By now, we normally know what to expect from Mike Norvell's weekly press conferences.
The Florida State head coach often reflects on the game that just occurred with the hindsight of film review and looks optimistically ahead at the upcoming opponent while acknowledging the challenge at hand.
Coach speak is often rampant -- as it is across college football -- and he's not often especially critical.
In his press conference Wednesday to kick off Boston College week five days out from the home opener Monday night (7:30 p.m. on ESPN), Norvell used a word a few times in his opening statement that I'm unsure he has ever used in one of his FSU press conferences.
Sick.
Coming off the 13-0 2023 season before FSU's College Football Playoff snub, the Seminoles entered 2024 with high expectations once more as a reloaded team that came in at No. 10 in both preseason polls.
Norvell knows that the product FSU put out on the field Saturday in its 24-21 season-opening loss to Georgia Tech was far removed from what this year's FSU team is capable of.
"I do want to thank every Florida State fan that traveled over to Ireland to make that trip, to be there to support us. It was an incredible turnout. Obviously a great atmosphere. Just such a special fan base," Norvell said. "I'm sick that we didn't give you a better outcome. Obviously it's extremely disappointing."
Norvell's press conference Wednesday was the first time he's talked publicly about the GT loss since his press conference in the immediate aftermath Saturday evening in Dublin.
You could see in his opening statement how the result had weighed on him in the previous few days. He didn't bother sugarcoating many facets of the loss. He admitted the offense needs to be more explosive -- FSU had just one play of 25+ yards vs. GT -- and that the defense needs to be better in its run fits and miss less tackles.
However, Norvell put the overall blame for the loss on himself.
"Going back and looking at the game, like I said, it's sickening that we came up short in that game," Norvell said. "Obviously I take total responsibility and ownership for that. I think you go back and see the game, obviously it's my job to have the team prepared to go and play to the best of our ability. I don't believe that was our best."
Before FSU's planned sightseeing day in Dublin on Sunday, the offense and defense split off into meetings to rewatch the game film from the GT loss.
"Nobody was in a good mood," Norvell said of these film sessions.
And yet, from the immediate aftermath of the loss, the head coach has been encouraged by how he's seen the team respond and begin to move forward, accepting what they did wrong and setting out to make things right.
"I think one of the things I've been pleased with since the game is just the ownership of coaches, players, everybody involved, of understanding how much we have to continue to pour into each other," Norvell said. "You take ownership in getting better...
"I mean, nobody ever wants to find yourself in this situation, but I believe in the character of the team, I believe in this coaching staff, I believe in the talent and ability that we have. We got to go play better. It starts with me. It's my job to make sure that in all things that we're doing, come Monday night, our best football shows up."
Despite this underwhelming showing in the season opener, FSU is still a sizable 15.5-point favorite over Boston College for its home opener Monday night.
And while the GT loss being a conference game hurts the Seminoles in the ACC standings and effectively removes a mulligan they may have possessed, it doesn't totally sink their conference title -- and therefore CFP -- chances.
But Norvell knows FSU can't afford to look that far ahead. Coming off a performance like that, the focus needs to be much more short-term.
"I think our guys have had the right mindset in what we need to do. It's still all in front of us. We got to go and just get better. I'm not worried about anything else beyond that," Norvell said. "I am not worried about anything we can't control right now other than going out there and putting our best foot forward today, being prepared for our Tuesday practice tomorrow, obviously as we'll build throughout the course of the week."
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