TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Florida State head football coach Mike Norvell opened his game week press conference Monday saying, "We have made it. We have made it to game week."
For Seminole fans, it's a sigh of relief. It also marks the official start of the Mike Norvell era.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, there was uncertainty we would get here.
Saturday's match-up against Georgia Tech may only have around 20,000 fans in attendance, but Norvell said it's a great opportunity for the Seminoles to play in a nationally televised game and they've prepared for everything.
"If we play in front of 20,000 fans or no fans, we've got to control ourselves and make sure we're bringing our intensity and our passion to each and every play and truly control the things we can control," said Norvell."
Norvell said the team had the day off Monday, and Tuesday and Wednesday will be challenging workdays as this team continues to ramp up for kick-off on Saturday.
"We treated last week like a game week and we even wrapped the week up with a mock game at 3:30 last Saturday just so our guys can have a sense of confidence in what to expect," Norvell said. "This is the first time they've been through it. This is something that's new to them. You get a real sense of their excitement and they can see a light at the end of the tunnel with kick-off looming."
One Seminole repeatedly mentioned during Monday's press conference was Madison County product Travis Jay.
The former Cowboy appears multiple times on the Seminoles depth chart on both defense and special teams, and he's a guy they agree "needs to be on the field."
"He's a guy that's probably been one of the stars of preseason camp," said Norvell. "I'm excited to see him play a game. He's a very natural athlete. There's a lot of different things he can do with and without the ball in his hands, which is why you're seeing him in a lot of the returner roles. Very, very excited about Travis and the growth I've seen from him and the opportunity that's in front of him."
Florida State's match-up with Georgia Tech is set for a 3:30 p.m. kick-off and you can watch it right here on ABC 27.
