MIKE NORVELL: Good morning, everybody. Appreciate you all being here.
Coming off a disappointing result there Friday night, it was one of those games that you take 20 to 30 plays throughout it and anything, anyone goes different, your final result is obviously going to be changed.
It wouldn't have changed the overall areas of improvement and things that we're going to need to correct, because obviously there are some things that showed up that is unacceptable to what we expect out of ourselves and how we want to play and how we want to finish in all regards. I thought our guys did a good job of battling throughout some challenges, some adversity, things that showed up to put ourselves in a position or come down to one play when we found ourselves behind.
There's a lot of areas of growth that need to happen. I've seen this team perform at a very high level, and I know what we're capable of and have full expectations that that's what we're going to see here this Saturday. I have a great appreciation for this group of guys. Obviously their desire, their want-to, the way that they embrace the challenge personally, but also collectively as a group and got big expectations for what we'll see here moving forward.
Like I told them, we are where we are when it comes to 0-1 in conference, and that's the one opportunity we've had, but this week we have a great opportunity in one of the best rivalry games in all of sports. Not just college football, but in all of sports.
You'll see a sold-out Doak Campbell Stadium, nighttime, prime time. A wonderful stage to be able to show this team who we are, what we're about, and the response that we're going to have.
Got a great deal of respect for our players and just their mindset. Coming back yesterday and obviously the work, but we've got to go do it. We're looking forward to this week of preparation, looking forward to everything building up to Saturday and what this will -- the atmosphere, what it means to our university and then this football program and seeing our guys go and fight for it.
Q. Understanding it's a broad term, but physicality, were you pleased general with generally both sides of the ball at the level of physicality throughout the game?
MIKE NORVELL: There was times that we showed up with intention, but we didn't necessarily always finish with the push of where we wanted. That's one of the things we challenged defensively. There were too many times that we're making contact, and the ball was going the wrong direction for what we desire.
For us, I mean, we've seen capability. You know, for what showed up on a consistent basis, you know, Friday night, it was just too many of those plays. I think everybody gets to take ownership. I thought there were some plays on the perimeter. And we talked about this offensively that the ball got out to the edge, and we have to be better. I thought we had some touchdown opportunities there on some runs that got out whether front side, back side of a play. I mean, we just got to make sure that we're sustaining, and it's things that we've seen and complimented in the fist three weeks that cost us on plays.
So I want better, expect better, and these players are going to demand better from themselves. That's one of the things that you come out of the game, and we want that to be unquestioned.
Q. Kind of along those lines, the theme in the offseason about edge and desperation, playing with edge and desperation, and we saw that in the Alabama game. How does a team have that through an entire season? Is it possible?
MIKE NORVELL: Absolutely possible. I don't think that our guys -- there's all different factors of what could be distractions in moments or cause you to be a little bit hesitant. I thought there were some hesitation that showed up where there was maybe just a step behind, or when we got there, where you didn't have all the pursuit and all the physicality and all the certainty and confidence of executing in the moment.
Sometimes that can be pick any different circumstance that you find. That's what has to be. That's what we have to be able to I say block out, control, hone in on, because it takes 60 minutes of focus. The other night it took 60-plus minutes of required focus to go do a job.
We faced some setbacks early. We had a turnover, a couple of turnovers. We had a couple of penalties that hurt drives. We find ourselves behind early in that game. For everything that goes into it, I mean, you still -- I thought the guys, they played with edge. They did play with desperation to put ourselves back in position. We made some plays, but consistently as a whole, there were times that we allowed whatever factor to slow our play where it looked different.
It wasn't from anything, from my belief, of want-to or desire, but it does come down to you have to be able to work through all those situations, because when you're on the road, I mean, there's not a whole lot there supporting you. If something bad happens, it ramps up everything around you, and that's where you have to hone in that much more and trust your training, your keys, your fundamentals, all the things that you do throughout the course of the week so that your full physicality, your full preparation gets to be put on display for what you are there to do.
Q. (Off microphone).
MIKE NORVELL: I mean, yes, in thought process, but not -- I mean, obviously just we were where we were. Just felt good about being able to go into overtime as well, but I did think about it.
Q. On the interception near the goal line, the first and five, is that -- I know Tommy had a similar interception the week before. Is that deciding too quickly? What's going on there?
