Mike Norvell knows what kind of challenges his fourth-ranked Florida State team will face this weekend when they travel to Clemson to take on the Tigers.
Despite being huge favorites, the Seminoles just held on for a 31-29 win on the road at Boston College last weekend, and Norvell believes the close win was a wake-up call for his team.
“I think our guys got the message and now we need to go do something about it,” Norvell said.
“There were some really positive moments, but ultimately just too much inconsistency. Didn’t start the way we wanted to start defensively, gave up a couple of big plays, had a couple of communication issues, things that we worked, things that had been right in practice, and ultimately in the moment did not execute. We’ve got to continue to improve there.”
Norvell is aware this week will be a different kind of challenge. Clemson has won seven straight in the series going back to 2015, and with Garrett Riley now running the offense led by quarterback Cade Klubnik, the Florida State head coach thinks the Tigers have started playing at a high level after a slow start to the season that began with a 28-7 win at Duke.
“It’s a talented team,” Norvell said. “You look at their offense, you’ve got a new offensive coordinator, really sharp, knows how to put his guys in position to make plays.”
“The last six quarters of football, they played at a very high level. So, you could see all that — kind of coming into play for them. So, it’s going to be a great challenge, but I know our guys are excited about it and looking forward to a wonderful week of work and getting a chance to go play there on Saturday.”
“Everybody knows this is a big game. You’ve got a team that, the last however many years, has pretty much led the ACC in how they’ve played and what they’ve done.”
However, Norvell knows that if the Seminoles are to come away with a win, it all starts with themselves and he has a lot of confidence in his team and its ability to go out and execute at a high level.
“I mean, it’s about us. It’s about how we play, what we’re able to do and how we’re able to execute,” he said. We know they’re a talented football team, and it’s going to be a great atmosphere. It’s going to be a great, an exciting game to be able to play in.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence in what we’ll be able to do, and I’ll be able to live with whatever the result it. But we’re going to play our best game. That’s what I want to see. I believe in this team. I believe in who I coach. I believe in the coaches that we have. So, I’m excited about this week of preparation and really looking forward to them capitalizing on the moment.”
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