Florida State football (5-5, 2-5) capped off its home slate of the 2025 season in dominant fashion on Saturday night, routing a poor Virginia Tech team (3-7, 2-4) 34-14, including outscoring the Hokies 24-7 in the second half. The Seminole season took another turn after FSU looked lifeless just one week ago in a 24-10 defeat to Clemson. On Saturday, the Nole offense came to life with 431 total yards and 34 points, the defense held VT to 14 points while forcing two turnovers, and most importantly,
Florida State did not beat itself. After the game, head coach Mike Norvell spoke with the local Tallahassee media about his team’s night.
“It was a resilient week for how (our players) poured into each other and wanting to go out with #1 to get a win and then send the seniors out the right way in this last home game this season.”
“Our guys, they care so much. They really do. They pour their hearts into it. There have been some ups and downs in the way that we have performed. That showed up at times tonight. It was not a great game in regard to our performance, but those guys just continued to battle.”
Even in a blowout win, one player stood out above the rest, and WR Duce Robinson is entering the conversation as one of the best Florida State wide receivers since 2000. Robinson recorded his third-straight 100-yard game (fourth-straight game with 98 yards or more) and needs only 53 receiving yards in his final two games to become FSU’s first 1,000-yard receiver this decade. Norvell commented on his star wideout during his postgame media availability.
“He just continues to show up. He is a great young man that loves to work. He came into my office on Monday and said ‘Coach, what else do you need from me, what else do you want from me? I want to help this team and I want to be the best I can possibly be.’ I challenged him and said every day has to be your championship game. Every day you have to be willing to be the example.”
“My favorite play of his tonight was not any of the catches. He had a big block on one of the swing passes that we threw, and that was one of the things I challenged him with. I said ‘I want to see you play without the ball in your hands’ and man, he showed up.”
Tight end Randy Pittman Jr. detailed what makes Robinson such a special player and believed back in January that he could be a 1,000-yard receiver.
“I’ve seen the work he’s put in. Back in January, when we both got here, he was the first guy (in the building), last guy to leave. To see the amount of time, the amount of balls that guy has caught throughout this year is really translating. He’s doing things to put himself in position to be who he is, so kudos to Duce.”
The Noles will not have much time to celebrate their win as Florida State hits the road for a Friday night contest against NC State. A win would make FSU bowl eligible and mean that the Seminoles would have tripled their win total from a season ago.
“It’s going to be a little bit different. We’ll be back tomorrow first thing in the morning as a coaching staff, kind of put this to bed quickly and put all our focus on NC State. We will meet tomorrow night and kind of wrap up this game and then jump right into our primary focus, NC State.”
The full media availabilities can be found below with head coach Mike Norvell, QB Tommy Castellanos, WR Duce Robinson, TE Randy Pittman Jr. and DB Earl Little Jr.
