If Mike Norvell had any questions about what the Miami game meant to lifelong Seminoles, assistant coach Odell Haggins erased them with one monstrous celebratory hug on Saturday night.

"It was special," Norvell said on Monday. "And I told Odell, 'Man, we're all excited.' But he shook me in ways I didn't know I could be shook."

Welcome to the rivalry, Coach.

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Norvell didn't get to coach against either one of Florida State's in-state rivals a year ago. He was forced to miss the game in South Florida because he tested positive for COVID-19, and then the Seminoles and Florida Gators didn't play at all because of the pandemic.

So, Saturday night was his first real taste of the rivalry.

Two days later, he was still marveling at the the electricity inside Doak Campbell Stadium. And he said he got a real sense, in real time, of just what this rivalry can mean to fans and former players like Haggins.

"It's what makes this place," Norvell said. "It's the game, but what it means. It means so much to our program, to our fan base, to those players. We had a lot of former players that were at the game. A lot of former players that got an opportunity to be around our guys. And you see it in their eyes.

"And coming in after we finished, that was special."

All the coaches who spoke with the media on Monday reflected on their own special moments after that win.

It was their first taste of a rivalry victory at Florida State, and they got to see what it means to the fans and former players. And they saw first-hand what it means to the current players as well.

When offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham was asked about seeing the Seminoles celebrating with each other after the 31-28 win, he got emotional and had to take a pause for a few moments.

"They are a special group of guys," Dillingham said. "They've stuck together. And yeah, I mean ... it's pretty cool."

While appearing to choke back tears, Dillingham then stopped talking for more than 20 seconds while looking down at the lectern before him.

The assistant coach was clearly so happy for players who haven't had a lot of success in recent years -- nobody who played on Saturday has ever beaten a rival while at Florida State -- that he genuinely got choked up thinking about the win and the on-field and locker-room celebrations that followed.

"We've got special kids, man," Dillingham said later in the press conference. "That's it. We've got special kids."

Adam Fuller said he tried to stay away from the locker room celebrations. The Florida State defensive coordinator says he enjoys watching his players and fellow coaches interact after a big win, but he likes to stand off to the side and observe more than most.

Still. It was Florida State-Miami.

So he most certainly enjoyed it.

"When we have success ... I tend to just go away," Fuller said with a smile. "I enjoy watching it, just the smiles on their faces and the excitement. And honestly, I'm getting more excited because that usually means they're going to have great energy the next day for practice.

"But it is super enjoyable. And to see the families of the players and the coaches, everybody kind of rallies around winning. And everybody feels good about it. ... And to come out here 2 1/2 half hours after the game and see hundreds of fans around Coach Bowden's statue, I mean that's what this program is about."

Special teams coordinator John Papuchis said when the game ended -- thanks to that bizarre spike by the Miami offense -- he allowed himself to take in the moment. He wanted to let it sink in. The feeling, the sound, the smiles and hugs.

And then he went looking for his family.

"I looked for my little ones," Papuchis said. "Because they're all down on the field. I have a son and three girls, who at this point in their life, they live and die with us every weekend ... and I knew they would be super elated and running out on the field.

"And that was a pretty cool moment."

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