Sam Singleton had 14 carries for 91 yards and a 10-yard touchdown as the Seminoles (4-4, 1-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) halted a four-game slide and earned their first ACC victory since a 14-9 win over California on Sept. 21, 2024.

Florida State opened with a stunning upset of Alabama and then grabbed victories in two guarantee games. But the Seminoles lost in double overtime at Virginia before dropping a rivalry showdown against Miami and falling to Pittsburgh and Stanford.

“I know it’s been a rough month leading up to this game,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “We’ve had to face some disappointments. Our players, they’ve been putting in the work.”

The pressure ramped up on Norvell, with Florida State athletics director Michael Alford releasing a statement after a 20-13 loss at Stanford that said the coach and program would be evaluated after the regular season.

In their first game since the statement on Oct. 20, the Seminoles delivered quite the response.

“Coach Norvell has been absolutely awesome, everything and more for us,” Castellanos said. “I know you guys don’t see that and I know they don’t see that. Everybody blames the coach. That’s on us. Those four games are on us. We were put in position to execute and win those games and we didn’t. I’m glad we got that done for him. It’s new November.”

Gavin Sawchuk added a pair of 1-yard TD runs, while tight end Randy Pittman had a 7-yard TD run out of the wildcat.

Castellanos completed 12 of 16 passes for 217 yards, connecting with Duce Robinson five times for 148 yards and an 11-yard touchdown.

Robby Ashford completed 12 of 21 passes for 93 yards and ran 12 times for 59 yards for Wake Forest (5-3, 2-3).

“We got decidedly beat in all three phases,” Wake Forest coach Jake Dickert said. “Didn’t have much going on offense. Didn’t execute. Weren’t able to put drives together. Defensively, we gave up big plays for the first time all season.”

Singleton’s night

Singleton had just one carry for -1 yard against a Power 4 opponent, Miami, this season coming into Saturday. The redshirt sophomore earned his first college start and averaged 6.5 yards per carry.

The takeaway

Wake Forest: The Deacons had a pair of long runs erased by holding calls, among six first-half penalties. Wake trailed 14-0 at the half and finished with just 247 total yards

Florida State: The Seminoles, who hadn’t won a power-conference game since the opener against Alabama, dominated and quieted the criticism of coach Mike Norvell.

Up next

Wake Forest plays at Virginia on Saturday.

Florida State plays at Clemson on Saturday.

A true freshman, Heintschel completed 21 of 29 passes and tossed a pair of second-quarter interceptions. But he has surpassed 300 passing yards in both of his starts, building off a rout of Boston College last week with a road upset of the Seminoles.

Reid had eight catches for 155 yards and 10 carries for 38 yards for Pittsburgh (4-2, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Tommy Castellanos completed 16 of 23 passes for 245 yards for Florida State, including a pair of touchdowns to Micahi Danzy — 58 yards in the fourth quarter and 33 yards in the second quarter.

But after the Seminoles (3-3, 0-3) went ahead 24-21 on Jake Weinberg’s 34-yard field-goal attempt, Florida State fumbled at midfield and then went three-and-out. Later, while trailing 34-24, came Castellanos’ 58-yarder to Danzy.

The Panthers finished with a pair of field goals and then Ja’Kyrian Turner’s 3-yard touchdown run capped an eight-play, 75-yard drive with 2:28 left.

The Takeaway

Pittsburgh got a boost from Reid, who hadn’t played since the loss to West Virginia on Sept. 13. A Miami native, the 5-foot-8 Reid was a difference maker as he found openings in the middle of the field.

Florida State ran for 170 yards but Caziah Holmes’ fourth-quarter fumble near midfield halted a drive and took away some of the Seminoles’ momentum.

Up next

Pittsburgh plays at Syracuse on Saturday. Florida State plays at Stanford on the same day.

The Hurricanes (4-0), ranked No. 2 in the latest Associated Press poll, head into a bye week after a 26-7 win over Florida at Hard Rock Stadium.

Miami defeated Florida State 36-14 last season, holding the Seminoles to 248 total yards while outgaining them 445-248.

The Hurricanes lead the all-time series 36-33.

Both teams have enjoyed modest turnarounds heading into their matchup Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium.

FSU coach Mike Norvell hired six new assistant coaches, added nearly 50 new players and stunned Alabama in the opener. The Seminoles (2-0) are now No. 7 in the AP Top 25.

“There has been quality work that’s gone into it to put us in this position,” Norvell said. “The urgency for growth is absolutely there. I think they see the potential. They know the steps that are a necessity for us to become what we’re capable of.”

Mark Carney was Kent State’s offensive coordinator in 2024 before getting elevated to interim head coach in April following the dismissal of Kenni Burns. The Golden Flashes (1-2) ended a 21-game losing streak with a season-opening win over lower-division Merrimack and led Buffalo last week before giving up a touchdown in the final minutes.

“Our competitive depth was outstanding,” said Carney, who used 56 players against Buffalo. “Not a lot of drop-off when you play that many players. That’s a credit to your coaching staff and the way you’re developing players.”

Florida State is favored by 45 1/2 points, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

Rare air for the Seminoles

Florida State is only the fourth team in the Top 25 era (beginning in 1989) to start a season unranked and reach the top 10 by Week 3. The others: Miami in 2009, Texas A&M in 2016 and Miami in 2020. The Seminoles are the highest ranked of the four.

Injury update

Norvell said he’s hopeful sophomore receiver Lawayne McCoy will make his 2025 debut after missing most of preseason camp and the team’s first two games. Norvell considers McCoy a “tier one” receiver.

McCoy’s potential return could be timely considering fellow receiver Squirrel White is questionable after suffering a hand/wrist injury against East Texas A&M.

Kent State starting center Dustyn Morrell has a high-ankle sprain, but his status for the game is unclear.

In a rush

The Seminoles have nine rushing touchdowns in 2025, one more than their 12-game total from a year ago.

Florida State had just 1,079 yards rushing in 2024 and already is more than halfway to that total with 591 yards rushing through two games. The Seminoles lead the ACC in rushing offense, averaging 295.5 yards a game on the ground.

In the mix?

Florida State defensive coordinator Tony White produced top-10 rush defenses at Nebraska in 2023 and 2024. After a 2-0 start and an upset of Alabama, White’s name is in the mix on hot boards for the opening at UCLA.

White is a 2002 graduate of UCLA. The Bruins fired DeShaun Foster last week after an 0-3 start.

Leaning on DeShields

Kent State coaches have used CJ Montes and Dru DeShields at quarterback. DeShields is now the projected starter against Florida State after throwing for 279 yards and two touchdowns while adding a rushing touchdown against Buffalo.

Touchdown maker

Kent State’s Cade Wolford has seven catches in three games, with four of them being touchdowns. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Wolford leads the nation in yards per reception (31.9).

According to the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office, investigators on Wednesday identified and arrested four suspects believed to be involved in the shooting. Their names have not yet been released.

Pritchard, a 19-year-old sophomore from Seminole High School in Sanford, was shot in the back of the head just before 10 p.m. on Aug. 31 while driving his aunt home from a family gathering in Havana, Florida, according to his father, Earl Pritchard.

Deputies found him wounded inside a vehicle, and he was taken to a nearby hospital, where he is listed in critical but stable condition.

Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

Speaking to CNN affiliate WFTV, Earl Pritchard said that his son was shot when driving his aunt home from a family event in Havana, Florida.

“He was actually in the car taking my sister around the corner to her daughter’s house to drop her off,” the elder Pritchard said. “They turned the corner, and as soon as they turned the corner, they heard gunshots.”

Earl Pritchard said that his son remains sedated in the hospital and is in a critical condition. He added that doctors are waiting for the swelling in Ethan’s head to decrease before evaluating the damage.

According to CNN affiliate WCTV, the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office said the incident took place just before 10 p.m. local time and that Pritchard was found wounded in a vehicle. He was then taken to an intensive care unit at a nearby hospital.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) told CNN that the organization is investigating in coordination with the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office.

A fundraising page has been set up to help cover Pritchard’s medical expenses, with over $80,000 donated at the time of writing.

“Just ask the community and everybody for their prayers,” Earl Pritchard told WFTV while at his son’s side in the ICU.

FSU head coach Mike Norvell said on Wednesday that he remains in direct communication with Pritchard’s family.

“I talked to Ethan’s dad this morning. I’m trying to just check on him and check on Ethan. I was able to go by yesterday and for a short period of time,” Norvell told reporters. “It was just limited visitation, but you get a chance just to be there even for just a handful of minutes.

“It was good to be with him. He’s still in stable condition, and we’re going through the process and he’s got all things that are in front. We are absolutely praying for him every day and just trying to be there for our players, too. Yes, it’s one thing on the field, but it’s also off the field. That’s one of their brothers, a guy that they deeply care about and just kind of working through part of the tragedy of what it is.”

Pritchard, who went to Seminole High School in Sanford, Florida, committed to Florida State in October 2023 amid interest from other programs.

He was a four-star recruit after enjoying an impressive high school career, recording 75 tackles in his junior year. He was initially a safety before swapping to be a linebacker, according to FSU.

Miami jumped into the top five after edging out Notre Dame, marking one of the program’s highest rankings in recent years.

The Hurricanes held onto the lead despite a late-game resurgence from the Fighting Irish and quarterback CJ Carr. The Irish tied it up at 24 with 3:21 remaining. Transfer quarterback Carson Beck led a 10-play, 46-yard drive, putting the Hurricanes in field goal range with 1:07 remaining. Kicker Carter Davis hit a 47-yard field goal to seal the deal.

The Hurricanes last cracked the Top 5 in 2024 after a 9-0 start.

The Hurricanes aren’t the only ones making moves in the Sunshine State.

The Florida Gators climbed to No. 13 after their season-opening win over LIU, and Florida State re-entered the poll at No. 14 after pulling off a big upset over Alabama.

It’s the first time since the 2006 preseason that Miami, Florida and Florida State have all been ranked in the AP Top 15 at the same time.

At the very top, Ohio State took over the No. 1 spot after knocking off preseason favorite Texas 14-7. Penn State held steady at No. 2, while LSU and Georgia rounded out the top four.

Ethan Pritchard, a 6-foot-2, 224-pound freshman from Sanford, was in intensive care at a Tallahassee-area hospital. He was shot Sunday evening while inside a vehicle outside apartments in Havana, according to the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office.

“The Pritchard family is thankful for the support from so many people, as well as the care from first responders and medical professionals, and asks that their privacy be respected at this time,” FSU said in a statement. “Further updates will be provided as they are available.”

Pritchard did not play in Florida State’s season opener, a 31-17 victory Saturday over No. 8 Alabama in Tallahassee.

“Thoughts and prayers with Ethan Pritchard and his family,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said Monday. “Obviously an extremely tragic event for the young man. I got a chance to be there last night with him, his dad and family. Grateful for all of the medical support that he was able to receive. Our football team, coaches, family were all there to support him.

“We’re praying for all parts of him and the journey that’s ahead. Definitely appreciate the support from the community that we feel.”.

Instead, the Seminoles will host college football’s premier powerhouse, eighth-ranked Alabama, while showcasing a $265 million stadium renovation, a revamped offense and a retooled defense.

