Mike Norvell, Florida State Seminoles Head Coach

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That's BetterHELP.com slash positive. Coach, always do appreciate when you join us. Thanks so much for doing it and how you've been.

I appreciate you having me on, Zach. It's been good. We've got a short week this week coming off Sunday Night Game.

So, just been at practice today, prepping for Southern Miss this Saturday. But, obviously, we're very pleased with our guys. Just the way they performed Sunday night, the way they responded, especially there in the second half. You didn't play as clean as we wanted to in the first half, but I thought they really did a wonderful job coming out of halftime and winning in a dominant fashion.

I know people will look at the final score and they'll say the game was a blowout, but it really was like you just said, a tale of two halves. And your defense early, they were giving up some yards, but when they needed to, they really did buckle down. And I thought that was massive early on for your defense.

No, I mean, it was huge. And I think when you look back at the game and just the situational football, the red zone, our offense was 4-4 in the red zone. But we were able to hold them two times when they got down and got close. The third down conversions were really good offensively and did a great job of getting them off the field when we had our opportunities.

And those are things that we practiced and have a great emphasis on throughout fall camp. And to see that carryover into the first game is something I was really pleased with. So, I thought this was going to be one of the better games of the weekend. I thought this was going to be a nail-biter, maybe even multiple overtimes. You guys ended up dominating them in the second half. You're trailing by three, though, after the first half. Just what really changed in that second half?

What was the vibe like in the locker room? Because you guys really took it to them in that second half, Coach. You know, I just told our guys to go out there. Obviously, we had to kind of calm down just a little bit. You know, guys were really emotional in the first half, first game, a lot of build-up. I thought we made some uncharacteristic mistakes that cost us in moments. And I told them, we've got to go relax and clean up the mistakes and just go play Florida State football.

We didn't have to make a ton of adjustments to it. We believed in what our plan was. We knew that we wanted to continue to attack. Our guys executed a very high level and made some big-time plays. Obviously, that helped contribute to a great win. You know the expectations are sky-high for your football team. I know one win doesn't define a season, but this is a big one.

After having two days to kind of think about it, just how do you put into words what this means for the program? Well, I mean, we wanted to start off 1-0. It was a great game. It was on a grand stage.

It was two top ten teams in the country. We were able to accomplish what we set out for. Now it's time to go get better. That is our focus. That's our objective. We talk about it every day around this program, that we're here to improve and get better and continuing to push to be our best. If we can continue that here this week and how we prepare and what we do, I've got a lot of confidence in where this team will go. It was a big game.

I'm not going to short-sell just what that game was. There were a lot of eyes on it, a lot of expectations, a lot of build-up. It was a great part of fan base, great for a university. But for our team, it was our first chance to go out and showcase our identity.

I thought for the most part we were able to do that at a very high level. Now we've got to go improve from it. We've seen your quarterback for a long time in Jordan Travis. You talk about keep on getting better. It seems like he does that each and every year. How did you see him get even better with all the experience that he has with the work that he put in the offseason? He's playing at a very high level.

I think he's one of the best players in the country. Watching him prepare, watching the way that he works, the investment he makes into his teammates as a leader, he's a special young man. Even looking back at the game on Sunday, he was able to be a great example for us. There were a few things that he missed early.

He would even admit to it that he would like to have a couple of plays back, but just watching how he responded. The touchdown drive there in the second quarter was huge. He made a couple of great throws, great decisions. Then as we got into the second half, he was lights out. He's playing with tremendous confidence.

He's got some great playmakers around him, but he really is the spark that makes us go. You're definitely glad to be able to have the opportunity to coach him. Florida State head coach Mike Norvell here with us after his huge victory up against LSU. It is the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio.

You know the transfer portals, the name of the game these days. Keyon Coleman and his debut for Florida State gives you 9 receptions, 122 yards and 3 touchdowns. What has made his transition from Michigan State to Florida State seem so seamless? He was a great fit for our program.

Yes, you can turn on the film. You can see his athletic ability, his playmaking skills. My favorite thing about him is what the type of teammates he is, the more testing that he brings.

He cares about winning. He has such a great attitude. He was an absolute right fit for our program, what we were looking to continue to build our team with.

It's been a very smooth transition. The way that he works, the work that he put in the summer, working on his timing with Jordan, learning the plays, the different concepts, all the things that we wanted him to be able to do. For that to show up in Game 1 is just really a testament to who he is and how important it was to prepare himself at a high level to be able to make that type of impact. When you look at Johnny Wilson, that was another wide receiver. I know he's at Arizona State in 2020-2021. He's been with your program the last 2 years. He had another good showing for you last year and then another good showing the other night. For people that aren't familiar with Johnny, I know he's a big kid. What can people expect to see out of him this season?

Johnny, he's a special player as well. He's 6'7", almost 240 pounds. He can run. He's truly a dynamic player on the perimeter. The other night he went for over 100 yards. What he can do, pushing the ball vertically down the field is impressive, but he also has the ability in the intermediate game to make big plays for us.

He was able to do a little bit of all of it there the other night. He's also a very selfish young man. You watch him play without the ball in his hands. He's a dominating blocker. He does the dirty work. Just another great teammate that's made a great impression on our team and is a wonderful leader for our program.

Coach, the transfer portal isn't easy. We were talking about guys. I haven't even mentioned Jared Vers yet. We know how much of a stud he's going to be.

He's going to be dominating Sundays for a long time. Some coaches have been able to adapt to it. Some haven't. Why have you guys been able to adapt in a positive way with the transfer portal that some of these players are talking about? I think it all comes down to evaluation. I talk about it a lot, finding the right fit.

Whether it's a high school young man, junior college, or somebody coming out of the transfer portal, you want to find the right fit for your program. Each year our roster is going to be a little bit different. Some years, you talk about that year with Johnny and his class, we needed older, more experienced receivers to build that competition. It was something that really helped elevate our offense. We have some really good and talented young guys that have been able to develop and grow within the program. When doors and opportunities open themselves, guys are pushed by that competition. We just found the right guys that have come in and been able to make an impact. Not only have they been great players, but great leaders and bought into the culture that we have here. Coach, I know you're trying to build something special.

This train is moving in the right direction. We've talked about it. The expectations are sky high for this club. You know it though. You lose a game, people want you fired. You win a game, you're the greatest thing ever. How have you been able, through all those ups and downs at such a big school like Florida State, been able to not let that noise affect you to get the program in the spot where it is today? I believe in what we do. I believe in how we do it. As head coach, I've got to be the example for these players and for the staff of what it needs to look like.

I've made mistakes. There's been ups and downs with it, but it's about how you respond. It's about the work ethic that you're willing to pour into it.

It's about how you treat people and all parts of it. If you can be that example, then hopefully it will rub off on others and help give them the confidence in what they can overcome. I'm just trying to stay focused on what we can do to get better as a program, to continue to help develop these players so they can go out there and play at an elite level. I've got a lot of belief in the guys I get to coach. I'm grateful for the opportunity I get to come to work with them every day.

It's been a lot of fun seeing them rise up to showcase who they are and what they're all about. Coach, forget the fact that you have a great staff and you have so many wonderful players on both sides of the ball. The reason you won that game is my producer, Hatte Keke, who just mushes teams left and right. He picked LSU to win 34-17. You should probably thank him because he's never right and he went against you guys. You guys ended up winning the game big. Tell him to keep picking against us. I'll take those odds every week, Santa.

Absolutely love it. Coach, we really do appreciate you carving out some time. You're always so benevolent with us when you get on the air. Good luck and keep on kicking ass this year. Thanks so much for cutting back. You have a great rest of the week. Go Noles!