Mike Norvell Recaps Win Over North Alabama, Talks About Jordan Travis' Injury
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 All right, just first off, proud of our guys
00:03 and just the way that they responded tonight.
00:05 Obviously, the game didn't start off how we wanted.
00:07 You know, faced adversity on the field early.
00:11 You know, had a punt fake that hit us.
00:16 You know, they did a good job of running
00:19 basically a variety of different plays and formations
00:22 and were able to get out to an early lead.
00:25 But, you know, offensively didn't really --
00:28 obviously didn't start how we wanted.
00:31 You know, missed some opportunities.
00:32 You know, obviously, when Jordan went down,
00:37 you know, that was something that nobody ever
00:39 wants to see a player go down.
00:41 And, you know, I don't have any updates on it tonight,
00:43 so just so everybody's aware.
00:46 But I was proud of the way that our guys responded
00:49 throughout the course of the game.
00:50 And, you know, as you sit there
00:52 and you watch a football team come together,
00:55 I thought our guys did that at a very high level.
00:58 You know, we knew all three phases.
01:01 We had to continue to rise up.
01:03 I thought our defense was great, you know,
01:05 basically throughout the rest of the game.
01:07 Offensively, we were able to get into a little bit of a rhythm.
01:10 You hit some big plays. You had a couple big runs.
01:12 You had a variety of different guys offensively.
01:15 You were asked to contribute.
01:16 We had some other guys that had some bumps and bruises,
01:20 you know, really in all phases.
01:21 You had some guys that went down,
01:22 so really had to and got to play a lot of guys
01:27 that, you know, got some significant action.
01:30 You know, it wasn't the cleanest game.
01:31 You know, like I said, we had too many drops,
01:33 you know, too many missed opportunities.
01:35 I thought Tate did a great job coming in.
01:38 And, you know, other than a few mistakes here and there,
01:42 was really, really good tonight.
01:44 And what he did where he located the ball,
01:46 you know, he made a couple great decisions
01:48 just in progressions and read.
01:50 And, you know, he showed that, you know,
01:52 all the work he's been putting in,
01:53 he was ready for his moment when his number was called.
01:56 And, you know, as we come out of tonight,
02:00 you know, you sit there and you finish up the regular season
02:02 undefeated here at Dote Campbell Stadium,
02:04 and that's something that we're so very proud of.
02:07 And, you know, for the five straight sellouts
02:10 to end the season, I mean, our crowd was remarkable.
02:13 You know, just great atmosphere, you know,
02:15 it's to be able to honor the seniors,
02:17 to be able to honor the guys
02:18 that played their last game in our stadium.
02:22 I mean, it was special.
02:23 You know, I thought defense being able to create
02:26 some takeaways, you know, Jerry and Jones,
02:28 you know, I thought was remarkable.
02:31 You know, we had a couple of huge plays with the sack fumble.
02:35 You know, and then, you know, obviously the interception there
02:37 you know, later in the game.
02:39 I mean, he's just, he's been so good for us this year.
02:42 And, you know, he's continuing to grow, continuing to push.
02:45 You know, it was definitely a great performance
02:47 on his part.
02:49 He broke the rock for us there after the game.
02:51 But, you know, I thought it was a great showcase
02:56 of the heart and the character that our guys have
02:59 because, you know, sometimes those games,
03:01 you know, they bring more anxiety.
03:03 If you find yourself in a situation, that's tough.
03:05 I was just talking to the team about this.
03:08 Nobody pictures being down in that game early,
03:09 but it was a circumstance we found ourselves in.
03:12 And there's a lot of reasons why, a lot of things
03:14 that, you know, that we can correct.
03:17 But in the moment, you know,
03:18 it's all about what you do with the next play.
03:20 It's all about what your belief is.
03:22 It's all about are you going to be willing to block out,
03:24 you know, the anxiety and the pressure that you feel
03:28 and just go play one.
03:29 And, you know, we've been through a lot.
03:30 I mean, we've been through a lot of adversity.
03:32 We've been through a lot of challenges as a team
03:34 and as a program.
03:35 But, you know, I am very proud of our guys
03:38 for just the way that they do all things that they do.
03:42 And we're going to continue to push,
03:44 going to continue to get better.
03:46 We've got a huge game this next week.
03:47 You know, obviously having to go on the road
03:51 with an opportunity to try to finish
03:53 the regular season undefeated.
03:55 And our guys have put us in this position.
03:57 And so, you know, everything we have is going to go into
04:00 our preparation to being our best to come next Saturday.
04:03 First question will be Ira. Second, Rolando.
04:06 In the moments after Jordan's injury,
04:08 a lot of guys obviously were struggling
04:09 and needed to be consoled.
04:11 What kind of messages were you and the other coaches
04:14 giving them, and how did you guys
04:16 kind of snap them out of that?
04:18 Well, you know, it's hard.
04:19 Anytime you see any player go down.
04:21 But, you know, obviously Jordan is so important to this team.
04:25 And not just as the quarterback,
04:28 but just who he is and what he stands for.
04:31 You know, and so, I mean, it's when you see a player get hurt
04:33 and not really knowing what that's going to be.
04:37 But obviously, I mean, it was something that --
04:41 it was emotional, and it was emotional for everybody.
04:44 And so, you know, just trying to help them work
04:47 to being prepared for what was needed in the moment.
04:51 Because, you know, when your brothers go down,
04:54 well, there's another one that's there
04:56 that has to step up and has to stand up.
04:59 And you've got to be there to help support them
05:01 and encourage them.
05:02 And I'm not just talking about, you know,
05:04 the quarterback, but all of us.
05:05 I mean, anybody that, you know, when you care about a teammate,
05:11 when you care about a team, you know,
05:12 and just the way that this program is built,
05:16 man, a lot goes into it.
05:18 And, you know, but ultimately, I thought our guys
05:20 were able to kind of gather themselves
05:25 and just continue to play.
05:26 And, you know, I thought a lot of guys
05:28 played at a very high level.
05:30 And, you know, we're there in support of what was needed.
05:34 Following up on that, Mike, what does that say
05:38 about this team's, I guess, maturity
05:40 to be able to be resilient and to keep playing hard
05:43 throughout the night, given the circumstances
05:45 of Jordan's injury?
05:46 Yeah, I mean, that's who they are.
05:47 I mean, they've been through it.
05:50 And, you know, what I love is even the older guys,
05:54 you know, how they are mentoring,
05:56 how they're encouraging, how they're pushing
05:57 the younger guys to work to hit the standard
06:01 of how we want to operate.
06:03 I mean, when you have that type of leadership,
06:06 when you have guys that have seen it all,
06:08 and we've got a bunch of guys and a bunch of seniors
06:10 that have been through it all, you know, it really --
06:14 it's so encouraging to see the investment
06:21 that they're willing to make on others,
06:22 but, you know, it also speaks to the character
06:24 and the heart that they have as a football team.
06:27 And so, you know, it's a challenge.
06:29 You know, we push our guys every single day.
06:32 And you can see in their response
06:34 just how confident they are
06:36 even in those uncomfortable situations.
06:38 We'll go back to the right for Corey.
06:41 Mike, you talked about the team's response
06:43 and the players' response or their emotions.
06:45 What are your emotions?
06:47 You have such a long history with that kid,
06:49 and he's done so much for your offense
06:51 and your program in general.
06:53 What were your emotions now --
06:55 or now and what were they at the moment?
06:56 And how did you, like, block it out after a minute?
07:00 I mean, I like to say you block out, you don't.
07:03 I mean, you know, coming in,
07:09 we knew this was Jordan Travis' last game
07:10 at Doe Campbell Stadium.
07:12 I wanted to see him have a special game,
07:16 special experience, you know,
07:18 and for any time somebody gets hurt, you know, I don't --
07:21 It hurt. I mean, it's painful to see.
07:26 It's painful to have to go through.
07:29 And, I mean, you just want so bad for that kid,
07:31 like, because he does everything right.
07:33 You know, he really is just a special, special young man.
07:36 And, you know, it was --
07:38 You know, I can't say that I did block it out.
07:40 You know, it was -- You go and you coach
07:42 and you do everything, just like I said earlier,
07:44 for the players that are out there on the field.
07:47 Well, I owe it to them, too.
07:50 But it doesn't lessen anything of the impact
07:53 of when you have any player that goes down.
07:55 I mean, it is -- It's hard because this is a game
07:59 that these guys, they put so much into.
08:02 And, you know, it's --
08:05 Like I always tell you, you got to be for others,
08:09 you know, what they need.
08:10 And, you know, really our players,
08:12 you know, the way that they competed,
08:13 the way that they fought,
08:14 the way that they were responding
08:15 was a lot of what I even needed at times
08:18 because you see their desire to go out there
08:20 and to do all they can to make sure
08:22 that we finished as good as we could be.
08:25 And, you know, they showed it in their response,
08:27 and we have the responsibility as coaches to do the same.
08:30 You probably didn't see it.
08:35 Jordan, before the end of the game,
08:37 already he posted on Instagram
08:38 shouting out Brock for his first career touchdown.
08:41 I guess, what's it say about him that the night he had,
08:43 that that's where his head is at,
08:44 and he wants to, I mean, be showing that love
08:46 with what he's been through?
08:47 That's who he is.
08:49 I mean, he just -- You know, a lot of people talk about
08:51 Kerrion, he lives it.
08:53 He lives it every day.
08:54 And, you know, his investment in this team,
08:57 his investment in, you know, his teammates,
09:00 you know, this program in general,
09:02 I mean, he's special.
09:03 And, you know, it's obviously not the way
09:07 that he wanted to go out of this game.
09:12 But, you know, it doesn't shock me.
09:15 You know, I didn't know that he put anything out,
09:17 but that doesn't shock me.
09:21 Coach, after such an emotional game tonight
09:22 and you guys have Florida on the horizon,
09:24 what do you expect from them in this practice?
09:26 What kind of, like, intensity do you want to see?
09:28 I mean, they're going to respond.
09:29 We're going to prepare to be better than what we've been.
09:31 And, you know, I believe in this team.
09:33 I believe in what they're made of.
09:34 I know how they're trained.
09:36 And I know what they're asked to do.
09:38 And we'll have a game, you know,
09:40 next Saturday night on the road,
09:41 and we're going to have everything that we can do
09:45 to prepare ourselves to be the best that we can possibly be.
09:48 And I've got a lot of confidence in this team
09:50 because I live with them.
09:51 I see them every day.
09:53 I see the way that they pour into each other.
09:56 And they're going to have each other's back,
09:57 and we're going to go attack this week.
10:00 We're going to have the best week of preparation
10:01 that we've had and put ourselves to go, you know,
10:05 put our stamp on how we want to end the regular season.
10:08 Coach, you mentioned, you know, some players stepped up.
10:13 Who kind of gave a good pep talk
10:15 or got the team, like, you know, rallied around
10:17 to keep going and playing after an injury?
10:19 Yeah, you know, it's not necessarily about a pep talk.
10:22 You know, I mean, there's plenty of people that can stand up.
10:24 It's about your actions.
10:25 It's about how you go out there and what you do,
10:27 how you perform, you know, the encouragement of others.
10:30 I mean, you know, I've talked about it
10:32 all throughout the course of the season.
10:33 You know, when you see, whether it's defensive guys
10:36 coming and just encouraging offensive guys,
10:38 it doesn't -- you don't want to just stop
10:39 and go to one person.
10:41 It's -- I mean, when you get your opportunity,
10:43 when you can make a positive impact,
10:45 go give all that you have.
10:47 And, you know, that is the encouragement.
10:49 And, you know, I think our coaches, players,
10:51 everybody fed off that tonight.
10:53 And, you know, our guys did what was necessary
10:55 in being able to respond and finish the game
10:58 the way that they did.
10:59 I'm sure Tate was expecting to play in this game,
11:06 but not like that, not so suddenly
11:08 and not with the mood of the stadium like that.
11:11 How do you think he responded?
11:12 That's such a tough moment for a kid to go into.
11:15 How do you think he responded immediately
11:17 and then over the course of the game
11:18 as he got more and more confident?
11:19 I thought it was great.
11:20 I mean, I thought, you know, there was a few mistakes,
11:24 you know, a few things that, you know, you could tell.
11:26 You know, he was just -- everything was rolling for him.
11:29 But, I mean, he's been preparing all season.
11:31 And, you know, you talk about it.
11:33 You know, a few weeks ago in my office,
11:36 you know, we had a one-on-one just talking about,
11:39 you know, being prepared in case a moment ever called for you.
11:43 And, you know, Tate does a great job in his preparation.
11:46 You know, he's a wonderful teammate.
11:49 You know, our guys have a lot of confidence in Tate
11:50 because they watch him practice every day.
11:52 They know the talent. They know the ability.
11:55 You know, and I think that was, you know,
11:57 something that was really impressive to me
12:00 because he didn't -- he never --
12:02 he never seemed rattled in the moment.
12:03 He knew he was prepared and ready.
12:05 And that's what you have to do, you know, at every position.
12:07 But, obviously, the quarterback position
12:09 gets magnified to the elite level.
12:11 And, you know, I thought he did a wonderful job.
12:13 And, you know, he went out there
12:15 and I thought played really well.
12:17 Next we'll go to Aslan.
12:19 Coach, for Tate, do you think the key
12:21 is to keep doing what he's been doing,
12:24 keep being who he has been, or for him to kind of understand
12:26 that this thing is so close to the finish line
12:28 and the opportunity he has to help lead this team past it?
12:31 Well, I mean, you know, obviously, we'll --
12:34 he just needs to be him.
12:35 I mean, he's -- you know,
12:37 just because you're not a starter,
12:39 which, you know, Tate, you know, obviously,
12:40 he's one of the best quarterbacks in the country,
12:44 but that doesn't mean that he hasn't been pushing
12:46 and leading and doing everything that he could
12:49 to show his teammates that if his number was called,
12:52 he was going to be ready.
12:53 And, you know, we've got to do a better job
12:55 of helping him out.
12:56 I mean, I think we had too many drop balls.
12:57 I think he threw a couple of just unbelievable, you know,
13:00 passes, and, you know, we need to support him,
13:03 you know, the best way that we can.
13:05 But, you know, he just needs to go be himself.
13:09 And if he does that, we've got a lot of confidence
13:11 in how he'll play and, you know,
13:13 obviously how guys around him will --
13:16 you'll be there for him in those moments.
13:20 Coach, obviously an emotional day.
13:22 Can you talk about the emotions pregame
13:23 with the senior day ceremony,
13:24 what that meant to you and what that meant for your players?
13:26 No, I mean, just a great group of seniors.
13:28 And, you know, these guys,
13:29 they've poured so much into the program,
13:31 you know, all for, you know, different amounts of time.
13:34 You know, we've had --
13:35 but, you know, guys like, you know, Kaelin DeLoach,
13:38 you know, obviously, he didn't play today.
13:39 He was unavailable.
13:41 You know, but just there in --
13:45 when we were celebrating them in pregame,
13:46 you know, just thinking through the journey,
13:48 like thinking through, you know,
13:50 all the things that these guys have worked through
13:53 and just to, you know, to see the confidence that they have,
13:55 to see, you know, how they represent this program.
13:59 You know, obviously, we talked about Jerrion, you know,
14:02 Jordan, you know, he was awesome,
14:04 you know, there before the game.
14:06 But you get a -- you just get a sense of these wonderful
14:09 young men that have really, you know, invested
14:12 and put all that they could into, you know,
14:15 being a Florida State Seminole, and they will forever be.
14:18 And, you know, this is a team that, you know,
14:20 they told them in the locker room,
14:22 "This team is going to be remembered."
14:24 And we get an opportunity to go, you know,
14:26 take another step here this next week,
14:28 but this is a special group,
14:30 and it's led by that senior class.
14:32 And, you know, it was a great night and great experience
14:37 to be able to see them get celebrated
14:39 here in our fan base, you know, just, you know,
14:42 the applause that they had and, you know,
14:43 obviously, just what these guys mean to our wonderful fan base.
14:48 All right, we're going to go to two more.
14:50 Quinn Darius Jones had that blocked punt at the end --
14:53 or returned it for, you know, a touchdown.
14:54 Just -- he got his opportunity, like you mentioned, you know,
14:57 and he took advantage of it. Then the game didn't quit.
14:59 What does that say about him and the team?
15:00 Oh, it was great. You know, I've said, you know,
15:02 they lined up for a field goal there late,
15:06 and, you know, I thought we got a great push
15:08 by our defensive front, you know, KJ Sampson,
15:10 you know, Liam, you know, those guys did a wonderful job,
15:13 you know, pushing everything back,
15:14 were able to get, you know, get the block.
15:16 And when I saw the ball bounce and, you know,
15:19 I saw Quinn Darius, you know, he's a high school receiver,
15:22 you know, he's a guy that's really athletic
15:24 and has a great future in front of him.
15:25 But when I saw him scoop it, I knew that there was --
15:28 he probably wasn't going to let the kicker tackle him.
15:29 So it was impressive to see him finish it off,
15:33 you know, the way that he did.
15:34 And, you know, what I love, too, I mean,
15:38 it's the last play of the game, finish the game.
15:40 But you see the team's reaction.
15:43 I mean, I don't know if there was a player
15:45 that wasn't in the end zone celebrating with him.
15:48 And it was just -- those are the things that --
15:51 it doesn't matter how long you've been here,
15:52 whether, you know, Q's been here since January.
15:55 And, I mean, you see the love, you see all the appreciation,
15:58 you see how much those guys, you know, care.
16:00 And those are wonderful moments to be a part of.
16:05 All right, last one on the eye rack.
16:07 Well, multi-layered.
16:09 Multi-layer. Three for one.
16:11 You mentioned Darian Jones, the plays he had,
16:13 but also Braden Fisk had some big plays.
16:15 Seemed like the defense, you know,
16:17 when the offense needed a little bit of help,
16:19 the defense kind of really stepped up.
16:20 And then the other part was,
16:21 did you see the reaction from the 2013 team when LT scored?
16:25 Oh, yeah. That was pretty special.
16:27 And, you know, I thought the defense, you know,
16:31 like I said, barring the first, you know,
16:32 first couple series where, you know,
16:34 got hit on a few things, I mean, they were flat dominant.
16:37 I mean, in all ways.
16:40 And they played -- the defensive front was great.
16:43 You know, I thought the guys flew around.
16:46 You know, it was definitely what we needed.
16:49 And, you know, as we kind of collected ourselves offensively
16:53 and, you know, continued to work through
16:56 some of the early challenges, you know,
16:57 I thought the defense, you know, was awesome
17:00 and created a short field.
17:01 Obviously, you know, able to score some points.
17:04 Second quarter was really good for us.
17:07 And then, you know, those guys were consistent throughout.
17:09 And, you know, on LT's touchdown, you know,
17:12 seeing the 2013 team, I mean, that's what a special group.
17:16 And, you know, they were here with us last night.
17:20 You know, majority of them, some of them came in today,
17:21 but majority of them were here last night,
17:23 you know, just for our team walk.
17:26 And, you know, just seeing the gratitude for the place,
17:31 but also, you know,
17:32 understanding how much that they're appreciated
17:35 for who they were, for who they are now,
17:38 as, you know, guys that are in their professional careers.
17:42 And, you know, that'll team that'll be celebrated forever.
17:44 But seeing them in that end zone, you know,
17:47 just the energy in the stadium
17:50 and, you know, being able to have that moment,
17:52 I thought that was one of the cooler experiences of the game.
17:56 Thank you, guys.
17:58 [BLANK_AUDIO]