Desmond Reid racked up 200 yards from scrimmage, Ja’Kyrian Turner scored two rushing touchdowns and Pitt rallied for a 34-31 victory over a depleted, 25th-ranked Florida State team in Atlantic Coast Conference action Saturday afternoon in Tallahassee, Florida.
Reid, who missed the last two games with a lower-body injury, returned in epic fashion against the Seminoles. He finished with 155 yards on eight catches, 45 rushing yards and two receiving touchdowns.
After Florida State took a 24-21 lead with 5:41 left in the third quarter, the Panthers (4-2, 2-1 in ACC) scored the next 13 points. Turner had a 10-point game on a 3-yard touchdown run with 2:28 left.
The Seminoles (3-3, 0-3) got a touchdown on a 58-yard touchdown pass from Tommy Castellanos to Micahi Danzy with 1:45 left, but couldn’t get the play back and ran out the clock.
It was Florida State’s third straight loss after a 3-0 start that included a top-10 upset of Alabama. This is also their eighth straight ACC loss dating back to September 2024.
True freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel, making his first career road start, completed 21 of 29 passes for 321 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Panthers.
Losing two starting receivers and a starting tight end entering the game, then losing senior receiver Duce Robinson in the second quarter, Castellanos threw for 245 yards and three scores. Danzy had two of those touchdowns on a career-high 133 receiving yards.
The Panthers got off to a fast start, scoring touchdowns on their first two drives. Pitt capped an eight-minute opening drive that saw three fourth-down conversions with a 10-yard Turner touchdown run.
After Florida State tied it with a 1-yard touchdown run from Caziah Holmes, the Panthers regained the lead on a 24-yard catch by Reid with 14:21 left in the half.
The Seminoles tied the score again on a 33-yard pass from Castellanos to Danzy.
Heintschel, after a strong start, threw interceptions on each of Pitt’s consecutive possessions late in the first half.
Edwin Joseph’s second of those with 1:26 left set up a 7-play, 88-yard drive that ended with a 25-yard pass from Castellanos to Landen Thomas with six seconds left to give FSU a 21-14 halftime lead.
Pitt got a halftime stop, then tied the game at 21 on another Reid touchdown run, this one from 16 yards.
The teams traded field goals before Jake Butkowski put Pitt ahead for good with a 34-yard field goal with 7:15 left.
–Field level media
