‘We’re not where we want to be… we can’t stay where we are:’ Norvell’s Seminoles fall to 1-9, the only FSU second-ranked team ever to do so

Florida State lost its ninth game of the season on Saturday in its 52-3 rout Notre Dame matches the program’s worst ever margin of defeat as well as sets a new low for a top ten team record at 10 games.

FSU managed to score on its opening drive, just the fourth time this season it had done so, but failed to record any points — let alone touchdowns — the rest of the game. The Fighting Irish, who led just 7-3 after the first quarter, scored 45 unanswered points as the Seminoles suffered another loss at Notre Dame Stadium.

“ We had opportunities; I thought there were moments where we had space, but we weren’t able to finish plays,” head coach Mike Norvell said after the loss, the ninth game this season in which FSU failed to score 20 points. “Of course we all expect better from our football team. We understand that this is not acceptable.”

The Seminoles (1-9, 1-8 ACC) will have a bye week before facing Charleston Southern (1-9) — an FCS team — on Nov. 23, with a kickoff time still to be determined.

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FSU head coach Mike Norvell: Notre Dame press conference postgame video, transcript

Transcript edited, condensed in some areas for clarity and readability

MIKE NORVELL: Disappointing performance, result – really all three phases were beaten. They did a good job executing their game plan, making explosive plays and we lacked them offensively. We gave up too many TFLs. Third downs were again a challenge for us. We had opportunities and I thought there were moments of space, but we weren’t able to finish games. Defensively, we gave up explosive plays.

I thought their quarterback did a good job of extending plays. We knew he was a talented runner coming in and he had times where he hurt us with his legs and they were able to make some big plays in the passing game.

On punt, it’s probably the worst performance we’ve had. A few things allowed schematic pressure and we got beat in one-on-one situations. It has been a unit that has been a strength for us, but tonight was not good enough. It hurt in all three phases – a really disappointing result. For our football team, we all expect better and we all understand that this is not acceptable for what it should be and what it has been in the very recent past. We have to get better and keep working.

Many young players got a chance to play tonight and many have been forced into the lineup. We’ve had several guys go down with injuries and we’re really getting some depth. A few more went down tonight, adding to the challenges. But it opens the door for others to come in, show where they are, and spark continued opportunities with the few games we have left in the season.

Q: The way the last three games have gone, what kind of things can you tell the boys to keep them motivated when so many things are going wrong?

MIKE NORVELL: Focus on only the work and the improvement. The results are not what anyone wants, but we are all part of it – coaches, players, everyone. If you pull back and stop, you stay exactly where you are. But if you push forward, if you take a terrible result and work to make a correction, then the door of opportunity is there for you.

There are plenty of times in life when you don’t get the result you want, but you are where you are. The choices you make, what you are willing to invest and who you are willing to do it with can allow you to get out of that situation. We are in a bad place with the results we have seen but we still have an opportunity with a lot of young players and even older guys playing in their last games.

I want to see them put everything on the line, be the best they can be and put themselves in position for a better result with the opportunities we have.

Q: I know we’ve talked to both quarterbacks and they’ve said they’re in the two-QB system and going back and forth, but I think tonight may have had the most turnover between them. How do you talk to them to make sure the frequent shifts don’t affect their confidence or performance on and off the field?

MIKE NORVELL: Ultimately, you get opportunities to go out there, perform and complete the tasks. We’ve had those guys provide sparks and positive drives, and we were looking for that tonight. There were some good individual plays, but we just didn’t get the consistency we need from any of them. It’s a really good defense we’re going up against.

I won’t downplay the challenges the young quarterbacks have faced. They are real. When I evaluate them, I look at what they can control, how they function and perform. They could do everything right and it might not be a positive play. But if there is room for improvement, that is my expectation.

There have been good moments for them as young quarterbacks, but tonight was not good for either of them. There are things they need to learn from and continue to improve.

Q: With both young quarterbacks feeling a lot of pressure and taking a lot of sacks the last few weeks, are you worried about them picking up bad habits or long-term consequences?

MIKE NORVELL: Some of it is about taking the work week, the things you’re asked to do, and sometimes there are opportunities to get the ball out, but other times there aren’t many chances because of pressure or lack of separation, forcing you to hold the ball. These guys have been pushed into the lineup early in their careers, and it’s been a challenging year for all offensive positions.

It all has to work together. These guys need to focus on things they can do and areas they can grow. Confidence is built through work and they work extremely hard to prepare for these games and try to put us in the best position when they get these moments. I know they will continue to grow through these experiences.

