TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Florida State coach Mike Norvell is well aware of all the outside noise surrounding his program, noise that is sure to grow after a 50-36 loss to Alabama on Saturday night.
Five days after athletic director Michael Alford was fired, increasing the spotlight on Norvell and his future with the program, the Seminoles dropped to 1-2. In both losses, to SMU and Alabama, the Seminoles had their fair share of chances to win. In both games, they came up short. Norvell is now 8-19 since 2024 and there are sure to be more questions about his future in the coming weeks.
But he believes despite the disappointing result and all the speculation about his job security, he has a team that will respond.
"There's been noise around the program for the last couple of years, and we're working to make sure that we stay focused on the things that we can control to be able to go and obviously be the best we can be," Norvell said. "I've watched this team continue to pour into each other with noise around it.
"I believe in this team. I believe in who we are. I believe in what we can do and what we can accomplish. We've shown capability. We've got to show that we can go take the step against good opponents in challenging situations and get the job done."
Florida State officials have said they are in no hurry to make a decision about Norvell, telling ESPN they need to focus on restructuring the athletic department in the wake of Alford's dismissal. The Seminoles retained Norvell after a 5-7 season last year and invested more money in football. So far, the results have not shown.
But Norvell believes he sees improvement. Florida State was not favored in either game it lost. Against Alabama, the Seminoles came out with a far more aggressive game plan on offense, finding a way to get wide receiver Duce Robinson more involved. They jumped out to a 21-6 lead, but a lightning delay derailed their momentum.
Alabama outscored Florida State 20-0 once play resumed. The Seminoles fought back to make it a one-score game. But the defense could not hold Alabama on third-and-7 with 2:58 left. One play later, the Crimson Tide scored a final touchdown to put the game out of reach.
Norvell said he was "pissed off" the Seminoles lost, noting his team did not handle the swings in momentum well. That has been a continuing theme since 2024.
"Momentum works in wild ways, but I told the guys, momentum only affects the teams that allow it to, and there's times we didn't respond the way we needed to respond with things that we can control," Norvell said. "You get caught up, you miss a misalignment or a call, in the moment there's some frustration that's there. The way that we finish needed to be better."
Florida State plays Central Arkansas at home before starting an ACC stretch against three Top 25 teams: No. 25 Virginia, at No. 23 Louisville and at No. 5 Miami, before an open date. Florida State is 3-14 in ACC play since 2024 so that three-game stretch is hugely important.
"I've not seen any pullback from this team," Norvell said. "(I'm) as confident after sitting there talking to them, what tomorrow will look like. We're going to go fight with everything that we have to go be the best that we can be, and that's the mindset. That's going to be today. It's going to be tomorrow. It's going to be as long as I get to be on this Earth. That's how I'm going to live."