Florida State’s 34-7 win over Central Arkansas came with a few notable absences, and Mike Norvell made clear Monday that not every player who sat out was dealing with an injury.
The Seminoles were without sophomore defensive end Darryll Desir and senior cornerback Quindarrius Jones, two omissions that stood out for a defense already searching for steadier footing. With Virginia up next and the ACC schedule ramping up, those absences drew attention immediately.
Norvell said there were several reasons players were unavailable in Saturday’s game, and he pointed to both injury-related issues and what he described as accountability matters.
"I mean there was a lot of different factors for guys who were unavailable," Norvell said. "Yes, you know, there's some guys that were unavailable for just things that happened throughout the course of the week or accountability and some guys that were unavailable due to injury."
"I feel good about where we're trending, and getting some guys back for this week, we'll see how that progresses throughout the week," Norvell added.
Desir’s situation has been worth watching for a while. He did not play in Florida State’s loss to SMU, then returned against Alabama in Tuscaloosa but was limited to 21 snaps, down from 33 in the opener against New Mexico State.
Against Central Arkansas, he was in street clothes on the sideline. Through two appearances, he has two tackles.
Jones’ absence was a little different. He did not seem to suffer an injury against Alabama, though something may have surfaced in practice.
He also missed most of last season with a shoulder injury. In three starts this year, Jones has posted three tackles, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception.
Norvell addressed both players after the win, saying, "Obviously, Darryll's had a couple of missed opportunities. Q’s dealing with a few issues. Situational issues that they're all working through," Norvell said after the win against the Bears.
On the injury front, senior running back Samuel Singleton Jr. and senior linebacker Blake Nichelson are not expected to have much of a chance to play against Virginia.
There is still a chance senior linebacker Caleb LaVallee and sophomore wide receiver Tae'Shaun Gelsey could be available.
Florida State will issue its first ACC availability report for the matchup on Wednesday evening.
The Seminoles and Cavaliers are set for Saturday, October 3, with kickoff scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
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