TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Most coaches like to give their staff and players 24 hours to enjoy a victory. Not so for Florida State after the No. 19 Seminoles’ 49-17 rout of Louisiana on Saturday.
“I’ll be watching film here in a very short period of time,” Seminoles coach Mike Norvell said.
That’s because of what’s next: a rivalry game with the Gators on Friday.
Beating Florida is one of the only things left for these red-hot Seminoles (8-3) to accomplish. And they’ll be favored to do it for the first time since Jimbo Fisher’s awkward finale in 2017.
FSU was so dominant against the Ragin’ Cajuns (5-6) that Saturday’s demolition was borderline boring. The Seminoles needed only two quarters to rack up 200 rushing yards for the sixth consecutive game — their longest stretch since 1995.
They scored touchdowns on seven of their first eight drives, on series led by three different quarterbacks (Jordan Travis, Tate Rodemaker and blue-chip freshman AJ Duffy, who threw his first career touchdown pass).
The defense held Louisiana to 53 yards through its first five possessions. Though a garbage-time catch was the first touchdown FSU had allowed in 32 drives, the first unit still hasn’t surrendered one since the Clemson loss on Oct. 15.
It’s easy to look at the opponent — a mediocre Sun Belt team that’s rebuilding after Billy Napier left for Florida — and expect a blowout. But take a moment to appreciate it.
The last time FSU faced a lower-level Louisiana team was in 2019, when the ‘Noles hosted Louisiana Monroe in Week 2. Only a shanked extra point in overtime saved the Seminoles from one of its worst losses of the modern era.
Consider what happened elsewhere across the country on a sleepy Saturday slate. No. 17 UCF lost at home to a bad Navy team. The Gators fell at Vanderbilt for the first time since 1988. Even Fisher’s Aggies were tied with lowly UMass early in the second quarter.
The Seminoles, meanwhile, earned their fourth consecutive victory by at least 25 points. That’s the program’s most dominant stretch since the 2013 national championship run and the longest active streak in the nation. It has answered any doubts about Norvell’s future — except, perhaps, whether he deserves another contract extension to keep this turnaround going.
“They’re taking care of the business that’s at hand,” Norvell said.
But it will feel a little hollow if FSU can’t handle Florida next week.
The Gators are better than they looked Saturday in a 31-24 loss to Vanderbilt, but their rebuilding process is a stage or two behind where FSU is. Norvell has had two more seasons than Napier to install his system, build his roster and install his culture. The Seminoles have an experienced, consistent star at quarterback (Travis) and will be playing in front of what should be a dynamic, sold-out crowd at Doak Campbell Stadium.
FSU got a break, too, when Florida’s Ventrell Miller was ejected at Vanderbilt for targeting, depriving the Gators of arguably their top defensive player for the first half of the next game. If Norvell’s red-hot ‘Noles can’t beat Florida this year, then when?
