Tag: Mike Norvell

Florida State coach Mike Norvell says season-opening win over Duquesne helped prepare for Tigers

Norvell’s team faces its first true test of the season against LSU to kick off the Brian Kelly era.

Florida State coach Mike Norvell enters a pivotal third season in 2022. He’s still searching for his first bowl appearance, but he got one-sixth of the way there on Saturday with a convincing 47-7 win over Duquesne in which his team rushed for more than 400 yards.

However, Norvell’s Seminoles face a tricky early season test next week when they travel to New Orleans to face LSU and what should be a hostile Superdome crowd. Though that doesn’t really compare to opening at home against an FCS opponent, Norvell said the Week 0 outing helped prepare his team for its first real test in the Tigers.

“Anytime you get experience, I think it helps,” he said, per On3. “This was the first time that our team, this team, got a chance to take the field together. You’re always going to have new faces. There’s a lot of true freshmen that played, transfers, returning players that came out and plays better than they played, and that’s a good thing to see.

“So we’ll take the experience that we had tonight, and we’ve got to build upon it. We get an extra day leading up to Sunday night kick versus LSU, so we need every one of those moments from film watching to on-the-field practice to prepare and improve so that we are our best come next Sunday night because that’s still always going to be the standard. It’s not about who we’re playing. It’s about us. It’s about that constant growth.”

FSU did show some signs of progress after last season’s 5-7 finish, but the Dukes are a much less talented team than the Tigers. With the [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] era set to begin on Sunday night, his debut could also help determine the outcome of Norvell’s tenure in Tallahassee.

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College football coaches facing the most pressure in 2022

College football is a pressure-packed industry.

College football is a pressure-packed industry. Nowadays, schools are becoming less and less patient with coaches trying to turn around a program. If a head coach does not start seeing significant results in two or three years, their job is likely in jeopardy.

The 2021 season proved to be make-or-break years for many coaches around the sport.

Kirby Smart got Georgia over the hump to bring home the first national title in 40 years. Jim Harbaugh finally took down rival Ohio State en route to a conference championship. Mike Gundy got the last laugh against Lincoln Riley and the Oklahoma Sooners as the Pokes had an impressive 11-2 season.

Unfortunately, not everyone had the success those programs did in 2021. Clay Helton and Ed Orgeron were fired after losing seasons at blue blood programs. TCU moved on from longtime head coach Gary Patterson after another down season in Fort Worth.

Here is a list of college football coaches under the most pressure in 2022.

Norvell addresses relationship with Swinney, disagreement about cancellation of last year’s game

Following Florida State’s practice on Wednesday morning, head coach Mike Norvell met with the media ahead of Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. matchup against Clemson at Death Valley. Norvell was asked about his relationship with Dabo Swinney and suggested they …

Following Florida State’s practice on Wednesday morning, head coach Mike Norvell met with the media ahead of Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. matchup against Clemson at Death Valley.

Norvell was asked about his relationship with Dabo Swinney and suggested they have had an amicable relationship for years dating to Norvell’s days as Arizona State’s offensive coordinator from 2012-15.

“Back when I was at Arizona State as offensive coordinator, his whole offensive staff came out and talked ball,” Norvell told reporters Wednesday. “So, there was prior relationship a little bit before that. But it’s one that he’s somebody to be respected in the job that he’s done and what they have been able to accomplish.”

Norvell says there’s no bad blood between himself and Swinney stemming from the verbal spat the two coaches had last year after Florida State decided to cancel its scheduled game against Clemson on Nov. 21 just three hours before kickoff, with the Seminoles saying they did not feel safe playing the game after a Clemson player was sent home the day before after testing positive for COVID-19.

Swinney was not happy about how the situation was handled, or the fact FSU indicated it was Clemson’s fault.

Over the next week, Swinney and Norvell sparred through the local press on each side, as well as the national media. There seemed to be no love lost between the two head coaches at the time.

But Norvell implied Wednesday that’s all behind them and attributed the conflict to a couple of passionate coaches sticking up for their respective programs during a “unique” situation.

