Florida State University
Football Media Conference
Saturday, November 18, 2023
Tallahassee, Florida, USA
Head Coach Mike Norvell
Press Conference
Florida State 58, Northern Alabama 13
MIKE NORVELL: First off, proud of our guys and just the
way that they responded tonight. I’ll say again, the game
didn’t start off how we wanted.
You know, faced adversity on the field early, had a punt
fake that hit us. They did a good job of running a variety of
different plays and formations and were able to get out to
an early lead. You know, offensively obviously didn’t start
how we wanted, missed some opportunities.
When Jordan went down, that was something that nobody
ever wants to see a player go down. I don’t have any
updates on it tonight, so just so everybody is aware, but I
was proud of the way our guys responded throughout the
course of the game.
As you sit there and watch a football team come together, I
thought our guys did that at a very high level. We knew all
three phases we had to continue to rise up. I thought our
defense was great basically throughout the rest of the
game.
Offensively we were able to get into a little bit of a rhythm,
hit some big plays, had a couple of big runs. A variety of
guys offensively were asked to contribute. We had some
other guys that had some bumps and bruises. We had
really in all phases some guys that went down. So really
had to and got to play a lot of guys that got some
significant action.
Wasn’t the cleanest game. Like I said, we had too many
drops, too many missed opportunities. I thought Tate did a
great job coming in, other than a few mistakes here and
there. Was really, really good tonight.
What he did where he located the ball, he made a couple
of great decisions just in progressions and read. He
showed all the work he has been putting in. He was ready
for his moment when his number was called.
As we come out of tonight, you sit there, and you finish up
the regular season undefeated here at Doak Campbell
Stadium, and that’s something that we’re so very proud of.
For the five straight sell-outs to send the season, our crowd
was remarkable. Just great atmosphere. To be able to
honor the seniors, to be able to honor the guys that played
their last game in our stadium, it was special.
I thought defense being able to create some take-aways.
Jarrian Jones I thought was remarkable. Had a couple of
huge plays, with the sack fumble, and then obviously the
interception there later in the game. He’s been so good for
us this year, and he’s continuing to grow, continuing to
push. It was definitely a great performance on his part.
He broke the rock there for us after the game, but I thought
it was a great showcase of the heart and the character that
our guys have because sometimes those games, they
bring more anxiety. If you find yourself in a situation that’s
tough — I was just talking to the team about this.
Nobody pictures being down in that game early, but it was
the circumstance we found ourselves in. There’s a lot of
reasons why, a lot of things that we can correct, but in the
moment it’s all about what you could with the next play. It’s
all about what your belief is. It’s all about are you going to
be willing to block out the anxiety and the pressure that you
feel and just go play one?
We’ve been through a lot. We’ve been through a lot of
adversity. We’ve been through a lot of challenges as a
team and as a program, but I am very proud of our guys for
just the way that they do all things that they do. We’re
going to continue to push and going to continue to get
better. We have a huge game this next week.
Obviously having to go on the road with an opportunity to
try to finish the regular season undefeated. Our guys have
put us in this position, so everything we have is going to go
into our preparation to being our best come next Saturday.
Q. In the moments after Jordan’s injury a lot of guys
obviously were struggling and needed to be consoled.
What kind of messages were you and the other
coaches giving them, and how did you guys kind of
139265-1-1878 2023-11-19 04:24:00 GMT Page 1 of 4
snap them out of that?
MIKE NORVELL: It’s hard any time you see any player go
down, but obviously Jordan is so important to this team.
Not just as the quarterback, but just who he is and what he
stands for.
When you see a player get hurt and not really knowing
what that’s going to be, but obviously it was something that
it was emotional, and it was emotional for everybody.
So just trying to help them work to being prepared for what
was needed in the moment because one of your brothers
go down, well, there’s another one that’s there that has to
step up and has to stand up, and you’ve got to be there to
support them and encourage them.
