After recording their second-straight 50+ point win and with a date against Miami looming, it would be easy for Florida State to overlook their opponent this week, Virginia. Head coach Mike Norvell will not let it happen. The Seminoles know their hands will be full against one of the top offenses in the country and will need to bring their best to Charlottesville on Friday.
“We’re excited to be in ACC week and open our conference schedule against an extremely talented Virginia football team,” Norvell
stated to the Tallahassee media to open his Monday morning press conference. “This is a team that offensively is one of the best in the country. Defensively, you see the confidence in which they are playing with and are continuing to get guys back. You really felt great speed and physicality in their game on Saturday night.”
Along with a challenging opponent, Norvell and the Florida State team are battling against elements outside of their control. The Noles are preparing for a short week, with the matchup versus the Cavaliers falling on a Friday, and have shifted their practice schedule up a day to accommodate the change. FSU will also hit the road for the first time in 2025, experiencing crowd noise and a hostile environment. Even with circumstances stacked against the Seminoles, Norvell believes his team will be ready to take another step at the end of the week.
“This is unique. It is our first night game, doing it on the road, on a Friday night. I know it’s going to be an electric crowd that is excited about their team because of what they’ve seen. This is a football team that is playing with a lot of confidence…It’s going to be a great fight. I know that the preparation is critical, having a short week, having to travel, a lot of those elements. It’s what you do with it and how you respond.”
The Noles should receive a boost heading into the weekend with positive injury updates from Norvell on a plethora of players Florida State counted on to contribute this season.
- On QB Tommy Castellanos: “Today, he was able to get some work. I feel confident about where that is going to be. We are going to continue to see how the week plays out.”
- On WR Squirrel White and TE Rand Pittman Jr.: “Randy and Squirrel both participated today. Barring a setback, I feel very confident that they will both be available, but we will continue to see how it plays out.”
- On DT Kevin Wynn: “He is another guy that got some work today. We will see the response later today, coming in tomorrow. What does that workload look like? I’m hopeful that we will have him available Friday night. He is somebody that really established himself pre-injury…We’re hopeful to get him out there come Friday if he is ready. I think there is a path to that.”
- On TE/WR Chase Loftin: “Chase will be out for a period of time. We still have to see what that looks like throughout the course of this week. He’ll be out this week and the next couple of weeks, but hopefully, we will get him back sooner rather than later.”
According to FanDuel, Florida State is currently listed as a -7.5-point favorite heading into Friday night. FSU holds a 15-4 all-time record against Virginia, but lost its last matchup in Charlottesville, a 31-24 defeat in 2019. Head coach Mike Norvell and student-athletes RB Gavin Sawchuck and WR Michai Danzy’s media availabilities can be found below.
