Everything Mike Norvell Said After Boston College Beat Florida State
The Boston College Eagles celebrated a Labor Day victory over the Florida State Seminoles on Monday night in Tallahassee. Florida State head coach Mike Norvell spent time with the media after the 28-13 loss to talk about what went wrong for the Seminoles.
Below is a full transcript of everything that Norvell said after the loss.
Opening Statement.
"First off congratulations to Boston College, they did a good job tonight. They obviously came in and did the things they needed to do to win the game. For us, I'm just sick for how this season started. Obviously, tonight I failed in preparing the team to be able to go out and respond tonight. The things that were necessary for us, the things we talked about, the things we emphasized obviously in all phases we're not able to execute. Obviously, didn't put them in position to showcase what I believe this football team is. It's extremely disappointing. I apologize to our fans, apologize to everybody associated to the program. That was extremely disappointing that we're not better. Obviously a lot of factors go into it, all phases we just weren't good. They had possession the entire first quarter. We went three and out our first three drives, offensively. They capitalized on third down and on third down the execution was extremely poor. They ran the ball, we didn't and we had some missed opportunities, some chances in the game to be able to take a step and we made mistakes that were, obviously extremely costly and they capitalized on it. It comes down to me. and it comes down to me being able to prepare this team to go out there and be able to play to the capabilities that I believe that they have. You've got a football team that's hurting. You've got a football team that nobody ever envisions being where we are and having disappointment and having failure. I do believe in can do. I believe in what this team can accomplish. I've got to get better. I've got to prepare them better. And we've got to do everything in our power to be able to apply the things that we're emphasizing through the course of the week through the course of the game. We need leaders to rise up. We need to continue to push in all areas of what we're doing and we've got to do it together. There's going to be plenty of negativity around this program, I understand that. When you perform the way we just did that's all part of it. For a football team, you've got to stay together and you've got to make sure that you're there for each other. We've been knocked down, we know how to get up, but we've got to go do that. It's one thing to talk about it, it's another thing to put it into action and then to be able to perform in the moment throughout the course of the game. I do believe in this team. I believe in what we can do and I believe in how we can respond, but obviously there's a lot of work to be done because that does not look like Florida State football for what we did. Once again, it's all on me.
Having trouble running the football?
Obviously tonight, we went into it with a little bit more run-pass trying to get ourselves into some right numbers, missed some opportunities in the passing game. We've got to win one on ones, much different factors tie into that. When it comes to the run game, it takes everybody. We've got to be able to create space, we've got to be on track, we've got make sure we're taking advantage of all positions doing their part. If people are stacking the box, if people are squeezing the box we've got to be able to take advantage of it on the perimeter. We had a plan to be able to take advantage of what they were giving us, obviously, didn't do a good enough job in putting our guys in position to achieve success in that regard and there's some things that we've got to be better in our execution, but we've got to find way to have success on the ground. For two games we've definitely not been able to achieve that to the level of what I was expecting and once again I've got to put guys in a better position in what we're doing offensively in the run game to create angles, to create space to let our guys have a chance to be able to sustain and excel there on the ground.
Did you think about a QB change? Bye Week Challenge?
"No, I mean, obviously we were struggling offensively. There's a lot of reasons for that. Everything that we're doing, we've got to push and get better and that's what we're going to focus on doing. We're going to focus on pushing to get better and we're going to put our guys in the best position to achieve success and that's what we're going to focus on."
Last Season Hangover?
"No, I mean, this team is this team and I know these guys worked hard in the offseason. You've pushed and tried to prepare to try to go out there and try to put your best foot forward, play the best football that you can play. Unfortunately, we haven't done that. I think that when that occurs, obviously we have high expectations here and there's always going to be and there needs to be. But when things don't go how you want them to go, a disappointing outcome in your first game and obviously, today all the things that can go wrong, basically did. I don't know if that's a carry over from any part of it other than starting to press, starting to try to do too much where you want it so bad but there's times you can almost abandon the training that you've had because you just start pressing and trying to do too much and as a football team we've got to be able to collect ourselves. We've got to go and continue to evaluate what is best and we've got to build upon the things that we can do right now and go and get better from them. Like i said, I believe in the team. I believe in these guys, I do believe in what they can accomplish but obviously, we're not putting that on display right now and definitely did not do that tonight. I wholeheartedly believed we would come out tonight and play better. There were definitely enough mistakes that we made that kept us from that there in the first half and then obviously I thought there were some things in the second half where we started to press and obviously didn't play very well."