I’m not just talking about a quarterback, but all of us
because anybody that — when you care about a teammate,
when you care about a team and just the way that this
program is built, man, a lot goes into it. But ultimately I
thought our guys were able to kind of gather themselves
and just continue to play. I thought a lot of guys played at
a very high level and were there in support of what was
needed.
Q. Following up on that, Mike, what does it say about
this team’s maturity to be able to be resilient and to
keep playing hard throughout the night given the
circumstances of Jordan’s injury?
MIKE NORVELL: I mean, that’s who they are. They’ve
been through it. What I love is even the older guys, how
they are mentoring, how they’re encouraging, how they’re
pushing the younger guys to work to hits the standard of
how we want to operate.
I mean, when you have that type of leadership, when you
have guys that have seen it all, and we’ve got a bunk of
guys and a bunch of seniors that have been through it all,
it’s so encouraging to see the investment that they’re
willing to make on others, but it also speaks to the
character and the heart that they have as a football team.
So it’s a challenge. We push our guys every single day.
You can see in their response just how confident they are
even in those uncomfortable situations.
Q. You talked about the team’s response and the
players’ response, their emotions. What are your
emotions? You have such a long history with that kid,
and he’s done so much for your offense and your
program in general. What were your emotions now,
and what were they at the moment, and how did you
block it out?
MIKE NORVELL: I hate to say you block it out. You don’t.
Coming in we knew this was Jordan Travis’s last game at
Doak Campbell Stadium. I wanted to see him have a
special game, special experience.
Any time somebody gets hurt, it hurt. It’s painful to see.
It’s painful to have to go through. You just want so bad for
that kid because he does everything right. He really is just
a special, special young man.
I can’t say that I did block it out. You go and you coach
and you do everything, just like I said earlier, for the
players that are out there on the field. I went to them too,
but it doesn’t lessen anything of the impact of when you
have any players that goes down.
I mean, it’s hard because this is a game that these guys,
they put so much into. Like I always tell you, you’ve got to
be for others what they need, and really our players, the
way that they competed, the way that they fought, the way
that they were responding was a lot of what I even needed
at times because you see their desire to go out there and
to do all they can to make sure that we finished as good as
we could be. They showed it in their response, and we
have the responsibility as coaches to do the same.
Q. You probably didn’t see it. Jordan before the end
of the game, he posted on Instagram a shouting out
Brock for his first career touchdown. I guess what’s it
say about him that the night he had that that’s where
his head is at, and he wants to be showing that love
with what he’s been through?
MIKE NORVELL: That’s who he is. A lot of people talk
about caring. He lives it. He lives it every day. His
investment in this team, his investment in his teammates,
this program in general, I mean, he’s special.
It’s obviously not the way that he wanted to go out of this
game, but it doesn’t shock me. I didn’t know that he put
anything out, but that doesn’t shock me.
Q. After such an emotional game tonight when you
guys have Florida on the horizon, what do you expect
from them this practice? What kind of intensity do you
want to see?
MIKE NORVELL: They’re going to respond. We’re going
to prepare to be better than what we’ve been. I believe in
this team. I believe in what they’re made of. I know how
they’re trained, and I know what they’re asked to do.
We have a game next Saturday night on the road, and
we’re going to have everything that we can do to prepare
139265-1-1878 2023-11-19 04:24:00 GMT Page 2 of 4
ourselves to be the best that we can possibly be. I’ve got a
lot of confidence in this team because I live with them. I
see them every day, and I see the way that they pour into
each other.
They’re going to have each other’s back, and we’re going
to go attack this week. We’re going to have the best week
of preparation that we’ve had and put ourselves to go put
our stamp on how we want to end the regular season.
Q. You mentioned some players stepped up. Who
kind of gave a good pep talk or got the team rallied
around to keep going and playing after the injury?
MIKE NORVELL: It’s not necessarily about a pep talk.