It’s a daunting task, no doubt. But it’s also an unbelievable opportunity for FSU and coach Mike Norvell to kickstart the team’s climb from the bottom of the Atlantic Coast Conference standings.

The ‘Noles finished 2-10 in 2024, with wins against Cal and lower-division Charleston Southern. It was FSU’s fewest victories since going 1-10 in 1974 and prompted Norvell to fire offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Alex Atkins, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and receivers coach Ron Dugans.

It was a stunning slide for a team that went 13-1 in 2023, won the ACC and would have made the College Football Playoff if not for a gruesome injury to all-everything quarterback Jordan Travis.

And it left the ’Noles in rebuilding mode.

“There’s not going to be a player who stands up and says they want to be mediocre or they want to be average,” Norvell said. “Everybody’s going to say the same things. It’s like every team when they report: ‘This is the year; this is the time.’ It all sounds the same. But on a daily basis, what shows up? Are you truly willing to give everything?”

Norvell changed just about everything in hopes of delivering a quick turnaround and quieting speculation about his future in Tallahassee. He hired former UCF and Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn as offensive coordinator and brought in Nebraska’s Tony White as defensive coordinator.

Norvell then signed 23 players out of the transfer portal, which ranked sixth nationally according to 247Sports. The group included former Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, three plug-and-play receivers and four starting offensive linemen.

Their goal is to improve an offense that averaged 15.4 points a game and ranked 131st out of 134 Football Bowl Subdivision teams.

“We’re not going to look in the future and make expectations and stuff like that,” Castellanos said. “We’re just going to focus on one day at a time and we’re going to earn it and we’re going to work.

Castellanos brings an edge to FSU’s huddle

Castellanos raised eyebrows over the summer when he said the Crimson Tide “don’t have (coach) Nick Saban to save them. I just don’t see them stopping me.” He hasn’t backed down since.

“I said what I said, and we stand on that,” he said. “I don’t mean no disrespect to none of those guys at Alabama or anything like that. I just have confidence in my guys and the work we have been putting in and preparing and the preparation we’ve been putting together.”

FSU’s defense got overhauled, too

The Seminoles added five defensive transfers who are expected to start, including well-traveled linebackers Elijah Herring (Memphis/Tennessee), Stefon Thompson (Nebraska/Syracuse) and James Williams (Nebraska/Iowa Central). FSU is expected to have at least seven defensive starters who came from elsewhere, including nose tackle Darrell Jackson Jr. (Miami/Maryland) and safety Earl Little Jr. (Alabama).

“Desperate to win, desperate to eat, just desperate to succeed,” Little said. “We hit on that every day. You come here to be desperate and to succeed and put that logo on your chest and play for your last name and the school.”

A tough start and a formidable finish

As challenging as it is to start against the Crimson Tide — FSU has lost six of its last eight openers — the team’s toughest stretch might come in November.

The Seminoles close out the regular season with three of four on the road, including games at No. 4 Clemson, at North Carolina State and at rival and 15th-ranked Florida. They also host No. 10 Miami in early October.

Hamilton, who is retiring at season’s end after 23 seasons heading the program, collected his 200th ACC regular-season win, which ranks fourth in conference history. He is the ACC’s fifth all-time winningest coach with 438 victories.

Ewin also had eight rebounds as did Jamir Watkins, who scored 20 points. Jerry Deng scored 11 points for the Seminoles (17-14, 8-12) shooting 48% in snapping a four-game losing streak.

Boopie Miller led the Mustangs (22-9, 13-7) with 16 points, Matt Cross added 13, Kario Oquendo 12 and Chuck Harris 11. SMU shot 42%.

Florida State led throughout the second half but never by more than seven, including after a Watkins fadeaway jumper with 1:17 left. Miller responded quickly with a layup and the Mustangs got a turnover but Cross missed a 3-pointer. Justin Thomas grabbed the rebound, was fouled and made 1 of 2 free throws for a six-point edge with 25.5 remaining. B.J. Edwards had a 3-point try partially blocked and the Seminoles added a final free throw.

SMU led for most of the first half until the Seminoles went on an 8-0 run with four free throws from Watkins for a 33-27 lead heading into the final minute. Miller had a bucket and then hit a 3-pointer as time ran out to make it a one-point game.

The teams now head for the conference tournament that runs Tuesday through next Saturday in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Flagg sat out more than 11 minutes to end the first half, twice leaving the gym to be evaluated after he was struck in the face on a hard foul. Flagg was on the court for the first 12 minutes of the second half, when he racked up 12 of his 16 points.

Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach both had 14 points to help Duke (26-3, 17-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) maintain a one-game lead over Clemson in the league standings.

Jamir Watkins had 21 points and Jerry Deng added 12 points for Florida State (16-13, 7-11). The Seminoles have lost three straight and four of five.

Duke led 14-11 when Flagg departed. The Blue Devils built a 47-30 halftime lead.

Takeaways

Florida State: The Seminoles have given up more than 90 points twice this season, with both coming in a six-day span after they were drilled by North Carolina on Monday.

Duke: The Blue Devils were without starting guard Tyrese Proctor, who sustained a knee injury Tuesday night at Miami. With Flagg out, they still had enough firepower to extend their lead and remain unbeaten at home this season, aided by a season-high 21 offensive rebounds.

Key moment

Nearly four minutes into the second half, Flagg blocked a shot, resulting in a fast break and Knueppel’s three-point play for a 62-35 lead.

Key stat

Duke had 12 assists on 16 first-half baskets without committing a turnover despite unusual lineup combinations.

Up next

Duke plays its home finale Monday night against Wake Forest. Florida State is at Virginia on Tuesday night.

Ian Schieffelin had 14 points and 12 rebounds as Clemson (21-5, 13-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) won its third straight game. Clemson has won six straight in the series with Florida State.

Jamir Watkins scored 12 points for Florida State (15-10, 6-8). But the Tigers held the Seminoles well below their season-low point total, with the previous low (57) coming at Clemson in January.

Clemson did it in part by limiting Florida State’s Malique Ewin, who has nine double-doubles this season, to six points and six rebounds.

Hunter shot 7 of 11 from the floor for Clemson, which shot 29 of 61 (47.5%) from the floor.

Takeaways

Clemson: The Tigers outclassed Florida State in every way, leading by as many as 27 points in the second half and shooting 5 of 11 from 3-point range after the break to cruise to a win.

Florida State: The Seminoles lacked energy from the start, shot just 34 percent from the floor (18 of 53) and still have not defeated a top 25 team in 2024-25.

Key moment

Clemson used an early 10-0 run to separate, leading Florida State 22-7 with 10:30 to halftime and were never threatened.

Key stat

Clemson had 11 offensive rebounds, which led to 23 second-chance points.

Up next

Clemson has a bye and will play at SMU on Feb. 22; Florida State plays host to Miami on Wednesday.

Boston College trailed by eight points, 70-62 with less than a minute left but Donald Hand Jr. turned a three-point play, and after the Seminoles’ Jamir Watkins hit two free throws Fred Payne and Hand each hit two to get the Eagles within three. After Malique Ewin hit two free throws, Payne answered with a three-point play to make it 74-72. Ewin hit two more free throws, but after he blocked a Payne layup Venning gathered the loose ball and scored to make it 76-74. A.J. Swinton lobbed Florida State’s in-bounds pass to no one with seven seconds left and Kelley tracked down the loose ball, turned and drilled the game-winning 3.

Boston College (10-11, 2-8 ACC) got off to a 5-0 start, but did not lead the rest of the half after Florida State took a 15-14 lead with 13:22 left.

Hand scored a career-high 31 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Boston College and Payne fired off the bench to score 14 points, hitting 5-of-5 free throws.

Jamir Watkins scored 19 points to lead the Seminoles (13-9, 4-7), reaching double figures for the 20th time in 22 games and topping 900 career points. Ewin was 8-for-8 at the line and finished with 18 points and nine rebounds. Swinton added 10 points off the bench.

Florida State plays host to Notre Dame on Tuesday. Boston College hosts No. 21 Louisville on Wednesday.

Benny Gealer and Jaylen Blakes added 13 points apiece for Stanford (14-6, 6-3 ACC). Maxime Raynaud, who went into the game No. 5 nationally in scoring (21.1 per game) and No. 3 in rebounding (11.6) finished with 14 rebounds to go with a season-low eight points on 4-of-11 shooting.

Sellers hit a 3-pointer 6 1/2 minutes into the game that gave Stanford the lead for good and followed with back-to-back dunks before Raynaud scored in the lane to make it 18-10 with 9:34 left until halftime. Daquan Davis threw down a dunk that pulled FSU within two points, but Gealer answered with a 3-pointer and Sellers hit two more in an 11-3 run that made it a 10-point game with 2:29 remaining before Stanford took a 33-25 lead into the break.

The Seminoles, who trailed by at least seven points throughout the second half, shot just 32% (8 of 25) from the field and 1 of 7 from 3-point range in the first half.

Jamir Watkins led Florida State (13-7, 4-5) with 20 points and Malique Ewin added 16. Davis scored 14.

The Seminoles are 1-5 in true road games this season.

Florida State returns home to face Virginia Tech on Wednesday. Stanford also plays on Wednesday, when the Cardinal take on Syracuse and wrap up a three-game home stand.

Lance Terry hit a 3-pointer and Georgia Tech, which had not led, was within 70-66 with 5 minutes remaining. The Seminoles answered with seven points in the next minute. Ewin hit a jumper, Daquan Davis had a three-point play and Ewin added two free throws for a 77-66 lead with 4 minutes left.

Georgia Tech’s Javian McCollum hit a 3-pointer with 3 1/2 minutes remaining then the Seminoles iced the game with dunks on five consecutive possessions, building an 86-69 lead with two minutes to go.

Bowen made 7 of 9 shots and Ewin was 6 for 9 from the field. Jamir Watkins added 17 points for the Seminoles (13-5, 4-3 ACC).

Terry scored 23 points and McCollum 20 for Georgia Tech (8-11, 2-6). The Yellow Jackets, dealing with several injuries, played only six players. Duncan Powell, the only reserve to see action, scored 20 points.

The Seminoles made three 3-pointers in the first five minutes and raced out to a 15-2 lead. Leading 30-21 late in the half, dunks by Watkins and Bowen helped Florida State build a 37-21 lead in the final minute. Georgia Tech’s Powell then hit a 3 and Florida State led 37-24 at the break.

Georgia Tech had three takeaways and went 4-for-4 shooting in the first two minutes of the second half to get within 37-34 before Florida State recovered by scoring the next seven points for a 44-34 advantage.

Up next for FSU is a West Coast trip to play California on Wednesday and Stanford on Saturday. Georgia Tech hosts Virginia Tech on Wednesday.

The Tigers made all five of their shots in the first four minutes of the second half and their 13-2 run stretched a seven-point halftime lead to 18 points at 49-31.

Jerry Deng made a layup and a 3-pointer and Malique Ewin hit two free throws to get FSU within 58-47 near the nine-minute mark but the Seminoles scored only two points in the next four minutes. By that time Clemson was ahead by 18 points again and the Tigers allowed only eight points in the final seven minutes.

