FSU football's nightmarish season continues, loses to Clemson 36-24

Florida State football's nightmareish season continued with a 36-24 loss to Clemson in Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 31, extending the program's losing streak to three games.With fans in costumes in the stands and festivities outside the stadium, FSU offered up little tricks or treats in another defeat for the program and head coach Mike Norvell, facing scorching pressure from the fanbase. So much so that a plane with a banner calling for his removal was flown around the stadium pregame.The loss means Norvell is now 1-5 against Dabo Swinney and Clemson as head coach with FSU. The Seminoles (3-5, 1-4 ACC) are also 10-22 dating back to the start of the 2024 season.Tiger quarterback Tait Reynolds threw for a pair of touchdowns and 189 yards. He added 85 rushing yards and a score. Ashton Daniels finished the night with three interceptions, a fumble, and 350 passing yards and two touchdowns.Here are three takeaways from the loss.Ashton Daniels's late surge can't wipe away three turnovers Daniels turned the ball over four times, fittingly handing them out to the Tigers' defense like Halloween candy. He threw a pair of interceptions into double coverage in the first half and coughed up a fumble late in the third quarter on a fourth-down attempt when FSU was in the red zone, aiming to cut into a 26-10 deficit. He had reached the line to gain, but Derian Mayo stripped him, and the ball fell into the grateful hands of Jahiem Lawson. In the fourth quarter, he came up with two touchdowns, one through the air, a 41-yard strike to Jasen Lopez, and one on the ground, a 13-yard scamper. However, with the ball on the nine-yard line late in the fourth, he threw his third interception, which ended the game. Daniels was sacked four times, and critically, wasn't allowed success running the football until late in the fourth quarter. FSU's offense operates at its best when he can run, and the Tigers kept him quiet until his 13-yard touchdown run that cut the score to 29-18 after a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter. Wounded FSU offense mostly stuck in neutralDaniels and the slow offensive start weren't aided by a run game that never got going. Without Ousmane Kromah and Samuel Singleton Jr., the rushing attack was always going to struggle. Tre Wisner and Daniels struggled against the Clemson front seven. FSU rushed for 2.2 yards per carry and finished with a season-low 65 total rushing yards. The Seminoles offense had such a slow start that it took four drives to record a first down, which came on a generous pass interference call. The offense did cash in on the next play as Daniels uncorked a 46-yard touchdown pass to Micahi Danzy. It was the biggest, and arguably the only play of note in the first half. FSU recorded 133 yards in the first half, with 98 through the air and 35 on the ground. The Seminoles finished the night with 415 and went 1-of-10 on third down. Misery was compounded when Duce Robinson left the game in the third quarter with an undisclosed injury. He remained on the sidelines and was moving gingerly, but never returned to the game.A long Halloween Night for FSU's defenseClemson's offense was one of the worst in the ACC entering the game, but it didn't stop the Tigers from scoring the most points against a Power 4 team, and second most this season. 37 was the Tigers' best, coming against Charleston Southern. The Tigers finished the night with 351 yards and split yardage with 189 through the air and 162 on the ground. Reynolds threw for two touchdown passes in the first half, the same amount Clemson had thrown for in its first seven games of the season. His biggest play of the night, however, came in the fourth quarter when he turned a third-and-12 near-sack into a 79-yard touchdown scramble, which served as the dagger.The Seminoles defense wasn't aided by the pedestrian display from the offense, which often resulted in punts deep inside FSU territory and gave the Tigers good field position. Even with the defense holding the Tigers to five field goals, kicker Noaln Hauser drilled all of them, with a long of 50. Even with Clemson's woes on offense, the Seminoles' defense was unable to take advantage.Florida State football schedule 2026(Current Record 3-5, 1-4 ACC)vs. New Mexico State | 34-17 Wvs. SMU* | 27-24 LByeat Alabama | 50-36 Lvs. Central Arkansas | 34-7 Wvs. Virginia* | 38-7 Wat Louisville* | 44-20at Miami* | 43-35 L 2OTByevs. Clemson* | 36-24 Lat Boston College* | Nov. 7at Pittsburgh* | Nov. 13vs. NC State* | Nov. 21vs. Florida | Nov. 27Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney.This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football's nightmarish season continues, loses to Clemson 36-24