FSU football's winners and losers from ACC opening loss

Florida State had every opportunity to steal a marquee ACC win Monday night. The SMU Mustangs refused to let the Seminoles finish the job .

The No. 19 Mustangs overcame four turnovers, including two interceptions from quarterback Kevin Jennings and a muffed punt that Florida State recovered deep in SMU territory, to escape Doak Campbell Stadium with a 27-24 victory on Nick Reed's 20-yard field goal with 21 seconds remaining. FSU forced two fumbles and two interceptions, yet turned those four takeaways into only seven points.

Here are the biggest winners and losers from Florida State's ACC-opening loss.

Kromah continues to look like the centerpiece of Florida State's offense.

The sophomore followed his 115-yard performance against New Mexico State by setting a new career high with 116 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. His 54-yard run in the second quarter set up a field goal, while his six-yard touchdown in the third tied the game at 17. Kromah became the first FSU player with consecutive 100-yard rushing games since Trey Benson in 2022.

Two interceptions cannot erase 430 passing yards allowed and several busted coverages.

Jennings consistently found explosive plays against the Seminoles, including touchdown passes of 50 and 79 yards. SMU finished with four receivers over 70 yards and averaged 8.7 yards per offensive play despite turning the ball over four times.

Winner: Florida State's ability to create turnovers

FSU's defense had plenty of problems, but generating takeaways was not one of them.

Quindarrius Jones forced and recovered a fumble on SMU's opening possession, Nehemiah Chandler intercepted Jennings in the end zone, Gemari Sands recovered a muffed punt and Ashlynd Barker added another fourth-quarter interception. Four takeaways should normally be enough to put a team in position to win.

The frustrating part for Florida State was what happened afterward.

One problem from the New Mexico State game followed Florida State directly into Week 1.

The Seminoles finished an ugly 2-for-15 on third down, repeatedly forcing their defense back onto the field and failing to capitalize on SMU mistakes. The contrast was significant, with the Mustangs converting 8 of 14 third downs.

FSU had four extra possessions created by turnovers and still managed only 324 total yards.

The contrast between these programs has become increasingly difficult to ignore.

Entering Monday night, SMU was 14-2 in ACC regular-season play since joining the conference in 2024, while Florida State was 3-13 over that same two-season span. The Mustangs' victory moved those records to 15-2 for SMU and 3-14 for FSU since the start of 2024.

The loss also dropped Norvell to 22-27 in ACC play during his Florida State tenure and marked FSU's third consecutive loss in a conference opener.