Offense can’t find rhythm as Pitt falls to Florida State on Senior Night
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Peyton Celesti | November 14, 2026
Pitt true freshman quarterback Corey Dailey, with his big arm and 6’6” frame, certainly showed flashes against the Florida State Seminoles as to why he was a four-star recruit on Friday night.
But for most of the night, the game seemed too fast for the young quarterback, and the run game couldn’t find enough consistency to support him as the Panthers couldn’t take advantage of plenty of Florida State mistakes, falling 16-10.
Pitt’s defense did plenty to keep the Panthers in the game, holding Florida State to just 260 yards of offense. With former Seminoles Head Coach Mike Norvell fired two weeks ago and an offense with injuries at various skill positions, Florida State was limping into the game.
But for Pitt, it’s been a season of what-ifs, as a season-ending injury to quarterback Mason Heintschel after starting 5-0 has triggered a domino effect of bad offensive performances that have cost the Panthers four of their last five games.
Backup quarterback Holden Geriner – despite his faults – has shown an ability to at least operate the Kade Bell offense as a 5th-year senior. But Geriner surprisingly landed on the injury report this week after a bye week, and a game-day decision gave Corey Dailey the second start of his very young career.
“It’s a tough situation to put a kid in,” Head Coach Pat Narduzzi said. “We thought Holden was going to be ready to go. He woke up this morning not feeling as good as we’d like him to be.”
Questions for Head Coach Pat Narduzzi after a #Pitt loss to Florida State:
“We just didn’t make enough plays”
@PaFootballNews https://t.co/fMuU5imuXT— Peyton Celesti (@PiratePeyton) November 14, 2026
Dailey looked like a quarterback who wasn’t expecting to start and was in the developmental stage of his career. His line reflected that: 16-34 for 157 yards, with one touchdown pass and an interception.
But the Panthers’ receivers didn’t do enough to help their young quarterback. Multiple dropped passes, including what could have been a go-ahead touchdown to Malik Knight on what was arguably Dailey’s best pass of the night, halted the passing game.
On a third-and-three in the middle of the fourth quarter around midfield, Knight ran a great double move, and Dailey launched it in stride, but for whatever reason, Knight didn’t reach his arms out for the football.
“No doubt about it,” Narduzzi said when asked if his receivers left plays on the field. “We didn’t run the ball well enough either. We got to help a young quarterback.”
A play later, Dailey would be sacked on fourth-and-three. That was Pitt’s last real chance to score, as the two final drives after Florida State’s field goal to take a 6-point lead didn’t find much momentum.
The Panthers were one-for-four on fourth down and struggled in short-yardage situations, a theme in their close losses this season. This is despite the return of starting running back Ja’Kyrian Turner. Turner led Pitt in receiving with seven catches for 41 yards and had the lone touchdown.
But Turner only ran for 44 yards on 12 carries, and freshman Damon Ferguson Jr. – who had seemingly taken control of the backfield two weeks ago against Georgia Tech with a monster performance that saw him rush 30 times – only saw seven carries for 32 yards.
Despite an ugly loss, the good news for Pitt is that their young quarterback, who may compete for a starting quarterback job in the future, got invaluable game experience.
“I’m blessed to get the opportunity [to play],” Dailey said. “Coming into the year, [I thought] I wasn’t going to play. I came here because I thought Kade [Bell] would develop me the best.”
As Dailey continues to learn, Pitt (6-4, 3-4) could certainly use a healthy Holden Geriner next week as they travel to play a solid Louisville team before ending the regular season at Cal.
QB Corey Dailey talks about his second start as a true freshman. #Pitt
@PaFootballNews https://t.co/GSCxByDgDt— Peyton Celesti (@PiratePeyton) November 14, 2026
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