What went wrong in the passing game, especially early?
"There's not much that did click. We struggled to win one on ones early, there are time we're giving up pressure, there are times that we missed a throw or missed an opportunity for a catch trying to get some things to find a rhythm offensively and we weren't able to do that very well. I thought we did get into that a little bit later as we were rolling, had a couple of explosive plays that showed up. We've got to be able to start fast. We've got to be able to go out there and compete and be able to win our one on ones, to be able to execute going through progression, got to be able to protect and obviously we've got to have balance in the run-game. I think all that plays off each other some of the things we were doing was run-pass options and playing hard, stacking the box on the run and you've got to capitalize on the perimeter. When they're doing that and you're going to find some one on one situations and we found some. Obviously we did not do a good enough job and being able to execute in some of those situations and like I said it goes to am i putting them in the best positions in what we're doing and you know obviously, in the things we're asking them to do, being able to go out there and to be able to make it happen.
Another week giving up a lot of rushing yards, problems defending the run?
"I'll have to go back and watch film on in. Obviously it was our guys being on the field as long as they were. It. was you know, definitely played a factor of it, especially late in some of the explosive runs that showed up. It's not just the defensive line, linebackers, safeties, everybody. Especially when you get in condensed sets, you're going to find condensed sets, unbalanced sets, everybody's got a role to fill. We've got to be aggressive in our fits. We've got to make sure that we're keeping our eyes up, you've got to run through tackles. If you get athletic players, they've got a couple athletic backs, an athletic quarterback. If you give them spacing they're going to make it happen. We had a couple complete busts on the back out of the backfield that gave up two explosive plays, would've had another one but they dropped it and obviously that's extremely disappointing. It's something we work a lot, but in the moment were not able to execute. I thought early and you sit there and you go through, I thought early they were trying to run the football between the tackles and whether it was three, four, whatever that might have been, but when you get in third down conversions and longer drives and things are sustained in that obviously when you're on the field as much as our guys were on the field it gets challenging. Some of those explosive runs showed up late and it really hurt us."
Why isn't the talent translating to results?
"Well I mean, that's going to be something we've got to continue to evaluate. Like I said, I believe in this team, but who I believe we are didn't show up tonight and that's on me. I apologize to everyone. That's not good enough. For what we saw, obviously there's a disconnect in how we were able to perform tonight and what we did. I've got to be better, this football team has to push to continue to be better. I can tell you it's not from a lack of work, not from a lack of work from players, coaches, everybody involved, but for that identity that I know that we have we've got to put it on display in the moment, to translate practice to the game. When you're playing athletic people sometimes bad things will happen, sometimes you'll get beat on a play. You can't allow one to turn into two, to turn into five, and to let things spiral and let things go downhill and that's where I do think our leadership and the guys that have been here and the guys that have been through so much and standing up and sticking together and making a choice to continue to push to do more. I know that's what I'm going to do and what we're going to do as a coaching staff for these guys. We're going to put them in the best position to go get better. And at the end of the day nobody wanted to sit here 0-2 and I sure as hell didn't want to look how we looked tonight because it was not very good. At the end of the day we have an opportunity to get better and that's what we're going to do. That's what we can control and I still believe in this footall team and what we can accomplish."
Have the tranfser portal acquisitions not worked out?
"Obviously I've not done a good enough job of putting our guys in good enough position to showcase what I believe that they are. So I'll be better."
What part of the running game do you want to see improve?
