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Norvell, 'Noles determined to respond well after another opening defeat

Florida State has been here before. A lot lately.

Saturday's 16-13 loss to Georgia Tech at Doak Campbell Stadium was the fourth straight season-opening defeat for the Seminoles. Under three different head coaches.

There is only one other school in all of Power 5 that has lost its last four season-openers: Oregon State. That's it. A program that hasn't had a winning record since 2013 and has won 10 games just once in the last two decades.

That's the company FSU is currently keeping as it tries once again to rebound from a disappointing start.

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FSU running back La'Damian Webb looks for running room Saturday against Georgia Tech.
FSU running back La'Damian Webb looks for running room Saturday against Georgia Tech. (Courtesy of FSU Sports Information (Don Juan Moore))

This time it's Mike Norvell's turn at the helm to see if he can get the Seminoles to flush an early loss and get back on track with 10 regular-season games remaining.

"I'm hurting for these guys," Norvell said after the game, "but just like I told them in the locker room: We have to respond. Nobody wants to start like we just did, but this football team does not have to be defined by tonight.

"They'll be defined by how they respond to this situation and how we move forward there together as a program."

The Seminoles certainly have practice. They have now lost to Alabama, Virginia Tech, Boise State and Georgia Tech in successive years. The last time they won a season opener was against Ole Miss in Orlando in 2016.

But while this is familiar territory for the players, it is not for Norvell. It was his first season-opening loss as a head coach and just his second season-opening defeat in any capacity since 2011.

*ALSO SEE: The 3-2-1: Where does FSU go after learning lessons from game one

He now must not only deal with getting prepared for a rivalry game against Miami on Sept. 26, but also observing the psyche of a roster that might just have a, "Here we go again," attitude after another season-opening setback.

"I believe in these players. I believe in these guys I'm getting to coach and the coaches I work with," Norvell said. "We just have to continue to go through our process. I hate that we lost (on Saturday night). I hate how we lost in every aspect, because I know these guys worked really hard trying to put themselves in the best position."

In the end, though, a 10-0 second-half lead turned into a 16-13 loss. The defense gave up two second-half touchdowns, and the offense managed just one 53-yard field goal over the final three quarters of action.

Norvell was asked about quarterback James Blackman's play after the game. He said the redshirt junior saw the right things and mostly made the right decisions.

While Blackman could have performed better, he was hurt by some dropped passes and other mistakes by teammates.

"There were a few times where he missed an opportunity or has to continue to work to get his eyes in the right place," Norvell said. "But all in all, it was across the board. ... When you look at our offense in general, the consistency didn't really show up at any position.

"There were quite a few mistakes that showed up in critical situations."

*ALSO SEE: Football Stat Bomb: Grading FSU's upset loss to Georgia Tech

Norvell did say he was pleased with the special teams play, and with good reason.

* The Seminoles were terrific on kickoff coverage;

* Freshman punter Alex Mastromanno averaged 48 yards on three attempts;

* Freshman Travis Jay had two nice kick returns;

* Junior Parker Groathaus kicked two field goals, including the aforementioned 53-yarder;

* And the Seminoles blocked three kicks: Janarius Robinson swatted a critical extra point, and Marvin Wilson blocked two field goals.

Still. Even with all that good work, the Seminoles lost to a Georgia Tech team that was 3-9 last season. And the Seminoles, once again, must figure out a way to try to overcome a season-opening defeat.

FSU has bounced back for wins in Week 2 each of the past two seasons, but neither time did the Seminoles deliver an inspired effort.

Last season, the 'Noles barely rebounded to hold off ULM for a 45-44 victory in overtime. The year before that, they had to rally to knock off Samford, 36-26.

In 2017, the last time they were tasked with playing an ACC opponent in the second game, they fell at home to N.C. State, 27-21.

"We have to pick ourselves up and respond," Wilson said. "We have two weeks to prepare and get our minds right. ... Our next game is a rivalry, we've got to come ready to play and ready to win."

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