Florida State interim coach Rick Stockstill said he repeatedly preached toughness to his players in the six days after the program fired former Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell. Stockstill got that and much more Saturday afternoon -- including a successful fake field goal and a postgame Powerade bath -- in an "emotional," 31-24 come-from-behind win in the rain at Boston College.
The victory gave Florida State its first road win in nearly three years.
"Just really proud of them and the resiliency [they showed]," Stockstill, 68, said afterward. "...The toughness that they played with and the competitive spirit, I tell you, I'm very humbled. Excited for them. Long time since we won a game on the road. Just really happy for those guys in there because they've worked extremely hard to be able to dance in that locker room."
Stockstill stepped into the interim role last Sunday, when the Seminoles dismissed Norvell in the midst of his seventh season in charge of the program. He exited with a 10-22 record since the start of the 2024 campaign. A national search for Norvell's replacement, as well as a successor for Florida State former athletic director Michael Alford, who was fired Sept. 14, is underway.
Stockstill played quarterback at Florida State under legendary coach Bobby Bowden from 1977 to 1981. Stockstill was a two-time Sun Belt Coach of the Year honoree during an 18-year run as head coach at Middle Tennessee from 2006 to 2023 and joined Norvell's staff as director of scouting for offense in 2024.
"The first thing that goes through my mind is 'I've got Coach Bowden blood in me.' He'd run a trick play or two himself. So maybe he's smiling down on us all." FSU coach Rick Stockstill on trick FG
Stockstill, who invoked Bowden multiple times in his postgame comments, mentioned the flood of "good-luck texts" he received from family and former teammates Saturday morning and described the personal significance of his first head coaching victory since November 2023.
"I wanted it as much for our players in there as I did for all my former teammates and all the other players that came before us," Stockstill said. "So, it was special."
"[I said earlier this week that] I poured my heart and soul into this place as a player, and I was going to do that throughout these next couple months here," he continued. "But just happy for our players. I've dreamt all my life of one day being a coach at Florida State and to have this opportunity and to have a win; it's something that I'll cherish all my life."
The win, which improved Florida State to 4-5 and 2-4 in ACC play, was more than sentimental. Thanks to a pair of rushing touchdowns from freshman running back Amari Thomas, the Seminoles secured their first away victory since Nov. 25, 2023, snapping a streak of 12 consecutive defeats in true road contests.
And Saturday's win required plenty of the toughness and resilience Stockstill called for in the lead-up to the Week 10 trip to Boston College.
Florida State trailed 10-0 at the end of the first quarter after Eagles running back Bo MacCormack III capped a 13-play, 75-yard scoring drive with a 6-yard rushing score and then a 48-yard field goal from kicker Luca Lombardo. The Seminoles responded with second-quarter rushing touchdowns from Thomas and quarterback Ashton Daniels, but still trailed 17-14 with less than a minute remaining in the first half.
That's when Florida State executed a flawless fake field goal attempt that resulted in a 1-yard touchdown run for kicker Gabe Panikowski. Stockstill explained after the game that the trick play was introduced by offensive line coach Herb Hand and installed during Florida State's game preparations this week.
"At halftime, coming off, they asked me, [FSU sideline reporter Tom Block] asked me, 'Why'd you do it?," Stockstill said. "The first thing that goes through my mind is 'I've got Coach Bowden blood in me.' He'd run a trick play or two himself. So maybe he's smiling down on us all."
Boston College regained the lead after halftime through its own trickery -- an unusual spinning huddle that turned into a spread formation and a 2-yard underhand touchdown pass to Javarius Green -- and entered the fourth quarter with a 24-21 lead. Florida State responded decisively with back-to-back scoring drives of 5:49 and 8:16, pulling ahead on Panikowski's 22-yard field goal and Thomas' second touchdown -- and effectively draining 14:05 of game clock.
Per ESPN Research, the Seminoles had not won a game in which they trailed by double digits in the first quarter since October 2021, dropping each of their previous seven such contests before Saturday.
"We stepped up to the challenge," defensive back Nehemiah Chandler said of the performance and the team's response following Norvell's firing. "You can hang your head or you can [say] 'What's next?' I live by a 24-hour thing. Life happens. What are you going to do [about it]."
In the midst of another disappointing season and at the end of a difficult week at Florida State, Stockstill and the Seminoles savored the victory. Players doused Stockstill in a Powerade bath as the offense ran out the clock on Boston College (4-5, 2-4 ACC); afterward, clips of Stockstill dancing and celebrating with his team in the Eagles' away locker room were posted on social media.
Florida State is back on the road Friday for a visit to Pitt (6 p.m. ET, ESPN), with the Seminoles still two wins from bowl eligibility. Before Stockstill could turn his full attention to the Week 11 matchup, he was asked what he expected from the atmosphere on the plane ride home Saturday night.
"I hope it's a celebration," Stockstill said. "I hope we don't rock those wings. I hope we can keep them straight. This is the first road win since 2023, so I hope it's happy. Winning is hard, and when you win, you celebrate.
"I hope it's loud. I hope they have fun. I hope they love the taste that they have in their mouth and they want more of it."