There’s plenty of people that can stand up. It’s about your
actions. It’s about how you go out there and what you do,
how you perform, the encouragement of others.
I’ve talked about it all throughout the course of the season.
Whether it’s defensive guys come in and just encouraging
offensive guys, it doesn’t — you don’t have to stop and go
to one person. When you get your opportunity, when you
can make a positive impact, go give all that you have. That
is the encouragement.
I think our coaches, players, everybody fed off that tonight.
Our guys did what was necessary in being able to respond
and finish the game the way that they did.
Q. I’m sure Tate was expecting to play in this game,
but not like that, not so suddenly and not with the
mood of the stadium like that. How do you think he
responded? That’s such a tough moment for a kid to
go into. How do you think he responded immediately
and then over the course of the game as he got more
and more confident?
MIKE NORVELL: I thought he was great. There was a
few mistakes, a few things that you could tell everything
was rolling for him, but he has been preparing all season.
You talk about it. A few weeks ago in my office we had a
one-on-one just talking about being prepared in case the
moment ever calls for you. Tate does a great job in his
preparation. He’s a wonderful teammate.
Our guys have a lot of confidence in Tate because they
watch him practice every day. They know the talent. They
know the ability.
I think that was something that was really impressive to me
because he never seemed rattled in the moment. He knew
he was prepared and ready, and that’s what you have to do
at every position, but obviously, the quarterback position
gets magnified to the elite level.
I thought he did a wonderful job. He went out there, and I
thought played really well.
Q. For Tate do you think the key is to keep doing what
he’s been doing, keep being who he has been or for
him to kind of understand that this thing is so close to
the finish line, and the opportunity he has to help this
team pass it?
MIKE NORVELL: He just needs to be him. Just because
you’re not a starter, which Tate obviously has been one of
the best quarterbacks in the country, but that doesn’t mean
that he hasn’t been pushing and leading and doing
everything that he could to show his teammates that if his
number was called, that he was going to be ready.
We’ve got to do a better job at helping him out. I think we
had too many dropped balls. He threw a couple of
unbelievable passes. We need to support him the best
way that we can, but he needs to just go be himself. If he
does that, I have a lot of confidence in how he’ll play and
obviously how guys around him will be there for him in
those moments.
Q. Obviously an emotional day. Can you talk about
the emotions pregame with the senior day ceremony,
what that meant to you, and what that meant for your
players?
MIKE NORVELL: Just a great group of seniors. These
guys, they poured so much into the program all for different
amounts of time. Guys like Kalen DeLoach, and obviously
he didn’t play today. He was unavailable.
Just when we were celebrating them in pregame, just
thinking through the journey, thinking through all the things
that these guys have worked through and just to see the
confidence that they have, to see how they represent this
program.
Obviously we talked about Jarrian. Jordan, he was
awesome there before the game. You just get a sense of
these wonderful young men that have really invested and
put all that they could into being a Florida State Seminole.
They will forever be.
This is a team that — I told them in the locker room. This
team is going to be remembered. We get an opportunity to
go take another step here this next week, but this is a
special group, and it’s led by that senior class.
It was a great night and great experience to be able to see
them get celebrated and hearing our fan base, the
139265-1-1878 2023-11-19 04:24:00 GMT Page 3 of 4
applause that they had and obviously just what these guys
mean to our wonderful fan base.
Q. Quindarrius Jones had that blocked punt at the end
— or returned it for a touchdown. He got his
opportunity, like you mentioned, and he took
advantage of it at the end of the game and didn’t quit.
What did that say about him and the team?
MIKE NORVELL: It was great. Obviously they lined up for
a field goal there late, and I thought we got great push by
our defensive front. KJ Sampson, Liam, those guys did a
wonderful job pushing everything back.
We were able to get the block. When I saw the ball
bouncing, I saw Quindarrius. He was a high school
receiver. He’s a guy that’s really athletic and has a great
future in front of him.
