Mike Norvell reflects on winning 3-straight vs. Miami after Florida State's 27-20 win

Mike Norvell and Florida State survived a late push against rival Miami on Saturday evening, walking out with a 27-20 win. It marks a third-straight win over the Hurricanes and pushes the Seminoles over the 10-win mark for the second-straight season.

Speaking with ESPN/ABC sideline reporter Molly McGrath after the game, Norvell was mostly relieved to get the win. But he also understood he’s got his squad hitting benchmarks that haven’t been met by Florida State teams for years.

“Just so proud of our players, the work they put in — they sacrifice so much and we challenge them in every area on the field, off the field — and all that they do to prepare for times like this. Back-to-back 10-plus win seasons, you obviously — winning the last three against that opponent is big for us and just so grateful for these players that I get to coach,” Norvell said.

And it was not always smooth sailing, Florida State and Miami were tied, 10-10, at the half and the Hurricanes took a 13-10 lead early in the third quarter.

But then Florida State scored 17 unanswered points to take a lead it didn’t relinquish. Even when Miami started cutting the offense loose late to try and come back, the Seminoles ultimately bowed up and got a game-sealing stop late in the fourth quarter.

Norvell was happy to see his team hit adversity and walk right through the other side of it.

“It’s huge. Just to see our guys, they fight. Obviously tonight didn’t go all in our favor. A lot of adversity that showed up, but our guys continued to play. They played for 60 minutes. And then there at the end, making a play that was necessary. Just so proud of our football team. This rivalry, there’s so much emotion. It means so much to everyone. It’s just a huge game for our program,” Norvell said.

The play that broke a 13-13 tie and gave Florida State the lead for good came from tailback Trey Benson, who rolled in to the end zone from 38 yards out. Benson finished with 16 carries for 80 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

“They did a good job trying to plug up the run game, but obviously being able to hit a big play, Trey’s a great player, he does a wonderful job for us. And we made a play when it was necessary,” Norvell said.