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FSU football's Mike Norvell rips receivers; unit hears him loud and clear

peter holland jr., tallahassee democrat
·4 min read

During Monday's press conference, Mike Norvell expressed how "awful" the Florida State football receivers looked in perimeter blocking in last Saturday's loss against the Memphis Tigers.

"It was bad. It was awful," FSU's head coach said.

"There's no easy way to put that. There are times that you stop the film and you see one-third of the field — with we have as many or more than what they have, and you get no production. That sucks."

The unit feels it needed that wake-up call.

After returning to practice on Tuesday morning, the receivers got the message from Norvell. They made that the primary focus as they prepare for California Saturday at 7 p.m. at Doak Campbell Stadium.

"We definitely took that one to the chin," sophomore receiver Hykeem Williams said.

"We did not like it at all. Even from watching film, that was not us. Everyone knows that, and we definitely made that a huge emphasis from here on out. We'll definitely will be better."

Malik Benson expressed how disappointed he and the rest of the receivers looked.

When asked about Norvell calling out the receivers for their poor blocking performance, he expressed how critical his teammates were when they rewatched the game film and were motivated to return to practice with a better mindset.

"When you are hard on yourself when you get into the film room, and the coach is hard on you, you are not going to take it any type of way," Benson said.

"So you know that is just emphasis that we need to block on the perimeter and just be better for our teammates because if we can't block on the perimeter, then how should we expect to get the ball and things like that?"

Benson had a career game against the Tigers after leading the Seminoles with five catches for 99 yards. Most of those yards came in the second half after finding a connection with quarterback DJ Uiagalelei in the fourth quarter.

Sep 14, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Hykeem Williams (8) catches the ball against the Memphis Tigers during the second half at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images
Sep 14, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Hykeem Williams (8) catches the ball against the Memphis Tigers during the second half at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Benson identified as a team leader in his position group and reminded his teammates how important their roles as perimeter blockers are in running games and short-yard pass screens.

"I tell my guys we need to keep blocking," Benson said.

"Just do our job because the balls are going to come eventually. Once the ball comes, you'll have confidence because you've been dominating your man each and every play, whether it's blocking, running routes or anything else."

Hykeem Williams continues to focus on being in 'game-ready' shape

Williams entered his sophomore year with high expectations. Unfortunately, he had a minor setback. Williams missed the first three games with an injury.

He made his first game appearance against Memphis last Saturday. Late in the second half, he recorded three catches for 16 yards.

Norvell was happy to see Williams back on the field. He is optimistic that Williams will continue to improve when he returns to his full strength.

"Hykeem got his first game back and was able to do a few things out there," Norvell said.

"He is still getting himself back into that game-ready shape. I thought he did a wonderful job in his rehab to get back for last week. We're going to continue to see him ascend and I thought he had a good day today."

Sep 14, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Hykeem Williams (8) before a game against the Memphis Tigers at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images
Sep 14, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Hykeem Williams (8) before a game against the Memphis Tigers at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Williams felt relieved to return to the field after missing the first three games. He didn't think rust played a factor but is aware of getting up to speed and trusting his body.

"At the end of the day, you have to trust your body and make sure that you are ready to go," Williams said.

Williams also wants to continue working on communicating on offense, especially with Uiagalelei. He believes that FSU will have an identity once everyone executes their roles.

"It's not the quarterback," Williams said.

"It's everyone. We just have to be there, locked in, and it's just the little things, honestly. We have to make sure that we're doing our assignments to a tee and that we're all on the same page."

How can I watch FSU football vs. Cal

  • Date: Saturday, Sept. 21

  • Time: 7 p.m.

  • Where: Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida

  • TV: ESPN

FSU football schedule 2024: TV channels, dates and start times

All times Eastern

BOLD = ACC

* = Neutral Site

Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida State football WRs working on improving downfield blocking