Jaeden Zackery finished with 15 points and Chauncey Wiggins scored 12 for Clemson (13-4, 5-1 ACC), which bounced back after losing to Louisville 74-64 earlier in the week. Clemson is tied with Louisville one game behind first-place Duke (6-0) in the ACC.

The Tigers shot 48% overall and made 13 of 28 3-pointers.

Ewin had 15 points and nine rebounds for Florida State (11-5, 2-3). Jamir Watkins and Deng scored 11 each. The Seminoles shot 43% overall and made 4 of 16 3s.

The Tigers made 7 of their first 10 3-point tries and led 27-19 with 6 1/2 minutes remaining in the first half. However, Clemson cooled off and finished 7 of 15 on 3-pointers for the half. Hunter and Zackery scored 10 points each and the Tigers led 36-29 at halftime.

Clemson plays at Georgia Tech on Tuesday and Florida State hosts Pitt on Wednesday.

Florida State scored 54 points in the second half, shooting 57% and making 18 free throws.

Taylor Bol Bowen had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Seminoles (10-4, 1-2 ACC) and Malique Ewin also scored 14.

Florida State scored 12 points in the first 3 minutes of the second half to build a 48-39 lead. Five players scored for the Seminoles in an 11-2 run that pushed their lead to 68-55 with 8 1/2 minutes to go.

Chris Bell, Lucas Taylor and Donnie Freeman hit 3-pointers to get Syracuse within 73-66 near the 5-minute mark but Florida State began to cash in at the free-throw line. Watkins made 5 of 8 from the line down the stretch and Davis made 6 of 6.

The Seminoles finished 23 of 31 from the line with Davis going 10 for 10 and Watkins making 9 of 13.

Syracuse (6-8, 0-3) had five players score in double digits, led by Bell with 18 points off the bench and Freeman’s double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. JJ Starling scored 12, Lucas Taylor 10 and Kyle Cuffe Jr. 10 off the bench.

Syracuse has not won against a team from a power conference. In addition to three ACC losses, the Orange have lost to Texas, Texas Tech and Tennessee.

It was Florida State’s first game since it was reported that six former players are suing Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton for allegedly not getting them $250,000 in name, image and likeness deals, as promised.

Syracuse hosts Georgia Tech on Tuesday and Florida State plays at Miami on Wednesday.

The plaintiffs — Darin Green Jr., De’Ante Green, Cam’Ron Fletcher, Josh Nickelberry, Primo Spears and Jalen Warley — filed suit in Leon County circuit court. Their attorney, Fort Lauderdale-based Darren Heitner, shared the 20-page complaint with The Associated Press. Yahoo Sports first reported the case.

The former players allege Hamilton promised them the money from his “business partners.” The lawsuit says they walked out of a practice last season over the missed payments and intended to boycott a Feb. 17 game against Duke. They ended up playing — the Seminoles lost 76-67 — amid a guarantee from Hamilton that they would be paid but never were, according to the suit.

No attorney for Hamilton was listed in the lawsuit. FSU hosts Syracuse on Saturday.

The complaint includes multiple text-message exchanges between players and some between players and Hamilton.

FSU finished 17-16 last season, including 10-10 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The 76-year-old Hamilton is in the final year of his contract. The Seminoles are 9-4, including 0-2 in league play.

None of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit remain with the team. Green and Nickelberry exhausted their college eligibility last spring, and the four others transferred. Spears is now at UTSA, Fletcher is at Xavier, De’Ante Green is at USF and Warley is at Gonzaga.

The lawsuit is the latest in a growing number of NIL legal battles.

Matthew Sluka, a starting quarterback for the UNLV football team, left the program after three games in September because he was never paid a $100,000 NIL deal. Former Florida quarterback signee Jaden Rashada, now playing at Georgia, sued Gators coach Billy Napier last year over an unpaid $13 million NIL deal. And several Tulsa players claim they were never paid thousands in NIL commitments made by former coach Kevin Wilson.

Smith made 8 of 12 shots overall and 6 of 9 3-pointers to go with 5-for-5 from the free-throw line. Terrence Edwards Jr. had 19 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the Cardinals.

Louisville made 10 of 15 3-pointers in the second half, including Smith’s 5 for 5. The Cardinals finished 15 for 29 from deep compared to Florida State’s 8 for 20.

The Cardinals led by two points at halftime, then extended their lead early in the second half. An 8-0 run made it 59-50 with 15 1/2 minutes remaining and 3-pointers from Smith and Noah Waterman had Louisville out front 56-45 with 13 1/2 minutes left.

A 3-pointer by Jamir Watkins got the Seminoles within 62-58 but Smith answered with a pair of 3s and the Cardinals were back up by 10. The two 3-pointers capped a 6 1/2-minute stretch in which every Louisville point came on six 3-pointers, four by Smith.

Florida State cut it to six points a couple more times, but Smith’s final 3 of the game gave the Cardinals an 80-68 lead with a little under 4 minutes remaining. They led by at least eight points the rest of the way.

Watkins led Florida State (9-4, 0-2 ACC) with 25 points, making 4 of 6 3-pointers. Malique Ewin added 17 points.

Chucky Hepburn scored 16 for Louisville (7-5, 1-1) and Waterman finished with 15 points. Smith, Hepburn and Waterman combined for 13 of Louisville’s 15 3-pointers.

Louisville hosts Eastern Kentucky on Saturday. Florida State hosts Syracuse on Jan. 4.

Kaleb Banks and Rowan Brumbaugh opened the game by hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to give Tulane a 6-0 lead but the Seminoles answered with a 21-2 run to take control and lead 37-22 at the break. Florida State’s defense forced seven first-half turnovers and the Seminoles scored 11 fast break points in the half.

Christian Nitu’s jumper with 12:09 left put Florida State (8-3) up 55-36. The Green Wave battled back to get within 10 points after Banks turned a three-point play with 1:29 left but could not break into single digits. Watkins went to the line six times in the final eight minutes and converted 10 of 12 free throw attempts to protect the lead.

Watkins was 4 of 8 from the field, including 2 of 6 from deep, and dished five assists with a steal and a blocked shot. Jerry Deng added 13 points and Malique Ewin and Justin Thomas each added 10.

An Indiana transfer and Tulane’s leading scorer coming into the game, Banks scored 33 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, both career highs. Brumbaugh contributed 15 points for the Green Wave.

Jadan Baugh added 81 yards as Florida racked up 235 rushing yards, while DJ Lagway had two touchdown passes to give coach Billy Napier his first victory over the Seminoles in three tries.

The Gators (7-5) wrapped up an impressive stretch to finish November, knocking off ranked opponents in LSU and Ole Miss and picking up a victory over Florida State after starting the season 3-3.

Florida’s defense held Florida State to 79 first-half yards, in which the Seminoles were held to just 2.5 yards per play.

Lawrance Toafili had a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter for Florida State (2-10). The Seminoles dropped all three rivalry games (including Miami and Clemson) by double digits.

TAKEAWAY

Florida: The Gators averaged 6.5 yards per carry in the first half and picked up a dominating, first rivalry win over Florida State to finish off an impressive last three weeks in what was arguably the nation’s toughest schedule.

Florida State: The Seminoles suffered their first season with double-digit losses since 1974, which is two years before Bobby Bowden arrived.

UP NEXT

Florida: Regular season ends, awaits bowl announcements on Dec. 8.

Florida State: Regular season ends.

Kromenhoek completed 13 of 20 passes in his first college start, including a 71-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Khi Douglas, as the Seminoles (2-9) won for the first time since Sept. 21. The true freshman also connected with Amaree Williams for a 4-yard TD and Hykeem Williams for a 10-yard TD.

“It was unbelievable, it was a dream come true,” Kromenhoek said. “The more snaps I get, the more reps that I get, it slows down little by little. I just try to take advantage of every one that I get.”

The Seminoles (2-9) have started three quarterbacks and nine offensive line combinations this fall, and they came into Saturday with the nation’s worst scoring offense (13.3 points). Florida State hadn’t scored more than 21 points or surpassed the 300-yard mark in 2024. But Florida State overwhelmed FCS Charleston Southern (1-11), accumulating 415 offensive yards.

Coach Mike Norvell made major changes following a 52-3 loss at Notre Dame on Nov. 9. He fired offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Alex Atkins, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and wide receivers coach Ron Dugans.

On Saturday, Norvell again called plays (as he has done throughout his five years at Florida State). Randy Shannon, the linebackers coach, was elevated to interim defensive coordinator.

“It’s been a tough last couple weeks, tough season in general,” Norvell said. “But I was really proud of them for how they approached this week and the work that they poured in. From senior to freshman, there was a lot of investment to go push to be better.”

After a scoreless first quarter, Florida State poured it on — scoring on six straight drives. This is the first time the Seminoles have scored 10 or more points in a quarter, tallying 17 in the second and 14 in the third.

Kaleb Jackson completed 22 of 32 passes for 218 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown pass to Landon Sauers, and an interception for the Buccaneers.

Next up: Randy Shannon

Shannon stepped in to coordinate, guiding a first- and second-team defense that didn’t allow a point. Florida State led 31-0 after three quarters, allowing Charleston Southern to pick up just 124 offensive yards and holding the Buccaneers to 23 rushing yards.

Once Miami’s head coach, Shannon has now been a defensive coordinator at all four of the state’s Power 4 schools. Shannon was the defensive coordinator at Miami (2001-06), Florida (2017), UCF (2018-20) and will now also be Florida State’s interim coordinator next week against Florida.

The takeaway

Charleston Southern: While the Buccaneers found some success through the air, they couldn’t sustain drives and managed just 57 rushing yards on 29 carries.

Florida State: The Seminoles picked up a season-best 176 rushing yards, scoring 17 points in the second quarter and 14 points in the third quarter to take control.

Up next

Charleston Southern’s season is over.

Florida State plays host to Florida on Nov. 30.

Norvell dismissed offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Alex Atkins, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and receivers coach Ron Dugans.

“I appreciate the work these three men have provided over the last five years with me at Florida State,” Norvell said in a statement. “Unfortunately, we have not upheld the Florida State standard with our results on the field this season.

“I did not make any of these decisions lightly, but I felt changes needed to be made to elevate our program back to where we all desire it to be.”

The Seminoles (1-9) have a bye week and then two games remaining, beginning against Charleston Southern. Co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Randy Shannon will assume defensive coordinator duties, and additional responsibilities will be absorbed by remaining staff members.

Hampton racked up 172 rushing yards and 93 receiving yards and now has 14 touchdowns for UNC (5-4, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Hampton is a man of many yards but not so many words. In the postgame locker room, coach Mack Brown asked him to give a speech. It was short: “Good job, O-line.”

The senior is just the fourth UNC player to have five rushing touchdowns in a game and has surpassed the 3,000-yard mark in his career.

“I can’t do it all by myself, so it’s definitely my O-line,” Hampton said. “They went crazy today. I feel like I just definitely needed to give them a shout out. It’s really just the mindset trying to get each and every play and everything like that.”

