When Florida State Athletic Director Michael Alford gave head coach Mike Norvell the dreaded mid-season vote of confidence, the assumption was that Norvell would have to, at minimum, lead his team to the postseason to keep his job. If that’s that’s the benchmar, then Saturday night brought the Seminoles one step closer to a seventh year of the Norvell Era in Tallahassee.

FSU beat Virginia Tech 34-14 on Saturday night, bringing the Noles back to .500 ball for the season with a 5-5 record. Never mind that FSU is still just 2-5 in ACC play. The goal for the last several weeks has been clear: get to the postseason, regardless of what the conference picture looks like, and then this coaching staff may get a stay of execution.

With two games left against a middling North Carolina State and a Florida team that fired its coach weeks ago, FSU only needs to go 1-1 to lock in a postseason appearance. While one win wouldn’t necessarily guarantee Norvell keeps his job, it would make things much more palatable in Tallahassee. Getting wins in both games, and finishing 7-5 after a 2-10 campaign in 2024, would all but ensure Norvell is back next season.

FSU’s win over the Hokies wasn’t perfect, by any means. However, it did represent a return to form under Norvell.

The Seminoles had struggled to put together a complete game since the 3-0 start. It seemed that if one side of the ball excelled, the other cratered. On Saturday night in Tallahassee, FSU put together one of its most complete games since the hot start in September.

Tech did rack up a decent amount of yardage (361 total), but when it counted in the redzone, FSU largely made stops or even forced turnovers. On the other side of the ball, the Seminoles and quarterback Tommy Castellanos got plays when they needed them. The Seminoles finished 7-11 on third downs and 1-1 on fourth downs.

Another stat that will fly under the radar: FSU had only one penalty for five yards. Last week’s loss to Clemson was one of the most glaring examples of how untimely penalties have derailed the Seminoles on both sides of the ball.

Saturday night against the Hokies showed discipline. Virginia Tech, meanwhile, committed eight penalties and lost 59 yards in the process.

The entire performance wasn’t perfect, of course. Tech averaging roughly six yards per carry is a concern, particularly given that FSU knew coming in that the Hokies were reliant on their running game.

Ultimately, however, Virginia Tech only crossed the goal line twice, compared to four touchdowns and a pair of field goals for FSU. Were it not for a missed FSU field goal at the end of the first drive, it would have been three points worse.

The game did provide another showcase for individual feats, including yet another standout performance by FSU wide receiver Duce Robinson. The Seminole legacy topped the century mark yet again, racking up six catches for 134 yards and one touchdown, good for an eye-popping 22.3 yards per catch.

As good as any individual player was, however, the big story for the game is Norvell. He badly needed a win to show that the program is going in the right direction under his guidance.

A loss might have been enough to end his career in Tallahassee before the weekend was over. The win doesn’t guarantee he gets a future beyond this November, but it certainly turns the odds in his favor.

At the very least, Norvell and the Noles survive to fight another week.