The No. 18 Florida State Seminoles are turning the page from a disappointing loss to Virginia with preparations for a big in-state showdown with No. 3 Miami on Saturday.
FSU fell 46-38 in two overtimes against the Cavaliers on Monday, which ended the Seminoles’ three-game winning streak to start the season. Miami comes into Tallahassee next as one of the hottest teams in the country and fresh off a bye week.
“It’s one of those games. You come to Florida State, and you play in this rivalry, and it’s something that’s going to be remembered for the rest of your life,” Norvell told reporters on Monday.
“I mean, I vividly know, feel all of it for every game that I’ve got the chance to be a part of,” Norvell added, “I mean, it’s a blessing to be here, to be able to be a part of this and to know that you are going to get through the results of all things that you’ve done up to this point, what’s going to be able to take place this week in our preparation, and then for those three and a half hours come Saturday night, I mean, that’s going to give you a lifetime to be able to remember and to be able to reflect upon.”
A Storied Rivalry With Much on the Line
FSU-Miami goes back to 1951, and the Hurricanes lead the all-time series 36-33. Six of those matchups occurred with both teams ranked in the top-5, and numerous meetings had national championship implications.
“It means for all levels of the program, of the passion, the pride, the recruiting. It’s something that you look towards,” Norvell said about the rivalry. “We know the weight of this week and opportunity of this week as well.”
For FSU, everything is on the line with one loss overall and in ACC play thus far. A loss will make it difficult for the Seminoles to reach the ACC championship game or make the College Football Playoff.
Seminoles Will Need to Contain Miami, Carson Beck
FSU will need to slow down the Hurricanes offense, led by quarterback Carson Beck. The Hurricanes average 36.8 points and 450.5 total yards per game.
“You see a quarterback that’s been through it,” Norvell said of Beck. “He’s played obviously at a really high level throughout his career. He’s had his challenges and times that just what he’s had to go through.”
Beck played five seasons at Georgia before he transferred to Miami this year. With the Hurricanes, he has completed 73.2% of his passes for 972 yards and seven touchdowns, versus three interceptions.
“You can see that here in Miami he’s feeling very comfortable with what they’re asking him to do and what they’ve been able to accomplish here in the early part of the season,” Norvell said. “So very accurate.”
“Seems to know where he wants to go with the ball,” Norvell added. “He’s getting the ball out quickly and has some guys on the perimeter that are a great supporting cast for what he’s doing throughout leading that offense.”
“Yeah, I mean, he’s got a really good game, and you can see the maturity that he has and just what he does out there throughout the course of a game,” Norvell concluded.
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