FSU's Norvell, Dillingham discuss playcalling, scripts, offensive decisions

After watching his offense produce just 14 points Saturday at Wake Forest and 31 points in their last two games, Florida State football coach Mike Norvell said he and his coaches are evaluating everything they're doing in the search for answers for the final nine games of the 2021 season.

As part of the process, Norvell said, he reviews every play that's called and evaluates whether it was the right decision given the situation and the personnel that were on the field at the time.

"There were some really good play calls that didn't work out well," Norvell said during his weekly press conference Monday. "And then there were some play calls that we've got to be better at."

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Immediately after Saturday's loss, Norvell hinted that he didn't like the decision to have quarterback McKenzie Milton attempt to run for a first down on fourth-and-short in the Wake Forest red zone.

As for the play-calling process overall, Norvell described it as a "collaborative effort" between he and offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham. He said they hammer out a game plan in the days leading up to each game, discussing what they want to call in various situations and personnel groupings.

"Coach Dillingham does a great job in that," Norvell said. "We try to be very specific on our thoughts throughout the course of the week. I believe in what we do, and I believe in how we do it."

Dillingham, who also spoke with the media on Monday, has worked for Norvell going back to the 2014 season at Arizona State. He then went with Norvell to Memphis, where he became quarterbacks coach and later offensive coordinator, and then he reunited with Norvell in Tallahassee after spending the 2019 season as offensive coordinator at Auburn.

When asked about the play-calling process, Dillingham also said most of the big decisions are made during the week. And he added that first nine plays are usually scripted in advance -- unless something unexpected happens, such as being forced into a second-and-17, which would require a different approach.

"Especially early in games and starting the second halves, we're very scripted as far as exactly how we want to attack a defense -- and what those calls are going to be," Dillingham said. "So me and Coach communicate. We've been working together for a long time. ... But at the end of the day, everything is a reflection of myself. And I've got to find a way to score points. I've got to find a way to help our guys, put them in a better position to score points."

After opening the season with a 41-38 loss to Notre Dame in overtime, the Seminoles scored 17 points against FCS opponent Jacksonville State and 14 against Wake Forest. In those two games, they averaged 326 yards of total offense.

Norvell and Dillingham both pointed to self-inflicted wounds as being the biggest problem.

Against Jacksonville State, the Seminoles committed a number of drive-killing penalties. In Saturday's 35-14 loss to the Demon Deacons, FSU turned the ball over six times.

"That's not a recipe for success," Dillingham said.

Partly due to those turnovers, FSU ran just 51 plays in Saturday's game, compared to 89 for Wake Forest. The Seminoles had four drives that lasted two plays or less.

FSU turned the ball over on a first-down play twice, and once on the second play of a drive. The Seminoles also only scored on one of three trips inside the red zone -- one drive failed on that aforementioned Milton run, and Milton later fumbled while trying a quarterback sneak at the goal line.

"All those little things add up to 14 points in a football game," Dillingham said. "Which is unacceptable."

For the second straight game, FSU's offense was woeful in third- and fourth-down situations. The Seminoles converted 5 of 16 such opportunities in the Jacksonville State game, and 1 of 7 against Wake Forest.

Dillingham said most of those play calls are also designated in advance. He said he and Norvell come up with the plays they like in every situation, from third-and-short through third-and-long, and they prioritize them in order.

FSU's offense could get a boost on the offensive line this week if center Maurice Smith and left tackle Robert Scott return from injury. Smith hasn't played since the first half of the Notre Dame game, and Scott has been out since midway through Jacksonville State.

But either way, Norvell said the Seminoles will be evaluating everything they're doing moving forward. And he emphasized that as an offensive-minded head coach -- all of his years as an assistant coach came on that side of the ball -- he is taking a lead role in figuring out solutions.

"I'm always going to be heavily, heavily involved in what we're doing," Norvell said. "Whether that's calling all the plays, calling some of the plays or calling none of the plays, I'm still going to be very, very involved."

He then added that he believes solutions are coming sooner rather than later.

"I've got all the confidence in the world in what we're doing and how we're doing it," Norvell said.

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