Florida State is heading into Saturday with a little momentum in the building and a lot still unresolved on the field.
Head coach Mike Norvell said Wednesday that the Seminoles have had a strong week of work as they get ready to host Virginia, and he was especially fired up about one recent practice.
“It’s been a good week of preparation,” Norvell said on Wednesday. "You know, yesterday was probably one of the best days in practice that we’ve had, you know, a long in a long time. I mean, it was outstanding and, you know, all aspects."
That’s the kind of quote that can lift eyebrows as much as spirits, because Florida State still has to prove the good work inside the Dunlap Athletic Facility actually shows up when the lights come on at Bobby Bowden Field.
The Seminoles are 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the ACC, and they’re looking for their first conference win of the season against a Virginia team that comes in at 3-1 and 1-0 in league play. FSU’s 34-7 win over Central Arkansas snapped a two-game skid, but it did not erase the bigger concerns hanging over the program.
Florida State already dropped both of its games against Power Four opponents, falling 27-24 to SMU and 50-36 to Alabama. And Norvell knows the margin for error has already been burned away.
“When you get opportunities, you’ve got to finish. We’ve had too many missed opportunities on sacks where we’ve had a free runner," Norvell continued.
That’s been part of the problem all season. Through four games, Florida State is giving up 429.8 yards per game, and opponents have converted 27 of 59 third downs, a 45.8% rate. The defense has been under constant pressure to tighten up, and the numbers make clear there’s plenty of work left.
Even the win over Central Arkansas came with baggage. Florida State piled up 10 penalties for 115 yards, the kind of sloppiness that can be absorbed in one game and punished in the next. Against stronger opponents, those mistakes tend to linger.
The pass rush has also been inconsistent. Florida State has seven sacks in four games, but six of them came against New Mexico State and Central Arkansas. Against Power Four competition, the Seminoles have just one sack.
That puts even more weight on the defense this week, especially with conference play starting to stack up. FSU is set to play seven straight ACC games, so the next stretch will say a lot about whether this team can settle itself down.
There is at least one area where the Seminoles have been sharp. They have scored on all 17 of their red zone trips this season, with 13 of those ending in touchdowns. That kind of efficiency matters, especially when the rest of the operation has been uneven.
Virginia has been good in that same area on defense, ranking 32nd nationally and fourth in the ACC in red zone scoring defense. But West Virginia still managed to score on all four of its red zone chances against the Cavaliers, and three of those were touchdowns.
So Florida State gets another chance Saturday, with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. The practice report sounds promising. The game result will tell the real story.
In Other News...
Florida State Just Delivered The Statement Win Seminoles Fans Needed
After a rocky stretch, Florida State finally got the kind of performance that can settle a restless fan base, and it came in emphatic fashion at Doak Campbell Stadium. The Seminoles rolled past Virginia 38-7, piling up 38 unanswered points and looking far more like a team with some direction on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Ashton Daniels was at the center of it, using his legs to put together a night that will stand out in school history.
Daniels set Florida State and stadium records with five rushing touchdowns and 136 rushing yards, while the defense overwhelmed Virginia from start to finish. The Seminoles finished with 10 sacks and limited the Cavaliers to 205 total yards, the kind of full-game control this program has been searching for. It was the sort of statement win that does more than improve a record, since it hints at what Florida State can look like when everything clicks. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Norvell Bought Some Time But Florida State's Real Test Starts Now
Mike Norvell got the kind of result Florida State badly needed in Week 5, as the Seminoles turned in a dominant win over Virginia and showed clear signs of progress after a difficult stretch to begin the 2026 season. It was the sort of performance that can quiet a restless fan base for a week and give a coach a little breathing room, especially after the way the last two seasons have gone.
But one convincing afternoon is not enough to settle anything for long. Norvell and his staff still have to stack wins and prove the improvement is real against the better opponents still ahead, because the next run of games will go a long way toward determining whether this surge is a turning point or just a temporary pause in the pressure surrounding his future. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Just Delivered The Dominant Win Fans Needed
Florida State got the kind of statement win it badly needed, and it came with Ashton Daniels doing something no Seminoles quarterback had done before. Daniels ran for five touchdowns in a 38-7 rout of Virginia, a performance that gave the offense a jolt while the defense controlled the game from start to finish. The win moved Florida State to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, a much-needed step after a shaky start to the season.
The bigger message may have come from the other side of the ball. Florida States defense piled up 10 sacks and left Virginia with almost nowhere to go on the ground, limiting the Cavaliers to 37 rushing yards on 40 carries. For a team trying to build momentum and steady itself in league play, it was the kind of complete effort that can change the tone around a season, and it leaves the next question squarely in front of the Seminoles: whether they can carry this level of dominance into the weeks ahead. [Read more 🡒]