Interim coach Rick Stockstill is a few hours away from kicking off his second game as the leader of the Seminoles. Last week, Florida State picked up a big win over Boston College that was incredibly valuable after parting ways with coach Mike Norvell days prior. Now, the Seminoles need to travel to Pittsburgh to take on a far different Panthers' squad.
Florida State has not played well against Pitt in recent history, with a 1-2 record since 2020. The Panthers have a strong team this season with a 6-3 record, but the injury to star quarterback Mason Heintschel has been a difficult one to deal with. The offense has been inconsistent, and the defense cannot consistently defend against the pass, which is not exactly the best combination.
Here are a few bold predictions for the Week 11 game between Florida State and Pittsburgh that could come true.
Ashton Daniels tosses for four touchdowns without an interception
It wasn't pretty for Daniels, but Florida State got the win in Week 10 against Boston College despite the aerial attack suffering multiple hits. Daniels had open receivers a few times but overshot his man, and the talented Eagles' secondary forced a major mistake.
There have been two versions of Daniels that have taken the field this season, and the performance against Boston College was not the better one. The good news for Daniels is that he will be playing against a far less successful pass defense in Pittsburgh. The bad news is that running back Tre Wisner is out, meaning Florida State only has two healthy running backs.
Florida State has its back against the wall, and Daniels will likely need to establish the offense through the air with the limited running back depth and the Panthers' success against the ground game.
The Seminoles should be able to score multiple touchdowns against Pitt, but because the Panthers are going to try to eliminate the ground game, the scores might come from a little farther out. This is the ultimate get-right game for Daniels, and I have a lot of confidence in his ability to take advantage of this opportunity, especially with Mike Norvell in the picture.
Jasen Lopez scores his second collegiate receiving touchdown
It feels like just a matter of time, and given the circumstances, Lopez could be on track to score his second collegiate touchdown. The Panthers have quite the interesting defense, with a run-stopping unit that is among the best in the conference, and a secondary that often looks like Swiss cheese to opposing receivers.
Lopez saw extended action against Clemson and recorded his first career touchdown, and then the injury to Duce Robinson effectively gave him a larger role last week against Boston College. Lopez might be a freshman, but Florida State has been leaning upon him and pushing the talented receiver to grow as fast as possible.
In the game against Boston College, Lopez broke free multiple times but still wasn't quite on the same page as Daniels yet. Between another week of practice to mesh with Daniels and a weak pass defense standing in the way, Lopez should be able to haul in another score.
What I like most about Lopez is that he is finding a way to fill in the void as the primary deep threat that Daniels looks to target. The Panthers' defense has been particularly weak underneath, allowing too many mid-range routes to result in notable gains. Pittsburgh is going to clamp down and try to prevent those smaller completions from exploding, which means Lopez should be alone if he beats his man.
Nehemiah Chandler records his third interception of the season
One of the top defensive backs who stepped up this season for Florida State has been Chandler, who previously looked like someone on the outside looking in. Two key interceptions and 11 tackles later, Chandler has become a notable part of the defense.
With Quindarrius Jones still sidelined, Florida State will be leaning upon Chandler to pick up some of the slack. Chandler had a great game against Boston College that included a timely interception and a 30-yard return.
Panthers' quarterback Holden Geriner has settled into the starting role after tossing two interceptions in the loss to North Carolina, but there are still some issues present. Geriner has struggled to get the ball out in a timely manner without missing the target or making the wrong read from the pocket. Given how he has played, it is only a matter of time before more interceptions are thrown, and Chandler could be the beneficiary.
Pittsburgh likes to run the football, but if the Seminoles are scoring against the struggling Panthers' secondary as they should, then the offense will need to attack through the air. Geriner is still learning, and he will make more mistakes with more pass attempts.
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