Brown runs for 235 yards as Louisville rallies past Florida State 44-20

Isaac Brown ran for 235 yards and two touchdowns as Louisville erased a 14-point deficit and beat Florida State 44-20 on Friday night. The Cardinals finished with 397 rushing yards, and all six of their touchdowns came on the ground.

Brown's 97-yard touchdown in the second quarter changed the game. Florida State had just failed on fourth-and-goal, leaving Louisville backed up at its own 3. Brown took the next play the length of the field, cutting the deficit to 14-7 with 9:16 left before halftime. Louisville's official account called it the longest play in program history.

That swing arrived after Florida State had controlled the opening quarter. Ashton Daniels scored on a 7-yard run, then found Micahi Danzy for a 25-yard touchdown. The Seminoles had a chance to add to their lead before the fourth-down stop gave Brown his opening.

Louisville kept the response going. Marquise Davis scored from 3 yards with 3:21 left in the second quarter, bringing the teams into halftime tied at 14. The Cardinals then scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the second half, both on short Lincoln Kienholz runs.

Brown also helped Louisville take its first lead with a 72-yard kickoff return to open the third quarter, the Courier Journal reported. Kienholz's 3-yard score followed, and his 1-yard touchdown with 8:06 remaining in the quarter made it 28-14.

Braxton Jennings added a 44-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Louisville had scored 35 consecutive points, turning a difficult opening into a three-touchdown advantage. Jennings finished with 49 yards on three carries; Davis had 56 on nine.

Florida State finally answered with Daniels' 2-yard touchdown pass to Danzy at 8:30 in the fourth. The two-point conversion failed. Less than a minute later, Brown broke free again, this time for a 68-yard touchdown that pushed the lead to 41-20 after a blocked extra point.

Brown needed 17 carries for his 235 yards. Kienholz supplied two rushing touchdowns and 40 yards while completing 11 of 15 passes for 140 yards without an interception. Louisville gained 537 total yards and committed no turnovers, giving its running game room to determine the evening.

Daniels completed 21 of 37 passes for 209 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Danzy caught both touchdown passes and finished with four receptions for 50 yards. Ousmane Kromah led Florida State with 88 rushing yards, but the Seminoles finished with 362 total yards and went scoreless through the middle two quarters.

The result leaves both teams 3-3. Louisville is 2-2 in ACC play and travels to Syracuse on October 17. Florida State falls to 1-2 in the conference and goes to Miami the same day. The Cardinals' comeback ended a two-game losing streak, with Brown's two long runs giving them the separation that had been missing in their recent close defeats.