MIKE NORVELL: That's one of those plays. The guy was blitzing off the edge. We felt good about an opportunity that was going to be out there on the perimeter. Guy jumped up, you know, tipped pass.
It's different than what was a week prior in a lot of ways. That was one where a guy got his hand up on the ball, tipped pass, interception. We have to give credit to that player.
I think Tommy saw it how I would almost expect him to see it, but guy made a great play, and being able to get the ball past him, overthrew wherever, that's just an error we continue to look at and try to get in best situation.
Q. You've seen Carson Beck in person. You've seen him maybe mature through the years. You maybe even recruited him back in Memphis. I can't recall. Just your impressions of Carson through these years?
MIKE NORVELL: You see a quarterback that's been through it. He's played obviously at a really high level throughout his career. He's had his challenges and times that just what he's had to go through.
You can see that here in Miami he's feeling very comfortable with what they're asking him to do and what they've been able to accomplish here in the early part of the season.
So very accurate. Seems to know where he wants to go with the ball. He's getting the ball out quickly and has some guys on the perimeter that are a great supporting cast for what he's doing throughout leading that offense.
Yeah, I mean, he's got a really good game, and you can see the maturity that he has and just what he does out there throughout the course of a game.
Q. I was going to ask about two plays. We saw Roydell Williams back on the depth chart. Where is he along in his process? Then Ashlynd Barker left the game on Friday. Is he going to be available?
MIKE NORVELL: Both those guys probably right now will be questionable going early part of what we're looking at the week.
I am excited about the progress I've seen from Roydell, excited about what that could potentially look like, but yeah, we'll see as Ash comes through the weekend. I think we've had some positive steps in that, but we have to see what that looks like ultimately here in the next couple of days.
Q. What kind of challenge in the trenches both offensively and defensively do you see against Miami, especially with a guy like Rueben Bain?
MIKE NORVELL: Yeah, I think when you look at both those position groupings, their O-line and D-line, they're definitely a strength of their team, and they've done a good job as they're playing very confident. They've been tested and have rose to multiple challenges of what they've had to face.
Rueben, I think he's playing at an elite level. He can move all across the defensive front, but you see that his motor, physicality, the productivity that he's had here in early part of season, I mean, you can tell he had a really good offseason and just in his continued development.
So that's going to be a great challenge for us on both sides of the line of scrimmage, but our guys are excited for what's in front of us, and we're excited for the opportunity. I think when you look at both of their offensive, defensive line, they play at a very, very high level. It's going to take our best game and for us to just continue to go and play better.
Q. Coach, Tony White said that Ja'Bril Rawls is one of the players that really stood out to him, that he played his tail off. Did you feel like he took another step in his performance?
MIKE NORVELL: I do, and that was a guy even going into the game we were kind of ready to feel him again. You felt it early in the season, in practice. He's got such a great ability. He's got twitch. He'll throw his body around.
Obviously Alabama game, made a couple of good plays. Had the injury where he missed a game, and was kind of feeling himself back into that game setting. It was really a couple of games where, all right, it's time to get back out there and go play.
I thought he was one of the guys that you felt coming out of that game threw his body around. Had an interception, made some good plays in coverage. Wasn't a perfect game. You obviously had some areas, a couple of missed tackles and things that we have to clean up, but it was still -- I mean, that's what we expect out of Ja'Bril. I know what he expects out of himself.
So now it's about going and continuing to progress as the season unfolds.
Q. There was a lot to feel good about after those first three games that you guys had, and I think Tommy said after Friday night's game that he thought maybe some of the guys were feeling maybe too good about the way things were going. What are you going to be looking at this week? What kind of buttons I guess do you want to push when it comes to having guys in the right mindset?
MIKE NORVELL: I don't think when you look at it, our mindset and our focus was on last week handling some of the things of the situation. When you fall behind, it was the first real adversity that we had faced, other than the opening touchdown drive against Alabama, but it was the first time that we had been behind.
You're seeing a talented team, that offense that we faced, they've done a good job. They've done a good job through the season, obviously some of the different things that they threw at us. There was a little bit of hesitation. When that shows up, man, we've got to get back to trust your eyes, trust your work, and then go cut it loose and let them feel it.
