Florida State travels to No. 3 Miami on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Hard Rock Stadium. The Hurricanes are 21.5-point favorites.
Mike Norvell met with reporters Wednesday for the final time before the Seminoles head to Miami Gardens for their rivalry matchup with the third-ranked Hurricanes
Norvell opened on the meaning of the game.
“This is a matchup we train and prepare for 365 days a year. This is a matchup that means a lot to our program, to our players, and to everyone who is part of this program.”
He pointed to the challenge in front of his team.
“It is a very talented team. They lead the country in both offensive and defensive scoring. They have a lot of explosive players. We have to go and play at a very high level.”
Norvell on veteran players educating newcomers about the rivalry:
“I asked the players who had played in this game before to raise their hands. There are players who have gone through this experience and come out of it successfully, and others who have faced disappointment. It’s one of the greatest college football games. This will be a match you will remember forever. They respect it, and they know what is at stake.”
On handling the Louisville loss and building confidence:
“Nobody ever likes to experience disappointing results. That’s part of the game. You have to take responsibility. You have to learn from those things. You got to take it one play at a time. The greatest thing you can point to as proof of confidence is work.”
Norvell on emotional maturity and response to adversity:
“I need to see a response. There will be a moment when you take a hard hit on Saturday. The important thing is what you do in that moment. I want to see confidence in the response. We have shown this season that we are fully capable of handling the difficulties that come with this game.”
On Chuck Kennon’s dismissal:
“He is no longer part of the program. This is obviously disappointing. But there are standards and expectations for our players. Unfortunately, he did not live up to expectations.”
On Miami quarterback Darian Mensah:
“He’s playing at an elite level. The accuracy of his ball control makes it difficult to put pressure on him because he passes it very quickly. He continued to push the ball towards the depth of the field. During the first half of the season, he performed as well as any other player.”
Norvell on the offense:
“I’ve got a lot of confidence in this offense and the ability that we’ve shown. We still have yet to see the 60-minute execution. We want to see the productivity throughout each drive.”
Florida State travels to No. 3 Miami on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Hard Rock Stadium. The Hurricanes are 21.5-point favorites.