Brown, a Florida State grad, earned his first win over his alma mater. He was 0-3 against the Seminoles while at Tulane in the mid-1980s and came into the game with an 0-8 mark in two stints at UNC.

The longtime college coach said he felt the offensive line has been improving, as has his team. He enjoyed watching UNC rack up 289 rushing yards while holding Florida State to 42 yards on 28 carries.

“In college football you got to run the ball,” Brown said. “You’ve got to stop the run. Running for 289 yards against that defense is really, really special.”

Brock Glenn threw for 123 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown to Ja’Khi Douglas, as Florida State (1-8, 1-7) lost its fifth straight game. Luke Kromenhoek also completed 2 of 7 passes for 36 yards, but he had two interceptions in the fourth quarter.

The Seminoles managed just 201 offensive yards and scored a season-low 11 points.

“Very disappointing outcome,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “They did a great job and really dominated the game in pretty much all phases — offense, defense, special teams. We have to be better than what we put on display.”

Ryan Fitzgerald made a 56-yard field-goal attempt in the first half for the Seminoles.

Rare company

Hampton is the first Tar Heel to rush for five touchdowns since 1981. After one touchdown he stopped to celebrate with Natrone Means, a UNC star who is now an offensive analyst.

Florida State’s record book only note opposing players who ran for four touchdowns in a game. The last one? Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson in 2016.

Shorthanded Seminoles

With center Maurice Smith out, Florida State started an eighth offensive line combination in its ninth game. The Seminoles were without one of their top running backs, Kam Davis.

Takeaway

UNC: The Tar Heels averaged 5.3 yards per carry and converted on 11 of 16 third-down opportunities to run away with the win.

Florida State: The Seminoles managed just 61 offensive yards in the first half, falling behind 14-3, and dropped their fifth straight game.

Up Next

UNC has a bye week and will play host to Wake Forest on Nov. 16.

Florida State plays at Notre Dame on Saturday.

Chandler Rivers scored on an interception return, Todd Pelino kicked three field goals and the Blue Devils beat Florida State for the first time in 23 all-time meetings, winning 23-16 on Friday night.

“I really feel like they expected to win the game,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said of his players.

Star Thomas ran for 88 yards and a touchdown and the Blue Devils (6-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) bounced back from their first loss of the season nearly two weeks earlier.

Florida State (1-6, 1-5) had its misery extended despite outgaining Duke by 111 yards.

“The game went about the way we expected,” Diaz said. “The game was won by our defense. … The most important stat is the win.”

With a chance to pull even, the Seminoles drove to the Duke 37-yard line before a first-down fumble at the 5:18 mark. Florida State’s final possession ended on a fourth-down play that lost yards.

“We know we didn’t play our best,” Thomas said of the offense. “We just let those guys (on defense) put the finishing touch on things.”

Blue Devils quarterback Maalik Murphy threw for 70 yards as part of the team’s 180 yards of total offense.

Florida State quarterback Brock Glenn committed turnovers on three consecutive first-half snaps, with two interceptions sandwiched around a fumble. He finished 9-for-19 passing for 110 yards. Backup Luke Kromenhoek was 3 for 7 for 19 yards.

“It’s unfortunate that we left plays out there and some of the mistakes that were made,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “I truly believe that this team was ready to go out and play at a very high level.”

Florida State’s Samuel Singleton Jr. returned the second-half kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown.

But earlier, those Seminoles giveaways were crucial for Duke’s defense.

“That’s crazy,” Rivers said about the string of turnovers. “That brought a lot of momentum.”

Duke, with 51 yards of total offense at the time, led 17-3 after Pelino’s 27-yard field goal with 10 minutes left in the first half.

Rivers picked off Glenn and raced 36 yards untouched for Duke’s first touchdown. Glenn fumbled on the next Florida State snap, meaning the Blue Devils had only 36 yards to go for their second touchdown, with Thomas’ 2-yard run on fourth-and-1 providing the points.

Ozzie Nicholas’ interception and return to the Florida State 11 turned into only three points. Nicholas forced Glenn’s fumble on the previous possession.

Duke’s first four possessions ended with punts.

REPEAT THIEF

Rivers had a pick-6 against the Seminoles for the second year in a row. This one felt better because it didn’t come off a deflection, it was all his work.

“Just catch the ball, go run and score,” he said.

THE TAKEAWAY

Florida State: The Seminoles tried two quarterbacks, but the offense sputtered most of the game and didn’t crank out a touchdown. The defense turned in a strong showing, but the reigning ACC champions will have to win the rest of their games to gain bowl eligibility.

Duke: The Blue Devils barely functioned offensively, but defense has been their foundation this season and that was needed this time. Six sacks came in handy.

UP NEXT

Florida State: Oct. 26 at No. 6 Miami

Duke: Home Oct. 26 vs. No. 21 SMU

Phil Mafah ran for 136 yards on 20 carries as Clemson (4-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) was in control from the start, taking a 17-0 lead in the first quarter. The Tigers finished with 265 rushing yards, averaging 6.6 yards per carry.

Klubnik completed 19 of 33 passes, including a 57-yard touchdown to Williams. The junior quarterback also had 62 rushing yards.

Coach Dabo Swinney picked up his 174th win at Clemson, breaking the record for victories at an ACC school — a mark held by Florida State’s Bobby Bowden.

Brock Glenn completed 23 of 41 passes for 228 yards and touchdowns to Amaree Williams and Ja’Khi Douglas for Florida State (1-5, 1-4). A redshirt freshman who was making his third career start, Glenn completed more passes than he had in his previous two starts plus mop-up time.

TAKEAWAYS

Clemson: The Tigers racked up 500 offensive yards, controlling the line of scrimmage for large portions of the game. Clemson has won its last four games in Tallahassee, a streak that dates to 2016.

Florida State: The Seminoles didn’t have any rushing yardage through three quarters, finishing with 22 yards on 23 carries and lacking balance to support a redshirt freshman quarterback.

UP NEXT

Clemson plays at Wake Forest next Saturday.

Florida State has a bye and will next play at Duke on Oct. 18.

Jennings threw TD passes of 11 and 15 yards to RJ Maryland and a flea-flicker score of 42 yards to Jordan Hudson.

“It means a lot to come in and get a ‘W’ against any team,” Jennings said, “but for the ACC (opener), it’s a home game and a jam-packed stadium, it means a lot to the city of the Dallas.”

Former President George W. Bush, a Dallas resident, performed the pregame coin toss.

Jennings was 16-for-23 passing for a career-best 254 yards. On the flea flicker, Roderick Daniels Jr. immediately turned and flipped the ball back to Jennings. He lofted a pass down the middle to Hudson, who was backpedaling at 10 and eased into the end zone.

Wilson made the interception between the hash marks, raced to the right sideline, and broke a tackle near midfield and hurdled a teammate while escorted to the end zone.

“I just saw green grass and then I saw a couple people coming at me, so I got scared,” Wilson said. “I thought I was going to go down, but I ended up in the end zone. It was like the blink of an eye.”

Brashard Smith and Roderick Daniels Jr. scored rushing touchdowns for the Mustangs (4-1, 1-0) from 13 and 2 yards, respectively. Daniels’ score ended a drive that was continued when FSU’s Omarion Cooper was called for a facemask penalty on the Mustangs’ punt from their 26-yard line.

Smith, a transfer this year from Miami, led SMU with a season-high 129 yards rushing despite sitting out most of the second quarter with an injury.

The Mustangs’ 467 total yards were the most gained this season on the defending conference champions.

DJ Uiagalelei was 12-for-30 passing for 222 yards, three interceptions, and TD passes of 9 yards to Kentron Poitier and 20 yards to Landen Thomas for Florida State (1-4, 1-3). Uiagalelei was replaced by Brock Glenn in the final minutes.

The Seminoles also scored on a safety in the half’s closing seconds when, forcing a punt from SMU’s 9, long snapper Will Benton IV sailed the ball over the head of Isaac Pearson and beyond the end zone.

Florida State has lost at least three of its first four games for the third time in coach Mike Norvell’s five seasons.

THE TAKEAWAY

Florida State continues to struggle on the ground. The Seminoles went into play averaging 67.75 rushing yards per game, the fourth fewest among FBS teams. They gained 75 on 26 attempts, averaging 2.9 yards per carry, and were led by Lawrence Toafili with 67 yards.

SMU leads FBS with five non-offensive touchdowns this season – two interception returns, two fumble returns and one punt return.

UP NEXT

Florida State will host Clemson, where Uiagalelei played his first three collegiate seasons before spending 2023 at Oregon State, on Oct. 5.

SMU will play the first of three consecutive ACC road games against Louisville on Oct. 5.

Patrick Payton had three of Florida State’s seven sacks, the last when Marvin Jones Jr. and Edwin Joseph combined to sack Cal’s Fernando Mendoza on fourth down with 54 seconds left. The Bears had driven to the Florida State 23.

Lawrance Toafili had 17 carries for 80 yards and a 2-yard touchdown for Florida State (1-3, 1-2 ACC).

FSU’s DJ Uiagalelei was erratic, completing 16 of 27 passes for 177 yards but it was his touchdown pass to Douglas that gave the Seminoles the lead early in the fourth quarter.

Mendoza completed 22 of 36 for a season-best 303 yards for Cal (3-1, 0-1). The Miami native also had an interception.

Cal running back Jaydn Ott returned after missing a game due to injury, picking up 73 yards on 13 carries.

The takeaway

California: While the Bears picked up 422 offensive yards, they missed two field-goal attempts of under 40 yards. Pre-snap penalties often hurt Cal drives.

Florida State: The Seminoles were held to just 284 offensive yards, the fourth straight game they couldn’t surpass the 300-yard mark.

Up next

Cal has a bye and plays host to No. 8 Miami on Oct. 5.

Florida State plays at SMU on Saturday.

Henigan connected with Greg Desrosiers Jr. and Anthony Landphere on touchdown passes as Memphis (3-0) jumped out to a 20-3 lead in the third quarter. The Tigers scored touchdowns on drives of 65 and 75 yards, finishing 7 of 17 on third downs and 2 of 3 on fourth downs in the game.

“Winning is hard, and I never want to minimize a win,” Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield said. “But this is monumental. Let’s call it what it is. To go on the road, regardless of the record, they were preseason No. 10 in the country.

“It’s huge for our program. This is a game that’s going to be remembered for a long time.”

Memphis players, coaches and fans won’t soon forget it. And the Tigers take home quite the bonus: a $1.3 million guarantee as well as a resume-building victory on the road over a Power 4 team.

Memphis dominated on defense and made plenty of timely plays on offense.

“Our defense is much improved from last year,” Henigan said. “They’re playing extremely well right now. … I’m proud of our guys. I thought they played hard. We had that intensity coming out, that edge about ourselves, that Memphis toughness.”

DJ Uiagalelei completed 16 of 30 passes for 201 yards and an interception, struggling to move the Seminoles (0-3) until a pair of scoring drives in the third quarter.

Florida State moved to the Memphis 39 and then spiked the ball to set up a final play with two seconds left. But Uiagalelei’s Hail Mary was swatted down at the goal line by Memphis’ Julian Barnett.

