3 takeaways from Florida State's massive road victory over Louisville
Florida State defeated Louisville 35-31 inside Cardinals Stadium on Friday night.
This was a chaotic win that included numerous injuries, turnovers and a game-winning play inside the final minute. Florida State clinched the win on a Kevin Knowles II interception.
FSU is now 3-0 for the first time since 2015.
Here are 3 takeaways from Florida State’s big road win:
Injury nightmare
Florida State had to overcome a rash of difficult injuries on Friday night. It started with defensive lineman Fabien Lovett not dressing out for the game. Then, one by one, several of FSU’s top players bowed out: defensive end Jared Verse, quarterback Jordan Travis and left tackle Robert Scott Jr.
Linebacker Tatum Bethune also briefly left the game with an arm injury, but was able to return to FSU’s defense.
Time will tell how serious these injuries are for the rest of FSU’s season — but for tonight, the Seminoles got it done.
Tate Rodemaker showed up
When Travis went down with an injury, things looked bleak for Florida State. But Tate Rodemaker stepped up and led Florida State to 14 4th-quarter points — including the game-winning touchdown to Johnny Wilson in the corner of the end zone.
Here’s that play:
WHAT A CATCH 😮@jjohnnywilson | @FSUFootball pic.twitter.com/bziij0oCBP
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) September 17, 2022
Rodemaker finished 6-of-10 for 109 yards and 2 touchdowns — with nearly all of that production coming in the second half. If Travis is out longterm, the Noles at least have a pathway to success with Rodemaker under center.
The Johnny Wilson game
Simply put, Florida State would not have won the game without Johnny Wilson. He finished with 7 catches for 148 yards and the game-winning touchdown.
He also hauled in a 68-yard reception in the second half from Rodemaker that flipped the momentum of the game. He’s proven to be a game-changer at the receiver position for Florida State.
FSU hosts Boston College next weekend.