FLORIDA STATE - SMU Postgame LIVE

Florida State Primetime Live – SMU Postgame Host: Jackson Burleson | Presented by FanDuel FSUVOCFB | After No. 19 SMU 27, Florida State 24 at Doak Campbell Stadium FSU falls to 1-1 (0-1 ACC). SMU QB Kevin Jennings: 26-of-36, 430 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs. Nick Reed 20-yard FG with 21 seconds left wins it. Game delayed ~105 minutes by a power outage (electrical short in main transformer affecting the west-side tower). Kickoff pushed to 9:15 p.m.; some lights never came back on. Intro & the delay (0:30–4:45) Burleson was at the game from ~5:30 p.m. until ~2 a.m. First FSU home game as a fan. Pregame crowd was electric and a sellout; the long delay thinned the stands later. Osceola’s spear ceremony almost set the field on fire. Coin toss happened, then teams left the field. Uncertainty whether the game would be played. ACC commissioner Jim Phillips was in FSU’s locker room. Lights partially restored; two midfield lights on the ESPN-booth side stayed off the entire game. Both teams agreed to play. He compared the vibe to the 2013 Super Bowl blackout. Defense did just enough — offense could not (4:47–15:00) FSU forced 4 takeaways (including special teams) vs. SMU’s 1. Ashton Barker intercepted Jennings. Without the turnovers, Burleson says FSU would have been blown out. Defense “didn’t even look that good” outside the takeaways. Passing defense was poor: Jennings threw for 430 yards and SMU finished with 585 total yards. Pass rush was nearly nonexistent (one meaningful pressure led to an INT). Open receivers and blown coverages all night. Jabril Rawls called “the most overrated cornerback in college football” — constantly cooked and undisciplined (uncalled push, previous-week “suplex”). Tony White’s play-calling criticized: guys out of position, miscommunication, poor open-field tackling (75-yard TD, Randy Pittman Jr. running through multiple missed tackles). Daryl Desire was out. Mandrell “you almost forget he’s on the field” after FSU paid to keep him out of the portal. Offense: 12-of-23 for 125 yards from Ashton Daniels, plus 16 rushes. Team rushed 45 times for 199 yards (4.4 ypc) vs. SMU’s 31 rushes for 155 (5.0). FSU 2-of-15 on third down; SMU 8-of-14. Deuce Robinson: 2 catches. Dropped a first-half TD (Burleson gives him a pass — good coverage). Entire skill group combined for only 12 receptions. Daniels “looked scared,” missed easy throws in stride, held the ball too long. One highlight: rolling right and finding Deuce with four Mustangs in front of him. Burleson: Norvell clearly does not trust Daniels, so the offense became run-heavy and conservative after takeaways (multiple 3-and-outs). Jet sweeps and tosses look pointless because the OL cannot block. Ousmane Kromah was the bright spot: 22 carries, 116 yards, 1 TD (back-to-back 100-yard games). Big first-half run (called back partly by a Deuce block-in-the-back) set up a FG. “Workhorse… beast… physical.” Daniels also had an 8-yard rushing TD and later a 39-yard TD pass to Samuel Singleton Jr. that tied the game at 24-24 with 8:17 left. Coaching, buyout, and “fire them now” (15:00–28:00) Burleson: this was a winnable game. SMU was sloppy and handed FSU four gifts. FSU still found a way to lose. Biggest roster weaknesses: QB and OL, then secondary. Norvell’s seat is “steaming hot.” Cited ~$51 million buyout figure (reports put it in the mid-$40Ms depending on exact date). Bye week before Alabama is the window. Wants Norvell and Tony White fired. Promote Ernie Sims to DC and run with an interim HC into Alabama. “I don’t think Mike Norvell has the locker room… he’s not a coach that can win anymore.” Same late-game issues as last year that they promised to fix. Jimbo Fisher was at the game. Burleson chanted “We love Jimbo” and would take him back as a recruiter/coach option. Other name floated in chat: Indiana OC Mike Shanahan. Chat: “How do they buy out Norvell? Turn off the power?” Burleson laughed it off. QB alternatives discussed: Kevin Sperry (knows the offense) or JUCO National Player of the Year Malachi Marshall. He’d rather see Marshall first. Updated season outlook (28:30–32:00) FSU 1-1 heading into the bye, then Alabama. Rough remaining predictions: Alabama: loss Virginia: loss (they looked good) Louisville: loss Miami: “destroyed” (Malachi Toney coming off a record night) Clemson: loss Boston College: possible loss Pitt: loss NC State: maybe the only other FBS win Florida: