FSU football: Transcripts from media day for Mike Norvell, coaches and players Cheez-It Bowl
ORLANDO − Florida State football players spoke to the media following the first practice in Orlando ahead of the Cheez-It Bowl.
Head coach Mike Norvell, offensive coordinator Alex Atkins and defensive coordinator, along with quarterback Jordan Travis, running back Trey Benson, offensive lineman Dillan Gibbons, defensive lineman Jared Verse, linebacker Tatum Bethune and defensive back Jammie Robinson spoke about the bowl game.
FSU (9-3) plays Oklahoma (6-6) at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.
Below is a transcript of what was said as the Seminoles prepare for their first bowl game since 2019.
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Head coach Mike Norvell
Question: How was the excitement level for this being the first bowl game for a lot of players?
Norvell: Absolutely. They showed me their excitement with how they prepared back at home. There's plenty of distractions that can be in place. Anytime you have an extended downtime, you know, maintaining that edge -- finish the season, playing as good as anybody in the country, I believe, and the objective for this game is to go be better.
I think our guys have embraced it throughout the season. They have really worked hard and I liked the edge that they have brought.
But we got here last night. This is a reward. It's a reward for the team. It's a reward for the work they have done. We talk a lot about the relationships that have been established throughout this football team, and that's what I enjoy. I'll enjoy watching them hanging out together, to get away and just enjoy that fellowship.
This morning to get up, everything is different when you get to a Bowl. Sometimes guys want to hold back because they don't know exactly where to go or exactly what to do. But once we got to the practice field, I thought they had a great edge about them, and I thought they were able to have a really good practice.
You can feel that expectation and excitement.
Q: How important is it to finish strong for this season, in addition to what you're building heading into next season with so many players coming back?
Norvell: Everything builds off itself. For us, our focus is this game. It's to go be our best. And one of the things that's a little bit of a challenge and almost a little bit of a distraction with so many players making that decision to come back and really announcing it early and something I'm proud of, but you know, this is not -- it's not about next year. It's about right now. It's about this team. It's about this game. It's about this opportunity.
And, you know, sometimes the excitement for what's to come, you cannot allow that to distract you for what we have here in this moment and this practice. It's this day. Lord willing, we wake up tomorrow, we have to go be better.
Our expectation is to go play our best game this year. That's been the expectation with each week that we've had throughout the course of the season: continue to improve, continue to get better, focusing on those little things that separate us.
You know, what's ahead? Well, there's an exciting time for Florida State football. There's an exciting time for the young men we are building and the young men I get to coach and the work they have put in.
The future is bright, but we have to take care of the moment and ultimately the things that we can control, and that's this week. You know, it's an absolute treat to be able to be here and to get a chance to play in this game, and you know, we just want to go show and be better than what we've been.
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Quarterback Jordan Travis
Q: What does it mean for you and your teammates to be in a Bowl and have this experience and also a chance to get to ten wins?
Travis: It's a blessing for sure, having an opportunity to come here, it's a great Bowl game. We were in a Bowl game a couple years ago. Just seeing how far we came as a football team, the accomplishments that we had this year is amazing.
I'm so, so proud of this team and grateful for this team, and everybody deserves this.
Q: You had a chance obviously to look at some film of Oklahoma. What have you seen from their defense, and what stands out that could be challenging?
Travis: Yeah they are a great defense with a lot of great athletes all over the field. Obviously, we played their coach a couple, what is it, two years ago at Clemson. They do a lot of different things. They are a special team. But, man, it's always about us. I always say every week, it's about us. We go out and play our game and let everything fall into place.
Q: Heading into the season, there were not a lot of people who thought Florida State would be in a position to win ten games this year. How important is it to finish strong considering how far this group has come this year?
Travis: Yeah, it's special. Puts a smile on my face every time I think about it. I've been here for a while now. I've seen a lot of down years. Just seeing the smiles on my teammates' faces means everything to me. Our fans are happy, which is big. We go to games, and our games are sold out. It's a blessing from the Man upstairs and I'm just grateful and thankful for this football team.
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Running back Trey Benson
Q. What are you looking forward to most about the week and the experience leading up to the game?
Benson: You know, just some of the seniors' last game, so basically just hanging out with the guys, hanging out with the team, create memories that will last forever.
Q: What does practice look like this morning, new stadium? What did it look like?
Benson: Practice was good. Everybody moving at fast speeds. Continue to get the work in. I'm just happy to be out there with the guys.
Q: Talk about what it means to you personally to be here to be able to participate in this particular Bowl game.
Benson: Means a lot. We get a chance to have ten wins this year and make history. It's a business trip, but we come down here to have fun with the team and the coaches and the coaching staff. But it's big because we can get to ten wins.
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Offensive lineman Dillan Gibbons
Q. What did you see out of practice today and what did you see from the team and what kind of energy was it and was it what you wanted to see?
