Fans chanted "Fire Norvell" while filing out of Doak Campbell Stadium Monday night, capping a game where boos rang out for much of the second half, even during a fourth-quarter stretch when the score was tied. Norvell acknowledged hearing it directly. "You notice it," he said, "but at the end of the day, there's always going to be outside perspective."

Corey Clark noted Norvell is now 3-14 in his last 17 ACC games, and a separate national roundup grouped him with Baylor's Dave Aranda and Wisconsin's Luke Fickell among Week 1's biggest hot seat losers, all while his buyout still sits north of $46 million. A separate ACC power rankings shakeup dropped FSU to No. 15 nationally, while SMU, which needed a missed field goal and four FSU-forced turnovers just to escape Tallahassee, jumped to No. 3.

In his full postgame press conference, Norvell took ownership of the third-down failures and passing game struggles without pointing fingers, saying "it's player, it's coach, it's all of us" and that the breakdowns showed up "in all phases." He also confirmed FSU played most of the night without full in-helmet communication or replay access, conditions both sidelines agreed to just to get the game played.

Columnists were blunter. Corey Clark wrote FSU was "completely and thoroughly outplayed" despite the final score, while Andy Staples described the fanbase as stuck in "purgatory," rooting for their team while quietly relieved a bad win didn't push the buyout decision further down the road.

Sam LeJeune didn't hold back, calling the fans chanting "Fire Norvell" "punks" and saying Norvell "gave me the opportunity of a lifetime." Edge commit Jaxon Holly and defensive line pledge Meshi Dobson each separately said they understood the frustration but remain locked in, with Dobson noting he committed to FSU during a 5-7 season and isn't bailing now over one loss.

FSU has landed the No. 14, No. 20, and No. 12 national recruiting classes over the last three cycles despite the losing, and while the 2027 class currently sits at No. 30, Tuesday's reaction suggested the current commits are circling the wagons rather than reconsidering.

Ashton Daniels finished 12 of 23 for just 125 yards and posted one of PFF's lowest offensive grades on the night at 58.0, completing barely half his throws while holding the ball an average of 3.75 seconds before deciding, more than a shaky offensive line could consistently protect. SI's position-by-position review gave him a flat D, and a separate column noted he attempted just 20 passes through the first 59-plus minutes of the game, a jarring number against a defense that was selling out to stop the run.

Norvell was asked directly whether a change is coming and didn't rule it out, saying the staff will "evaluate all things," while noting junior college transfer Malachi Marshall has taken second-team practice reps each of the last two weeks.

Safety Ashlynd Barker was the game's highest-graded Seminole at 82.4, adding seven tackles and a fourth-quarter interception, while Ousmane Kromah topped the offense again with 116 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries for his second straight 100-yard game. Left tackle Xavier Chaplin also graded out well, allowing just two pressures across 31 pass-block opportunities.

The bottom of the list belonged to the pass rush and receiving corps. Edge rusher Jalen Anderson finished as the lowest-graded Seminole despite a team-high three pressures because none turned into a sack, right tackle Chimdia Nwaiwu was benched after allowing a sack and two pressures, and Micahi Danzy managed just two catches on four targets with a drop.

FSU finished 2 of 15 on third down and didn't convert its first attempt until deep into the third quarter, while SMU converted 8 of 14, including 6 of 10 pass attempts for 164 yards and two touchdowns. Through two games, FSU now ranks 132nd nationally out of 138 teams in third-down defense, allowing conversions on more than 58 percent of snaps.

Linebacker Omar Graham Jr., who tied for the team lead with nine tackles, put it on the players rather than the scheme. "They put us in the right position," he said. "We've just got to go execute."

SMU's first touchdown came on a busted coverage, with safety CJ Richard Jr. losing track of his assignment on a first-down play fake that let Jalen Cooper walk into a wide-open 50-yard score. FSU answered with its own turning point when Barker's fourth-quarter interception, off a well-read Kevin Jennings throw, gave the offense a shot at the lead.

That momentum died a few plays later on a third-and-10 sack that gave the ball right back, and SMU closed it out with a third-and-10 conversion to Dramekco Green that set up the game-winning field goal, a play where a blitzing linebacker got lost in coverage after a pre-snap motion.

Texas transfer Quintrevion Wisner, reportedly paid around $650,000 this offseason, was a healthy scratch in FSU's ACC opener as Ousmane Kromah and Samuel Singleton Jr. have both taken clear leaps in the backfield. It's the clearest sign yet that the depth-chart math never worked out the way the roster was built.

