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Game recap: FSU football defeats Louisville to win 1st ACC Championship since 2014
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- Game recap: FSU football defeats Louisville to win 1st ACC Championship since 2014
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Florida State football is looking to make history on Saturday eyeing its first ACC championship since 2014, taking on Louisville at Bank of America Stadium. Keep scrolling for updates, and remember to refresh the page for the latest.
The Seminoles are coming off their second straight win over rival Florida , 24-15, on Nov. 25 in Gainesville. FSU finished the regular season with a perfect 12-0 record, the first time they've achieved that since 2014. That was also the same year it qualified for the first-ever College Football Playoff.
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A win for the Seminoles would likely give them the green light into this season's College Football Playoff as they are No. 4 in the most recent rankings. FSU is still without quarterback Jordan Travis , who suffered a season-ending injury against North Alabama two weeks ago.
Quarterback Tate Rodemaker started last week, but his status was unknown after being injured in the game. Freshman Brock Glenn would be in line to start if Rodemaker can't go.
FSU football wins ACC Championship over Louisville powered by defense
It wasn't pretty, but Florida State got it done. The Seminoles defeated Louisville, 16-6, in an offensive struggle, to win the program's first ACC Championship since 2014 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
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The offensive effort was highlighted by running back Lawrance Toafili, who had a career night recording 118 yards rushing on 10 attempts and the lone touchdown of the game. He was the beating heart of an offense that needed someone to step up.
On defense, linebacker Tatum Bethune had the biggest play of the night, intercepting Louisville quarterback Jack Plummer in the end zone in the fourth quarter. The play came after punter Alex Mastromanno failed to get a punt off, setting the Cardinals up at the FSU 12-yard line.
FSU had seven team sacks. Patrick Payton and Fabien Lovett recorded a sack each. Braden Fiske had three sacks and Jared Verse had two sacks. It was a season-high team total in sacks for the Seminoles.
On special teams, kicker Ryan Fitzgerald was 3-of-4 on the night in field goals, hitting and missing from 45 yards on two separate occasions. He later made a field goal from 33 yards and another from 40 yards in the fourth quarter. He improved to 18-of-20 on the year.
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Mastromanno recorded 372 yards on nine punts, with a long of 49 yards.
Freshman Brock Glenn earned his first start after Tate Rodemaker was ruled out due to concussion protocol. He completed 8-of-21 passes for 55 yards.
FSU will find out its fate on Sunday at 12 p.m. as the College Football Playoff committee will announce its final rankings and which teams will make the playoff. The Seminoles are currently 13-0 and one of two undefeated teams left in the country.
Ryan Fitzgerald makes 33-yard field goal
Fitzgerald got a little bit of redemption after missing earlier as he made a 33-yard field goal attempt and bumped the FSU lead to seven points late in the fourth quarter. He improved to 17-of-19 on the year and 2-of-3 on the night.
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6 plays for 34 yards over 2:52 minutes on the scoring drive.
FSU leads Louisville, 13-6, with 3:11 left in the fourth quarter.
FSU's Tatum Bethune picks off Jack Plummer in end zone
Alex Mastromanno fails to get the punt off, placing Louisville at the FSU 12-yard line. Two plays later, Tatum Bethune picks off Louisville quarterback Jack Plummer in the endzone in what could be the biggest play of the night.
FSU starts the drive at its own 20-yard line.
FSU leads Louisville, 10-6, with 10:01 left in the fourth quarter.
Brock Travelstead tacks on 3 more points for Louisville
Louisville's best drive of the night is spoiled by a handful of penalties, bringing out kicker Brock Travelstead for the second time tonight. He attempted a 33-yard field goal and made it to tack on three more points onto Louisville's total.
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He improved to 17-of-24 on the season and 2-of-2 on the night. Eight plays for 43 yards over 3:10 minutes.
FSU leads Louisville, 10-6, with 13:36 left in the fourth quarter.
FSU leads, Louisville in red zone to end third quarter
FSU found the end zone for the first time tonight off the 2-yard rush from Lawrance Toafili to take a 10-3 lead. However, the Cardinals are knocking as a 41-yard rush from Maurice Turner sparks a Louisville drive down to the FSU 7-yard line.
Cardinals are first and 7 from the FSU 7 to start the fourth quarter.
FSU leads Louisville, 10-3, at the end of the third quarter.
Lawrance Toafili finds the end zone to give FSU lead
Following the Louisville scoring drive, FSU goes 75 yards over two plays, powered by running back Lawrance Toafili. He went on a 73-yard run to the Louisville 2-yard line, the second-longest run in ACC Championship game history.
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On the next play, he rushed for 2 yards into the end zone, scoring the first touchdown of the game.
