Clark: A disappointing finish to a roller-coaster of a season

GAINESVILLE -- You could tell how much Mike Norvell was hurting after the game.

Jordan Travis, too. He said Saturday's 24-21 defeat to rival Florida was the most disappointing loss he's ever had.

It looked like both had maybe even shed a few tears before coming to talk to us in the postgame press conference.

Good. That's helpful. Let it sink in. Embrace the pain.

Because losing to a coach-less rival, with a quarterback who was giving away first-half interceptions like Halloween candy, is something that probably doesn't need to happen again at Florida State while Norvell is in charge.

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And here's the thing: I don't think it will.

Losses will happen, of course. It's college football. Everybody loses.

But I think Norvell has this program in a place where, with another year to overhaul the roster with more four- and five-star talent and with more impact transfers, he will get this team to a place where a team like THAT Florida squad won't stand a chance against his.

We're not there yet, though. Clearly.

There are still too many holes, at multiple positions, to expect this team to go on the road and dominate a team with more talent, no matter how poorly coached it might be.

And when you play special teams like this, I mean, you almost don't deserve to go to a bowl anyway.

Recruiting is Priority No. 1 for Norvell in the coming weeks and months.

Continuing to build and maintain culture is No. 2.

And No. 3, by god, is figuring out what in the world is wrong with your special teams. Because it's abysmal. And, in my opinion, might have just cost Florida State a win in The Swamp.

Pokey Wilson dropping the punt -- after calling for an inexplicable fair catch -- was obviously the main headline on this special-teams debacle. But Alex Mastromanno ripping a line drive down the middle like he's Tony Gwynn is at least a subhead. Both wound up giving Florida great field position and eventual points.

And don't forget the hold on the kick return that had a drive start inside the 10.

When you're not a good football team -- and FSU clearly is not -- this is the stuff that turns possible wins into losses.

"Tonight there were some critical mistakes that were made," Norvell said. "It's not just one moment, one play. But as a whole, we need it to be something that is a positive for us. There were too many times this year where I don't know that we displayed the investment that we make."

So Norvell has two options as he moves into Year No. 3 in Tallahassee: Load this roster with so much talent that it can overcome sloppy special-teams play. Or ... get better at special teams!

I asked him about it after the game, and he promised he would fix this problem. It wasn't a pinky swear, but you could tell how much that entire phase of the game has bothered him all season. And it once again came to a head on Saturday.

Setting a record for shortest onside kick in football history was just icing on the cake.

But overall, there's not really a lot to be mad about with this loss, is there?

I mean, disappointed. Sure. That's understandable. You had a chance to make a bowl, you had a chance to beat your uninspired rival, you had a chance to complete an incredible turnaround.

And you didn't take advantage.

It played out like so many games this year have played out. Close game. Late. One possession. Just didn't go in your favor.

Does this one game make 2021 a failure?

I mean, look, this is Florida State we're writing about here. We all agree that 5-7 isn't good enough. Norvell said so afterward. A couple of times. He knows the standard around here, and this isn't it.

But, as we look back at where this program was two months ago, when we look back at just how low it had sunk, I think we can all appreciate that it has climbed out of that shallow grave. Finally. It's still dirty. It's still slogging around. It needs a shower and a change of clothes. But it's not plopped down head-first in the mud anymore.

That's a start.

It has a quarterback. Truly. For the first time in, I don't know seven years, you feel good about that position as you head into the offseason. Jordan Travis is legit. He proved that on Saturday with one working shoulder.

And, most importantly, you have a team with character.

Maybe not the talent you want, maybe not the depth, but man, it fights so hard. Always. That's THE most important building block you can have while you're waiting on the NFL talent to arrive.

Culture matters. Foundation matters.

Florida State has both now.

It just needs more dudes. And to that point, Norvell said he has a flight out at 6 a.m. on Sunday to go recruit. Let's hope his destination is near a human being that can go catch a punt!

Norvell needs an offseason to figure out exactly what he wants to be on offense, because that seemed to completely change a couple of different times this season. He and offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham need to find a way to become more efficient on third down, because that's been abysmal for most of the year and was again on Saturday.

And he needs a little more time.

I know it's hard to be patient. I do. And I'm as disappointed as you are that this team isn't going bowling -- Shreveport is like a second home to me! -- but I'm not going to let that completely sway what I think of this program's current trajectory.

Florida State is much, much better than it was a season ago.

That was obvious before kickoff on Saturday, and it still is.

If Norvell and his staff can continue to build like this, then the words he said at the end of his press conference on Saturday are genuinely going to come true.

"We're going to push because we are going to do this the right way," Norvell said. "I promise you, success is coming here at Florida State. Because of these young men. Because of how they operate. And when we get there, we're going to stay there.

"Because it just becomes who you are."

Contact senior writer Corey Clark at corey@warchant.com and follow @Corey_Clark on Twitter.

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