Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell’s press conference was an emotional affair after his team's 63-3 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs in the Orange Bowl. This matchup was a result of Florida State missing the College Football Playoff and Georgia being upset by Alabama in the SEC title game.
This was the biggest blowout in bowl game history, surpassing Georgia's victory over TCU in last year's National Championship.
With that said, let's look at five key takeaways from the press conference after FSU's Orange Bowl loss.
5 takeaways from Mike Norvell's press conference after FSU's Orange Bowl debacle
#1. A successful season
Norvell lauded his players in a preamble before the press conference opened to questions, and focused on the 13-0 regular season record and ACC championship title for his team. He added that making the Orange Bowl itself was an accomplishment to be proud of.
He explained that the team had a successful season that 'will be remembered in Florida State history.' The Florida State Seminoles were last undefeated in 2013.
#2. He was joined by two of his players
Coach Norvell was joined by two of his players. First was third-string quarterback Brock Glenn, who started this game in place of Jordan Travis, who got injured in the regular season, while the second-string quarterback entered the transfer portal. The other player was linebacker Kalen Deloach.
#3. Opt outs and transfers
Matt Baker from the Tampa Bay Times asked about the roster situation for FSU and what the team can take away from this game because of it. The team was missing 23 players due to them opting out for the NFL draft, injuries, or entering the transfer portal.
The most notable player who didn't play was wide receiver Keon Cole. Norvelle responded by saying this can be a learning experience for the young players who played in the game.
#4 Program opt out
Norvell was asked if there was a possibility that the program opted out of this game given the blowout score. FSU was snubbed from the College Football Playoff, with the SEC champions, Alabama and Texas, both with one loss, making it instead.
As Kalen Deloach shook his head in disapproval, Norvelle responded:
“We were hurt when we were not selected….I am grateful for the guys who have been on the journey throughout the season.”
#5. Disappointment
The biggest takeaway from this game was the coach's disappointment. Florida State failed to score a touchdown. This could have been a momentum builder for the program against a two-time defending champion. However, Norvell placed the blame on himself and felt that he didn’t do a good enough job.
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