When I saw him scoop it, I knew he probably wasn’t going
to let the kicker tackle him. It was impressive to see him
finish it off the way that he did.
What I love, too, it’s the last play of the game. Finished the
game. You see the team’s reaction. I don’t know if there
was a player that wasn’t in the end zone celebrating with
him, and those are the things —
It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been here. Q has been
here since January. You see the love. You saw the
appreciation. You saw how much those guys care. Those
are wonderful moments to be a part of.
Q. A multi-layered. You mentioned is Jarrian Jones,
the play he had, and Braden Fiske had some plays. It
seemed like the defense — when the offense needed a
little bit help, the defense really stepped up. Then the
other part was, did you see the reaction from the 2013
team when L.T. scored?
MIKE NORVELL: Oh, yeah. That was pretty special. I
thought the defense — like I said, barring the first couple of
series where we got hit on a few things, they were flat
dominant in all ways.
The defensive front was great. I thought guys flew around.
It was definitely what we needed. As we kind of collected
ourselves offensively and continued to go to work through
some of the early challenges, I thought the defense was
awesome and created a short field.
Obviously we were able to score some points. The second
quarter was really good for us. Those guys were
consistent throughout.
On L.T.’s touchdown, seeing the 2013 team, I mean, what
a special group. They were here with us last night.
Majority of them. Some of them came in today, but
majority of them were here last night just for our team walk.
Seeing the gratitude for the place but also understanding
how much that they’re appreciated for who they were, for
who they are now as guys that are in their professional
careers. That’s a team that will be celebrated forever.
Seeing them in that end zone, just the energy in the
stadium and being able to have that moment, I thought that
was one of the cooler experiences of the game.
FastScripts by ASAP Sports
139265-1-1878 2023-11-19 04:24:00 GMT Page 4 of 4
Florida State University
Football Media Conference
Saturday, November 18, 2023
Tallahassee, Florida, USA
Jarrian Jones
Dennis Briggs
Press Conference
Florida State 58, Northern Alabama 13
Q. The response from the team when Jordan was hurt,
what does he mean to you guys? How difficult was it
to see that transpire the way it did?
JARRIAN JONES: I wouldn’t say it was difficult to respond,
but that’s our leader. That’s our guy. That’s my brother. I
don’t know how to — that’s Trav, man. Ain’t nothing in the
world we won’t do for him.
To see him go through that and while he was on the
ground just saying, I’m good, I’m good, like, that’s him.
That’s J. Trav. We just had to come back and finish it for J.
Trav. I knew what J. Trav would have wanted us to do. I
know how he would have felt in the moment. That’s really
all I have to say about that.
DENNIS BRIGGS: Just to go off what he said, J. Trav is
our guy. We have his back, and that’s really just the
message in the locker room. We’re forever going to have
his back.
Q. Jarrian, for yourself, last game in Doak, you create
two take-aways. Create a touchdown off that first
take-away you have. What did it mean for you to go
out and play that best game that you put on paper in
that stadium?
JARRIAN JONES: It was hard being out there. With it
being my last one, Florida State really made me a man. I
feel like I went through my hardest trials and tribulations
here. It was just a blessing to be out there to have a
packed crowd on senior night. That was big. I’m forever
indebted to Florida State and forever will be a Nole.
Q. You mentioned Jordan Travis told you on the field
he was good, he was good, but did you guys have to
say — do you have a message for him, or did you have
a message for Tate to get him going after that?
JARRIAN JONES: I don’t really want to talk about J. Trav
no more. I don’t really want to talk about that for real.
There was no message to Tate. We don’t need you to go
be J. Trav. We need you to go be Tate.
Q. Can you talk about the way the defense kind of
rallied when the offense needed a little bit help early in
the game? I guess you guys have done that all
season, but how did you feel like the defense played
early in the game?
DENNIS BRIGGS: I just feel like we came together. We
always have our rough patches, but we’re a brotherhood at
the end of the day. As a brotherhood, we love each other,
and we just continue to love each other and continue to
fight and continue to fight for our offense no matter what
happens.
