Florida State football head coach Mike Norvell walked into his postgame press conference Saturday night with one question hanging over everything. After another rivalry beatdown, what happens to his staff now?
The Florida Gators gashed the Florida State Seminoles 40-21 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, riding a monster night from running back Jadan Baugh to slam the door on their rival’s bowl hopes. Baugh ran for a career-high 266 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries, the second-most rushing yards in Florida history via ESPN, as the Gators piled up 440 total yards and controlled the ball for nearly 35 minutes.
Florida State did not completely flatline on offense. Quarterback Tommy Castellanos threw for 240 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception on 17-of-28 passing, added 77 rushing yards and a 4-yard scoring run, and kept the Seminoles within striking distance into the fourth quarter. Wide receiver Lawayne McCoy caught six passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. Florida State still finished with only 21 points and 407 total yards and never seriously threatened after the third quarter.
The loss dropped Florida State to 5-7, the program’s fourth losing season in six years under Mike Norvell and a second straight year without a bowl bid. Over the last two seasons, the Seminoles are 7-17 overall, 0-10 in road or neutral-site games, and 0-6 combined against Florida, Miami, and Clemson via ESPN.
Frustration boiled over on social media, where Florida State fans made it clear they are “done” with the current trajectory and repeatedly questioned whether the administration should have committed to another year with Norvell. Many of those posts targeted not just the head coach but his coordinators and in-game decisions, especially on fourth-and-short and on defense after Baugh ran wild through missed tackles and soft fronts.
