Florida State Head Coach Mike Norvell Speaks Highly of Georgia Tech Ahead of Saturday's Matchup

Norvell praised Georgia Tech on both sides of the ball in his press conference

Georgia Tech is traveling down to Tallahassee for a game with the Florida State Seminoles this Saturday and the Yellow Jackets will be looking to bounce back from an ugly performance against Virginia last Thursday. Florida State is going to be looking to get back on the right side of the win column as well, having lost three straight. 

Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell spoke to the media on Monday and when asked about how if this game against Georgia Tech is an opportunity for Florida State to set the tone for the rest of the season, Norvell answered the question by talking about Georgia Tech, what they have been through with the coaching change, and how much he respects them on both sides of the ball: 

"You sit there and you watch Georgia Tech, they have had their ups and downs. They went through a coaching change and then won their next two games, they have been playing really well on defense, making some very impactful plays, even though they came up short the other night, I thought their defense played really well."

"Offensively, they have had some challenges that have presented themselves, just with different injuries and things that have shown up with some missed opportunities, this is a team that is plenty capable, you see that. I think they are playing hard. Coach (Brent) Key has done a good job of rallying the troops and it is a really good coaching staff. I know a couple of them personally and it is a lot of respect for who they are and what they do"

Florida State head coach Mike Norvell had plenty to say about the matchup with Georgia Tech on Saturday / Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

Norvell would also talk about his relationship with Chip Long, the Yellow Jackets' current offensive coordinator. Long was the offensive coordinator for Norvell in 2016 when Norvell was the head coach at Memphis and he also had some previous coaching stops with Norvell before that: 

"Chip is a great coach. We have known each other since we were in college, we actually competed against each other in college and developed that relationship through healthy respect of each other. We got a chance to work together for many years. He was my first offensive coordinator at Memphis, he was able to go on and do great things there at Notre Dame and has continued on in his coaching career." 

"I think when you go against talented coaches, whether they know a lot of the foundational elements within the program, it is still being true to who you are. Make sure that you are tying things to the players that you have. There is always going to be give and take when you go against somebody that has that type of familiarity, but I have a lot of respect for him and the job that he does."

"We know that this year for them and the injuries that they have had to overcome, there has been some challenging moments, but you also see the potential that they have and see some of the explosiveness that has shown up. Especially in the last few games, the last two that they won, going on the road to Pitt to get a win, having to rally and then... against Duke was another very close game where those guys had to step up. Definitely very capable with those guys back and a lot of respect for that coaching staff."

Norvell made it clear that his team is not going to be overlooking Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets are fighting to try and make a bowl game for the first time since 2018 and a win in Tallahassee would go a long way in helping that. 

Georgia Tech and Florida State will kick off at Noon on the ACC Network on Saturday. 

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