Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com PRESEASON 2021 39 BY TYLER HORKA T he 2020 football season was an unusual one for Mike Norvell. Hardly any fans were in at- tendance to watch his Florida State Seminoles as a first-year head coach. There were also far fewer games on his schedule. Nine, to be exact. A constant cloud was hanging over his head that any given game could either be postponed or can- celed entirely because of COVID-19 protocols. There was constant worry any given player would be deemed unfit to play at any point in time, too. Those are things every coach had to deal with, though. The circumstances weren't unique to Norvell. But on top of it all, the coach's 2020 season was different for another reason; it was just the second year since 2012 in which the team Norvell was associ- ated with finished with more losses than wins. Florida State went 3-6. It had been trending that way for some time for FSU, and there wasn't much Norvell could do about it in year one. After a stretch of five straight seasons with at least 10 wins under Jimbo Fisher, Florida State went 6-6 in the 2017 regular season. Fisher left to take the Texas A&M job before the Seminoles drubbed South- ern Miss 42-13 in the Independence Bowl. A springboard forward for the post-Fisher era? As former Florida State quarterback and college foot- ball media icon Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast, my friend." Florida State went 5-7 in 2018 and 6-7 in 2019. Head coach Willie Tag- gart's tenure lasted just 21 games. He went 9-12. Alas, Norvell was handed the keys to a car that had already spun into a highway rail-guard at top speed. The vehicle may have very well been totaled, but Norvell has tried to take it to the shop for revival anyway. That's where Florida State stands in the rebuilding process. The car isn't in the hands of a mechanic yet. Norvell is trying to get it there. All the while, cars keep buzzing by on the freeway. Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly is behind the wheel of one of them. He already raced by in 42-26 fashion last season when Nor- vell first pulled up at the scene. Now, Kelly and the Irish are back for more. And there is nothing Nor- vell and company can do about it but hope the car is up and running by the time Kelly comes speeding by once more for the season opener be- tween Florida State and Notre Dame Sept. 5 at Doak Campbell Stadium. Although it might not be the easi- est spot to be in, Norvell isn't shying away from any of it. "I'm grateful for the challenges that we got to experience, and I'm grateful for the relations that have been built through those challenges and what that really sets up to do moving forward," Norvell said in July at ACC Media Days. "We're ex- tremely excited about the year that's ahead, excited about the personnel we have, the guys we get to coach, the opportunity that's in front of us to help get Florida State back to where it deserves to be." Former Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden's name floated around the college football land- scape this summer after it was re- vealed in July the 91-year-old was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. He died on Aug. 8. Bowden's death did two things of note in this context: 1) It reminded fans how instrumental of a figure he was as one of the sport's all-time greatest coaches, and 2) It reminded fans just how far Florida State has fallen since his heyday in the 1980s and '90s. Bowden recorded 14 straight 10- win seasons from 1987-2000 at a program that had never previously enjoyed one such campaign in its entire history. Fisher took the torch Bowden passed him in 2010 and ran with it — all the way to a national Facts & Figures NOTRE DAME AT FLORIDA STATE Date: Sept. 5, 2021 Site: Doak Campbell Stadium Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET Television: ABC Radio: This game can be heard on Notre Dame IMG affiliates. Series Facts: Florida State leads 6-4. Notre Dame won the last meeting 42-26 at Notre Dame Stadium on Oct. 10, 2020. The Irish are looking for their third straight win in the series. Head coaches: Florida State — Mike Norvell (3-6, second season); Notre Dame — Brian Kelly (102-39, 12th season). Noting Florida State: The state of the Semi- noles' program hasn't been this dire since the pre-Bobby Bowden days. Florida State has suf- fered three straight losing seasons, which had not occurred in Tallahassee since 1974-76 … Head coach Mike Norvell returns 10 of 11 start- ers on offense. The Seminoles also bring back seven defensive starters … The main offseason storyline for the Seminoles has been, who will start at quarterback? Will it be UCF graduate transfer McKenzie Milton, who hasn't played since enduring a potential career-ending leg injury in 2019, or returning redshirt sophomore Jordan Travis? Travis played against the Irish last year and accounted for 300 total yards and two touchdowns … No matter who plays be- hind center, Florida State must improve upon its No. 105 ranking in scoring defense a season ago to have any semblance of success this year. ROAD BLOCK Mike Norvell and his Seminoles must overcome a rare losing season to turn Florida State back into a national power GAME PREVIEW: FLORIDA STATE Norvell went just 3-6 during his debut with the Seminoles last year but posted a 38-15 mark in four years at Memphis — a program he led to a trio of conference division titles, one AAC crown and two top-25 finishes. PHOTO COURTESY FLORIDA STATE ATHLETICS