Memphis’ defense pressured Uiagalelei throughout the day, recording four sacks. Linebacker Chandler Martin had eight tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss.

Florida State couldn’t run the ball, averaging 1.5 yards per carry. And the Seminoles were constantly facing third-and-long situations, where they converted on just 2 of 12 opportunities although they were 3 of 3 on fourth-down conversions.

“Extremely disappointed the way we played at time,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “The things that we work and emphasize throughout the course of the week, you know, pre-season, off-season, things that are critically important to being successful are not showing up as consistent as we need them to be.

“Obviously offensively very disappointing performance. Never able to really get much going. Second half we were able to move the ball but had a couple explosive plays up still had too many negatives.”

Ryan Fitzgerald made a 54-yard field-goal attempt, his third kick from 50 or more yards in three games, for the Seminoles.

Shorthanded Seminoles

Florida State played without starting safety Shyheim Brown, starting right tackle Jeremiah Byers and backup linebackers Omar Graham Jr. and Shawn Murphy, who were announced as out hours before kickoff. And the Seminoles lost starting left tackle Darius Washington during warmups, Norvell said.

The takeaway

Memphis: The Tigers manhandled Florida State’s offensive line, recording four sacks and holding the Seminoles to 37 yards rushing on 24 carries.

Florida State: The Seminoles turned the ball over three times — a fumble and interception on offense as well as a muffed punt return — and struggled to build drives.

Up next

Memphis plays at Navy on Saturday.

Florida State plays host to California on Saturday.

Florida State requested a partial summary judgment from Circuit Judge John Cooper in a 574-page document filed earlier this week in Leon County, the Tallahassee-based school’s home court.

Florida State sued the ACC in December, challenging the validity of a contract that binds member schools to the conference and each other through media rights and claiming the league’s exit fees and penalties for withdrawal are exorbitant and unfair.

In its original compliant, Florida State said it would cost the school more than half a billion dollars to break the grant of rights and leave the ACC.

“The recently-produced 2016 ESPN agreements expose that the ACC has no rights to FSU home games played after it leaves the conference,” Florida State said in the filing.

Florida State is asking a judge to rule on the exit fees and for a summary judgment on its breach of contract claim, which says the conference broke its bylaws when it sued the school without first getting a majority vote from the entire league membership.

The case is one of four active right now involving the ACC and one of its members.

The ACC has sued Florida State in North Carolina, claiming the school is breaching a contract that it has signed twice in the last decade simply by challenging it.

The judge in Florida has already denied the ACC’s motion to dismiss or pause that case because the conference filed first in North Carolina. The conference appealed the Florida decision in a hearing earlier this week.

Clemson is also suing the ACC in South Carolina, trying to find an affordable potential exit, and the conference has countersued that school in North Carolina, too.

Florida State and the ACC completed court-mandated mediation last month without resolution.

The dispute is tied to the ACC’s long-term deal with ESPN, which runs through 2036, and leaves those schools lagging well behind competitors in the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten when it comes to conference-payout revenue.

Florida State has said the athletic department is in danger of falling behind by as much as $40 million annually by being in the ACC.

“Postponing the resolution of this question only compounds the expense and travesty,” the school said in the latest filing.

The ACC has implemented a bonus system called a success initiative that will reward schools for accomplishments on the field and court, but Florida State and Clemson are looking for more as two of the conference’s highest-profile brands and most successful football programs.

The ACC evenly distributes revenue from its broadcast deal, though new members California, Stanford and SMU receive a reduced and no distribution. That money is used to fund the pool for the success initiative.

Treshaun Ward totaled 138 yards of offense, including a 13-yard touchdown reception, against his former team as Boston College stunned No. 10 Florida State 28-13 on Monday night.

Ward, a Tampa native who played at Florida State from 2019-22, had 77 yards rushing and 61 yards receiving as the Eagles (1-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) totaled 263 yards rushing.

It was a resounding debut for O’Brien, who was introduced in mid-February after Jeff Hafley’s departure to become the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator.

“I’m very proud of these guys,” O’Brien said. “They were resilient tonight. To come down here against a team that really in their minds had to have this win, that’s a heck of a statement for BC. But it’s just one win.”

The Eagles’ offense produced touchdown drives of 71 yards, 68 yards and 60 yards. BC defensive back Max Tucker also intercepted DJ Uiagalelei and his 58-yard return set up the Eagles on FSU’s goal line for another touchdown.

Florida State had won five straight in the series but was overmatched on offense and defense in this one.

The Seminoles, viewed as a contender for a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff, dropped to 0-2 for the first time since 2021.

“Sick to how this season started,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “I failed in preparing the team to be able to go out and respond tonight.”

Uiagalelei completed 21 of 42 passes for 272 yards and a 29-yard touchdown pass to Kentron Poitier in the third quarter, cutting BC’s lead to 21-13.

But BC responded on the next drive, marching 60 yards in 12 plays as Kye Robichaux’s 2-yard TD run gave the Eagles a 28-13 lead with 1:03 left in the third quarter.

Florida State scored on just one of six second-half drives.

Thomas Castellanos nearly pulled off an upset of Florida State in 2023, throwing for 305 yards and rushing for 95 yards as well as a touchdown passing and rushing in a 31-29 loss. While not as prolific on Monday, the BC quarterback completed 10 of 16 passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns to go with 73 yards rushing and a 4-yard touchdown run.

“Everything we did this offseason, from a winter workout, summer workout, it led up to this,” Castellanos said. “This is what we prepared for. It all panned out.”

INJURY REPORT

BC played without Logan Taylor, who started 12 games at Virginia in 2023. Taylor had 23 career starts.

Florida State played without starting right tackle Jeremiah Byers and two reserve linebackers, Omar Graham Jr. and Shawn Murphy, on Monday. Wide receiver Hykeem Williams missed his second straight game. None of the injuries were specified.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Florida State is almost certain to tumble out of the top 25 following its two losses to open the season.

TAKEAWAYS

Boston College: The Eagles averaged 5.4 yards per play and converted on 9 of 16 third-down opportunities to build the upset.

Florida State: A strength going into the season has instead been a weakness. The Seminoles had just 21 yards rushing on 16 carries.

UP NEXT

Boston College hosts Duquesne on Saturday.

Florida State has a bye week and next hosts Memphis on Sept. 14.

There was one dance fitting for the moment: an Irish jig.

They delivered. It was their second perfect performance of the day at Aviva Stadium.

Aidan Birr made a 44-yard field goal as time expired, and Georgia Tech upset No. 10 Florida State 24-21 on Saturday in the first major college football game of the season.

The win was Georgia Tech’s first over a top-10 opponent since a 22-16 victory over the Seminoles in October 2015.

Jamal Haynes ran for 75 yards and two touchdowns for Georgia Tech, while Haynes King threw for 146 yards and ran for 54 yards. The Yellow Jackets (1-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) were able to control the line of scrimmage and accumulate 190 rushing yards and 5.3 yards per carry.

“Really proud of the offensive line,” coach Brent Key said. “Shocking there, right? Really proud of those guys and how they were prepared.”

Coming off an undefeated regular season and with a remade roster, the Seminoles tied the game with 6:33 left in the fourth quarter on a 15-play touchdown drive that included two fourth-down conversions by DJ Uiagalelei.

Florida State (0-1, 0-1), which was favored to win by 10 1/2 points according to BetMGM Sportsbook, never touched the ball again. Birr came on with 5 seconds left to hit the winner that just stayed inside the left upright.

Uiagalelei completed 19 of 27 passes for 193 yards in his Florida State debut, completing mostly shorter passes until the late fourth-down completions.

Ryan Fitzgerald made a 59-yard field goal, a career long and the second longest in school history, just before halftime to tie the game at 14. Fitzgerald had a 52-yarder earlier.

The teams had just seven drives apiece. Georgia Tech’s final two drives were among the best, an 11-play, 89-yard touchdown drive and then the 12-play, 49-yard drive to set up Birr’s kick.

“Very limited possessions,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “The importance of every snap in that game was monumental.”

Florida State was able to build four scoring drives, but just one in the second half. While Lawrance Toafili and Roydell Williams had rushing touchdowns, the ground attack stalled as Georgia Tech’s defense held FSU to 98 yards on 31 carries.

“We’re not trying to prove anything to anyone,” Key said. “We’re not trying to go out and impress people. All we’re trying to do is play as hard as we can possibly play — as a team, as a family.”

Coming off a 7-6 season, Georgia Tech certainly impressed, sending quite the message to the rest of the ACC.

Florida State fans packed Aviva Stadium for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, the third straight Week 0 opener in Dublin.

ON ALERT

GT has been upset-minded in ACC play against Top 25 teams. The Yellow Jackets knocked off two ranked ACC opponents — at Miami and vs. North Carolina — in 2023. In 2022, Georgia Tech won games against ranked opponents at UNC and Pittsburgh.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Florida State will tumble in the next AP Top 25, which will be released after Week 1’s games wrap up on Sept. 3.

TAKEAWAYS

Florida State: The Seminoles’ defensive line was viewed as one of the ACC’s best but did not record a sack and allowed Tech to run at will.

Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets averaged 203 rushing yards per game (13th in the FBS) in 2023 and picked up right where they left off.

UP NEXT

Florida State plays host to Boston College on Sept. 2.

Georgia Tech plays host to Georgia State on Aug. 31.

So Norvell ordered the air conditioning turned off. With more than a hundred players running around inside, it didn’t take long for the comfy space to become a sweltering sauna.

“I wish they would have just turned the heat on actually,” Norvell said. “We’re trying to find as many times as possible for our team to choose hard and get better.”

It couldn’t have been much more difficult for the Seminoles last season. They went 13-0 in the regular season, including beating Louisville in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game, but were left out of the four-team College Football Playoff.

It was the ultimate gut punch for Norvell and his team.

Now, the 10th-ranked Seminoles will try to do it again. Repeating as ACC champs would guarantee them a spot in the expanded, 12-team playoff field.

“Our objective this year is to go get better,” Norvell said. “(Last year) was really a special experience for our entire program. It sets the stage and opportunity for us to continue to push and continue to elevate this program to ultimately where it deserves to be — among the nation’s elite.”

New faces

With four-year starter Jordan Travis gone, the Seminoles landed former Clemson and Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei in the transfer portal. The 6-foot-4, 252-pound Uiagalelei has 57 touchdown passes and 21 rushing scores in 40 college starts.

“He’s a big guy; nobody wants to tackle that,” senior running back Lawrance Toafili said.

The Seminoles expect to run the ball early and often with Toafili behind an experienced line. Throw in a stout defense and better-than-average special teams, and Uiagalelei and several new receivers should have time to develop and be better when the meat of the schedule begins in October.

Former Georgia defensive end Marvin Jones Jr. and three potential starters from Alabama — running back Roydell Williams, receiver Malik Benson and defensive back Earl Little Jr. — also are newcomers to watch.

“We got some weapons with different skill sets,” Toafili said. “The sky’s the limit for us.”

Potential stars

Junior defensive end Patrick Payton ranked second on the team with seven sacks last year, including four in FSU’s final three games, and seems poised for a breakout season as he steps out of Jared Verse’s shadow. Cornerbacks Shyheim Brown and Fentrell Cypress II could end up being the best duo in the ACC, maybe even in college football.

