Florida State allows 63 points in loss to Louisville
Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson shrugged off chants of “Heisman! Heisman!” from Cardinals’ fans and seemed satisfied knowing he had played a role in one of the program’s biggest wins.
A very big role worthy of all the adulation.
Jackson ran for four touchdowns and threw for another as No. 10 Louisville poured it on for a 63-20 victory on Saturday, the most points ever allowed by Florida State.
His performance helped Cardinals establish themselves as a title contender in the Atlantic Coast Conference – and the national crown – by dismantling the second-ranked Seminoles in one of the worst defeats in FSU history.
What was billed as an ACC showdown quickly turned into a rout. And after blowing second-half leads against Florida State the past two years, Louisville kept the pressure on.
Jackson ran for 146 yards and four TDs and passed for 216 yards and a score to lead the Cardinals (3-0, 2-0 ACC).
The quarterback’s performance raised his season TD total to 18 and drew high praise from none other than NFL free agent Michael Vick, a dual-threat QB himself not long ago at Virginia Tech.
Vick tweeted, Lamar Jackson 5x better than what I was at V-Tech….Enough said!! (hash)future
Jackson was flattered but took it in stride, “I guess it’s just helping us win, you know? I don’t really look at that.”
Louisville coach Bobby Petrino talked about his quarterback’s poise.
“I’m just proud of how he prepared for the game, how he was able to stay calm,” he said. “He was able to focus and concentrate.”
Jackson wasn’t the only star in Louisville’s domination.
Louisville’s defense chipped in with five sacks. The Cardinals also held FSU (2-1, 0-1) to 284 yards and forced two turnovers. The Seminoles’ only bright spot was 10 straight points to get within 14-10 before Jackson took over.
Florida State scored another 10 points late and avoided its worst loss ever.
“Give credit to Louisville, they did a great job,” FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. “You don’t play with fire and let teams get ahead of you.”
Around the state
Louisville 63, Florida State 20
Florida 32, North Texas 0
Miami 45, Appalachian State 10
South Florida 45, Syracuse 20
Maryland 30, UCF 24 (2OT)
Kansas State 63, FAU 7
Massachusetts 21, FIU 13
Tennessee St. 31, Bethune-CC 24
Tuskegee 20, Florida A&M 17
This story was originally published September 17, 2016 at 11:51 PM with the headline "Florida State allows 63 points in loss to Louisville."