As we go out on the field, we play for one another and just
continue to attack.
Q. For both of you again, the response for
Quindarrius’s touchdown, to see the joy of the team at
the end of that, what does that say about where you
are at culturally, and for the true freshman to fight and
make the play at the end of the game, what did that
mean?
JARRIAN JONES: Just seeing Q make the play because
I’m in the DB room with Q, so I see how hard he works,
and I also see the struggles.
I know how bad he wants it, so just to see him be able to
make that play and just see some success, I feel like that’s
going to be able to build on his confidence for the rest of
what he has in store.
That was big. Like I said, that’s our brother. Q is our
brother, so to see him make a play in that moment, that
was just big for us.
Q. For both of you guys, early on in the game they
were showing weird formations, weird looks. What
kind of adjustments did you guys have to make to
139267-1-1878 2023-11-19 04:34:00 GMT Page 1 of 2
counteract that?
JARRIAN JONES: I mean, we just have to stick to our
rules. We just have to make plays. That’s really what it is.
If your eyes are in the right spot, you play your keys, I
mean, no trick play is going to get you. In the beginning, I
mean, we were kind of all over the place in a sense. Once
we settled down and just read our keys and stuff, that was
kind of what it was.
DENNIS BRIGGS: That’s the biggest thing, just settling
down and just making sure we’re aware of everything that’s
going on the field, keying off of things, and just making
sure we’re in the right spot.
Q. For both of y’all, how does it feel playing in front of
that 2013 National Champion team, especially with how
elite that defense was?
DENNIS BRIGGS: It’s surreal because growing up I
watched that game, the National Championship Game with
my dad that night. Just seeing how dominant that team
was and being able to come here to Florida State and put
on this uniform, to put on this logo, it means so much. To
have them be able to be present and to watch us definitely
means a lot.
JARRIAN JONES: I didn’t really watch Florida State, for
real (smiling). I just didn’t really watch. Since I’ve been
here and read the history on it and went back and seen
that defense, now, that’s how you play defense. That 2013
team, that’s how you play defense. Just being able to play
in front of some legends, that’s big. That was big.
Q. You guys both have dealt with injuries throughout
your careers. Tonight, aside from Jordan, you guys
had some other guys not be able to play or deal with
injuries. What’s the mindset of this team in terms of
how they rallied when you weren’t available and how
you guys were going to rally now if other guys aren’t
available?
JARRIAN JONES: I mean, it’s just the culture. What we
believe in is responding to adversity. Regardless of what
happens, we have to respond. Regardless if this guy can’t
go, this guy can’t go, this guy can’t go, we just have to
respond.
That just goes to show like it’s the brotherhood that we
have. Anybody gets hurt, we believe that the next guy can
go in and get the job done, so that’s kind of what that is.
DENNIS BRIGGS: Again, just to go off what he said, that’s
our culture here. One man goes down; the next man up.
It’s always been like that no matter what it is. Your
opportunity is always waiting for you.
Q. Jarrian, I remember after the Florida game last year,
your passion about I mean let me talk about the type of
playmaker you knew you were and your confidence in
that. I’m sure you never lost that confidence but
showing the type of playmaker you can be on this
defense?
JARRIAN JONES: I know about me. I know what’s up
with me. So I didn’t need nobody else to believe in
anything else I had going on. With the highs or lows, I
didn’t need nobody to be there for me because I know what
I got in me and I know what it is with me. That’s kind of
what it is.
I really didn’t need no motivation speeches or nothing. I
know what’s up with me. Anybody feel different about it,
they just get up with me.
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139267-1-1878 2023-11-19 04:34:00 GMT Page 2 of 2
Florida State University
Football Media Conference
Saturday, November 18, 2023
Tallahassee, Florida, USA
Lawrance Toafili
Caziah Holmes
Press Conference
Florida State 58, Northern Alabama 13
Q. When Jordan goes down and Tate is thrown into
the action, the running backs scored I think three
straight touchdowns late in the first half. How
important was it for you guys to pick up the offense?
