Mike Norvell looks ahead to Clemson at weekly presser

Florida State football is riding a three-game winning streak heading into Clemson game week. The Seminoles will head to Death Valley on Saturday to take on the 4-3 Tigers. It will be Mike Norvell’s first matchup against Dabo Swinney as the Seminoles’ head coach, after last year’s game was canceled due to Covid-19. To kick off game week, Norvell met with the media for his weekly press conference. Here’s some of what he had to say:

“I was really pleased going back to watch the film. The guys competed throughout. Got a lot of young guys in the game.”

“I was really pleased with the way our guys responded. The guys that had those negative plays found a way to come back and respond throughout the course of the week.”

“This week, we get a chance to go back on the road. Our guys understand the challenge that’s ahead. There’s things that we need to become more consistent in. Our guys have really embraced the work that is necessary to continue to improve.”

“This team’s going to be ready and we’re looking forward to the week of preparation.”

“Really pleased with the discipline we’re seeing, guys are really taking pride in that.”

“I believe it is a new team. You learn from the experiences that you’ve had... We’ve learned a lot of lessons, some good, some bad.”

“It’s a football team, not just an individual or a side of the ball. This is everybody. That’s what makes this game so special... I’m excited to see this team compete.”

“(Clemson) just doesn’t give up points. They’re phenomenal in the red-zone. They don’t give up explosive plays. You’re looking at the best tackling team we’ve played this season.”

“It’s going to be a great challenge for our guys. They’ve got a lot of experienced players.”

“Both those quarterbacks are talented, they’ve showed flashes of that through their careers... For us, we’ve got to control the things that we can control.”

“Someone who really jumped out to me was Lloyd Willis. You saw the physicality and effort he gave, it showed flashes of what he can do.”

“I thought Chubba (Purdy) did a nice job to go out there and manage his drives.”

“We’ll see how Dillan [Gibbons] progress over the course of the week... it’ll probably be day-to-day”

“We need every experience that we can get... I’ve got a great deal of confidence in this team. We do have another step in front of us. It is going to be a great challenge, this opponent that we’re playing, they have been the standard in the league.”

“It’s a daily work in progress. My job as a coach is to be consistent. I’ve got to try to be the example for what I want. I want these guys to be the best version of themselves.”

“I care about them enough to hold them to the standard that they can accomplish.”