Southern Miss HC Will Hall Talks Florida State And The Challenges Of Facing A Top Opponent

Hall made a strong statement about the Seminoles while noting his team is excited about the challenge this weekend.

The Florida State Seminoles have garnered national attention with their blowout win against the LSU Tigers this past Sunday, and for the first time since 2016, that win comes a climb to No. 4 in the nation. 

As the Seminoles are preparing for their home opener against Southern Miss on Saturday, Golden Eagles' head coach Will Hall is getting himself and his team prepared for the challenge of playing a top-five team in one of the most electric atmospheres in all of college football.

READ MORE: Mike Norvell Responds To Brian Kelly's Message Following Florida State's Beatdown of LSU

Hall opened his press conference with some praise for Florida State and acknowledged the fact that the opponent the Golden Eagles face this Saturday is going to be the toughest team he's faced in his career.

“They’re probably the best team I’ve ever coached against,” Hall said. “I played ‘Bama in ‘21 and they played for a national title, and I think this team is a little better than them.”

While time will tell if the 2023 Seminoles are better than the 2021 Crimson Tide, Hall added that many skill players on the Seminoles’ roster are “special.”

Many Group of Five schools will play a P5 opponent at least once during the year. The fact that this game is a home opener for an FSU team that is only growing in national attention creates a unique opportunity for Southern Miss to show their program to the country.

“It’s going to be a great challenge for us and a tremendous opportunity to represent our program the right way against an elite opponent and an elite venue,” Hall said.

Regarding Florida State’s week 1 performance against LSU, Hall was quick to admit the team seemed to be on their A-game to begin the season.

“They just had no weaknesses,” Hall said. “They’re old, they’re good, they’re experienced.”

Hall and Florida State head coach Mike Norvell worked together while the latter was at Memphis, serving as the tight ends coach and assistant head coach. He added that what Norvell has done at Florida State is nothing short of impressive.

“Mike inherited a situation much like me, it was a total rebuild in year one, but he stayed true to himself because that’s who he is. Then in year two they were a little bit better, then in year three they were a lot better, and now in year four they’ve got a chance to win a national title," Hall said.

The Golden Eagles opened year three of Coach Hall’s tenure as head coach with a 40-14 win over the Alcorn State Braves, a member of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Aside from FSU, the Golden Eagles face just one other ranked opponent this season in Tulane, and one other power five opponent in Mississippi State.

Only one team will remain undefeated Saturday night as the Golden Eagles will face the Seminoles at 8:30 PM Eastern time in Doak Campbell Stadium. The game will be televised on the ACC Network.

"It's gonna be a great challenge for us, and we're excited to roll out there and see what we've got," Hall said.

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READ MORE: Seminoles On The Move In AP Top 25 Poll After Putting Country On Notice In Win Over Tigers

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