So, Florida State is back, right? Well, as retired ESPN broadcaster Lee Corso might say: “Not so fast, my friend.”
At first glance, it appears that’s the case, as the Seminoles are currently ranked #8 by the Associated Press, at 3-0, heading to Charlottesville on Friday night to face Virginia.
But records, especially early in the season, are sometimes meaningless.
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Here’s a closer look at whether FSU is really back.
OK, the Seminoles easily dismantled Alabama in Tallahassee, 31-17, in Week 1.
This isn’t Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide; since that game, Alabama has posted wins over Louisiana-Monroe and a weak Wisconsin team.
How weak are the Badgers? On Saturday, they were defeated by Maryland 27-10 at Camp Randall.
Trust me, the Badgers are dire.
As for the Seminoles, since that opening win at home over Alabama, they have stayed at home and destroyed East Texas A&M (yes, there is such a school, I Googled it) and Kent State.
FSU has defended its home turf nicely this season.
In doing some research, this jumps out: FSU hasn’t won away from home since escaping Louisville in the ACC Championship Game on Dec. 2, 2023.
Granted, they were playing without Jordan Travis in that game, but still, not winning a single road game in 2024 is glaring.
I know, FSU was 2-10 last season, but it suggests that something still isn’t entirely correct with the Seminoles.
FSU head coach Mike Norvell is certainly saying all the right things leading into Friday’s contest.
Norvell knows Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris well.
Norvell worked with Chad Morris at Tulsa, and said he remembered the young Morris always being around the team, and he’s not surprised about his success with UVA this year.
In his Tuesday media conference, Norvell had this to say regarding Morris: “I’ve known Chandler since he was really young. I worked under his father in Tulsa, watching him grow and following his story. He’s playing with confidence right now.”
You know it’s the coach’s responsibility to build up every opponent.
To hear Norvell speak highly of Chandler Morris should come as no surprise.
I’m sure that Norvell found a way to hype up East Texas A&M.
On second thought, maybe not.
But in reality, Norvell doesn’t need to hype up Morris; he brings some outstanding numbers into Scott Stadium on Friday.
First, Morris is averaging 262.5 yards passing per game, and that number could be much higher had Tony Elliott not shown some mercy on overmatched opponents.
He’s completing almost 71 percent on 120 passes this year, and he can complete the long throw, connecting on 7-of-11 on passes of over 20 yards, with two scores.
When pressure has gotten to Morris, he’s found ways to extend the play and find receivers downfield.
Morris has been sacked just once this year, that was on a play in which he was pushed out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage on a run play.
The Seminole defense has been credited with eight sacks so far this year, and their mission appears straightforward: getting Morris on the ground.
Norvell later added in Tuesday’s presser, “You’re happy to see people you know when they’re young, and you watch their journey, you’re happy to see him have success.”
Norvell added, “I just don’t want to see it Friday night.”
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