On the other side of the ball, center Maurice Smith, left tackle Darius Washington and right tackle Jeremiah Byers have a combined 122 collegiate starts. Byers has started a team-leading 40 consecutive games.

FSU’s future

Florida State’s future in the ACC remains unclear. The Seminoles are suing the conference to get out a grant of rights agreement that binds them together through 2036. If the rights belong to FSU, the exit fee would be $140 million. If the rights belong to the league, the Seminoles estimate the total price tag would be at least $572 million and maybe as much as $700 million.

Even if FSU does get out, it’s unknown where it would land.

The schedule

The Seminoles open the season Saturday against Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland. FSU is a 11 1/2-point favorite, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, and will be the road team at Aviva Stadium. The ’Noles also have key games against Clemson (Oct. 5), at Miami (Oct. 26), at Notre Dame (Nov. 9) and against Florida (Nov. 30).

Jamir Watkins added 16 points and 11 rebounds, Jalen Warley added 13 points and Cam Corhen 10 for the Seminoles (16-15, 10-10 ACC), who also beat Miami 84-75 on Jan. 17.

Bensley Joseph scored 17 points and Norchad Omier had 16 points and 17 rebounds for Miami (15-16, 6-14), which lost its ninth straight. Matthew Cleveland also scored 16 points and Wooga Poplar added 12.

Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton won his 192nd career ACC regular-season game, moving into a tie for fourth place in conference history with former Maryland coach Gary Williams (1990-2011).

An 8-0 run gave Miami a three-point lead midway through the second half but Primo Spears hit a 3-pointer early in a 12-2 run that Green capped with his eighth 3-pointer and the Seminoles had an seven-point edge. Miami got as close as four but Watkins’ slam made it an eight-point lead in the final minute.

Florida State led 37-32 at halftime behind 12 points from Green despite shooting only 35%. The Seminoles had a 12-4 edge on the offensive boards and took 16 more shots than Miami.

Neither team led by more than six in the first half with baskets by Spears and Corhen to end the half giving FSU the five-point lead.

Miami was without injured Nijel Pack, averaging over 13 points a game, for the fifth time in the last six contests.

Naithan George scored 15 points and Tafara Gapare and Tyzhaun Claude both had 10 rebounds and eight points for the Yellow Jackets (13-16, 6-12 ACC), who won back-to-back games for the first time since December and split the season series.

Jamir Watkins scored 15 points, Cameron Corhen 14 and Baba Miller and Primo Spears 13 each for the Seminoles (15-14, 9-9).

After the teams combined to shoot over 51% in the first half when Georgia Tech took a 44-41 lead, the percentages plunged in the second half when they went 3 of 24 to start. But a Ndongo tip followed by a transition dunk from Tafara Gapare in the midst of an 11-3 run gave Georgia Tech a 78-61 lead with just over three minutes left.

The Yellow Jackets used a 55-33 rebounding dominance including 21 on the offensive boards to pile up 21 second-chance points. That helped offset 16 turnovers.

Georgia Tech shot 53% in the first half and led until three straight 3s by Darin Green Jr. tied the game at 23-all. Sturdivant hit a 3 and Claude added a bucket to close out the half with a thre-point lead.

Florida State plays at Pitt Tuesday before concluding its regular season at home against Miami next Saturday. Georgia Tech finishes its schedule on the road at Wake Forest on Tuesday and Virginia next Saturday.

Clemson maintained a double-digit lead for the better part of 12 minutes to open the second half, then a layup by Cameron Corhen and a 3-pointer from Baba Miller got the Seminoles within 58-53 with 6 minutes left.

But Clemson didn’t let it closer than five points, holding Florida State to eight points over the final 5 minutes and only two in the final 50 seconds.

With 40 seconds left and the Tigers leading 70-63, Clemson’s PJ Hall and FSU’s Jamir Watkins were assessed technical fouls. After a delay, play resumed and Girard made two free throws with 29 seconds left to put the game out of reach. Ian Schieffelin and Hunter later added one of two free throws each for the Tigers.

Girard was 10-for-10 from the line and the Tigers (19-8, 9-7 ACC) made 24 of 30. Florida State made 11 of 15 free throws.

Watkins had 18 points and eight rebounds for Florida State (14-13, 8-8). Primo Spears added 16 points and Miller scored 12.

RJ Godfrey had 12 points for Clemson and Schieffelin and Jack Clark each had 11 rebounds.

Clemson shot 48% in the first half and led for the last 14 minutes of the period. The biggest lead was 10, thanks to a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Hunter for a 38-28 lead.

Clemson hosts Pittsburgh on Tuesday and Florida State returns home to play North Carolina State, also on Tuesday.

McCain hit seven 3-pointers in the first half and shot 60% overall (12 for 20), including 8 for 11 from long distance in his seventh game scoring 20 or more points. His point total tied Zion Williamson’s 35-point performance against Syracuse in 2019.

McCain’s accuracy from 3-point range was a surprise. The 6-foot-3 guard had made a total of seven 3-pointers in his four games.

Jeremy Roach scored 15 points as Duke (20-5, 11-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) won its fourth straight game. The Blue Devils have 20 or more wins for a 27th straight season. Kyle Filipowski had eight points and eight rebounds, helping Duke to a 35-22 edge in rebounds.

Jamir Watkins scored 15 points, his 11th straight game in double figures for Florida State (13-12, 7-7), which has lost three straight and five of six.

BIG PICTURE

Duke: Even without Tyrese Proctor, the Blue Devils took a 19-16 lead on a McCain 3-pointer with 13:04 left in the first half and never looked back. They won for the eighth time in nine games in Tallahassee.

Florida State: The Seminoles have given up 10 or more 3-pointers in each of their last three games, all losses.

UP NEXT

Duke: At Miami on Wednesday.

Florida State: Hosts Boston College on Tuesday.

McKneely made 8 of 12 shots from the field, 5 of 7 from 3-point range, and 8 of 9 from the free-throw line. Jacob Groves scored eight of his 10 points in the second half for Virginia (19-5, 10-3 ACC).

McKneely and Jordan Minor each made a layup before Jacob Groves hit a jumper to make it 9-4 and Virginia led the rest of the way. The Cavaliers twice opened a double-digit lead in the first half before taking a four-point lead into intermission. They scored 14 of the first 20 second-half points to make it 48-36 on a Beekman layup with 14:19 to play.

Jamir Watkins finished a contested shot in the lane and, moments later, stole the ball and threw down a monstrous two-hand dunk. Chandler Jackson converted a three-point play and, after Beekman missed a 3-point shot, grabbed a rebound and went the other way for a layup, trimming Florida State’s deficit to 54-52 with 8:24 to play.

Groves answered with a 3-pointer 16 seconds later and it was at least a two-possession game until Darin Green Jr.’s three-point play with 11 seconds left made it 77-75. McKneely made 3 of 4 foul shots from there to seal it.

Watkins made 11 of 12 from the free-throw line, hit 5 of 9 from the field and finished with 21 points for Florida State (13-10, 7-5). Jackson scored a career-high 17 on 7-of-9 shooting.

McKneely scored 13 points to help Virginia build a 34-30 lead at the break. Watkins led Florida State with eight points as the Seminoles shot 50% in the first half.

Each team plays on Tuesday. Virginia hosts Pittsburgh while Florida State is on the road against Virginia Tech.

RJ Davis scored 24 points and freshman Elliot Cadeau scored a season-high 16 points to help No. 3 North Carolina rally from an eight-point deficit early in the second half and beat Florida State 75-68.

Davis shot 9 of 18 from the floor, although he made just 2 of 8 3-point shots, and surpassed the 20-point mark for the 12th time this season.

Cadeau shot 8 of 9 from the free-throw line and had six assists as North Carolina (17-3, 9-0) extended its win streak to 10 games.

Primo Spears scored 15 points on 6 of 15 shooting, drilling 3 of 4 3-pointers, for Florida State (12-8, 6-3). Spears had a steal and then a layup on the fast break to cut North Carolina’s lead to 70-68 with 2:36 left. But Harrison Ingram blocked a Jamir Watkins drive with 33 seconds left and the Tar Heels were able to make free-throw attempts down the stretch to seal up the victory.

“We don’t panic,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said. “There’s a calmness and a confidence about this group.”

The Tar Heels had to flex their muscle and did so, winning the rebounding battle 41-32 and pulling down 16 offensive boards. Ingram had 17 rebounds, including seven offensive boards.

Watkins had 10 first-half points as the Seminoles shot 16 of 32 from the floor, including 7 of 12 from 3-point range, to take a 41-36 halftime lead. But while the Seminoles quickly extended the lead to eight, 46-38, the Tar Heels within five minutes erased the deficit and jumped ahead 58-52 on Cadeau’s jumper with 14:03 to go.

North Carolina also didn’t give opportunities away in the second half. In the first 20 minutes, the Tar Heels’ 12 turnovers contributed to the Seminoles scoring 19 points.

“Going into halftime saying, ‘We need to take care of the basketball. That would fix a lot,’” Davis said.

North Carolina certainly did, shooting 19 of 24 (79.2%) from the free-throw line.

Florida State faltered for stretches in the second half, shooting 11 of 30 (36.7%) in the final 20 minutes.

While North Carolina won its 10th straight game, the Seminoles entered the month of January on a tailspin but finished 6-2 with losses to Clemson and UNC.

BIC PICTURE

North Carolina: The Tar Heels won their 750th regular-season ACC game. This is also the first time UNC has opened 9-0 in conference play since 2001.

Florida State: When the Seminoles traveled to North Carolina on Dec. 2, they led by 14 in the second half before the Tar Heels pressed and rallied for a 78-70 win. Florida State is far improved since then and is deeper with the return of forwards Cameron Corhen (toe) and Jaylan Gainey (knee) from injury. Spears missed the first game at North Carolina as he awaited his appeal as a two-time waiver.

“We’re getting better,” Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton said. “Early in the year we had a lot of coming and going. It didn’t allow us to get the right rotation that we seem to have now. We seem to be in a good place with us learning more about how to utilize who we are.”

POLL IMPLICATIONS

There’s little chance North Carolina can move up as No. 1 Connecticut and No. 2 Purdue maintain their top spots. The Huskies also have a Dec. 5 win over the Tar Heels.

UP NEXT

North Carolina: Travels to Georgia Tech on Tuesday.

Florida State: Travels to Louisville on Saturday.

The win snapped a string of four losses in five games for Clemson (13-5, 3-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) and snapped Florida State’s run of five straight wins.

The teams played to a 30-30 draw through the first half. The Tigers opened the second with a 9-2 run never trailed the rest of the way. Florida State got within two, 39-37 on a 3-pointer by Darin Green Jr. and Taylor Bol Bowen hit the second of two free throws at about the five-minute mark to make it 41-40, but Ian Schieffelin dunked and, after Chase Hunter hit two free throws, scored at the basket to push the Clemson lead back to 47-40. The Tigers converted 16 of 19 free throws in the second half to help them close out the win.

