Florida State enters its first game under interim coach Rick Stockstill with the temperature already turned up.
Three days before the Seminoles meet Boston College, Stockstill is bracing for a bruising matchup and didn’t sugarcoat the tone he expects.
“It’s going to be a street fight,” Stockstill said on Wednesday.
He said the focus this week is less about fine-tuning and more about getting ready for the kind of game he believes is coming.
“Obviously as we get closer, there will be some schematically things that we’ve got to make sure we’re good at. These two days is to understand how tough and physical this game’s going to be.”
Florida State is coming off a 36-24 loss to Clemson, a defeat that pushed the program into a coaching change after a three-game losing streak. Mike Norvell was fired after that loss, and Stockstill has taken over in the interim.
Boston College, meanwhile, has already cleared last season’s win total with four victories, but it arrives off a rough outing of its own. The Eagles were overwhelmed from the opening whistle in a 47-2 loss to Duke on Halloween Day.
Even with the game in Boston College’s home stadium, Stockstill expects the challenge to be as much about mindset as scheme.
“Fans are not going to be cheering you and that’s the mental part,” Stockstill said.
“Anytime you go on the road, you’ve got to pack your toughness. Especially who you’re playing.
They pride themselves on physicality. Lunchbox mentality that they have.
They’re big, they’re physical, so we’ve got to bring our toughness.”
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