“Last year’s situation was so unique in itself, and there’s a lot of emotion,” Norvell said. “When you prepare for a game … Both sides, everybody wanted to play the game, and there’s emotional comments that get made and all of that. But everybody’s passionate about what we do, and it’s one of the reasons — his passion that he has for his program and his players, that shows up evident. It’s why they’ve had the success that they’ve had. I’m passionate for this program and the people that are in it and around it. I’ve got that too. So, that was one of those things that it was a unique situation, but it’s nothing that ever carries over, or additional thoughts.”

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Notre Dame at Florida State: Overtime Analysis

Whew.

They say it’s better to be lucky than good. We’ll find out as the season goes on if Notre Dame is both. For now, it will be satisfied with a 41-38 overtime win on the road over Florida State.

The Irish (1-0) won the coin toss and chose to defer to the Seminoles (0-1). After handing it off to Jashaun Corbin twice, McKenzie Milton appeared to fumble the ball after losing a bunch of yardage, setting up Ryan Fitzgerald for a 50-yard field goal attempt. Just before the ball was snapped, Seminoles coach Mike Norvell challenged the previous ruling, hoping for it to be changed to an incomplete pass to get Fitzgerald closer. Though Norvell eventually got the ruling he wanted to give Fitzgerald a 37-yard attempt instead, the long wait ended up icing his own kicker, who missed the field goal wide left.

All the Irish had to do was hold onto the ball to set up Jonathan Doerer. They didn’t advance very far, forcing Doerer to kick from 41 yards. Still, it was close enough because Doerer split the upright, and the Irish escaped with a victory that nearly slipped away.

Watch: Notre Dame’s Lewis gets the Irish’s third interception of the night

A trio of picks for the Irish tonight

It was an odd sequence for Florida State, as they went back-to-back plays in the wildcat formation and then unexpectedly on 4th down they went for it. In their own territory. It’s as if Mike Norvell was playing a game of Madden and was about to restart the game.

Well, there isn’t any restarting here as the errand pass from Jordan Travis on fourth down found the hands of Clarence Lewis and just like that the Irish were once again in a prosperous offensive position. It was very confusing as to why Florida State opted to go for it, but the Irish will take the mistake and run with it. Or better yet, intercept it.

Florida State head coach discusses Marcus Freeman

What do you make of Florida State in year-two under Norvell?

When No. 9 Notre Dame meets Florida State in Tallahassee Sunday it won’t be the first meeting between Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell and Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman.

While Norvell was at Memphis and Freeman at Cincinnati, the two met in consecutive weeks to end the 2019 regular season with Norvell getting the best in both matchups and Memphis getting a trip to the Cotton Bowl.

Norvell met the media this week ahead of Sunday’s game and discussed what he knows about Notre Dame’s new defensive coordinator.

Tale of the Tape: Starting Quarterbacks – Jack Coan vs. Travis/Milton

Two of these three quarterbacks will start Sunday.

Notre Dame and Florida State could present one of the most unique quarterback battles of the first full week of the college football season. The Irish have Jack Coan, a transfer who last saw action as Wisconsin’s starting quarterback in 2019. That year, he completed 69.6 percent of his passes to lead the Big Ten and rank seventh in the nation. He won’t be expected to throw for 200 yards in every game, but he should be able to produce enough to fill the void left by Ian Book.

As of this writing, Seminoles coach Mike Norvell has not chosen whether returnee Jordan Travis or UCF transfer McKenzie Milton will start against the Irish. On one hand, Travis is familiar with the offense and by far the most mobile quarterback out of this group. On the other hand, Milton is more accomplished, most notably as the quarterback of the undefeated 2017 Knights, but he didn’t play during either of the past two seasons. It’s a big decision for Norvell as it could make a difference in this game.

Once again Swinney, Norvell not on the same page

CHARLOTTE – When Florida State decided to cancel last year’s football game against Clemson just three hours before kickoff, the Seminoles said they did not feel safe playing the game after a Clemson player was sent home the day before after testing …

CHARLOTTE — When Florida State decided to cancel last year’s football game against Clemson just three hours before kickoff, the Seminoles said they did not feel safe playing the game after a Clemson player was sent home the day before after testing positive for COVID-19.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was not happy about how the situation was handled, or the fact FSU indicated it was Clemson’s fault.

