Nov 2, 20233 min read

#4 FLORIDA STATE Seminoles @ PITT Panthers GAME PREVIEW

The Florida State Seminoles (8-0 6-0 ACC) will travel to Pittsburgh, PA to face the Pitt Panthers (2-6 1-3 ACC).

BROADCAST INFORMATION:

- 3:30 PM Eastern Time Kickoff on ESPN

- Mark Jones and Louis Riddick will be on the call for ESPN and Quint Kessenich will be on the sideline

- On the Florida State side the radio broadcast will be on FM 94.9. On the Pitt side, the radio broadcast will be on FM 93.7.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

The Seminoles landed at #4 in the first College Football Playoff Rankings released Tuesday night. Florida State is averaging 453.0 yards per game on offense and only surrendering 332.5 yards per game on defense. The Seminole's margin for error to remain a College Football playoff contender is slim with the perception that the ACC is not a strong conference this season. If they suffer a defeat before the College Football Playoff final rankings, it more than likely means the Noles will not be a playoff team. Pitt is coming off back-to-back road losses, losing at Wake Forest 21-17 on October 21st and 58-7 at Notre Dame this past Saturday. The Panthers are struggling both offensively and defensively, averaging a paltry 312.6 yards per game on offense while giving up 349.5 yards per game on defense. Florida State head coach Mike Norvell still looks at the Pitt defense as a challenge. “I mean, this last game was an anomaly for them with the lack of TFLs or sacks in the game,” Norvell said at his press conference on Monday about the Panthers’ loss to Notre Dame. “But you still were able to create a couple of takeaways. They’re one of the top defenses in the country in those statistical categories.” Pitt also has a slim margin for error as the Panthers need to win out if they hope to make it to a bowl game. Getting the win at home against a very good Florida State squad will prove difficult.

KEY PLAYERS:

Florida State Seminoles

QB Jordan Travis – 64.8% passes completed, 2,109 yards, 18 TD and 2 INT. Travis is also third on the team with 205 rushing yards and is second with 6 rushing TD.

WR Keon Coleman – leads all Seminole receivers in receptions with 38, receiving yards with 538, and TDs with 9.

Pittsburgh Panthers

QB Christian Veilleux – 52.0% passes completed, 774 yards, 5 TD, 6 INT

CB MJ Devonshire – 24 tackles, 8 passes broken up, 2 INT, 1 TD; dangerous in the return game.

KEY MATCHUPS:

The Florida State pass rush against the Pitt offensive line. The Panthers are tied for 63rd in the country with 16 sacks given up. The trio of linebacker Kalen DeLoach and defensive linemen Jared Verse and Joshua Farmer have accounted for 12 of Florida State’s 22 sacks. For Pitt to be successful at all in the passing game they must stop this trio of sack masters!

Pitt cornerback MJ Devonshire against Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman. Coleman is tied for fifth nationally with 8 TDs while Devonshire is tied for eighth nationally with 8 passes broken up. This matchup will be fun to watch!

PREDICTION:

This game will be very tough for Pitt to win, even at home. It will be a pick-your-poison type of game for the Panthers on offense as Florida State’s front seven can shut down both the Pitt passing attack and the run game. And when Florida State has the ball, their offense is one of the best in the country. The Panthers have to hope their defense is opportunistic and can create turnovers if they want to win this game.