Mike Norvell defends controversial play call on final drive against NC State
Florida State was painfully close to a victory against NC State on Saturday before literally throwing the game away in the final minute. Trailing 19-17 and facing second-and-8 from the Wolfpack 22-yard line with 44 seconds remaining, Seminoles quarterback Jordan Travis lofted up a pass high to the end zone that was intercepted.
Although Florida State still had all three timeouts remaining, NC State forced it to use them all as it ran three straight running plays to earn a first down and run out the clock. Asked postgame why he did not opt to run down the clock himself and kick the game-winning field goal, Seminoles coach Mike Norvell did his best to defend the decision.
“We’ve got man-to-man coverage and that was where we went,” Norvell said. “We had five different options on the play depending on the look and what it was gonna be, so I was good with anything that came within the different options in that play. We went and took the one-on-one, jumped to the outside and caught Mycah (Pittman) and they disrupted it and it’s one of those things that the guy made a good play.”
CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel
The interception was the second of the game for Travis, and both came during the fourth quarter. Florida State was outscored 16-0 in the second half after entering halftime with a 17-3 lead, and Travis was just 5-of-13 passing for 64 yards in the second half.
Top 10
- 1New
Duke fan unconscious
Scary scene unfolds on TV
- 2
Lamont Butler
UK stat out vs. UT
- 3Hot
Jay Bilas
SEC Tourney tougher than NCAA Tournament
- 4
Ohio State deficit
Buckeyes athletic department financial shortfall
- 5
Mark Sears' mother reacts
Alabama PG's mom on son's benching
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
The loss was the second straight for Florida State after beginning the season 4-0. That is still the best start for Norvell since he took over in 2020, and he needs only two more wins to get the Seminoles bowl eligible this season for the first time in his tenure.
FSU will hope to make last week’s interception against NC State a distant memory when it faces No. 4 Clemson at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday in Tallahassee.