That's where for us, I mean, the mindset, the buttons have been pressed. I can tell you every person that had to sit on that plane Friday night after that game, everybody was feeling a sort of way. You can have your feelings, but we're going to sit there and say, These are the things that absolutely have to get corrected. You get them done 'or,' you know, and that 'or' will not be good if I'm not seeing that progression, for whatever individual it is, because I believe in what these guys have done, I believe in the position they put themselves in, and I'm excited for them.
Nobody likes coming off of a loss. Especially a game that we felt in it, before it, even after it, like, man, that game was there for us. You know what, we earned that loss, and it sucks to say it. It sucks to have to go through it. Now what do you do with it?
There is a sense of urgency for our improvement. There's going to be plays come Saturday night, there will be some plays that we don't win. How you deal with that and what you do in that moment, that's what I'm looking for. I want to see that response. I want to see that confidence, and I want to see guys go and cut it loose for 60 minutes.
Q. Miami put a lot of emphasis on the portal in their secondary, kind of overhauling that. What have you seen from that group, their defensive back?
MIKE NORVELL: That was a big focus for them in the transfer portal, and you see guys that have experienced guys that have played. They've got a couple of guys that have been on the roster that we have some familiarity with.
Just being able to see how they're tying it all together, their entire defense is playing very confident right now. The things that they're being asked to do, you can see them gelling together at a high level. You look at all threes levels. It starts with their defensive front. They have athletic linebackers that run and hit and guys in the secondary that are versatile in the things that they're being asked to do, whether it's play man coverage, zone coverage, blitzing it all different angles and from different positions.
I mean, it will be a challenge for us here going into this week and just our overall preparation. Then you take that when you are playing against talented people, and then you have to go execute it and put yourself in the best position to achieve success. I'm excited about the work that's going to go into it, but it's a talented group on the defensive side.
Q. You mentioned it briefly, what this rivalry means to the university, but also for you guys just from a team point, from wanting to win, and also from a recruiting standpoint as well?
MIKE NORVELL: Man, it's all levels. It's one of those games. You come to Florida State, and you play in this rivalry, and it's something that's going to be remembered for the rest of your life.
I mean, I vividly know, feel all of it for every game that I've got the chance to be a part of, and I told the guys last night, I mean, it's a blessing to be here, to be able to be a part of this and to know that you are going to get through the results of all things that you've done up to this point, what's going to be able to take place this week in our preparation, and then for those three and a half hours come Saturday night, I mean, that's going to give you a lifetime to be able to remember and to be able to reflect upon.
I just want best. It means for all levels of the program, of the passion, the pride, the recruiting. It's something that you look towards. We know the weight of this week and opportunity of this week as well.
Q. Going back to that desperation edge and button pushing, from a player standpoint, we've heard about how Tommy has been in the locker room, Jerry has been in the locker room. Have you seen those same guys or maybe new faces holding each other accountable, pushing those buttons, and doing the things you are talking about from a player perspective?
MIKE NORVELL: Absolutely. It was there through the course of the game in different moments. Once again, you felt it throughout the game to put us in a position. There was no pullback in it.
Obviously we didn't get the outcome that we desired, but you saw and you say you feel the leadership that these guys have. It's about the response, and it's about the things that we need to do, and I've seen that here through the course of the weekend and last night in practice. There is an expectation from our players for what we want it to be and what it needs to be for us just for our best to show up.
Once again, you take the result, you take the experience, and you learn from it and grow and great better. When you have players that are pushing that and holding each other to that standard, I mean, that's what I think is a necessity when you look throughout the course of a season for a team to be able to overcome when those challenges present themselves.
Q. Can you just illuminate the process of deciding, because you have so many playmakers on offense, and obviously you have a 500 yards offense. It's not like the offense struggled. Deciding the usage of a Jaylin Lucas or some of those guys, how does that work out?
MIKE NORVELL: There's some of those moments that you go into it, and I think Gus has done a great job in being able to put guys in wonderful positions. There's certain times, feels, just things that you see as a play caller that you try to attack, and there's times that you come out of it and are, like, well, we have to do this, we have to do that, and you make sure you continue to work and build upon it.
But, I mean, when it's going really well and different guys have been very productive in certain games and maybe less productive in other games. So it really is the ebb and flow of it, but everybody has to be prepared for their moment, because you never know when the ball is going to come to you. You never know when that opportunity will present itself.
I mean, when it does, have you to make something happen. I think our guys, they see that big picture-wise and are continuing to work to be believe ready when their number is called.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports