Jacksonville State plants flag in Florida State logo after game-winning score, Mike Norvell responds
Following their miracle victory, Jacksonville State made a statement post-game that won’t be soon forgotten. After defeating Florida State, the team took their flag and planted it in the middle of Doak Campbell Stadium, right on the Seminoles midfield logo.
Following the loss, a dejected Mike Norvell was asked about his reaction to Jacksonville State’s boastful celebration.
“My reaction to that is our focus has to be on us at all times,” said Norvell. “I didn’t see that happening, or whatever. For us, we have to get us correct.
“We’ve got to go out there and make sure that we’re doing the things that are necessary to represent this program in the way it deserves to be represented. That needs to be our sole focus. Guys are extremely upset. They are all frustrated, as we are as a staff.”
Evidently, Norvell is taking an introspective approach to the moment. As he looks for answers, the one way to absolutely prevent it from happening again is by making sure you protect your home turf.
As you can see, that’s something Florida State hasn’t been able to do thus far in 2021. While there’s no shame in losing to Notre Dame in overtime, the walk-off loss to Jacksonville State will sting for a while.
Mike Norvell addresses final defensive call in stunning loss to Jacksonville State
Even though Florida State went into the game against Jacksonville State following a loss, morale was high for Norvell and his team after they pushed the Fighting Irish to the limit. Additionally, the return of McKenzie Milton made it a positive, memorable night.
Now, all the goodwill earned from Week One has been eviscerated. Not only did Florida State shockingly lose to Jacksonville State, they way they lost will stick with fans for a long time.
Following the demoralizing loss, Norvell addressed the final defensive call from the team’s stunning loss.
“It was a two-deep, man under,” said Norvell. “Make sure we try to get pressure on the quarterback. Still having coverage over the top. They still had one timeout. To not give up something quickly underneath or in the intermediate passing game with the timeout so I did not go into an immediate prevent. But, you know — the receiver got behind us.”
Moreover, Norvell was in disbelief throughout his postgame press conference. The shock was evident in his face, still not being able to grasp the way Florida State just lost.
On the play, Jacksonville State wide receiver Damond Philyaw-Johnson got behind the defense. Following the catch, he eluded two tacklers to walk into the end zone for a 59-yard score as the clock ran to zero.
Prior to the game-winning play, Florida State couldn’t separate themselves from Jacksonville State. Throughout the game, penalties and ineffective play stopped Norvell’s team from putting the game away.