Florida State is 1-0 after beating New Mexico State 34-17 last Saturday night. This is SMU's first game, on the road and is a league game. The Florida State secondary was exposed against New Mexico State, and the Mustangs' passing attack is much more prolific.
The Florida State Seminoles came away with a Week Zero victory over the New Mexico State Aggies, a 34-17 affair to earn just their eighth victory in 25 games.
Coach Mike Norvell has coached the Seminoles to just two winning seasons during his time at Florida State, 23 wins across the 2022 and 2023 seasons, led by a talented quarterback in Jordan Travis.
Opting to raid the transfer portal for “help” at quarterback, rather than develop the position from the high school ranks, supposedly experienced gunslingers were tabbed to continue the winning ways after posting an undefeated regular season in 2023, and losing Travis to expired eligibility and a serious knee injury. Norvell and the Seminoles failed, going 7-17 the last two seasons.
All summer and all during fall camp, Norvell talked about his team’s growth and individual players and their growth. It was reported throughout camp that the Seminoles had established a different mindset, a winning mindset, that this season could be different.
Getting a win over New Mexico State was absolutely crucial to start the season, as well as gaining a boost in confidence. It was not a perfect victory by any stretch. Florida State was a -31.5-point favorite, and let the Aggies hang around way too long.
The Seminoles held a razor-thin 17-7 lead at halftime, and clearly have some issues to correct. But make no mistake, it was a game that Florida State was supposed to win against a historically losing program.
This week, Norvell is putting his team through its paces to prepare to battle the SMU Mustangs on Labor Day. The current betting line has SMU as a -3-point favorite over the Seminoles in their own building.
Should that be motivational bulletin board material? Yes. Can (or will) Norvell fire up his team and instill the killer instinct necessary to beat the talented No. 19 Mustangs? On Tuesday, Norvell spoke about SMU at his weekly press conference.
“Yeah, there's no misconception, we know what's in front of us this week,” said Norvell. “This is a team that was a couple plays away from being in the championship game last year. This is one of the top teams in the ACC conference. This is a team that has big expectations for all that's in front of them. They were in the playoffs a couple years ago. I mean, it's going to take a great effort on our part.”
Coach Rhett Lashlee is an offensive guru and quarterback whisperer when it comes to the passing game, has won 38 games during his tenure there, and led the Mustangs to the College Football Playoff in their first season in the ACC.
Lashlee and his third-year quarterback, Kevin Jennings, will most certainly put pressure on the Florida State defense via their vaunted passing attack. Last season, SMU averaged 35 passing attempts per game.
According to a story by David Hale on ESPN.com, Jennings is 19-7 as a starter, completed 65% of his passes with 54 passing TDs, 26 interceptions, and averaged 283 yards per game through the air.
Coming out of high school, Jennings was ranked as the 99th quarterback prospect in the country. That is a glaring and critical difference between Lashlee, who can evaluate and develop quarterbacks, and Norvell, who clearly cannot.
Norvell will have to get creative and aggressive in his play-calling offensively. He has too many talented weapons on offense to call a conservative game. They must strike swiftly and keep their foot on the gas, especially in the red zone.
Norvell and his Seminoles do have the advantage of four quarters of live game action under their belt. This is the first game of the season for SMU, and it is a conference game on the road.
Lashlee has beaten Norvell once already, in the only game they have played each other. The Mustangs were slinging it all over the field in a 42-16 beatdown of Florida State in 2024.
This game week is crucial for the Seminoles, and for Norvell himself. A decisive victory by the Seminoles will set the tone for a successful campaign. Get run out of your own stadium and lose the game, and Norvell may be the first college football coach to punch his ticket for that special seat on the coaching carousel.