Two plays for 75 yards over 42 seconds on the scoring drive.
FSU leads Louisville, 10-3, with 6:20 left in the third quarter.
Brock Travelstead ties game for Louisville off 36-yard field goal
The Cardinals make a 56-yard drive down the field, the longest drive it has had all night. It can't find its way into the end zone and brought on kicker Brock Travelstead for a 36-yard field goal attempt. He splits the uprights to tie the game for Louisville.
He improved to 16-of-23 on the year.
13 plays for 56 yards on the scoring drive.
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FSU and Louisville are tied, 3-3, with 7:02 left in the third quarter.
FSU holding onto slim field goal lead over Louisville at halftime
Ryan Fitzgerald's 16th make of the season in the second quarter gave FSU a 3-0 lead over Louisville at halftime of the ACC Championship. It is the lowest halftime score in ACC Championship game history.
It has been a less-than-perfect game for FSU as freshman quarterback Brock Glenn continues to find his game on offense. He is 6-of-12 on the night for 44 yards passing. He's lost three yards on the ground on seven rushing attempts.
Glenn had two big passes to Keon Coleman but one was dropped and the other was caught out of bounds.
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Trey Benson is getting hot on the ground, rushing for 23 yards on eight attempts. Lawrance Toafili has 15 yards rushing on five attempts.
On special teams, Fitzgerald is 1-of-2 on the night, making one from 45 yards and missing one from the same distance. Punter Alex Mastromanno has 200 yards on five punts with a long of 47 yards.
On defense, Akeem Dent and Tatum Bethune have five tackles. Patrick Payton has a QB hurry, and Braden Fiske and Jared Verse both have a sack.
FSU leads Louisville, 3-0, at halftime.
Fitzgerald misses 45-yard field goal after comedy of errors from offense
What was looking like a strong drive fell apart for FSU. A shanked punt placed FSU at the Louisville 38-yard line. Trey Benson had two strong runs, but a sack on Brock Glenn and an incompletion, brought out Ryan Fitzgerald to attempt another 45-yard field goal.
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Fitzgerald missed the field goal wide left, starting the Louisville drive at its own 27-yard line.
FSU leads Louisville, 3-0, with 50 seconds left in the second quarter.
Ryan Fitzgerald gives FSU lead off 45-yard field goal
FSU got its offense going as it drove 50 yards down the field. However, some miscommunication between Brock Glenn and the line, saw Glenn fumble the ball, but FSU managed to recover. It called upon Ryan Fitzgerald for a 45-yard field goal attempt.
Fitzgerald nailed the attempt to give the Seminoles a lead and the first points of the game. He improved to 16-of-17 on the season and was three yards shy of his career high, 48 yards, on that attempt.
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11 plays for 50 yards over 5:01 minutes on the scoring drive.
FSU leads Louisville, 3-0, with 10:32 left in the second quarter.
FSU, Louisville deadlocked at zero at end of first quarter
It's either a defensive battle or an offensive struggle as FSU and Louisville are tied, 0-0, at the end of the first quarter.
Both teams have combined for 37 yards of total offense, and the Seminoles have only produced 7 yards of offense. Brock Glenn has struggled early, completing 4-of-5 passes for 12 yards. He has also rushed for -11 yards on three attempts. Trey Benson has only 3 yards rushing and Keon Coleman has 10 yards receiving.
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The defense for FSU has been lockdown as the Seminoles have 13 tackles, led by Akeem Dent with four. Jared Verse also has a sack on Louisville quarterback Jack Plummer. Dent and Kalen DeLoach both have a pass break up each.
Alex Mastromanno has stayed busy, recording 157 yards on four punts with a long of 47 yards.
FSU and Louisville are tied, 0-0, at the end of the first quarter.
Louisville to start with ball
Louisville calls tails and the flip is heads. FSU wins the toss and elects to defer to the second half.
It is 63 degrees in Charlotte under cloudy skies with a 30% chance of rain. Winds are blowing southsoutheast at 2 miles per hour.
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Freshman quarterback Brock Glenn likely to start vs. Louisville
Freshman Brock Glenn will likely start tonight against Louisville over Rodemaker. Both players are dressed, but Glenn took snaps with the first team while Rodemaker warmed up with the backups.
It'll be a true game-time decision from FSU and will end a 24-hour cycle in which it was unknown who would be starting the game as Rodemaker was reported to still be under concussion protocol.
More: Brock Glenn likely to start for Florida State football vs. Louisville in ACC Championship
Rodemaker, Glenn dressed with rest of QBs for warm-ups
FSU's quarterbacks have taken the field for warmups.
