TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Malik Cunningham had four touchdowns -- two passing and two rushing -- as Louisville held off Florida State's second-half rally, 31-23, in the Cardinals' Atlantic Coast Conference opener Saturday afternoon.
Cunningham now has eight rushing touchdowns, two in each game for Louisville (3-1, 1-0). He completed 25 of 39 passes for 264 yards and ran 14 times for 56 yards.
The Seminoles trailed 31-7 with 1:49 to halftime but gradually chipped away at Louisville's lead in the second half, trimming the deficit to 31-23 on Ryan Fitzgerald's 45-yard field-goal with 8:40 left.
But the Seminoles' rally fell short when McKenzie Milton's downfield pass was picked off by Louisville's Kei'Trel Clark with 48 seconds left.
The Seminoles have not opened 0-4 in a season since 1974, two years before coaching legend Bobby Bowden arrived.