Five Plays the Changed the Game: FSU vs. Louisville

There were a couple of plays that stood out during the Seminoles close loss to Louisville.

It has been 47 years since Florida State started the season 0-4. The Seminoles have gotten to that point from not being able to finish when it mattered most.

In this week’s installment of ‘Five Plays that Changed the Game’, we look at the Louisville loss - a loss that came down to the final drive for FSU in its 31-23 defeat.

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Much like we’ve seen the first three weeks of the season the Seminoles had their chance to pull off the comeback and win. While previous weeks have seen some self-inflicted wounds at the wrong time, or mistakes in critical situations, the game against the Cardinals came down to playmakers not being able to make plays.

1. Parchment mistimes his jump late 

Andrew Parchment had his best game as a Seminole, but the last offensive play for FSU was a head-scratcher. The 'Noles had several chunk plays on the final drive as they were able to get into Louisville territory quickly. On 2nd and long after a sack, FSU took a deep shot to Parchment. Not only did he misjudge his jump, he also played the ball on the wrong side of the defender. As he said in the post-game press conference, he was brought to FSU to make that play.

2. Helton misjudges punt No. 1

Florida State busted off a huge play early to start the 3rd quarter when Jashaun Corbin had his 75 yard touchdown run. On the ensuing series, the FSU defense made some adjustments and forced a punt. Helton completely misjudged the direction of the punt, coming up instead of floating back. The punt flipped the field for Louisville as Helton returned the kick at the 11 yard line for no gain. Each team traded two punts a piece after this special team's mistake.

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3. Helton misjudges punt No. 2 

It was a rough game for Helton as a returner. FSU’s defense was again able to force a 3 and out late in the fourth. The Louisville punter boomed what looked to be an end-over-end kick. The ball was clearly going to go into the endzone, but Helton caught it at the 6 yard line, forcing FSU to drive 94 yards for the game-tying score.

4. FSU tries a direct snap on 4th and short in the fourth quarter 

FSU was aggressive in the second half as it was battling back from an early 24 point deficit. Early in the 4th, the Seminoles had the ball on 4th down at their own 43 yard line. Norvell and the offensive staff went for it on 4th & 3, trying to trick the Cards. Quarterback McKenzie Milton acted like he was looking for a signal while the ball was snapped directly to Corbin. The play was executed poorly all around which resulted in just a 1 yard gain and a turnover on downs.

5. Brownlee responds with a great 4th down stop 

Right after FSU went for it on 4th and short on its own side of the field, the defense came out and put the Cardinals in a 3rd and long situation. They were able to get it to a 4th and 4 and Louisville decided to go for it. Cardinals quarterback Malik Cunningham made a throw out to Josh Johnson, and it looked like they were going to convert. Instead, Brownlee came up and made a huge stop for a loss of two yards which gave FSU good field position that resulted in a field goal.

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