After brief celebration, No. 4 Florida State turns full attention to Louisville, ACC title game

The celebration didn’t last long, but Florida State coach Mike Norvell made sure it did happen.

Less than 24 hours after the No. 4-ranked Seminoles rallied for a 24-15 victory at Florida, FSU’s players and coaches quickly began transitioning to preparation for this Saturday’s ACC Championship Game against Louisville.

They hit the weight room for a workout. They returned to the practice fields to correct mistakes from the game and to let the younger players participate in their weekly scrimmage. And they had a team meeting, during which Norvell reminded them to appreciate their most accomplishments.

Winning a state championship by sweeping UF and Miami for the second consecutive year.

Wrapping up an undefeated regular season for only the sixth time in Florida State history.

Becoming only the fourth Florida State team to post a 12-0 record.

“I try to make sure they do [celebrate],” Norvell said. “We have a job to do, and that’s to get better this week. And we’re going to work our butts off to make sure that we achieve that goal and that objective. But if you don’t celebrate the steps along the way … you build confidence through those experiences.”

The Seminoles should have plenty of confidence at this point.

Even with star quarterback Jordan Travis out due to injury, they made enough big plays in all three phases Saturday to rally from a 12-0 deficit in the Swamp and score 24 of the game’s final 27 points.

The defense was lights out in the final two quarters, Trey Benson rushed for three touchdowns, Tate Rodemaker made several important throws, and Keon Coleman came through with a huge punt return to spark the Florida State victory.

But all that did was set the stage for an incredibly important ACC title game.

If the Seminoles can knock off Louisville, they will win their first conference title in nearly a decade and also likely clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff. But even though FSU has enjoyed a better season than the Cardinals, who fell to 10-2 following a 38-31 loss Saturday to rival Kentucky, it undoubtedly will be a tall task.

Louisville has several impressive victories this season — 33-20 over then-No. 10 Notre Dame, hard-fought road wins at Miami and N.C. State, and a 23-0 shutout of a then-No. 20 Duke team.

Florida State opened as a 5.5-point favorite, which is the least the Seminoles have been favored by since they went to Clemson back in September.

So Norvell and his players understand the need to have a great week of practice.

“There is a sense of urgency,” the Seminoles’ fourth-year head coach said.

In Louisville, Florida State will face an offense with a veteran quarterback in Jack Plummer (2,952 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, 11 interceptions) and two productive running backs — Jawhar Jordan (167 carries, 1,076 yards, 13 touchdowns) and Isaac Guerendo (105 carries, 639 yards, 8 touchdowns).

“They’ve got a couple great backs,” Norvell said Sunday. “If you allow them to get into open space, it’s going to be a challenging day for you.”

On the other side of the ball, Louisville ranks 12th nationally in rushing defense. The Cardinals are allowing 96.8 rushing yards per game and 3.26 yards per carry.

They also rank No. 19 for total defense and No. 25 in scoring defense.

“It’s one of the most challenging teams in the country to be able to run the ball against,” Norvell said. “They’re always going to try to be plus in the numbers in the run game. … It’s one of the top defenses in the league and one of the best defenses in the country. That’s why they’re playing in this game.”

So while Florida State’s players and coaches did allow themselves a little time to celebrate the win over the Gators, and all that came with it, they know they’ll have to play even better this week to achieve the rest of their goals.

“To be only the fourth to accomplish that (being 12-0), that’s pretty special,” Norvell said. “To be the sixth team to ever go undefeated in the regular season, that’s big. This team will be remembered. But what do you want to the finality of this team to be? What do you want that legacy to state?”

Jordan Travis expected to attend title game

Florida State’s players received an emotional boost with Travis’ appearance in Gainesville, and Norvell said the Seminoles’ injured quarterback is expected to be in Charlotte as well.

“He’s there to be there for his brothers just like his brothers have been there for him,” Norvell said. “He’s a special man.”

Talk about this story with other die-hard FSU football fans on the Tribal Council.