"Once again, it's a lot of different factors when you go running game. I mean, we all have a job, we've got to create space. We've got to make sure at all three levels we're taking what they're giving us. We can't let people put seven, eight people in the box. In different sets we've got to be able to take advantage of space on the perimeter, but on the flip side of it, we've got to do a good job when we get opportunities of giving a back a track to run. We've got to be in position where we're supposed to be. We're always going to have a one on one at some point and we've got to win those one on ones, whether it's in the run-game or pass-game. We have to be able to build upon that. We have to be able to establish part of that run-game and get into this next week and this next opponent. It's got to be something we get established and we can build an identity of who we are up front."
Thought process to go for it on fourth down early in the second half?
"That was right at the brink of...analytically thought to go.. we've had success in some of those fourth down situations. We got a little bit of pressure, tried to force a ball, came out poorly and obviously was a big play in the game. In those situations, you try to play to put your guys in position to go achieve success. Trying to spark momentum, trying to spark an opportunity. Obviously that was a bad decision in that regard, especially carrying the result of the play, turning the ball over and giving them a short field. Definitely, we saw it through, in all aspects of what we needed analytically, what I thought would occur on the play, was confident in it, but definitely was not the result."
How important is rebuilding confidence?
"Yeah, we've got to build upon the things I know we can do. We've got to build upon showcasing our identity and what we're about. We're going to have to work. We have a few days this week of opportunities to work and try to be better and then we've got Memphis coming into town, who's a very talented team. Right now it really doesn't matter who we're playing. We've got to continue to work on ourselves. We've got to continue to work on ourselves. We've got to continue to push, continue to build that confidence through that work and be able to execute in the moment. That's coaches, players, everybody involved. You only get so many opportunities and when you get there to gameday you've got to go perform, you've got to be your best. That confidence, it's something you've got to earn. We work to build it through practice. We work to build it through competition, and what we try to do, but when you get out there on the field, say you've got to trust your training, you've got to be able to put that on display. Same for coaches as you're going through gameplans you've got a sense what you believe your guys are going to put them in the best position and there's times you've got to adapt, adjust throughout the course, but also have to make sure you stay true to who you are and not press as a coach too. I think there's times we've done that as well. Ultimately it's my job to go get it better and we're going to continue to build these guys up and you allow them to go build confidence through the work they're doing on the field."
Could you build confidence by converting on third down?
"It's a big point of emphasis for us and it's something I believed it would be a strength for ours in how we would operate in third downs and unfortunately we've not operated as we'll as we could and it's offensively and defensively. We've got to get off the field on third downs defensively. We've got to make sure in the passing game being able to create the pass rush, being able to be tight to the receivers. Their quarterback made a couple nice plays with his legs to extend drives. For us offensively we've got to make sure our playmakers in those moments rise up and be able to keep possession of the ball, allow us to get into a rhythm and that's one of the things that's hard when you're not being successful on third downs and you're not achieving the explosive plays within those drives it's hard to get in a rhythm. We had the one drive in the first quarter with the three and out and you get out there and it's a slight mistake in the next set of plays and missed opportunity. You sit there and you find yourself with limited possessions and limited plays as you get through the entire half. Obviously we've got to make sure we put our guys in a great position and we've got to be able to have success on third downs."
How did DJ handle the crowd chanting for the backup?
"Yeah, that's part of the game. At the end of the day everybody's going to have an opinion on what it is. If it's playing quarterback, being a head coach, being a part of a great university, a great program with high expectations, it's our job to go and play to a high level. There's times you might hear things you might not want to hear. You might have to go through hard and challenging situations, but it's all part of it. I think DJ's mature. He's obviously been through a lot. He was very encouraging on the sidelines with his teammates, very encouraging in the huddle, trying to push to make the next play and that's what you have to be able to live within when you play this game. The world can be against you but to be able to go out and execute and play that next play you'll be able to work yourself through it. I thought he was fine on the sideline. He was able to respond there a little bit in that third quarter and have a couple explosive plays. I thought him, Kentron they were able to hit some good plays, but obviously was not enough for us tonight and we'll continue to work and go get better as an entire team."
JOE GAITHER