Over the next week, Swinney and Seminoles coach Mike Norvell sparred through the local press on each side, as well as the national media. There seemed to be no love loss between the two head coaches at the time.

During Thursday’s final day of the ACC Football Kickoff at the Westin in Charlotte, Swinney deflected the question when asked he and Norvell have spoken about the situation or tried to talk things out.

“We flew in at the same time yesterday. We actually got a cart,” Swinney chuckled while trying to answer the question. “It is fine. It is totally fine. We have been on the phone together, conference calls together, committed together. Talked to him a bunch of times. I have no issue with him.”

When asked a similar question earlier in the day, Norvell said something different, and they had “not really” spoke about the events from last November 21.

“We both have jobs to do and are trying to invest in our programs and at the end of the day that’s what we are trying to do and continue to build Florida State back to where it needs to be,” Norvell said.

Norvell was again asked about the situation, and he said there is nothing to work out.

“At the end of the day there is really nothing to work out, coaches can make statements and that’s an opportunity we all have,” Norvell said. “For me everybody is entitled to an opinion of what they want to state and I’m going to stay focused on what we are doing and what we are all about here at Florida State.”

I guess we will find out if there is not any animosity between the two teams when Clemson hosts the Seminoles on Oct. 30 at Death Valley.

—Alex Dodd contributed to this story

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Tension unresolved between Norvell, Swinney

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – After Florida State decided to cancel its matchup with Clemson in Tallahassee on November 21 last year things got heated. Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney felt Florida State forfeited the contest with the last-minute cancellation …

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After Florida State decided to cancel its matchup with Clemson in Tallahassee on November 21 last year things got heated.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney felt Florida State forfeited the contest with the last-minute cancellation three hours before kickoff as the Tigers prepared to leave the hotel and head over to Doak Campbell Stadium.

“I don’t give a crap what they say. I know what the facts are,” Swinney said. “I know what the standard of play is. I know why the rosters were expanded to eighty because we anticipated positives on Friday.”

Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell was asked Thursday at the ACC Kickoff if he and Swinney had talked things out since the statements last November and the issue has not been addressed despite participation from both at the spring meetings.

“At the end of the day there is really nothing to work out, coaches can make statements and that’s an opportunity we all have,” Norvell said. “For me everybody is entitled to an opinion of what they want to state and I’m going to stay focused on what we are doing and what we are all about here at Florida State.”

Norvell said his team doesn’t need any extra motivation when they head to Death Valley on Oct. 30 this season. And his priority is restoring Florida State to its historic standard in college football. He also harped on the difficulty of finishing the season with three of their last four games being cancelled.

“The last month of the season was one of the hardest I’ve ever experienced as a coach or as a player. There is so much investment that goes into playing a game in the offseason and the work that goes in every week,” Norvell said. “Three of our last four games were cancelled and that’s something I hope I never have to experience again but you appreciate every day.”

Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis who started the majority of the season for the Seminoles last season was bothered by Swinney’s comments.

“Of course, everybody has there own opinion and they can say what they want but it doesn’t bother me much but if we were playing an NFL team and the game was cancelled I would’ve been upset,” Travis said.

Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!

Staff picks for No. 5 Notre Dame vs. Florida State

How does it play out when Notre Dame welcomes Florida State on Saturday? The FIW staff takes their best bets as to what happens here!

No. 5 Notre Dame welcomes Florida State to South Bend on Saturday night in what for the Fighting Irish faithful feels like the first game in an eternity.

The Irish haven’t played since a 52-0 win over South Florida on September 19 while 1-2 Florida State enters after a comeback win over Jacksonville State last week where the Seminoles fell to a 14-0 deficit before rallying to pick up that first victory.

Will there be rust for the Irish and will things be interesting late Saturday night?

Or does Notre Dame roll to 3-0 with a dominating performance?

Here is what our staff sees happening in the game, starting with Geoffrey Clark:

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