When Florida State takes the field Friday night against Louisville, the Seminoles will be the team carrying momentum into the game for the first time in ages.

The Seminoles are coming off back-to-back wins for only the second time since the perfect 12-0 2023 season. The 34-7 win over Central Arkansas was expected.

Last week's win was a different story. The 38-7 victory over Virginia gave the Seminoles their first statement win since beating Alabama to open the 2025 season.

Although there were still areas to clean up, it was the kind of performance Mike Norvell and Tony White needed to quiet some critics and show that practice may finally be translating to the field.

“If we take care of us, I believe this can be a really good and dominant football team,” Norvell said.

Florida State will now look to build even more momentum against a 2-3 Louisville team fighting to keep the wheels from falling off after back-to-back losses to NC State and Wake Forest.

To do so, the Seminoles are going to have to snap a 1,070-day ACC road losing streak. Their last road victory against a ACC team under Norvell was a 24-7 win over Pitt on Nov. 4, 2023.

For the Seminoles to secure their first road win in over 1,000 days they need two things: Ashton Daniels to show he can make plays with his arm as well as his feet, and the defense must treat Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz the same way it treated Beau Pribula.

Daniels needs his arm, not his legs, to be on display.

Last week against Virginia, Daniels put his athleticism on full display, rushing for all five of Florida State’s touchdowns. He led the Seminoles with 136 rushing yards on 14 carries, averaging 8 yards per attempt.

A performance like that is impossible to ignore.

Florida State should expect the Cardinals’ defense to stack the box and force the Seminoles to beat them through the air rather than on the ground.

A stacked box would allow Daniels to prove he can beat a defenses through the air.

Louisville’s co-defensive coordinators understand that Florida State’s biggest offensive struggles have come in the passing game. The Seminoles rank 77th in passing yards per game, are tied for 102nd in passing touchdowns per game, and rank 120th in pass completions.

If the Noles are going to win, Daniels will need to prove that he can carry the team with his arm as well as his legs.

In Louisville’s two wins this season, Kienholz stayed upright and made plays throughout the game. In the Cardinals’ three losses, however, he got sacked 10 times. If the Noles can consistently get into the backfield as they did against Pribula, whom they sacked 10 times, they should disrupt Louisville’s passing attack and protect a secondary that has been their biggest weakness.

“Their 500 yards of offense, 40 points a game,” White said. “Their quarterback can throw it, and he can run it.”

Florida State’s defense is tied for 24th in rushing touchdowns allowed per game (0.8) and ranks 44th in rushing yards allowed per game (119.2). By comparison, it is tied for 98th in passing touchdowns allowed per game and ranks 127th in passing yards allowed per game.

Kienholz, who has been brilliant at times, will look to exploit the secondary and take the top off the defense. If he finds success, Norvell could find himself right back on the hottest seat in America.

A win for Florida State could come down to generating consistent pressure on Kienholz and Daniels proving he can deliver through the air. If both happen, the Seminoles should leave Louisville with another win.

If neither happens, the Noles could find themselves searching for answers again as they head to South Beach.