PITTSBURGH — Florida State provided Pittsburgh a glimpse of what it will take to rise to the top of the ACC.

The road — as evidenced by the way the 11th-ranked Seminoles dominated at times in a 41-13 victory on Monday night — will be a long one. Still, the Panthers believe they may already be on the path thanks to a couple of eye-opening performances by true freshmen Tyler Boyd and James Conner.

Boyd was arguably the best player in a blue jersey at Heinz Field in his college debut, making something happen each time he touched the ball. The speedy 6-foot wide receiver ran for 54 yards on three carries, caught two passes for 26 yards and came within one shoestring tackle of returning a kickoff for a touchdown.

Not bad for a kid who feared he would have trouble making an immediate impact against one of the nation’s top defenses.

“I thought it was going to be really tough,” Boyd said. “But I expected too much, I guess.”

Asked if he should get more touches going forward, Boyd didn’t hesitate.

“Definitely,” Boyd said. “I did everything I could do, but I could have made more plays. I guess I made enough plays to do all right, to do good.”

So did Conner, who may have provided some stability in a backfield that remains very much in flux. The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder from Erie, Pa., churned his way for 34 yards on nine carries, impressing his teammates with his energy and determination.

“I was more nervous than anything,” Conner said. “But my teammates ... I have faith in all of them.”