Gibbons: Yes, sir, it was an amazing amount of energy. We are going to be the most conditioned team out there on the field. Our coaches have pushed us really hard over our past couple of weeks playing football.
I have been to this bowl game twice, back when it was the Citrus Bowl and the Camping World Bowl, and the most conditioned team going out there is going to have the best advantage.
Q: On winning the Wuerffel Trophy. What does it mean to be recognized for something like that by an organization?
Gibbons: It is tough for an individual to take that kind of recognition, at least for me. Everybody that's been a part of my process, everybody that we have been able to tell their story. All the individuals that have worked with Big Man Big Heart and helped us out through the process so far.
I really am standing on the shoulders of giants in the literal sense. That experience was wonderful, in New York City at the Heisman event with Danny Wuerffel.
But, it's been crazy, a crazy couple of weeks. What I'm focused on right now is playing football and winning one more game.
Q: You talk about being a dependable 6-man at Notre Dame, but did you envision all this, even in your wildest dreams, the success you would have on the field and changing the culture for this program moving forward and what you've done off the field? I know you had big goals coming to Tallahassee, but is this the way you saw it playing out in your head the entire time?
Gibbons: Yes, sir. It's an amazing experience. I understood the opportunity that presented itself when I did make that change from Notre Dame to come here to Florida State, and I attacked that opportunity in everything I possibly can.
If it wasn't for the coaches that allowed me that opportunity, I wouldn't be here today. If it wasn't for the guys in my offensive line room and the wonderful guys we have on offense and everybody that sacrifices on a day-to-day basis to help us win football games and run the football, it's been an amazing process.
None of it would have been possible without people helping me and individuals that were receptive to what I was trying to bring to the table.
Offensive coordinator Alex Atkins
Q: How did you feel about the practice today?
Atkins: I thought the effort was good. I thought the guys showed they want to still work together. We have to clean up on some details. This defense does present a lot of challenges with looks, and pressures, and he understands how to leverage the football. He knows what you are going to attack by what calls he makes, so we have to make sure we are on point in the execution of the details.
Q: What has allowed you to be successful running the football in the second half of the season?
Atkins: It starts with the quarterback position. The run game is all about services, looks and safety rotations. The quarterback has done a good job of handling the run checks, getting us in good plays, getting us in the best possible looks and not just running plays on a bad look. The first thing is Jordan.
The next thing is continuity in the line. We had the same guys pretty much out there. So, not too much they had not seen. Then, Trey Benson, I think he leads the country in broken tackles and elusiveness and yards per carry and things like that.
When you do have a bad look or things are not blocked correctly, you got backs' breaking tackles, so it is a combination of all those things. Whether you are in the right play, you are blocking up the looks and nothing confuses you and you can maintain blocks, and also you got guys that can make you right when you ain't right.
I thought our running backs have done a great job of breaking tackles and running through things and making it difficult to tackle. I think all those things combined give you a shot to have a pretty good run game.
Defensive coordinator Adam Fuller
Q. Coming to Orlando, what do you see in the first practice and what do you like?
Fuller: Today, we combined Tuesday and Wednesday. Had a bunch of situations and we give the guys about two days off.
So, it was important to get them out here and try to make it as physical a practice as we could. I thought our guys showed up with good energy, come back tonight, correct some of the things and move forward tomorrow.
Q: Talk about everybody being intact to play the bowl game in this different time and age; how happy are you to come into a bowl game with a team that's dialed in and all your players ready to go?
Fuller: I'm grateful for these players, grateful for these coaches. It starts with Mycah, and how selfless he is. He sets the tone every day and our players follow.
I think the way we have gone to work the last three weeks after the Florida game, it represents who we are. Our guys care about each other, they care about representing this great university. They care about playing well.
They have got high standards and don't always guarantee success, but it guarantees what it looks like out there right now. I just feel really grateful to be part of this football game.
Q: We heard from Coach Atkins about the importance of blocking off distractions for the guys that are here. Talk about your side on the defense what conversations are you having with the fellas and how are you encouraging them to dial in and remain focused?
Fuller: Well, I think you need a certain level of focus in everything you do. It is a little bit different in Bowl games, because in certain away games, you get off the plane and you have a Friday night routine, you wake up and either the game is at night in the morning. You have a routine.
You really don't have as much opportunity to get distracted. Here at the bowl, part of the allure of playing in good bowl games is you have opportunities for distractions. It is important for our guys to be able to venture and enjoy some of those times.
But, you don't prepare for the bowl game when you get to the bowl game. You prepare for the bowl game, last December, last January, last February. You have classes and you have all different things that pop up in these guys' lives. I think you have to trust what you have done throughout the year to get to this point.
