South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Rally comes up short as Seminoles fall to 0-4
Florida State quarterback McKenzie Milton looks to pass in the first half Saturday against Louisville in Tallahassee.
Florida State fell behind 31-7 in the first half and appeared headed toward a disappointing blowout loss to Louisville Saturday. And while the Seminoles fought back, the team couldn’t overcome Cardinals quarterback Malik Cunningham, falling 31-23.
FSU is 0-4 for the first time since 1974 when the Seminoles lost their first eight games before finishing 1-10.
Cunningham combined to score four touchdowns while accounting for 320 total yards. It was the second time during his career in which the redshirt sophomore has scored two rushing and thrown two touchdowns.
After another slow start, the Seminoles found a spark on their third possession with quarterback McKenzie Milton finding tight end Camren McDonald for a pair of catches including a 22-yard pickup. Tailback Treshaun Ward capped things off with a 20-yard run. It was his second rushing touchdown of the season and cut the lead to 17-7.
Cunningham continued to pick apart a mediocre FSU secondary, completing 11 of 13 passes for
116 yards and a touchdown in the second quarter. The redshirt junior led the Cardinals to scores on their first five possessions pushing the lead to 31-13 at the half.
FSU’s defense closed the gap in the second half, limiting Louisville to 23 yards of offense in the third quarter. After allowing the Cardinals to convert eight of their first nine third downs, the Seminoles clamped down and UL failed to convert on their next six thirddown attempts.
Milton finished 24 of 38 for
248 yards and a touchdown but was sacked five times and threw a late interception deep in Louisville territory that sealed the loss. Tailback Jashaun Corbin had a career-high 159 yards. It was his third 100-plus yard rushing performance.