PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ashton Daniels passed for 163 yards, Gabe Panikowski kicked three field goals, and Florida State’s defense did the rest as the Seminoles edged Pitt 16-10 on Friday night.
Florida State (5-5, 3-4 ACC) won its second road game in as many weeks under interim coach Rick Stockstill, showing some grit on both sides of the ball that was lacking during the final stages of former coach Mike Norvell’s tenure.
“These last two weeks, we’ve done something nobody thought we could do,” Stockstill said. “We hadn’t won a game on the road in 2 1/2 years, and we’ve gone back-to-back.”
Daniels, who also ran for 27 yards, avoided major mistakes and the Seminoles took a methodical approach to move within a game of bowl eligibility.
“Just a phenomenal effort,” Stockstill said. “A show of toughness and resiliency.”
Freshman running back Amari Thomas provided Florida State with its only touchdown on a 1-yard plunge in the third quarter shortly after defensive lineman Rylan Kennedy picked off Pitt quarterback Corey Dailey, whose pass deflected off a helmet and into Kennedy’s hands deep in Panthers territory.
The Seminoles managed just 262 yards of total offense and drives regularly bogged down in Pitt territory — including one in the fourth quarter in which Daniels was stripped amid a rugby-like scrum after scrambling for a first down — but Panikowski’s trusty leg made sure it didn’t matter. Panikowski’s three field goals moved him to 11-for-11 on the season and 26-for-26 in his career, the longest active streak in the FBS.
Dailey, a freshman making his second start of the season after a hip injury sidelined Holden Geriner, completed 16-of-34 for 157 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The 6-foot-6 Dailey also ran for 58 yards, most of them coming on Pitt’s last-gasp drive that ended with a fourth-down incompletion at midfield.
“Our hearts were on display out there,” Florida State linebacker Caleb LaVallee said. “We pushed through, and we were the tougher team for longer, so that allowed us to get the victory.”
Boosie Turner, appearing in just his fourth game of the season for the Panthers (6-4, 4-3), ran for 42 yards and caught seven passes for 41 yards and a touchdown. Yet Dailey could never really find a rhythm, and the Seminoles turned his one major mistake into a short touchdown drive that proved to be a big part of the difference.
“Our defense played their tails off,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said after his team lost for the fourth time in five games thanks in part to converting just 1-of-4 fourth-down opportunities. “I put them in some tough positions by going for it and giving them some short fields.”
The takeaway
Florida State: The Seminoles could have bailed on the season after Norvell’s dismissal. Instead, they have steadied themselves under Stockstill, a Florida State alum and longtime Middle Tennessee State coach who has given his alma mater a welcome injection of energy and passion.
Pitt: Quarterback Mason Heintschel, lost for the season to a knee injury in a win over Virginia Tech on October 1, doesn’t need to worry about looking over his shoulder anytime soon. Geriner is a senior and Dailey appears to be a long-term project. He has the arm strength, but accuracy and touch have been major obstacles in his two starts, both losses.
Up next
Florida State hosts NC State on November 21.
Pitt travels to Louisville on November 21.