Florida head coach Mike Norvell apologized for his team’s impressive 20-17 loss to Jacksonville State with a touchdown pass with no time left on Saturday night. The loss was the first in program history for an FCS opponent.
Norvell, in his second year as Florida state coach, took full responsibility for the loss, which he described as “totally unacceptable.” On Saturday, Florida State won 26-0 against teams that were members of the FCS at the time of the game since the FBS / FCS split in 1978.
The last time Florida State lost to a minor opponent was in 1961 against Southern Miss. At the time, Southern Miss was in the university division (the forerunner of division II / III).
“I apologize to our fan base, to our university, to all the Seminoles for the performance we had,” Norvell said. “I own it, but we come in and we work, we fix the things that need to be fixed to play at the level we’re capable of playing. This team has talent, it has heart, they really believe in what we can achieve, but “We have to go and run. It can’t just be something we’re talking about right now. I’ve been through some tough times. Tonight is a difficult time for our college and our football team. Have it fixed.” “.
With six seconds left, Florida State led 17-14, but Jacksonville State was in despair mode, knowing it needed a score. Quarterback Zerrick Cooper threw a pass to Damond Philyaw-Johnson, who got behind the defense and eluded two strikers to enter the end zone to get a 59-yard score when time expired, amazing coaches, Florida State players and fans.
Norvell said his team did not line up in a preventive defense and tried to put pressure on the quarterback because Jacksonville State had a timeout left. Defensive end Jermaine Johnson II said the Seminoles “didn’t perform like we should” on the final play.
Jacksonville State ended up planting its flag in the middle of the field in a triumphant celebration.
“It’s embarrassing,” said McKenzie Milton, Florida state quarterback. “We have to own it. That’s who we are. We lost against Jacksonville State. We’re 0-2, so all we can do is look ahead.”
Florida State made the same mistakes the team has suffered during its four-year recession: too many penalties, too many past falls, too many missed assignments, too many failed attacks. The Seminoles had 11 penalties for 114 yards, many of them stopping records or hindering aggression to gain pace.
“If we put ourselves in positions like that, we’ll probably lose every game,” Milton said.
Florida State has ended up losing records in three consecutive seasons, including a 3-6 in Year 1 under Norvell. But he and his players spoke optimistically about this season, believing this team would show improvement. After dropping Notre Dame to the net in a waste of overtime on Sunday night, it seemed easy to believe it had moved on. The state of Florida showed a great capacity for endurance that had been lacking for quite some time.
But their performance against Jacksonville State showed that the lowest moments for the Seminoles are still not far behind. In any case, losing to an FCS school for the first time in school history shows that Florida State still has a long way to go before it really solves all the problems in the program.
“Our focus should be on us,” Norvell said. “We have to go out and make sure we’re doing the right things to represent this program the way it deserves to be represented. That should be our only focus. The guys are very upset. They’re all frustrated because we’re as staff “.
The problem is that coaches and players have been sending the same message for years about correcting mistakes and making sure the team is more disciplined on match days. But when the same problems continue and cover the technical teams, how can they finally be corrected?
“We’re still bought at all,” Johnson said. “Next week, we have to wash it. You have to have a great response. We’ve been basing it on that. If not, we’re just fake. All we can do is set an example, everyone on the team. Put the better step forward and attack him the right way. We have to do it, and we will do it. “