Quote book and Video: Mike Norvell recaps FSU's 45-3 win over Miami

"This is a game that means so much to our program, that means so much to our fan base, to these players. We talked about this opportunity, you get a chance to leave a legacy. Because everybody will remember this game.

"The thing I was so proud of was just the physicality, the toughness. We were able to dominate that game with the true character of what this team is all about. I thought that was something that showed throughout.

"This is one that, yes, that will be remembered, that will be one that these guys get to talk about for the rest of their lives. When we came to Miami and when we came and showed up and played the way that Florida State Seminoles are supposed to play. That’s something they’re going to get to remember for this opportunity and this game."

On how far the program has come since the 2020 game at Miami

"We’re taking steps. That was one of the hardest nights of my life that I ever had to go through, watching on television, seeing a team that was just at the beginning. There were so many other things that were going on, we were in such a weird and strange place just for outside circumstance. To have to watch them go through that without me, I wanted to be here more than anything even for the experience. Because through it you learn from each of them. Two years ago when we were here it was a pretty terrible night, but between then and now it’s given us an opportunity to have a night like this. And that’s what makes this game special."

On how FSU handled the emotions of a big, rivalry game

"That was one of the things that we talked about throughout the course of this week is we need to show emotional maturity. It’s something that we’ve talked, when we got back in January we looked back and reflected to a couple of games last year where we didn’t show that. There was passion in that locker room. I think that showed up for 60 minutes. … I don’t downplay this game. This game is freaking important to our program. We build for it all throughout the year so that we can come and play our best tonight. But then when you get to the moment you can’t let a feeling take you out of what you’re here to do. And I thought our guys did a remarkable job of showing that maturity and showing some of that growth because we’ve had to learn from some experiences in the past where we didn’t put that on display like we could."

On the performance of FSU's defense, keeping Miami out of the end zone

"It was awesome. Our guys, they’ve worked really hard. We talked about wanting to create three-and-outs tonight. We wanted to get the ball back for the offense as many times as we could. I think we might have had seven or eight on the night. We were able to create takeaways, that’s something that we’ve been really harping and working on throughout the last three or four weeks. And really for a season that we’ve been working on it but we hit that little dry spell and then to see that show up in the moment tonight, guys were playing fast, they were playing physical and they just continued to respond, even when they were back on the goal line. And having to make a play, they got another stop and obviously they had the snap and great pursuit, great effort. We got the ball, it ended the drive. All of those things matter. Coach Fuller, our defensive staff did an extraordinary job. Our players were the ones that went out there and they took hold to it."

On Trey Benson's career night

"He was extraordinary. He’s been such a great back for us this year. You see the growth. He’s a great picture of where we are within the program. He’s such a talented young man that’s growing in his confidence with each play. He’s tough, he’s physical. I don’t even know how many tackles he broke tonight. The o-line did a great job of giving him some seams to run behind. But he ran determined. Treshaun Ward, we pushed, he did a great job throughout the course of the week trying to get himself into position but just wasn’t ultimately ready there going into the game. So put a bigger load there on Trey and LT, and I thought those guys did an extraordinary job in how they played. Coach Johnson has done a wonderful job with those backs. You see their versatility, you see their explosiveness. All of the things that they do and to couple it with just that type of performance is big in a game like this."

Guys like Pat Payton and others who have developed in a short amount of time

"That’s what I love about this team is you look at guys that have come in as newcomers in all ways, whether it’s a transfer that’s come in that’s been able to make an immediate impact and to some guys that have come in, Patrick Payton, Shyheim (Brown), Josh Farmer. I can go through so many guys that came in those first couple classes that we were so specific of what we were looking for. Yes, we wanted the biggest, tallest, fastest. But they had to be right fit for Florida State. They had to be guys that truly, truly love the process of work. And then with that they cared about people. That’s what you see tonight. It’s just a team that likes playing with each other. These guys love to compete with each other. They have each other’s back in good and bad. Obviously, we’ve lost three close games this year. It hasn’t been perfect for us. But even through those experiences it builds you for a night like tonight. And that’s what makes this team great. I can promise you come tomorrow night we get back to Tallahassee we are going to work. And we’re going to get better and we’re going to continue to improve. Now we’re going to celebrate for every moment from now until we get back to Tallahassee. It’s great to see these young men have that joy and that emotion because we’ve been through good and we’ve been through bad but we’ve gotten better with each experience that we’ve had to go through."

Bowl eligibility

"I really haven’t talked to the team a whole lot about that leading up because it’s about us just continuing to get better. But to know that I get to continue coaching this year’s team at least one more game, man, it means the world. And obviously you want to see progression, you want to see growth within a program. From where we were through that first year and all the crap that we had to deal with to get to the next year, starting off 0-4, that was tough. But they never let up, they never pulled back. They continued to push. Even through this year, have three straight games where you come up short against ranked teams. And you look back and you say, ‘Man, if we had just been a little cleaner here, a little bit better there?’ To see that progression and that continued belief and to know that we’re going to get a bowl game with these guys it’s definitely something that we will celebrate but we got a lot more work before we get to that point."

Success in situational moments

"Things came together really well tonight. We've been working a lot on situations leading up where in prior games we've had a mistake here or a mistake there. That's where you have to go back, you have to learn the lessons, you've got to apply the corrections. I thought our application of the things we've been doing on the practice field, on a big stage, national television, huge rivalry game and all the things around it, our guys went out and executed and I'm really proud of them for that."

What did this mean for the South Florida guys on the team?

"It's huge. This is a special game. To be able to come down, back home for so many guys that are on our team and to see them play well. Because guys that come from South Florida, they come up to Florida State, they grow, they develop and they do what they did tonight. That's exciting for them to be able to put that on display. That's exciting for us in recruiting. When you sit there and you talk about a vision, Pat Payton had to believe in the process of what we were going to do as a program. To see him out there as a redshirt freshman flying around at home, it's awesome. It's great for all of our players, but especially the guys from South Florida. Their families are going to definitely enjoy it because they'll be able to talk about it for the next year. It means so much because this is a game that our guys will remember forever."

What does this 60-minute performance do for this team in terms of realizing its potential?

"I've already told them. You tell somebody what they can do and what you believe (they can do). We've had enough examples throughout where you see the flashes. Tonight was consistent. It wasn't perfect, but they played really well for 60 minutes. They took a lot of those lessons and they were able to go and prepare great. If you were in the locker room beforehand, there was a purpose. Coach Storms came by and he was like, 'Those boys are about to go get after it.' There was no yelling, there was no screaming. It was just we are here to do something. We are here to go and be the best that we can be tonight for this moment, in this game. I thought our guys, it was a special game. Just proud of them for it."

Did you sense that during the week?

"I had a pretty good sense that we were going to get their best effort. The only thing is that as a coach, you sit there and with all the things surrounding it, you don't want them to lose focus, you don't want them to get distracted. When I stood in the locker room beforehand, I had a lot of confidence in what was about to show up because you saw it in their eyes. You thought, 'Now that's something we've got to take and we've got to be able to continue to replicate each week as we get better, as we continue to go through this season.' Proud of our guys. Going to enjoy tonight, definitely one that we'll remember."