'This is why you play!' Norvell shows passion for FSU-Florida rivalry game
Some head coaches try to pretend it's just another game.
Yes, it's an in-state rival at the end of the year. But the opponent is faceless, they'll say. It's nameless.
"It's all about how we play. The team on the other sideline doesn't matter."
Mike Norvell is not one of those coaches.
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It was evident during Norvell's Monday press conference that the Florida State head coach very much appreciates and understands how big this week's rivalry game at Florida is for his players, his coaches and his fan base.
"The very first day of fall camp, I talk about two teams," Norvell said. "I talk about Miami. And I talk about this one. And everybody wants to win this game. Because it will be a game that is remembered for the rest of your life."
The Seminoles already got one rivalry win this month when they came back late in the fourth quarter to beat the Hurricanes, 31-28. Now, two weeks later, they're set to take on a Florida team that is also trying to get to bowl eligibility and which just fired its head coach on Sunday.
Both teams are sporting 5-6 records coming into this one, although they have taken extremely different paths to get here. The Seminoles have won five of their last seven games after starting 0-4. The Gators opened the year ranked No. 13 in the country and have now lost five of their last seven.
So, no, it's not a Game of the Century. It doesn't have national title implications like so many FSU-UF games have in years past.
That doesn't mean Florida State players and coaches -- specifically the head coach -- aren't grasping just how important this game is to everyone associated with both schools.
"Everything that you do throughout the course of the season is going to prepare you for the moment," Norvell said. "And you've either done the job and learned from the experiences and you go apply it for 60 minutes during that game. Or you don't.
"And you have to live with the results."
The recent results for Florida State in this rivalry, of course, have not been good.
The Seminoles have lost two in a row and would have been huge underdogs last year if the game had actually been played.
But now, after back-to-back wins against rival Miami and at Boston College, they come into the regular-season finale with real momentum. They also come in with the knowledge that if they win the game, they can complete an all-time turnaround by finishing 6-6 and earning a bowl trip.
And it would be done on a rival's home field, which would likely make it even sweeter.
More than anything, though, Norvell wants his players to appreciate the moment. Appreciate the fact that they get to play in another game like this. Against an arch rival. In a game they're going to remember for the rest of their lives.
It's Florida State-Florida.
It's always a big deal.
"I love the rivalries," said Norvell, who didn't get to coach against either UF or Miami a season ago. "Do I want our guys to be at an all-time high come Saturday? Absolutely. Because I know what this game means. And if you don't get up for this one, then go somewhere else. Go do something else. Because it is not for you.
"But you watch the history, you watch the tradition, you know what it means to the university, you know what it means to the fan base. This is why you play! This is why you coach! And it's to get guys [ready] for this moment. Everything we've done up to this point has prepared us. We'll either take advantage of it. Or we won't."
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Talk about this story with other Florida State football fans in the Tribal Council