Florida State set to host Louisville in unranked matchup

Oct 19, 2017 - 3:08 PM TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Early in the season, Florida State vs. Louisville looked like a showdown with College Football Playoff implications, featuring a pair of Heisman-hunting quarterbacks.

Now, not so much.

These two unranked teams meet Saturday just looking to begin to salvage what's left of their disappointing seasons.

Florida State (2-3, 2-2 ACC) started the season ranked No. 3, but the Seminoles lost their opener to No. 1 Alabama -- and lost their star quarterback Deondre Francois (knee) for the season in the process. The Seminoles have struggled since then, losing to Miami and North Carolina State, and barely beating Wake Forest and Duke.

Louisville (4-3, 1-3) began the season ranked No. 16, fueled by reigning Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Lamar Jackson, but the Cardinals were waxed by Clemson, thumped by N.C. State and then lost a stunner at home last weekend against Boston College for their second straight defeat.

Boston College, which came into the game as 21-point underdogs, had been 0-3 in the ACC before the victory.

"Every team in America has adversity, and certainly, we're going through that right now, and it will make us stronger, and it will make us better," Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said Monday.

"The Green Bay Packers lost their quarterback, Clemson got beat. That's part of what this game is supposed to teach young men. ... Stick to it, believe in it, keep getting better, have a great work ethic, and show mental toughness."

Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher delivered a similar message about resilience in the face of adversity.

"(Beating Duke was a) nice win on the road, getting better," Fisher said of the 17-10 victory against the Blue Devils last Saturday. "But at the same time, we had to finish more. Should have been 34, 37 points on the board. Still got to equate into points, and we gotta translate that and that's the next step. But I think we're headed in the right direction."

The next step would be exacting revenge against Louisville and Jackson, who embarrassed Florida State 63-20 a year ago. In that game, Jackson rushed for four touchdowns and threw for another, amassing 362 total yards in what ended up being the worst loss in Fisher's eight-year tenure with the Seminoles.

Fisher swore last year's defeat wasn't on his mind as he headed into practice this week.

"That game's over with. Different team, different place," Fisher said. "You know what they're capable of. You know (Jackson) is the most dynamic player in college football. They're well coached; they do a great job. You don't take any of that personally.

"If you take it personally, then it gets in your head, and then you can't play; you make bad decisions. You've got to play the game with the team you have right now, with the team they have. They had a great game; they got us. OK? Let's line up and play this week."

NOTES: Florida State RB Cam Akers finished with 15 carries for 115 yards against Duke, carrying the ball three less times than starter Jacques Patrick. Patrick is not as fast as Akers, and if there is one player who can burn the Louisville defense Saturday, it's Akers. ... Louisville QB Lamar Jackson has passed for 2,322 yards and 16 touchdowns and rushed for 690 yards and 10 touchdowns in the first seven games of the season. ... Florida State versatile DB Derwin James is rated as the No. 4 prospect for 2018 by NFLDraftScout.com. He leads the team in tackles with 29.