Clemson shot 51% from the field, hitting 25 of 49, including 7 of 17 from beyond the 3-point arc, and converted 21 of 25 from the free-throw line. Josh Beadle contributed 12 points off the Tigers’ bench and Joe Girard III had 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Jamir Watkins led Florida State (11-7, 5-2) with 15 points. Green added 13 points and Primo Spears chipped in 12 off the bench.

Clemson plays host to No. 7 Duke on Saturday. Florida State plays at Syracuse on Tuesday.

Cohen made all seven of his shot attempts while Jamir Watkins scored 15 points and Deante Green scored 10. The Seminoles (11-6, 5-1 ACC) have won five straight and seven of their last eight following a four-game losing streak. The Seminoles are tied for second in the conference with North Carolina State.

Nigel Pack led Miami with 19 points, Norchad Omier and Wooga Poplar each scored 15 and Bensley Joseph 10 for the Hurricanes (12-5, 3-3). Miami has lost three of its last four.

Pack sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around a layup from Joseph in a 1:02 span in the second half to cap a 20-6 Miami spurt that reduced the Hurricanes’ deficit to 59-57 with 11:22 remaining. Miami got within 62-60 less than a minute later and 73-71 with 4:59 left but couldn’t get closer. Pack’s basket with 2:28 served as Miami’s final points and reduced its deficit to 79-75. Miami missed its last four shot attempts and final two foul shots.

AJ Casey made a layup to bring Miami within 19-17 with 12:41 before halftime. From there, the Seminoles outscored Miami 24-11 over a little more than the next 10 minutes and were up 43-28 with 2:26 before halftime. Miami closed with 7-2 run into intermission to reduce its deficit to 45-35.

Florida State opened the second half with an 8-2 run in the first three minutes and held its largest lead to that point at 53-37.

Florida State next tries to tackle Clemson at home on Saturday. Miami heads to Syracuse on Saturday.

Florida State scored the first eight points of the second half to take the first double-digit lead of the game, 41-29 with about 17 minutes left. Notre Dame made only three shots in the first 6-plus minutes of the half, but layups by Logan Imes and Markus Burton got them within 43-37. Spears then hit a 3-pointer to start an 8-0 Florida State run and the Fighting Irish came right back with nine points of their own to make it 51-46.

A 3-point jumper by Braeden Shrewsberry drew the Irish within 59-55 with 2:24 remaining but Spears hit a pull-up jumper for a six-point lead. Shrewsberry hit another 3-pointer to make it 61-58 but Spears answered again, his hook shot giving the Seminoles a 63-58 lead with 56 seconds remaining. J.R. Konieczny and Shrewsberry missed 3-pointers on Notre Dame’s next two possessions and the Seminoles closed out the win with two free throws from Jamir Watkins and two more from Baba Miller.

Watkins scored 12 points and Jalen Warley and Darin Green Jr. scored 10 points each for Florida State (10-6, 4-1 ACC), which beat Notre Dame for the fourth consecutive time.

Burton scored 20 points and Konieczny had 11 for Notre Dame (7-10, 2-4).

Florida State made 13 of 15 free throws compared to 3 of 11 for Notre Dame. Florida State had only eight turnovers.

There were five ties and six lead changes in the first half which ended with Florida State ahead 33-29. The Seminoles led for 15-plus minutes, but their biggest lead was only five points on two occasions. Notre Dame’s biggest lead of the half was four.

Notre Dame plays at Boston College on Monday.

Florida State, which has won four in a row since a loss to Lipscomb on Dec. 30, plays at Miami on Wednesday.

“As long as winning matters, we’re gonna compete like hell at Georgia,” Smart said.

The Bulldogs entered Saturday night’s matchup against Florida State essentially at full strength. The Seminoles, who were missing at least a dozen of their key contributors because of opt outs and players in the transfer portal, did not.

The result was what you might expect: The sixth-ranked Bulldogs crushed previously undefeated and fourth-ranked Florida State 63-3 in the Orange Bowl in a matchup of teams missing out on the College Football Playoff.

Smart said the result of the game was indicative of a larger problem in the sport.

“People need to see what happened tonight, and they need to fix this,” he said. “It needs to be fixed. It’s very unfortunate that they (the Seminoles), who have a good football team, are in the position they’re in. Everybody can say it’s their fault. Everybody can say that we had our guys and they didn’t have their guys. I can listen to all that. But college football has got to decide what they want.

“It’s really unfortunate for those kids on that side of the sideline that had to play in that game that didn’t have their full arsenal. And it affected the game, 100 percent.”

Carson Beck passed for 203 yards and two touchdowns and backup QB Gunnar Stockton passed for two more scores for Georgia, which scored touchdowns on nine of 12 drives and gained 673 total yards against the short-handed Seminoles.

The Bulldogs (13-1) were used to competing for championships this time of year, having won the last two national titles. But Georgia lost to Alabama in the Southeastern Conference championship game — the Bulldogs’ first loss since the 2021 season — and missed out on one of the four spots in the CFP rankings. Instead, they settled for the seventh New Year’s Six bowl appearance in program history.

Florida State (13-1) failed to make the CFP cut despite winning the Atlantic Coast Conference title, and because of transfers, opt-outs and injuries, the Seminoles were without players who were responsible for 97% of their passing yards, 88% of their rushing yards and 84% of their receptions this season.

The Bulldogs charged out to a 39-point halftime lead, the largest in the bowl’s 90-year history, beating West Virginia’s 29-point halftime lead over Clemson in 2012. It was also the largest margin of defeat in Florida State’s history.

Beck, who had touchdown passes of 12 and 2 yards, did not play in the second half. Stockton, a freshman, started in the third quarter and immediately ushered another touchdown drive. He finished with 96 yards passing and 46 yards rushing, and the Bulldogs became the first program to score at least 55 points in back-to-back bowl games.

The Bulldogs’ Kendall Milton was the game’s MVP after rushing for 104 yards on nine carries with two touchdowns. Daijun Edwards added two more rushing scores and 62 yards. Both were part of a senior class that picked up its school-record 50th win.

“You want to take every game serious no matter what the level is,” Milton said. “You’ve got to prepare the right way because this is top level college football on any given week, so we took that very personally.”

In what could be his last game for the Bulldogs, receiver Ladd McConkey had 49 all-purpose yards. He scored on a 27-yard rush in which he caught a pass from Beck behind the line of scrimmage, looked to complete another pass but took off running instead, weaving through stumbling Florida State defenders and into the end zone to put Georgia up 28-3 in the second quarter.

Georgia players knew the story of the team on the other side of the field: The Seminoles entered the game having beaten all 13 teams on their schedule, including then-No. 15 Louisville in the ACC title game, but were left out of the College Football Playoff partly due to a season-ending leg injury to starting quarterback Jordan Travis. Florida State became the first Power Five conference champion to finish with an undefeated record and still be left out of the playoff.

“This is a championship level team,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “You go back and watch 13 games and that’s who you saw. I am fully confident in what this team did throughout this year and what they could have achieved. It was not the path that was set out for us. … We’ll never know.”

In the week leading up to the bowl game, Georgia players expressed their understanding of the Seminoles’ frustrations, while acknowledging that they, too, felt slighted.

Smart had lobbied for the selection committee to consider the Bulldogs’ full resume in making their final decision: Georgia won 29 straight games before the SEC title matchup and finished the season with the eighth-best offense in the country and the No. 9 defense.

It wasn’t enough. And the Bulldogs vented frustrations in the Orange Bowl — possession by possession.

THE TAKEAWAY

Georgia: As dominant as the Bulldogs were on offense, their defense was just as impactful. They intercepted Seminoles quarterback Brock Glenn twice and recovered two fumbles. They also limited Florida State to 63 yards rushing.

Florida State: The Seminoles were outmatched in all three phases as they fell short of completing their first 14-win season since 2013. Glenn struggled in his second career start, completing 9 of 26 passes for 139 yards.

UP NEXT

Georgia: The Bulldogs open the 2024 season against Clemson in Atlanta. Beck is returning for his senior season.

Florida State: The Seminoles will start the 2024 season against Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland, marking the second time that two ACC teams have opened the season in Ireland.

Florida State trailed 62-41 with 15:53 to play but pulled within 73-70 with 2:06 remaining. AJ McGinnis answered with a 3-pointer, Joe Anderson added a layup and Lipscomb led 78-72 with 50 seconds left.

Jamir Watkins made a pair of free throws for the Seminoles to cap the scoring with 37 seconds to go. Watkins then blocked Grant Asman’s layup attempt with 10 seconds left, but Darin Green Jr. missed a 3 to end it.

Pruitt was 6 of 11 from the floor and had five rebounds in the first half, and he drilled his second 3-pointer that put the Bisons up 46-31 at the break. Pruitt made three free throws, and Owen McCormack, Anderson and McGinnis each hit a 3 as the Bisons opened the second half on a 12-5 surge to stretch their lead to 58-37.

Pruitt finished 8-of-17 shooting from the floor with three 3s, and he made all five of his free throws for Lipscomb (9-6). McCormack made a pair from long range and scored 13 points. McGinnis added 12 points on four 3s. Anderson added six points to go with 10 assists.

Watkins scored 19 points and was 12 of 13 from the free-throw line to lead Florida State (6-6). Primo Spears added 16 points and Green had 12.

Florida State hosts Georgia Tech on Wednesday.

Lipscomb plays at Eastern Kentucky on Thursday in an Atlantic Sun Conference opener.

The No. 4 Seminoles will play No. 6 Georgia in Saturday’s Orange Bowl.

The award announced Friday honors scholarship, leadership and integrity, as well as success on the field. First-year coaches and winners of the award the last two years are not eligible.

“The values of athletic success, academic excellence and character represented by this award align with what we emphasize in our program,” Norvell said in a statement. “Those characteristics have been on display through some truly challenging circumstances this season, but I am so proud of how our team responded each and every time.”

Norvell led the Seminoles to their first Atlantic Coast Conference championship since 2014.

Norvell is the second Florida State coach to win the Dodd Trophy, following Bobby Bowden in 1980.

Norvell had 35 players named academic All-ACC for the 2022-23 academic year. This team had scored a 983 Academic Progress Rate (APR), tied for the 23rd highest mark among FBS schools.

The Dodd Trophy, named in honor of former Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd, is presented annually by the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. The winner is selected by a panel consisting of all previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member.

Tulane coach Willie Fritz won the 2022 award. Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell won in 2021.

What’s unsaid is this: “But.”

Let’s be honest: Neither the fourth-ranked Seminoles (13-0, No. 5 CFP rankings) nor the sixth-ranked Bulldogs (12-1, No. 6 CFP) really wanted to be here, for obvious reasons. They’d rather be at the Sugar Bowl or the Rose Bowl, competing in the College Football Playoff, having a chance to make the national championship game. But Georgia lost a game, Florida State lost a quarterback, and here they are, set to face off on Saturday in an Orange Bowl that oddsmakers believe will be a rout for the Bulldogs to enjoy.

“There’s going to be times in life where things don’t go the right way or the way that you expected them to go or maybe even what you’ve earned,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said Friday. “You don’t always receive the reward for that. But you do control the response and what you do with it, where you go, and the attitude which you bring. … I know we’re going to go out tomorrow and we’re going to fight with everything that we have.”

