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10/09 23:56 CDT Isaac Brown brings Louisville back from the brink as Cardinals
pummel Florida State 44-20
Isaac Brown brings Louisville back from the brink as Cardinals pummel Florida
State 44-20
By STEVE BITTENBENDER
Associated Press
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) --- Isaac Brown ran for a career-high 235 yards and two
touchdowns on just 17 carries, including a game-changing 97-yard score, as
Louisville rallied to take down Florida State 44-20 on Friday night.
Known for his big-play capabilities, Brown's long touchdown run came on the
first play of a second-quarter drive after Louisville DB Kaleb Beasley stopped
Florida State WR Jasen Lopez at the Cardinals 3 on a fourth-and-goal. The
Seminoles had led 14-0 and appeared to be in total control of the game.
After the game, Florida State coach Mike Norvell said he still felt good about
the play, a screen pass from Ashton Daniels to Lopez, with the possibility of
going up by three touchdowns on the road.
"Unfortunately, we didn't do a good enough job in that moment," said Norvell,
whose team lost its 11th straight road game. "They're pinned back. They got to
go 98 yards, and they did it in one play."
The touchdown run set a record for Louisville's longest play from scrimmage,
and Brown's total for the night was the most for any running back among
Football Bowl Subdivision programs this season.
Louisville (3-3, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) outgained the Seminoles 438-190
after the fourth-down stop. The Cardinals finished with 537 yards. That
included 397 overall on the ground, where they accounted for all of their
touchdowns. It also happened despite Keyjuan Brown, the Cardinals' top rusher
this season, being sidelined with an injury.
"Just when you think things are looking as bleak as they can, our guys hung in
there," said Louisville coach Jeff Brohm, whose team snapped a two-game skid.
"You got to give our guys a ton of credit for playing hard, for finishing the
game, for sticking together, for believing in themselves and their teammates.
That's not easy to do.'
Brown started the second half taking the opening kickoff 71 yards to the
Seminoles 28 and got a horse-collar penalty added at the end. Four plays later,
quarterback Lincoln Kienholz scored on a 3-yard run, his first of two scores,
to give the Cardinals a 21-14 lead.
He then finished his night with a 68-yard touchdown run midway through the
fourth quarter.
Daniels completed 21 of 37 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns as Florida
State (3-3, 1-2) amassed 362 yards on offense. He also ran for a score.
The takeaway Florida State: There has been a lot of head scratching about the Seminoles' football program in recent years. Another questionable decision came when they chose not to kick a short field goal early in the second quarter to potentially take a 17-0 lead over Louisville. But the Cardinals made it a moot point by scoring the next 35 points. Louisville: There will be a lot of talk about Brown, but give the Cardinals defense credit. They started out slow, but after Brown's big run, they shut down the Seminoles in a game Louisville really needed to win. Grounded offense Three kneeldowns to end the game kept the Cardinals from registering their ninth 400-yard rushing game in program history. As it was, the 397 was the most a Louisville team racked up since getting 411 against Syracuse on Nov. 11, 2018. Florida State, meanwhile, had its worst rushing defense game since Georgia Tech amassed 401 yards on Oct. 10, 2009. Isaias affecting Noles trip home Florida State departed Louisville after the loss. However, rather than head straight home to Tallahassee, the team chartered a flight to Jacksonville to avoid flying into Hurricane Isaias. The hurricane made landfall near Destin, Fla., located about 150 miles west of the Florida state capital, earlier Friday evening. From Jacksonville, the team would bus back to campus, which a team spokesperson said would add a couple hours to the trip. Up next Florida State plays at No. 4 Miami on Oct. 17. Louisville plays at Syracuse on Oct. 17. ___ Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP's full college football coverage here |
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