After a hot start to the season, the Florida State Seminoles find themselves in a crucial part of their season. Losses to Virginia and Miami have raised doubts about competing for the ACC, but the Seminoles need to make sure they do not let the season fall apart like last year. It was a good sign to see the Seminoles not give up against Miami, and they have been able to move the ball. However, turnovers have been too much for the team to overcome. Can the Seminoles right the ship? Let’s take a look at this 2025 preview between FSU vs. Pitt.
FSU Seminoles vs. Pittsburgh Panthers: Football History and Game Excerpts
Pitt leads the series against FSU 6-5. The last time the two teams met was in 2023, when FSU won 24-7 on the road. The two teams have only met three times in the 2000s, and FSU has a 2-1 edge during that time frame. Before that, the Panthers won three out of four games in the 1980s.
In his weekly press conference, Mike Norvell spoke about the Week 7 matchup against Pitt and what FSU has to do to get back in the win column.
“Defensively, they’ve always played to a high standard. A lot of respect for Coach Narduzzi and Coach Bates for the job they do. And this is a team that is very capable. They lost to Louisville a few weeks back when they turned the ball over five times, and I think it was still a one-score game.
This is a team, we’re going to have to obviously have a great week of preparation and we’ve got to be able to go out there and play at an elite level for us and obviously to be able to put ourselves in a position to go be successful.”
FSU vs. Pitt 2025 Preview: Keys, Players, and Predictions
Key Players for FSU
Tommy Castellanos struggled to make the correct decisions against Miami, resulting in a couple of costly turnovers. In the fourth quarter, he made the right reads and was able to lead a comeback that just fell short. Castellanos is the key to this team. When he makes the right reads and is decisive, the offense can be unstoppable.
Florida State was only able to run for 132 yards on 38 attempts, which is 160 yards below their average. The significant deficit caused the Seminoles to be less dedicated to the run. Gavin Sawchuk was the only player to average over four yards per carry against the Hurricanes, and he only had 11 rush attempts. Ousmane Kromah showed flashes again, but a costly fumble added to the Seminoles’ deficit against Miami. Sawchuk and Kromah should be getting the majority of the carries with Jaylin Lucas and Micahi Danzy sprinkled in.
Duce Robinson was the leader again in receiving yards with 87 yards on six catches. The promising part is that Randy Pittman is getting more involved now that he is back from injury. Pittman is crucial to the running game with his blocking, but was targeted 11 times against Miami and was a nice outlet for Castellanos. He is only averaging six yards per catch, but his size and athleticism provide a mismatch against defenses. Yet with that in mind, the offense has to get Squirrel White more involved in the offense. He only had two targets against Miami and only four total receptions all season. He is explosive and should get single coverage with defenses keying on Robinson.
The Seminoles defense struggled to get pressure on Carson Beck, but they did improve against the running game allowing under 100 yards rushing to the Hurricanes. Darrell Jackson Jr. was very disruptive and needs to continue to play well for this defense to be successful. Jerry Wilson has two interceptions on the season but had his worst graded game by PFF against Miami. He gave up over 100 yards and two touchdowns against the Hurricanes. Earl Little Jr. also performed very poorly against the Hurricanes and needs to be more consistent week-to-week. Ja’Bril Rawls has been playing well in the secondary but he needs help from Wilson and Little Jr.
Key Players for Pitt
Pitt made the decision to make a switch at quarterback for the Boston College game. Eli Hostein was benched for freshman Mason Heintschel. Boston College is not the best competition, but Heintschel was very impressive in his first start. He completed over 70-percent of his passes for 323 yards and four touchdowns. This will be his first road test and the Seminoles lack of pass rush could allow for another big day for Heintschel.
Desmond Reid leads the rushing attack but has been hurt since week three against West Virginia. Juelz Goff and Ja’Kyrian Turner have been splitting the carries since Reid’s injury, combining for 191 yards in two games. The leading receivers for the Panthers are Kenny Johnson and Raphael Williams Jr. With Heintschel under center, Johnson was his favorite target with 11 targets and catching nine passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. Williams is more of a big play threat averaging over 18 yards per catch.
On the defensive side, Pitt has the 21st ranked defense only allowing 314 total yards per game. They are especially tough against the run only allowing 73 yards per game on the ground. Rasheem Biles and Braylan Lovelace lead the linebacker group and have combined for 49 tackles and 36 stops according to PFF. Biles also leads the Panthers in sacks with three but six different players have two sacks, so there is plenty of players that can cause pressure on the quarterback. Safety Cruz Brookins leads the secondary with the highest coverage grade for the Panthers and has only allowed six receptions on the year.
2025 Game Preview: How FSU Wins vs. Pitt in Week 7
Tommy Castellanos took the blame for the loss against Miami and he has to play better. The biggest part is limiting turnovers and making the correct reads because there are open receivers other than Duce Robinson. FSU must come out fast so that they can keep running the football. The Panthers have a tough front seven so it is important to limit negative plays and penalties. The Seminoles must stay in front of the chains and not get discouraged by three or four yard gains. The running game leads to the big plays in the passing game.
On defense FSU has to build on the solid rush defense against Miami so that they can make the Panthers one-dimensional. A freshman quarterback on the road should be the recipe for a couple mistakes. The only way that happens is if the Seminoles can get pressure, which they have struggled to do the last two game. Justin Cryer has been very good when he has blitzed so he will need to be utilized if the front four cannot get home.
2025 Game Prediction: How Pitt Wins vs. Pitt in Week 7
Pitt can follow the blue print of the last two games for FSU. On defense, they can not allow the big plays. The unit must make FSU march down the field and let the Seminoles make the mistakes. Pitt has a very good front seven and is top-10 against the rush. They need to frustrate Gus Malzahn and Tommy Castellanos. If they get impatient, Castellanos will try to throw jump balls and that is where the turnovers come in.
Offensively, Pitt needs to be patient and not go away from the run game. Staying balanced will allow for the young freshman quarterback to stay poised and not get rushed. Seminoles secondary has been shaky lately so Heintschel should be able to take advantage of matchups. If Pitt can stay even with the turnover battle, they should be able to get to the fourth quarter with a chance to win.
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Brandon Haye
Brandon grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and works as a health insurance data analyst. He has no children, but two fur babies - Squirt and Brownie. He and his wife, Katie, spend their time playing poker and enjoying time with their pups. Brandon is a huge Michigan Wolverine and Jacksonville Jaguars fan. Brandon started writing for The League Winners in 2021.