No one has had a harder fall from grace than Florida State.

The Seminoles still haven’t hit rock bottom either, falling 52-3 to Notre Dame on Saturday night.

“Proud of those guys, proud of the way they prepared,” head coach Marcus Freeman said. “It could have been easy to overlook those guys in terms of preparation because of their track record. I truly believe in my heart that Saturday is a reflection of preparation.

Deep in their own zone, with less than two minutes until half time, the Irish were still searching. They had bursts of success, but combined a few three-and-outs, and it was still a 14-3 game in which Notre Dame was a 22-point favorite.

It looked like another drive had stalled, as kicker Mitch Jeter trotted out to attempt a long field goal. But when Florida State head coach Mike Norvell called a timeout in an attempt to freeze the kick, Freeman changed his mind. After the break, quarterback Riley Leonard and the offense came back, catching the Seminoles off guard when Leonard found Jordan Faison for a 22-yard pass up the middle.

Leonard followed up his fourth down with a perfect pass that found a fading Mitchell Evans in the back of the end zone for his first score of the season. Notre Dame went into the locker room down 21-3 at halftime and the defense rolled against a struggling Seminole offense.

“You can’t look at the score,” Freeman said. “It’s a privilege to play in this place… it’s a privilege to play for this university. Our audience was very special. It’s a little different, a night game at Notre Dame Stadium.

The Irish defense continued their dominant performance in the second half. Rylie Mills used a rushing attack to get off the line and finish off quarterback Brock Glenn for his third sack of the game. With 16 yards needed for a first down, Glenn pushed too hard, and Jordan Clark read the pass perfectly for his first interception of the year.

“You have to be strong in the middle,” Freeman said. “Rylie achieved some individual glory today. But a lot of people contributed to Rylie getting those bags. If you play well and things go your way, you will be recognized.”

Leonard didn’t waste field position, hitting Jaden Greathouse on a screen that extended 20 yards to the Seminoles’ 10-yard line. The quarterback ran into the end zone for a six-yard touchdown on the next play.

The Seminoles finally seemed to find some success when Samuel Singleton Jr. overwhelmed the defense and exploded up the middle for a 27-yard gain. But any momentum quickly disappeared as Donovan Hinish picked up his second sack of the game and Jaylen Sneed forced a turnover on downs with a fourth-down sack.

After starting the game 10-for-21, Leonard placed a perfect back-shoulder fade on Jayden Harrison for 26 yards. After the pitch, Earl Leonard Jr. hit of Florida State Leonard high and cost the Seminoles another 15 yards. After the roughing the passer penalty, Notre Dame was in the red zone, but the drive stalled after a sack and an incompletion that deflected Faison’s hands into the end zone. Jeter knocked in the field goal to extend the lead to 31-3.

On the next Irish drive, Jeremiyah Love flashed his hands and made a juggling catch for 13 yards. Greathouse stayed involved on offense and forced a defensive pass interference call, then followed it up with a highlight-reel catch on a fade down the right sideline for 26 yards. Love capped the drive with a touchdown in his ninth straight game, extending the score to 38-3.

“The sign of great teams is consistency,” Freeman said. “I challenged them at halftime to be consistent.”

Backup quarterback Steve Angeli came in to start the fourth quarter. He went 3-for-3 on the 33-yard drive and capped it with a seven-yard pass to Deion Colzie for a touchdown.

To make matters worse, Glenn threw an interception to Luke Talich, who returned the ball 79 yards for a pick-six, making the score 52-3.

The Irish looked fresh after a bye week and exploded out of the gate. Leonard found Aneya’s Williams in the flat, and the running back carried him 28 yards down the field. Then Leonard broke through FSU defenders for a 34-yard touchdown run. Jeter added the extra point.

When Florida State got the ball, it did not march down the field at the same pace, but made it into scoring range with some Irish help. Facing fourth down, Jordan Clark committed offside and held penalties, extending the drive. The Seminoles found themselves in another fourth-down situation, with Ja’Khi Douglas converting on a wild swing. But Notre Dame’s defense held firm, forcing Glenn to roll out repeatedly, resulting in a Ryan Fitzgerald field goal after seven minutes of possession.

Both teams struggled to move the ball through the remainder of the first quarter, but after four consecutive punts, the Irish finally got something going.

Anthony Knapp, returning after suffering an injury earlier in the game, set up a double team, allowing Jadarian Price to break through for a 65-yard touchdown run.

Notre Dame’s defense continued to dominate after FSU’s opening drive, with the defensive front applying consistent pressure. Mills added back-to-back sacks to force another Seminole punt.

Florida State’s defense settled down after Price’s score, but Leonard finally found a rhythm in the air. He hit a leaping Harrison for a 21-yard gain. The drive finally stopped when Azareye’h Thomas disrupted a catch attempt by Harrison.

Notre Dame’s special teams also impressed, given the frequency of FSU punts. Adon Shuler got a hand on a punt, which rolled just 26 yards, putting the Irish almost in midfield.

Top field position didn’t amount to much, however, as three consecutive runs inside the FSU 30-yard line set up a 42-yard Jeter attempt that sailed wide left.

Notre Dame returns to action for its final home game of 2024, hosting Virginia at 3:30 p.m.