While the end result was another painful home loss, the Florida State Seminoles’ 28-14 defeat at the hands of N.C. State on Saturday followed what was anything but a normal week of preparation.
Going back to last weekend, when the team returned from Clemson, at least two dozen Seminoles missed one or more days of practice due to a non-COVID virus that spread throughout the roster.
The illness, which also affected a great many students on FSU's campus and led to cancellation of some other sporting events, forced starting quarterback Jordan Travis out of action all week. Other players were only able to practice and/or play after receiving IVs from team medical personnel.
“It was a challenging week for everybody. In the community, there was some sickness that spread that really just made it challenging,” Norvell said. “We struggled. You see a little bit of that show up in continuity and execution there early. But that’s not an excuse. That’s part of football.”
“I don’t question these guy’s heart. I don’t question their determination,” he later added. “We just have to continue to work to get better.”
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Even senior quarterback McKenzie Milton, who started and took every snap against the Wolfpack, had his own battles with the illness earlier in the week.
“I’m just proud of the way our guys continue to fight,” Milton said. “That’s no excuse for lack of execution on third downs. It was a tough week physically for a lot of our guys.”
Florida State’s third-down woes were one of a few startling offensive statistics.
The Seminoles converted just 2 of 16 third downs, gained only 78 total yards in the first half, and finished with only 38 rushing yards for the entire game.
While Norvell wouldn't pin all of those struggles on the team's health issues, he acknowledged they likely played a role.
“There’s a lot of guys that probably didn’t feel great, that pushed to do everything they could to be available,” Norvell said. “It’s one of those things. It definitely added to the challenge, but we have to be able to go out there and execute to a higher level.”
Wideout Keyshawn Helton, who turned in a couple of FSU's biggest offensive plays of the day, shared a similar sentiment. He liked the way the team battled back from being shut out in the first half, but he believes the offense should have made more plays.
“I think we should have played better. College football is someone going down, next man up,” said Helton, who finished with four catches for 49 yards and a touchdown. “We just have to play better football; got to do a better job of executing."
According to Norvell, the virus actually started hitting the roster shortly before the Clemson game last Saturday and continued throughout the week.
Senior defensive end Keir Thomas and others credited FSU's athletic training staff with doing everything they could to help players make it through practices.
“It was pretty tough. But our training staff did a great job,” Thomas said. “Making sure we were still able to go. It played a big role on Saturday, having guys ready to practice.”
With the loss, Florida State falls to 3-6 on the season heading into next Saturday's rivalry game against visiting Miami (3:30 p.m., ESPN).
“It was emotional for all of us. I love these kids," Norvell said after the N.C. State loss. "You see them sick, hurting. Our athletic training staff, they did an unbelievable job throughout the course of this week just to be able to help our guys get in position to go out there and practice to the best of our ability.
“Then you see the kids and how they’re trying to respond to it. To go out and to be able to perform and how much they care. You take all of that emotion, and I told them in pregame today, I was proud of them. Proud of what they did through the course of this week.”
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