CAZIAH HOLMES: Very important. The coach was telling
it’s on us. We take pride in that. With each opportunity we
get, we try to make the most of it, and God put us in a
position to do that, and we did what we had to do to help
the team.
Q. Lawrance, you saw Caziah go through the practices
and do everything during practice, and game week
comes and he has, what, five touches, two
touchdowns. How gratifying is it to see his hard work
paid off in that running room from everything you’ve
seen?
LAWRANCE TOAFILI: It makes me so happy. I’m glad to
see the hard work paying off, you know what I’m saying?
Definitely coming in learning a new offense it was kind of
difficult at first for him, but, you know, it kind of always is,
but he got it down pat. He is ready, and it shows. So I’m
happy about that.
Q. Lawrance, on your touchdown run you were
swarmed by the 2013 Championship team. What was
that moment like for you?
LAWRANCE TOAFILI: I mean, it was a great moment. It
was a blessing. I kind of didn’t know what to do, and they
just kind of decided for me, but I appreciate that. I’m
thankful for that.
Q. On the other end of the spectrum, you’ve been here
since the beginning with Jordan. Just how did you
guys handle that, just the emotions of seeing him go
down?
LAWRANCE TOAFILI: I mean, I would rather not even talk
about that right now, so…
Q. To ask the same question I asked Caziah earlier
about the running game. How do you feel like you
guys did? It was a slow start for the offense, but did
you feel like you guys kind of asserted yourself as the
game went on?
LAWRANCE TOAFILI: Yeah, I’m glad that everybody got
to showcase their abilities and be able to be in position to
make plays. We always talk about it at practice and have
these things going on at practice. I’m glad that we got to
show some people what we can do, what the room can do.
Q. You guys have always shown confidence in Tate.
What did he do out there today to — did you have to
say anything to him, or is that just a let him be him
moment?
LAWRANCE TOAFILI: Tate has been here for four years.
He came in with me. He has been prepping for this. I
know he is ready. He is ready to step up to the plate.
Q. Staying on Tate, it’s a big one coming up next week
for him on the road there. How much does tonight give
you guys confidence in him, or is it more like you said,
what you see every day in practice? Or even going
back to the Louisville game of last year. What gives all
the confidence you have in him?
LAWRANCE TOAFILI: He is a worker. He goes to work
every day, and he’s always preparing and never knowing
what can happen. I just know when it’s time, he is going to
be ready.
Q. First Lawrance and then Caziah, please. I know it’s
tough to process everything that happened tonight,
but the fact that you are 11-0 and so close to the finish
line, is that going to help you guys push harder here
these next two weeks to finish the way you need to
despite what’s happened?
LAWRANCE TOAFILI: I mean, of course, but we try to
take the field in everything we do as if it was the last time
139269-1-1878 2023-11-19 04:42:00 GMT Page 1 of 2
we could do it, and we just try to go our hardest. I feel like
that’s just how we attack every situation, so that’s kind of
how I feel about it.
CAZIAH HOLMES: Just like L.T. said, I think it’s added
motivation for us and the team, and we’re just going to give
it everything we’ve got one day at a time, one practice at a
time, one rep at a time.
Q. If you guys could, I assume you were in the group
that went down after Quindarrius scored at the end of
the game. What was that like? It’s such an emotional
night and to end it that way, what was that moment like
for you guys?
CAZIAH HOLMES: Definitely excited feeling. I was
running down the whole sideline cheering him on, but just
seeing those guys being able to get in, make the most of
their opportunities at the moment, that was just big.
LAWRANCE TOAFILI: We always talk about our pride
unit, our field goal block, and them boys really just attacked
that today as well. I was really happy to see that we could
make a play on that unit. It was big. It was big for me for
sure.
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