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Both Rodemaker and Glenn are dressed alongside AJ Duffy and Cade McNamara . It is still unknown who will be starting, but it is a good sign that Rodemaker is dressed.
Wide receiver Destyn Hill is dressed out for the first time since Nov. 4 against Pittsburgh . Wide receiver Hykeem Williams is dressed out for the first time since Oct. 21 against Duke.
Kickoff is in about an hour, according to the stadium clock.
Weather forecast for FSU vs. Louisville
It's 63 degrees under cloudy skies with no rain currently.
There's a 60% chance of rain, according to the National Weather Service.
The temperature is expected to stay in the mid to low 60s throughout the game.
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Winds are blowing at 3-miles per hour to the southeast and are expected to increase throughout the game.
FSU announces uniform combination for ACC Championship game
The Seminoles will be donning gold helmets with garnet jerseys and gold pants for its ACC Championship game against Louisville tonight. The Cardinals will be wearing all-white uniforms.
Quarterback Tate Rodemaker's status still up in the air
It is still unknown if FSU quarterback Tate Rodemaker will be playing tonight as he is undergoing concussion protocol. If he weren't to start, freshman Brock Glenn would take his place. Glenn has played in three games this season, completing 2-of-4 passes for 35 yards, and rushing for 37 yards and a touchdown.
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Rodemaker's father, Alan Rodemaker, said on a radio show earlier today that Rodemaker has a "50/50" chance to suit up for the ACC Championship for Florida State football. It is expected to be a game-time decision.
Rodemaker is currently warming up with the rest of the quarterbacks in preliminary warm-ups.
What time does FSU play today?
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When:8 p.m. Saturday, December 2
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Where:Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
What channel is FSU football vs. Louisville on today?
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TV: ABC (check local listings)
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Streaming: WatchESPN and the ESPN app (TV provider subscription needed), fuboTV (7-day free trial ), YouTube TV (2-week free trial), Hulu + Live TV (7-day free trial)
The ACC Championship Game between Florida State and Louisville can be seen on ABC. Joe Tessitore will be the play-by-play announcer with Jesse Palmer as analyst and Katie George as sideline reporter.
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Streaming options include fuboTV , which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
FSU-Louisville betting odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Thursday, November 30.
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Spread:FSU (-2.5)
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Over/under:47.5 points
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Moneyline:Louisville +115, FSU -135
FSU football schedule
| Date |
Opponent |
|---|---|
| Sunday, Sept. 3 |
vs. LSU (in Orlando): W 45-24 |
| Saturday, Sept. 9 |
vs. Southern Miss : W 66-13 |
| Saturday, Sept. 16 |
at Boston College*: W 31-29 |
| Saturday, Sept. 23 |
at Clemson*: W 31-24 (OT) |
| Saturday, Sept. 30 |
BYE |
| Saturday, Oct. 7 |
vs. Virginia Tech*: W 39-17 |
| Saturday, Oct. 14 |
vs. Syracuse*: W 41-3 |
| Saturday, Oct. 21 |
vs. Duke*: W 38-20 |
| Saturday, Oct. 28 |
at Wake Forest*: W 41-16 |
| Saturday, Nov. 4 |
at Pitt*: W 24-7 |
| Saturday, Nov. 11 |
vs. Miami*: W 27-20 |
| Saturday, Nov. 18 |
vs. North Alabama: W 58-13 |
| Saturday, Nov. 25 |
at Florida: W 24-15 |
| Saturday, Dec. 2 |
ACC Championship Game |
* ACC game
Louisville football schedule
| Date |
Opponent |
|---|---|
| Friday, Sept. 1 |
at Georgia Tech*: W 39-34 |
| Thursday, Sept. 7 |
vs. Murray State : W 56-0 |
| Saturday, Sept. 16 |
at Indiana : W 21-14 |
| Saturday, Sept. 23 |
vs. Boston College*: W 56-28 |
| Friday, Sept. 29 |
at NC State*: W 13-10 |
| Saturday, Oct. 7 |
vs. Notre Dame: W 33-20 |
| Saturday, Oct. 14 |
at Pitt*: L 38-21 |
| Saturday, Oct. 21 |
BYE |
| Saturday, Oct. 28 |
vs. Duke*: W 23-0 |
| Saturday, Nov. 4 |
vs. Virginia Tech*: W 34-3 |
| Thursday, Nov. 9 |
vs. Virginia: W 31-24 |
| Saturday, Nov. 18 |
at Miami*: W 38-31 |
| Saturday, Nov. 25 |
vs. Kentucky : L 38-31 |
| Saturday, Dec. 2 |
ACC Championship Game |
* ACC game
Jack Williams covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at jwilliams@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @jackgwilliams.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football vs Louisville score, updates from ACC Championship Game