Sometimes when you get back, shoot. We were all distracted last night, Christmas, you have a team meeting. I think when you garner a collective group like we have of good, young men and you put them all in a room. I think that draws the right energy to point in the right direction.
So, you never want to take anything for granted, and we won't. But, I do trust the group, and we will have them focused, but that is every day, and that is definitely a battle that we understand what we need to do each day.
Defensive back Jammie Robinson
Q. How excited are you guys about playing in a Bowl game again and playing against a team like Oklahoma?
Robinson: I mean, I feel like every game is a great game and a great opportunity, you know what I'm saying. Hats off to Oklahoma. We look forward to playing against them. We have definitely been game-planning and watching film. They got some great talent over there.
I also saw that they had a lot of guys out -- but that doesn't phase us. We are ready to see what they really talking about over there and really just ready to get to work honestly. We have been practicing for about two and a half weeks, so, you know, we are just ready to get off from somebody, really.
Q: Talk about the conversations you guys are having as a defense coming into this, especially since you're pointing out this already feels like home for you and it's your first practice. What conversations are you guys having to build each other up and head out into that game on Thursday?
JAMMIE ROBINSON: For sure, like I was saying earlier like we don't have five -- I don't know if it's a five- or four-game winning streak, but I feel like we had lost three games in a row and it kind -- you know what I'm saying, it hurt a little bit, but that brought us closer as a team, you know what I'm saying, and that brotherhood.
The brotherhood is here is different. Of all my years in college, this is my best year in college football, you know what I'm saying. We're actually fixing to get a tenth win. I've never been pretty much over .500 in college, you know what I'm saying. So I feel like I won a Super Bowl already.
Just getting after it with the guys, everyone, it's like a team -- I feel like our team is player led now. Earlier in the season, we were working on it. The coaches were on us about that, just being leaders and stuff. And I feel like now we get to the end, we get stronger. Like I don't feel like we off beat at all. It's just, you know what I'm saying, we ready to go, honestly.
Q. You're statistically one of the best defenses in the nation. How do you explain the Florida State defense?
Robinson: I feel like there is no defense that plays man coverage like how we play man coverage. I feel like there is no defense that fly around as we fly around. I feel like there's no defense in the country that practice like how we practice, the intensity, the level we practice.
I just feel like Florida State is different, you know what I'm saying. If you are not built for Florida State, you can't come to Florida State honestly.
Defensive lineman Jared Verse
Q. How was practice, being in the new stadium and getting acclimated?
Verse: It was good. That is one thing I'm very happy with about this team. We translate very well. Anywhere we go, anything we do, it is going to be full speed. Everybody came out hitting hard, moving fast. Coach will tell you himself it was a good practice.
Q. How do you think coming down here FSU will start off the season next year? Orlando, at the same stadium, how do you think that helps some of the players getting ready for next season, already getting a feel for Orlando and everything?
Verse: Everybody gets a feel for the stadium, how the stadium works, how the turf feels and how the locker rooms work. I think it is very good to help translate for the next season.
Q: Seems a lot of the success that you guys have had as a team has been the closeness that you guys have with each other, and it's something every football game preaches about, brotherhood and family. Is there anything unique about Florida State that's allowed you to come close together and be successful?
Verse: I think it is the players that the coach brings in. Everybody meshes well and is so different, but everybody meshes well, everybody has a good personality. They could put me in a room with anybody on the roster, and I will be able to talk to them for hours. That is how I am. That is how they are. We will be fine. It is just we really care for each other, too. It is just one of those things. It is just natural.
Linebacker Tatum Bethune
Q: How does it feel to be back in Orlando? You played here for a while. And you played with Dillon Gabriel. What kind of insight can you bring to the team of what he likes to do and what he brings to the table for Oklahoma?
Bethune: It feels great to be back in Orlando, knowing my family is able to come here without any struggle or whether to buy a plane ticket or not. I got some family here in Orlando that I am going to see. That is just a good feeling to see them. I haven't seen them all year.
Q: How does it feel, finals, different things going on, knowing you are playing a game on Thursday? How exciting is that feeling right now?
Bethune: It is a good feeling. Just the fact that I know we are playing in a Bowl game. The guys I have been around. They only played in one, and that is something we have been talking about before the season even started. We are reaching a goal that we are here now, so we just got to get it done. We talked about it, but we are here.
Q: What would a tenth win mean?
Bethune: That's one of our goals when we first found out where we were going to play, that was the biggest goal. We got that -- how many teams have ten wins in front of our locker room, and we just want to be able to change the wall. That would be huge for us.
GAME INFORMATION
Who: No. 13 Florida State vs. Oklahoma
When/Where: Thursday 5:30 p.m.; Camping World Stadium in Orlando
TV: ESPN
Reach Ehsan at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football: Transcripts form Mike Norvell, coaches and players Cheez-It Bowl
