with five. The true freshman quarterback got out of the pocket and extended plays with his legs, recording a team-high 64 yards rushing.
Reid carved open the defense for 155 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns, his first game back since an injury against West Virginia, with the majority of his catches coming in the middle of the field. The Panthers consistently found success attacking that area of the field, racking up first downs and setting up scoring opportunities with chunk plays.
FSU needed one more turnover in the fourth quarter, and nearly got it when Little puched the ball loose from a scrambling Heintschel, but the ball bounced around off multiple players and eventually into the hands of a Pitt player downfield. The Panthers would score a touchdown after the recovery.
Injuries ravage the Seminoles before and during the game
The Seminoles’ injuries piled up, and they were down Boggs, White, Pittman, and Williams before the ball was snapped, and eventually lost Robinson, linebacker Stefon Thompson, and offensive lineman Richie Leonard left the game briefly before returning to the game, albeit shaken up.
Robinson and Thompson never returned to the game.
Castellanos was without his top-four targets for much of the game, with players like Danzy, Elijah Moore, and true freshman Teriq Mallory and Tae’Shaun Gelsey getting more reps, and at times that led to more conservative play calling from Gus Malzahn.
Thompson’s injury opened up an opportunity for AJ Cotrill and more reps for both Blake Nichelson and Omar Graham Jr.
The injuries didn’t excuse the lack of execution offensively, or the miserable middle of the field defense that allowed the Panthers to get chunk yardage and the win.
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football loses third straight as Pitt QB Mason Heintschel thrashes defense
Reporting by Liam Rooney, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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