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Mike Norvell says Florida State football has an 'edge' to them ahead of Boston College game

peter holland jr., tallahassee democrat
·4 min read

Florida State football will enter Monday night's ACC matchup against Boston College with a chip on its shoulders after an upset loss to Georgia Tech last Saturday.

The loss in Dublin may be behind the team, but it raised questions that the team hopes to answer.

FSU coach Mike Norvell saw how intense and motivated the players were during practice and he spoke about it on Friday.

"I think our guys definitely have an edge to them," Norvell said.

"We gotta make sure that's all the little things that we're in we're in position to be able to execute come Monday night."

Norvell wanted the Seminoles to focus on the fundamentals, as struggles with those played a major role in losing to Georgia Tech.

The Seminoles are looking to avoid a 0-2 start for the first time since 2021.

Norvell thinks he could see his Seminoles dominating the line scrimmage while getting back on the winning track against the Eagles.

"Obviously, we talked about wanting to control the game," Norvell said.

"We talked about wanting to run the football to stop the runs the way that we finish everything that we do. We want to be in a dominant position. There were times that we were not."

Mike Norvell wants Seminoles to avoid 'sloppy moments' while playing with intensity

While Norvell saw the intensity of practice on Friday, he still had to remind his Seminoles to be consistent and fundamentally sound.

That remains a tall order for FSU.

"I saw some guys have great intensity today, but there were some sloppy moments on how they did and how that got put on display," Norvell said. "So it's just another opportunity for us to be better."

The Boston College game will kick off on Labor Day at 7:30 p.m. at Doak Campbell Stadium, which sold out this week. Norvell believes that this ACC matchup is more about correcting their mistakes.

"So for us, it's just focused on doing our job, making sure that we correct some of the things that showed up, like there a week away a week ago, and go get better," Norvell said.

'I'll be better this week': FSU's Patrick Payton feels motivated to play better vs. Boston College

FSU's edge rusher Patrick Payton is on edge this week.

After only registering one tackle against the Yellow Jackets last week, the All-ACC junior now has something to prove, especially to the critics, which he is aware of.

"They can't control by what I do and what I am out here now," Payton said.

"Because everybody looks at me now as the guy who basically, if he don't make any plays, and then he ain't nothing out there. So, that's what it really is, but I'll be better this week."

Payton credited Georgia Tech and its offensive scheme for shutting down the defensive line. However, he doesn't take that as an excuse for not meeting expectations.

He also alluded that losing to Georgia Tech last week could be the best thing to happen to the Seminoles, knowing they are not used to losing.

"I feel like we didn't play to our standard when it came to fundamentals that Coach Odell (Haggins), Coach JP (John Papuchis) teach us every day," Payton said.

Payton and the rest of the defensive line have another chance to showcase their strength against the Eagles.

Payton revisited the time the Seminoles faced Boston College and he downplayed underestimating the Eagles last year. He said he remembered how close the Eagles came to upsetting the Seminoles, led by quarterback Thomas Castellanos.

"We didn't think like it was going to affect us as much, but he gave us a great run for our money really to the last drive, knowing that he wants to come in here and wants to do the same thing we did to him, which beat him in his own stadium," Payton said.

"Now I knew this whole week, he had been thinking about that, and this was going to be a great game. He's a great quarterback."

How can I watch FSU football vs. Boston College

  • Date: Monday, Sept. 2

  • Time: 7:30 p.m.

  • Where: Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida

  • TV: ESPN

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

All times Eastern

  • Dec. 7: ACC Championship

BOLD = ACC

* = Neutral Site

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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: FSU football: Mike Norvell hopes to go back to controlling the game