Q: Sometimes you try to steal an extra possession towards the end of the first half. Can you walk us through the use of these two timeouts and then the extra-man-on-the-court play?

MIKE NORVELL: We knew we were going to get the ball back in the second half, so we tried to give ourselves a chance to get an extra drive. That was the purpose of the first timeout. They converted and kept the drive going, then they sent out their field goal unit and we called a timeout to try to set up a possible block.

Then they brought their offense back and we had two offensive players on the field and we didn’t get the communication to get them both away. They converted on 4th and 10 to keep the drive going and they scored on the next play. A terrible result for what should have been a calculated opportunity to gain another possession. You try to put your guys in the best position. We haven’t done well offensively, and I know we haven’t been a good offense, but you think about the possibility of a drive or a run. We’ve had moments and it didn’t work out the way we wanted.

Q: It seems like these last few games haven’t been lopsided for a while – it’s been like a 10-point game maybe into the second half and then things start to snowball. Do you sense it while it’s happening, or do you have any thoughts as to why it happened?

MIKE NORVELL: There have been different things. We’ve turned the ball over to situations where you’re trying to be aggressive as the clock ticks down, trying to get a quick score, and it goes up if you’re not successful. They get the ball back faster. They had the special teams punt block, a few different things and the pick-six. It snowed there at the end.

It’s not something you just say to the guys. I watch the effort and they try to play but at the end of the day we’re just not able to finish in those moments and it got away from us at the end.

Q: With the pressure they’ve had on punts, you mentioned some things in your opening statement. Can you go into what happened schematically and what they did that you guys weren’t able to counter?

MIKE NORVELL: They overloaded us on one where we needed a cleaner check for their overload. The first block was schematically clean and then on the last one they had an extra guy off the edge we had to cover. They had a third player with them and we didn’t get the necessary check for that look. It’s not the first time we’ve seen that look, but it’s something we need to improve. It has been a strength for our team. We knew this team was aggressive with punt pressure and rebounding, but they did a good job of what they did and we have to be better in our protection.

Q: You have an extra week of bye coming up. What is the first thing that comes to mind when you reflect on what you want with this program?

MIKE NORVELL: That’s all – every moment I think about where we need to improve, what we need to do and what we need to improve. Over the course of a game, I will see improvements. After the game I think about the results and the way the season has gone and the result of what I feel right now.

Yes, it is instant. I have the same feelings and reaction. I pour everything into wanting one option. But I care about these players and make sure I meet them when they need to grow. It’s tough on them, tough on our fan base, tough on our program and administration. We use everything we have to get a positive result. I want these players to experience what I want for our football program, and I’ve thought about that every moment since I got here five years ago.

That’s not going to change. We haven’t lived up to our expectations and circumstances have made it more challenging, but I think about it all the time and in everything I do.

Q: Offensively, the opening drive was probably your best, as that mod Georgia Tech. What was the offense able to do on that drive that didn’t translate later?

MIKE NORVELL: We went on some good runs together. I thought our guys did a good job of getting the ball to the rim a couple of times and we had a couple of explosive plays. We had a fourth down conversion, which was good. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to finish in the red zone, but I think there were flashes of ability.

You have a scripted set, but sometimes you go away from it to see what you see early on. Throughout the game there are still opportunities and sometimes you see the space, the chance to play. We have to give them credit – they did a good job and they have good players, especially defensively. They have been solid throughout the season.

They don’t give up big plays, maybe four on the season of 30 yards or more, so you have to keep the long drives and execute, which was a challenge for us all night.

Q: Have you thought about what to do this week considering it’s the third bye and the whole team has been through? Can you tell how you will handle the next few days?

MIKE NORVELL: We will meet tomorrow, lift, watch the video, make corrections and meet with different groups, both positionally and as an overall approach. Monday will be their day off. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we have changed our practice. Our guys have been beaten up physically and many have barely practiced this week just to get on the field. I am grateful for that.

Some need to get their bodies in the best possible shape for the next matches. We will have developmental internships for young guys to help them grow, giving them the opportunity to work on communication, technique and fundamentals. We will also hold individual meetings to connect on what is needed going forward.

We are not where we want to be with our results, but we cannot stay where we are. Everyone must be willing to take ownership and positive steps towards growth, individually and collectively. Whether it’s a freshman who hasn’t played yet or a fifth-year senior, we go out with an expectation of growth and improvement.