Florida State left Saturday with something it has been hunting for: a little momentum, a little edge, and a lot more proof that the Seminoles can handle a bad start without letting the game slip away.
Mike Norvell liked what he saw in the 31-point win over Virginia, especially the way his team answered after falling behind early and then took over the night from there. Florida State finished by scoring the game’s final 38 points, and quarterback Ashton Daniels powered the surge with five rushing touchdowns.
“When you're at home, and it's not a secret ... we understand what everybody desires for it to look like, and there's frustrations when it doesn't," Norvell said Monday. "For us to start off the game that nobody in the stands or field wants it to look like.
When you're at home, you feel it all. The energy.
This is an incredible place to get to play, to get to coach, you feel the passion of our fan base.
"To be able to really hone in and through a couple disappointing drives ... the guys just continue to hammer away at it and I love that. That's something that's going to be needed Friday night, it's going to be needed throughout the course of the season and needed when start off, sitting there, 1-2 at beginning of the year."
Norvell said the sideline response mattered just as much as the scoreboard. Florida State didn’t wilt after the early deficit, and that was the part he wanted to see.
"When you stay focused, you can stay true to yourself and continue to pour into each other, that's what I want from the team," Norvell said, acknowledging he loved the sideline momentum he felt against Virginia.
Now comes a much tougher test, and a chance to keep building on that progress. Florida State visits Louisville on Friday night, and the Seminoles are trying to snap a rough road streak that has dragged on since beating Florida in 2023. They have lost 10 straight true road games.
The timing matters, too. CBS Sports reported last month that there is a path for Norvell to keep his job, but what happens in this stretch against Virginia, Louisville, Miami and Clemson could help decide it. Virginia is already behind Florida State, and the next three weeks can shape the rest of the season.
Norvell pointed to the way his players stayed together when things got rocky.
"When it's not looking good, you've got to feed off each and that's where I think our guys (are growing)," Norvell said.
Florida State is 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the ACC, and the next part of the schedule leaves little margin for error. After Louisville, the Seminoles travel to unbeaten, fourth-ranked Miami on Oct. 17, then get their open date before returning home to face Clemson.
A strong showing Friday would make the path to bowl eligibility look far more manageable. A stumble, with that remaining slate, would make the climb much steeper.
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