GAINESVILLE — Florida State coach Mike Norvell entered the postgame press conference Saturday night with an exuberantly loud hello to the media contingent. He had just coached his Seminoles past the state-rival Florida Gators, securing a 12-0 regular season for FSU.
“I’m so proud of our team. … The heart that this group has. They’re resilient. We challenge them every day and everything they do is like tonight,” Norvell said. “The adversity was there. It was present. We did not start very well in that game, but our guys battled.
“We’re excited for the opportunity next week to go compete for an ACC championship. We’ve answered the call every week up to this point. … It’s a long time coming. We’ve had a heck of a journey … just glad it’s not over.”
The Seminoles came into the game with a huge question mark at quarterback after Heisman Trophy contender Jordan Travis was lost for the season last week against North Alabama with a fractured lower left leg. Tate Rodemaker, however, stepped in and turned in an admirable performance in relief.
“You never feel him go up or down. He’s always going to be the same. He’s gonna do the things necessary, in the moment,” Norvell said of Rodemaker. “I thought he made some big throws … He was what we needed tonight.”
Rodemaker ended with 12-of-25 passing for 125 yards in a game that didn’t require the Seminoles to have a huge night passing. FSU running back Trey Benson ran hard, putting up 114 yards, 97 of which came in the second half, and scoring three touchdowns, giving him six touchdowns against the Gators in the past two seasons.
The Seminoles managed just 68 yards rushing in the first half, with Benson good for just 17 yards. He obviously picked it up in the final two quarters.
Norvell was, predictably, far happier afterward than he was in the second quarter when with the game scoreless, FSU safety Akeem Dent was flagged for a personal foul after a sack. Norvell let the line judge have an earful following the penalty.
Two plays later, Florida’s Montrell Johnson Jr. scored from 5 yards out and the Gators led 7-0. UF eventually took a 12-0 lead before the Seminoles got rolling.
“The penalty that was called … I’ve got strong feelings of how terrible that was,” Norvell said. “That was their perspective and it is what it is. The players were probably a lot more calm than I was.”
The Seminoles kept focus, and after forcing a 3-and-out for the Gators following a field goal and a safety, FSU went 90 yards in 10 plays, capped by Benson’s first touchdown just before the half.
“We needed that. We missed some opportunities early in the contest where we had some negative runs,” Norvell said. “To have a touchdown drive just before the half was what we absolutely needed.”
Travis made the trip to Gainesville with the team and Norvell said that was a huge lift for the Seminoles.
“Just saw Jordan there in the locker room … I just told him how much I appreciated him,” Norvell said. “He’s been as much a part of this as anyone. For him doing everything he could to be here tonight …”
Norvell said the team has a weekly pregame video to help prepare for the next opponent, and the voice-over for Friday’s video was provided by Travis.
“[Last] Saturday night when I went to see him after the game, he told me, ‘I’m gonna be in Gainesville,’ ” Norvell said. “I just care about him. … He’s one of the best players in all of football … but as a person, how much he cares about his teammates. He came down last night and was there at our Friday meal.
“You feel his presence. You feel the impact. … Plenty of guys can get up and just say some words. When he talks, everybody listens.”
Now the No. 5 Seminoles will wait until Tuesday to see where the CFP committee ranks them after the Week 12 results. No. 4 Washington also remained unbeaten while previously unbeaten No. 2 Ohio State lost to No. 3 Michigan 30-24.
Chris Hays covers high school and college football and college football recruiting. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) @OS_ChrisHays or on Instagram @OS_ChrisHays. Email him at chays@orlandosentinel.com.