University of Pittsburgh Athletics
11/11/2026 3:21:00 PM | Football
PITTSBURGH—Each week, as Pitt prepares for its next opponent, we'll look at what the other side is saying about the Panthers. Here's a snapshot of how Florida State is sizing up Pitt ahead of Friday night's matchup at Acrisure Stadium.
"Pack Your Toughness"
Florida State interim head coach Rick Stockstill expects the Seminoles to face a physical challenge on both sides of the ball.
"They're playing a young running back who's really dynamic," Stockstill said. "They're big and physical on both sides of the ball, and they're very solid in the kicking game."
Florida State enters the matchup following its first road victory since 2023, but Stockstill said the team's approach will remain unchanged.
"When you go on the road, you've got to pack your toughness," he said. "We've got to do that again this week and get ready for a very physical, tough football game."
"We're still demanding the same things, pushing them as hard as we can and making them realize the importance of every practice and every play. You have to play with relentless effort and toughness, especially going on the road."
Solving Pitt's Run Defense
Stockstill said Pitt's ability to stop the run begins with the variety and movement it creates near the line of scrimmage.
"They twist a lot," he said. "They give you a lot of different looks with their front seven. They're very multiple in their blitz schemes and coverages."
Although the Panthers' system is familiar, Stockstill believes its pressure packages can create confusion and produce negative plays.
"They haven't changed a whole lot, but the different pressures they give you create a little miscommunication up front, which enables them to get some tackles for loss," Stockstill said.
"That's why we have to do a great job communicating up front. They're very active. They're really good players, and they've got good size and length. What they do schematically presents a lot of potential problems for an offense."
Stopping the Run and Explosive Plays
Florida State interim defensive coordinator Ernie Sims identified two priorities for slowing Pitt's offense: controlling the running game and limiting explosive plays.
"They're going to try to establish the run," Sims said. "Defensively, we've got to do a really good job of stopping the run. It's really that simple."
The Seminoles will need to rally to the football against Pitt's physical rushing attack.
"We've got to make sure we have an extra guy to the ball, knock them back and prevent yards after contact," Sims said. "Obviously, they're going to try to create explosive plays. We've got to stop the run, eliminate the explosive plays, get off the field and get the ball back to the offense."
Sims also made it clear that Florida State does not intend to merely match Pitt's physicality.
"It ain't a matter of matching their physicality," he said. "It's our physicality. I emphasize several non-negotiables we have here at Florida State. One of those non-negotiables is violence on the ball. That is a standard at Florida State."
Stockstill's Return to Pittsburgh
Friday will bring Stockstill back to the stadium where he played Pitt during his senior season at Florida State in 1981.
That game came during a five-week road stretch in which the Seminoles visited Nebraska, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Pitt and LSU.
"To me, that was Coach Bowden: Go anywhere, play anybody, anytime," Stockstill said. "That's what Florida State had to do back then to build this brand and this program."
Florida State won three of those five games, but fell to a Pitt team that Stockstill remembers as loaded with talent and motivated by the Seminoles' victory in Tallahassee the year before.
"When we went to Pitt my senior year, they had a very talented team," Stockstill said. "They had some revenge on their mind from getting beat down there the year before. It was a really good football team."
"We didn't get it done, but there are a lot of good memories."
