Mike Norvell emphasizes the need for FSU to respond after slow start: 'We don't have a choice'

After recording an undefeated regular season record last season and winning the ACC Championship, Florida State is 0-3 in the 2024 campaign. Understandably, it’s been a frustrating stretch for the Seminoles. However, head coach Mike Norvell won’t allow his team to give up.

“We don’t have a choice,” Norvell said. “We found a situation nobody wants to be in. That’s pretty evident. But we still all have desires of who we want to be and what we want it to look like, and so we get to make the choice of that.

“If we’re just driven by circumstance, and when it’s all good, then, ‘Oh, now I’m going to work hard.’ No, that’s not right. We got knocked on our butt three times. We haven’t played good. We haven’t done the things necessary. But, we got the opportunity for today.”

Florida State entered the season as the No. 10 team in the country. Disaster struck the Seminoles immediately when they fell to an unranked Georgia Tech team in Week 0 in Ireland.

With millions of eyes watching the Seminoles fall apart in the Emerald Isle, the pressure was on for FSU to perform in their follow-up game. They failed to do so, losing by an even larger margin to Boston College.

With an 0-2 record against ACC opponents, Florida State hosted Group of Five school Memphis with hopes of having a bounce-back game. The Tigers pounced on the Seminoles and escaped with a convincing 20-12 victory.

Mike Norvell issues a challenge to his players

While Norvell still believes his team can turn their season around, he knows his players have to want to win as much as him.

“If it’s true in your core of who you want to be, go get better and go show that you are better. Go take the steps that are necessary,” Norvell said. “We sit around and feel sorry for ourselves, but nobody cares. I’m like, ‘It doesn’t matter. Go show it. Show it in the work, show it in how we prepare and then dang well need to make sure that it shows up on game day.”

Evidently, Mike Norvell believes they’ve answered his call. The 2023 ACC Coach of the Year praised his team for their intensity at practice on Tuesday.

“It was a pretty good practice. I thought guys came out with great energy,” Norvell said. “I thought there was good, competitive work. Obviously, there was high emotions, as we went into it, which I was hopeful to see and we’re continuing to work on just the control in those situations.”