Florida State Head Coach Mike Norvell Previews Road Matchup at Wake Forest

"They attack. They show multiple looks. A lot of different things. The guys play really hard."

No. 4 Florida State head coach Mike Norvell is in his fourth year at the helm for the Seminoles and has FSU in the driver's seat at 7-0, roaring towards an ACC title and College Football Playoff berth. 

Next on the docket are the 4-3 Wake Forest Demon Deacons, who are coming off a hard-fought 21-17 victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers and look to make a name for themselves in the 2023 NCAA landscape.

READ MORE: Florida State To "Probably" Be Without Veteran Defensive Lineman Against Wake Forest

Florida State head coach Mike Norvell spoke with the media on Tuesday to preview the Demon Deacons and gave insight into what is in store this weekend.

"I saw the replay, and you gotta do all things. It's hard to win games, and when you find a moment, and they obviously got an opportunity there in the two-minute drive and went down and executed," Norvell said. "Pitt has to be pretty sick about it in how it played (out), and it's just one of those challenging things. 

Florida State is coming off its own battle for ACC contention after defeating No. 16 Duke 38-20 in what will likely prelude a rematch on December 2. 

Still, a tough road is ahead, and Wake Forest stands abruptly in the way. Under head coach Dave Clawson, the Demon Deacons have successfully run their trademark "slow-mesh" concept, and FSU head coach Mike Norvell knows their bag of tricks well.

"They're gonna shift, move, I mean, everything. The line games, the pressure, they do a little bit of all," Norvell said. "They're gonna fast fill with their safeties, and they're gonna mix a couple of things coverage-wise because of that."

With fifth-year veteran quarterback Sam Hartman now at Notre Dame, question marks surround the effectiveness of the Demon Deacon offense; however, not much is lost on what they do defensively.

"Probably as multiple of a group that we've faced in just being able to go in and out of the four-down, the three-down, some of the packages that they show, so it is definitely a challenge," Norvell said on facing Wake this weekend.

Wake posts two of the better safeties in the ACC, Malik Mustapha and Chelen Garnes, who have accounted for 74 tackles and an interception this season.

"They attack. They show multiple looks. A lot of different things. The guys play really hard," Norvell said. "Two of the better safeties in our league, in how they play."

The game is set to kick off on October 28 at noon and will broadcast on ABC.

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