The bigger frustration ties back to the quarterback room. FSU also hosted Florida transfer DJ Lagway and UNLV transfer Anthony Colandrea last offseason before landing on Ashton Daniels, and both reportedly turned down what amounted to a low-ball offer in the $800,000 to $1 million range, while Lagway and Colandrea are now making roughly $2 million and $2 million to $2.5 million respectively elsewhere.

Wisner's $650,000 wouldn't have closed the full gap to a Lagway or Colandrea-level offer on its own, but it could have gotten FSU into a real negotiation instead of getting outbid without a fight, at the one position on the field where Monday's loss was actually decided.

With Kromah and Singleton combining for well over 200 yards from scrimmage against SMU, a healthy Wisner has been squeezed out of what was presumably supposed to be a three-man timeshare.

Four-star defensive line commit Sam LeJeune called himself "still an FSU commit through the thick and thin" after visiting for the SMU game on the heels of a trip to Cal over the weekend, adding that he wants to see the offense find another gear. Four-star Tallahassee receiver Bubba Brown made an unplanned trip and stayed through the first half before the power outage cut his night short, praising the staff for consistently checking in on him during visits.

Three-star Sarasota quarterback Hudson West made his second straight trip to Tallahassee and pointed to quarterbacks coach Austin Tucker as the reason he keeps coming back, while still evaluating a group of 10 to 15 schools overall.

FSU four-star athlete commit Za'Kari Johnson took an unofficial visit to Texas A&M over the weekend, and while a source described the Aggies as within striking distance, Johnson reportedly remains committed to FSU coming out of the trip, with an official visit to College Station likely the next step.

Vanderbilt receiver pledge Davion Crumitie, one of the fastest players in the country, was in Tallahassee for the SMU game as FSU continues trying to flip the Tallahassee native, while Armwood teammates Errol Demontagnac and Theo Wilson both backed out of planned FSU visits, with Demontagnac saying Nebraska's staff didn't want him taking the trip.

Auburn built early leads in the first two sets, closing them out 25-18 and 25-18, before FSU rallied to take the third set 25-16 behind a 6-3 opening run. The Tigers pulled away in the fourth, holding off a late push to close the match 25-18 and take it 3-1.

Senior Kyleene Filimaua led FSU with 14 kills, three aces, nine digs and two blocks, while freshman Sofia Moss added a team-high 11 digs and seven kills. Setters Emma Lilo and Callie Kieffer combined for 37 assists.

Shawn Coultoff carded a 2-under 73 in round two to sit tied for 10th at 2-under through 36 holes, the Seminoles' top finisher after his opening 67. Wilmer Edero shot the low round of the day for FSU, a 2-under 69 with six birdies that climbed him 21 spots up the leaderboard.

Carson Brewer improved to an even-par 71 with a pair of back-nine birdies, while Nils-Levi Bock followed his opening 72 with a 5-over 76.

Haruhi Nakatani closed round two with birdies on three of her final four holes for a 2-under 70, moving into a tie for third individually as FSU shot 2-over 290 to sit in third place at 2-over as a team, one stroke behind second-place Arizona and seven behind leader Kansas.

Freshman Louise Landgraf followed her opening round with a 1-under 71 in just her second-ever collegiate round, while Sophia Fullbrook battled through a rough middle stretch to post a 1-over 73 and stay in the top 10.

Ockene made 11 saves across two matches last week, including three in a comeback win at then-No. 25 Georgia and a season-best eight in a 1-1 draw against Rice, one shy of her career high. She's now made 18 saves on the season with a 3-1-1 record and two shutouts, and her 3.6 saves per game ranks second in the ACC through non-conference play.

Ockene finished last season as the College Cup's Defensive Most Outstanding Player, and this marks the first weekly conference honor of her career.

Arnold, the Athletics' No. 3 prospect and the No. 11 overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, was hit by a comebacker in the first inning of his 25th start for the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators and was taken to the hospital by the team's medical staff. He was replaced on the mound by Hayden Juenger, and the organization said it would provide updates as they become available.

Arnold starred at FSU from 2023 to 2025 and enters the injury with a 3.42 ERA and 130 strikeouts across 118 1/3 innings this season, ranking as MLB.com's No. 57 overall prospect.