This is the reality for Florida State: It’ll never know what might have been. What might have happened if quarterback Jordan Travis didn’t get hurt? What might have happened if the CFP committee gave the Seminoles a spot in the semifinals? If Travis didn’t break his leg, Florida State surely would have been more attractive to the CFP committee. Had a CFP invite come, the Seminoles surely wouldn’t have seen about two dozen players either opt out or begin the process of transferring out.

“I understand their frustration,” Georgia defensive lineman Mykel Williams said. “You go 13-0 and you win your conference championship, hey, you expect to be in. I completely understand their frustration.”

There is frustration for Georgia, though the Bulldogs’ omission from the CFP field is easier to explain. Losing the Southeastern Conference title game to Alabama doomed Georgia’s hopes, even though no team had ever fallen from No. 1 to out of the top four in the final week of the rankings previously. Georgia coach Kirby Smart lobbied for a berth, but some players said this week they knew what was coming — or more specifically, what wasn’t coming — on Selection Sunday.

“I kind of knew, honestly,” Georgia quarterback Carson Beck said. “In my heart, I was like, ‘Yeah, we’re probably not going to get in.’ … That was our playoff game. Two top-ranked teams in the SEC championship, the team that wins is probably going to get in, and we ended up losing that.”

There are credos that both teams have been oft-repeating for the last few days.

For Florida State: “All we have is all we need,” said quarterback Brock Glenn, the former third-stringer who has the task of taking over for the injured Travis — one of the game’s most dynamic players this season — and transfer-portaling Tate Rodemaker.

For Georgia: “Prove ‘em wrong or prove ’em right,” linebacker Chaz Chambliss said.

Neither really needs much in the way of explaining. Georgia wants to show the committee and everyone else that it is elite. And the Seminoles that’ll be taking the field Saturday are not the Seminoles who took the field in the first 13 games of this season — injuries, opt-outs and transfers left a series of massive holes on the depth chart. The players responsible for almost all of the passing, rushing and receiving yards for Florida State in 2023 aren’t going to be playing on Saturday.

Hence, the three-touchdown spread that FanDuel Sportsbook has put on this game.

“I think finishing is important,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “I don’t think enough people talk about it and everybody says this is what you should do, this is what you should do. For kids that love football, they want to play football. This is the Orange Bowl. You’ve got an opportunity to go play in the Orange Bowl, and that’s not given to everybody.”

SPLIT TITLE?

Glenn gave a simple answer — “Absolutely” — this week when asked if the Seminoles have talked about the chance to lay claim to a split national championship if they win this game and finish 14-0. Florida State is one of four unbeaten FBS teams this season; Michigan and Washington are both in the CFP field and Liberty faces Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl. It is possible, though seems unlikely, for voters in the AP Top 25 to vote Florida State No. 1 in the final poll of this season.

NORVELL VS. SMART

Smart has coached against Norvell before — when Norvell was a player. Smart was an assistant at Valdosta State when it visited Central Arkansas in 2001. Central Arkansas took a 31-7 halftime lead, before Valdosta State rallied for a 42-34 win.

Norvell was the leading receiver for that Central Arkansas team.

“Good halftime adjustments there,” Norvell told Smart on Friday.

NUMBERS OF NOTE

Florida State is seeking a second 14-0 season; the Seminoles had their other in 2013. Georgia is seeking a third straight season of at least 13 wins.

THE HISTORY

The teams haven’t met since Jan. 1, 2003, when Georgia topped Florida State 26-13 in the Sugar Bowl. This will be the third consecutive FSU-Georgia game that’s a bowl matchup. The schools haven’t played during the regular season since 1965.

QUOTABLE

“Our guys have done everything we’ve asked them to do.” — Florida State defensive coordinator Adam Fuller.

It’s beyond even his imagination.

“If you would’ve told me this would happen, this story, I wouldn’t believe you,” Glenn said.

Believe it. The scenario is his reality now, and he gets what he calls “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” on Saturday when No. 4 Florida State (13-0, No. 5 College Football Playoff rankings) takes on No. 6 Georgia (12-1, No. 6 CFP) in the Orange Bowl.

Glenn got the job because Jordan Travis, who led Florida State into national-title contention, is out with a broken leg and former backup Tate Rodemaker — who likely would have started the Orange Bowl — opted out and is seeking a transfer.

“The Orange Bowl is an awesome bowl. It’s one of the best in the country,” Glenn said. “And we’ve got a great opportunity in front of us playing Georgia, a great team. We’re also a great team, so it’s going to be a great game. We’re genuinely excited and thankful for the opportunity.”

Glenn has completed 10 of 25 passes this season for 90 yards, with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Almost all his playing time came in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game, when Florida State beat Louisville to send one last message to the CFP selection committee that the Seminoles — with or without Travis — deserved a chance to play for the national title.

The committee disagreed, and the Orange Bowl is the consolation prize. The Florida State team that takes the field Saturday is not the same team that went 13-0 — several key players have opted out or entered the portal — and lineup changes had to be made almost everywhere.

Florida State’s two leading passers are out or gone, along with the top four Seminoles in rushing yards, the three leaders in receiving yards and the top five in terms of total receptions. Top wide receiver Keon Coleman made his departure official on Wednesday, saying he will enter the draft.

“We all shared a common goal,” Coleman wrote in a letter to the Seminole football community. “You wanted to win a championship. I came here to win a championship. We gave it everything we had and unfortunately did not have the opportunity to prove that we were the best team in college football this year.”

There is an obvious unpredictability to Florida State’s approach this weekend, since many of the players who’ll be in key roles won’t have had those same roles during the regular season. And weirdly, that might be a challenge for Georgia in terms of getting ready for the Orange Bowl.

“We just kind of prepare how we prepare,” Georgia defensive linemen Mykel Williams said. “We prepare for every game the same way. We just expect to come in and do what we do to the best of our ability.”

The Bulldogs are two-touchdown favorites. Florida State hasn’t been this big of an underdog in a game since October 2021 — part of a season in which the Seminoles went 5-7.

“We just worry about what we can control,” Glenn said, “and we’ll do what we can with the opportunity.”

Earlier in the day, 247Sports and The Athletic reported Rodemaker intends to enter the transfer portal.

Rodemaker participated in open practices leading up to the Christmas break. The Seminoles (13-0) arrived in Fort Lauderdale on Christmas night to begin final preparations for the matchup with Georgia (12-1) and Florida State coach Mike Norvell spoke of Glenn’s looming start after getting off the plane.

Glenn also started the ACC championship game for Florida State.

“Definitely excited to see him take the step from his first start to his second start,” Norvell said. “A lot of confidence in what he’ll be able to do, what he’ll be able to accomplish. It’s part of the new age of college athletics. I know Brock is going to be fired up and excited for the opportunity that he has.”

A redshirt junior quarterback, Rodemaker stepped in for injured Jordan Travis on Nov. 18 to guide Florida State to a win over North Alabama. A week later, he led Florida State to a victory at Florida. In 2023, Rodemaker completed 32 of 56 passes for 510 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions.

Glenn has completed 10 of 25 passes for 90 yards this season, starting for the Seminoles against Louisville in the ACC championship game. Early enrollee Luke Kromenhoek, who signed on Wednesday, is also set to join the team for bowl practices.

The Seminoles have also welcomed in Washington State transfer Cam Ward and Oregon State transfer DJ Uiagalelei for visits in December. Neither quarterback has made a decision about where he will play in 2024.

Florida State will be shorthanded for the bowl game. Running back Trey Benson, wide receiver Johnny Wilson and defensive end Jared Verse have all entered the NFL draft early and opted out. Tight end Jaheim Bell and defensive tackle Fabien Lovett are entering the draft but have not clarified if they will play in the bowl game.

“It’s about the players that are here and the work that they put in,” Norvell said. “I’m grateful for every player that we have.”

Georgia is scheduled to arrive in South Florida late Tuesday afternoon.

Jamir Watkins added 11 points and De’Ante Green Jr. 10 for the Seminoles (6-5), who have won two straight after four consecutive losses.

Nick Johnson scored 15 points and Kelton Talford 14 for the Eagles (8-7), who have lost three in a row.

There had been 11 lead changes in the second half when Watkins’ bucket tied the game with 7 1/2 minutes left and Green and Spears added two free throws each.

After Florida State built an eight-point lead, the Eagles got within three with under two minutes left. Steals led to a Green dunk and a Watkins free throw in restoring the eight-point margin. Winthrop hit two 3s in the final 30 seconds, but four Seminole free throws ensured the win.

Both teams shot in the low 30s. The Seminoles made just 3 of 18 from the arc but were 30 of 42 at the line to 20 of 27 for Winthrop. Winthrop had three players foul out and another finish with four. Three Seminoles had four fouls.

The Seminoles had 14 steals, well over their ACC-leading average of 9.3, and they scored 21 points off 24 Eagles turnovers.

The Seminoles didn’t score over the first three minutes of the game, took their first lead with four minutes left in the half and went into the break ahead 25-24.

Florida State is host to Lipscomb on Dec. 30 to finish nonconference play. Winthrop is home against Toccoa Falls next Friday.

“I believe this board has been left no choice but to challenge the legitimacy of the ACC grant of rights and its severe withdrawal penalties,” Florida State Board of Trustees chairman Peter Collins said during a trustees meeting to approve the legal action.

The lawsuit was filed soon after in Leon County Circuit Court, claiming the ACC has mismanaged its media rights and is imposing “draconian” exit fees.

ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips and Virginia President Jim Ryan, chairman of the conference’s board of directors, said Florida State’s actions are “in direct conflict with their longstanding obligations and is a clear violation of their legal commitments to the other members of the conference.”

“All ACC members, including Florida State, willingly and knowingly re-signed the current Grant of Rights in 2016, which is wholly enforceable and binding through 2036,” their statement said. “Each university has benefited from this agreement, receiving millions of dollars in revenue and neither Florida State nor any other institution, has ever challenged its legitimacy.”

Florida State outside counsel David Ashburn said during the board meeting the ACC’s grant of rights violates antitrust law and has unenforceable withdrawal penalties. Ashburn said it would cost a school $572 million to withdraw from the conference. The lawsuit also accuses the ACC of breach of contract and violation of public policy.

Florida State is looking for a way out of the conference it has been a member of since 1992 because it believes the ACC is locked into an undervalued and unusually lengthy media rights deal with ESPN. School leaders also say the league refuses to change its revenue distribution model to match FSU’s value.

“It is a simple math problem,” Florida State athletic director Michael Alford said. “A very clear math problem.”

Florida State leaders have been pushing for unequal distribution of revenue for more than a year. The ACC has agreed to create a bonus system that would direct more revenue to schools that have postseason success in football and basketball, but that has not solved the frustration at Florida State.

“It’s time for us to try to do something about it,” Florida State President Richard McCullough said.

McCullough said the trustees’ approval of the legal challenge was not a direct reaction to Florida State recently being left out of the College Football Playoff, despite having an undefeated record.

“This is not a reaction, but something we’ve done a lot of due diligence on,” he said.