The Florida State Seminoles’ 2025 season has gone from a meteoric rise to crashing back down to earth over the last three weeks. The Noles fell again on Saturday, this time 34-31 to Pitt at home, to mark their third straight loss that drops them to 3-3 and 0-3 in ACC play.

FSU’s latest loss was particularly hard to swallow. It’s one thing to lose to Miami, arguably the best team in the country. It’s another to allow 34 points and almost 400 yards of offense to a freshman quarterback, which is what the suddenly generous Noles defense did with Pitt QB Mason Heintschel.

It was an inexcusable loss that had Mike Norvell putting blame on a lack of communication on the defensive side of the ball after the game and using words like “urgency” and “relentless”. And it was a loss that had former FSU cornerback Bryant McFadden at his wits end on CBS Sports after the game.

"A true freshman came into Doak and put up 34 points and 400 yards of total offense. It ain't got nothing to do with talent."

Former Seminole @BMac_SportsTalk goes off after FSU's loss to Pitt pic.twitter.com/EBIkyROCwB

— CBS Sports College Football ? (@CBSSportsCFB) October 11, 2025

Former FSU CB Bryant McFadden sounded off on the program after the loss to Pitt

“When I played at Florida State, even after I got drafted to Pittsburgh – and Damian, you can kind of attest to this – I was afraid to mess up,” McFadden said. “If I missed a tackle in the first quarter, I’m afraid that I might not play again or get cursed out in front of everybody. If I missed a tackle, if I didn’t have proper containment, if I got beat deep, oh no, I don’t even want to go to the sideline because I know who was waiting for me.

“I know it’s a different day and age in terms of coaching football. I could care less. You set the standard for what you will allow, and never allow something in a win you won’t allow in a loss. That’s the thing, because when you win, sometimes you allow certain things that, ‘ooh, we’re not really going to harp on that.’ Never something in a win that you won’t allow in a loss. These are [inexcusable] issues. Once again, a true freshman came into Doak and put up 34 points and almost 400 yards of total offense. It ain’t got nothing to do with talent.”

McFadden’s comments are tough but completely fair, and it appears they’re directed squarely at the man in charge of the program. The message is clearly one about accountability, particularly during the game.

Of course, McFadden, who was at FSU from 2000-04, played during an era where Florida State’s defense annually contained some of the greatest players in the country. It’s becoming clearer by the week how far this group is from those days, which isn’t too surprising coming off a 2-10 season, even in the transfer portal era.

But McFadden’s words ring true about what you are willing to allow, and that’s squarely a matter of culture and discipline. Norvell talked after the game about an apparent lack of communication and, it seemed, a lack of intensity when it came to lane discipline and run defense. That’s something he can control as far as making players accountable for their mistakes and creating an environment that centers on discipline and personal responsibility for one’s mistakes on Saturdays.

From the product on the field and the comments from Norvell and Bryant, it doesn’t seem like that’s in place in year 6 in Tallahassee for the former. And if that culture isn’t in place now, it likely isn’t ever going to be.