Florida State gets a chance to flip the script in Week 5.
The Seminoles are 2-2 through four games, a record that hasn’t exactly calmed any nerves around the program. The preseason expectations were already modest, and the early stretch has only reinforced the sense that this team still has work to do. Florida State has dealt with issues in the portal and with developing its returning players, and those problems have shown up in the results.
Even so, there’s still a live opportunity in front of Mike Norvell’s group, and it comes with a little edge to it. Virginia visits Tallahassee, and Florida State would love nothing more than to play spoiler after what happened a year ago.
Last season’s trip to Scott Stadium was supposed to be another step in a big FSU run. The Seminoles entered as a ranked team after beating Alabama and stacking up dominant offensive performances on the way to No. 8 in the country.
Instead, they fell behind early and never fully grabbed control. That loss helped drain the momentum out of the season, which ultimately became one of the more frustrating chapters of the Mike Norvell era in Tallahassee.
Now the roles feel reversed. Virginia comes in with plenty of buzz after entering the year with enough hype to think about an ACC title push, and its only loss is to West Virginia. The Cavaliers are still unbeaten in conference play, while Florida State is trying to steady itself after a rocky start.
But this game is hardly out of reach for the Seminoles. They’ve shown enough in both losses to suggest they can hang with quality teams, and Alabama and SMU have both looked stronger overall than Virginia. If Florida State can bring the kind of performance it showed against Alabama, it can line up with anybody.
For Norvell, the formula is straightforward: get ahead, lean on a run game that controls the clock, and let the defense rise to the moment. The bigger questions around the program are still there, but the immediate task is clear enough - beat Virginia and push the Cavaliers down the ACC standings.
In Other News...
Mike Norvell Just Raised New Questions About FSUs Missing Players
After Florida States win over Central Arkansas, Mike Norvell did not leave much doubt that the Seminoles are juggling more than just the usual injury concerns as they turn toward Virginia. He said some players were held out for accountability reasons, while others are dealing with injuries that could shape who is available this weekend, a reminder that the final stretch of September is already bringing roster management into focus.
The encouraging part for Florida State is that Norvell expects the team to be close to full strength, but the real picture will not come into view until the official availability report drops Wednesday. For a Seminoles team trying to keep momentum after the win, the next question is not just who is healthy, but which absences were about discipline, and whether those situations linger into a conference matchup that will demand a cleaner full-strength effort. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Has A Troubling Ashlynd Barker Problem
Florida States secondary has been leaning on Ashlynd Barker in a way that says as much about the Seminoles depth chart as it does about the safety himself. Safeties coach Evan Cooper confirmed Barker has been playing with a broken bone in his forearm, and the fact that he has stayed on the field speaks to both his toughness and the strain FSU has been under in the back end.
The bigger issue is what it says about the choices Florida State has had to make under Mike Norvell. With injuries piling up in the secondary and not enough proven options behind him, Barkers situation has become a flashing warning light for a roster that has too little margin for error. It is the kind of setup that can keep helping in the short term while raising bigger questions about how sustainable it really is. [Read more 🡒]
Florida States Defensive Issues Look Worse Than Fans Wanted To Hear
Florida State got the win over Central Arkansas in Week 4, but the conversation afterward had less to do with the scoreboard than the way the defense looked doing it. The Seminoles have been near the bottom nationally in several categories, and Mike Norvell and defensive coordinator Tony White both spent part of their press conference working through what has gone wrong, from basic execution to players not being in the right spots.
White said the unit is only about 60% of the way to where it needs to be, which is not the kind of number a team wants to be hearing this deep into the season. The bigger concern is that the issues are not limited to one area, with Florida State still struggling to stop the run and communicate cleanly on defense, leaving plenty of room for both coaching and personnel questions as the schedule moves on. [Read more 🡒]