FSU football's win over Clemson shows progress forward but work is still needed | Kassim
CLEMSON, S.C. - Following the 31-24 overtime victory for Florida State football Saturday against Clemson, there seemed to be a sigh of relief, joy and excitement.
Head coach Mike Norvell and the players for the No. 3 Seminoles (4-0, 2-0 ACC) did not hide it. They knew what the win at Death Valley meant for the program, after the struggles it endured following the departure of Jimbo Fisher and the lean years under Willie Taggart.
The team is appreciative of where it's been, what it's accomplishing now and what lies ahead to get the ultimate goal: A National Championship.
Beating the Tigers is a part of that process.
“Clemson’s always a special football team. No matter if they’re ranked or not," FSU quarterback Jordan Travis said. "They’re a great coaching staff too, they put their guys in the right position. It’s a tough football team. We’re a tough football team too. At the end of the day, its two teams going right at it head-to-head and we came out on top.”
Norvell began his career with a 3-10 record at FSU but has gone 19-6 over the last 25 games, including a 10-game winning streak dating back to last season.
The fourth-year head coach had not beaten rival Clemson in his time as the head coach. In fact, the Seminoles had not beaten the Tigers since 2014 and had not won in Death Valley since 2013.
"It means a lot because my whole time here, these guys had beaten me,” FSU redshirt senior Kalen DeLoach said. “So to come out my last year here and get the 'W,' it means a lot to me, the team and the university.”
The way the Seminoles pulled the monkey off their back against a perennial championship contender led by head coach Dabo Swinney was impressive.
The Tigers came out aggressive, much like Boston College did last week, and punched the Seminole in the mouth first. Clemson took a 10-0 lead and pushed the lead to as much as 17-7 before FSU came back to tie it after a TD before halftime and a field goal out of the break.
Clemson's defense forced two straight three-and-outs on the FSU defense in the second half after the game-tying field goal. In fact, until the overtime, the only other second-half Seminole points came on a DeLoach fumble return TD.
DeLoach's score evened the score at 24 and changed the trajectory of the game before the end of the third quarter.
“We know who we are as a football team. We’ve been in this same spot before," Travis said. "It’s a long football game, 60 minutes, and today was a bit longer than that. But man, we know who we are, we know our identity. We work really hard in the offseason, we’re prepared for moments like that. Practice is really hard and makes the game easier.”
'4 for 4': Like Wendy's, Keon Coleman, Kalen DeLoach offer '4 for 4' for FSU football against Clemson
Identity found for FSU
FSU began the 2023 season with a major statement win over then-No. 5 LSU, blowing out the SEC foe in the second half.
The Seminoles looked like the tougher team against a team usually known for imposing its will on its opponents.
Then FSU had a close call with Boston College, one that rightfully opened the can of worms of questions of whether this team was a legitimate contender or just another pretender waiting to be exposed.
While the answer to the question won't be answered until the end of the season and the team clearly has a lot to work on, Travis does believe the team has an identity.
"On the field, we’re a team that perseveres through anything," Travis said. "We have a lot of grit, determination. It just shows, every single week we have a new obstacle and we just keep going man. I’m so grateful for my guys.”
Wide receiver Keon Coleman, who caught the game-winning touchdown from Travis in overtime wasn't shocked by the 4-0 start for the Seminoles. Nor was he surprised by the long overdue victory over Clemson.
No, in fact, he knew exactly what he was signing up for when he transferred to FSU from Michigan State this offseason,
A chance at the National Championship.
"That's why I came here, I felt like I helped them get over the hump," Coleman said. "I felt like they were on the hump, but adding more power to their team. I just wanted to come win, play with a great and have guys like [DeLoach] return on defense. ...
"I knew the wins were going to come. We just had to do what we had to do and do our job."
Next step for FSU Seminoles
The Seminoles are a legitimate College Football Playoff contender through four games. But whether they can challenge the other teams at the top, including two-time defending champion Georgia, for the National Championship remains to be seen.
The team has obvious weaknesses that have been shown the last two weeks that need to be cleaned up, like the inability to run the ball and struggles in tackling.
“It just shows maturity," Travis said of pulling off the win. "Things aren’t always going to go your way. When it's time to make a play, you have to make a play. We did that as a football team. Our run game wasn’t going too much today. So that means the pass game has to step up.
"I felt like early on, we weren’t really getting the ball moving too much, me just missing throws. I was upset with a couple of throws I missed today but we won the football game and we’re 4-0 so I’m very thankful.”
But the LSU win showed the team can play dominant football if it plays a clean game. The Clemson and Boston College road victories proved the Seminoles have grit and can find ways to win when things don't break their way.
And they are a damn fun team to watch play football with explosive playmakers on both sides of the ball.
“To be able to finish it, it’s the way it needed to be,” Norvell said. “Because this program, we’ve been through it. We’ve been challenged. We’ve been knocked down and we’ve had to get up. They continue to push, and as we talk about it, we’re on our climb.
“I’m not going to put limits on what this team can accomplish, because those are the types of games that have to show up and you’ve got to show what you can do in those moments.”
More: FSU football quarterback Jordan Travis felt 'disrespected all game' in overtime win over Clemson
No rest for the weary Seminoles
The Seminoles have an open week this coming week, earning the break after a 4-0 start to the season with wins over two usual college football powerhouses in LSU and Clemson.
But don't expect FSU to rest on its laurels. This team doesn't do that.
"We have practice [Sunday], so we’re going to get back to work [Sunday]," Travis said. "There’s no days off here no matter what. If we have an off day or not, we have to take the opportunity to watch film, be in the treatment room, working out, things like that. It’s good to rest up a little bit.
"Obviously you have to recuperate your mind. Football is a tough sport, it’s a long season. So I think it will be great to recuperate, get the guys a couple of days to see their families, do things like that and get treatment.”
Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida State football: Victory over Clemson crucial step for 'Noles
