Florida State at Alabama: Mike Norvell Faces More Pressure

Florida State could really make use of a quiet week before heading to Tuscaloosa. Instead, the Seminoles arrive at Alabama trying to recover from a 27-24 home defeat to SMU while dealing with another major change away from the field. Mike Norvell brings a 1-1 team into Bryant-Denny Stadium with a lot to fix before kickoff, and the decision to fire athletic director Michael Alford only added more noise to an important week.

Florida State president Richard McCullough named Bruce Warwick interim athletic director and said the university remains focused on giving its teams every competitive advantage. The leadership change came Sept. 14, which gives Norvell one practical choice. His team has to make the football conversation smaller for three hours Saturday.

Florida State needs the run game to travel

The clearest thing Florida State has through two games is running back Ousmane Kromah. He rushed for 116 yards on 22 carries against SMU after topping 100 yards in the opener, becoming the first Seminole since Trey Benson in 2022 to post consecutive 100-yard games. The problem is that the rest of the offense has not created the same stability.

SMU held Florida State to 125 passing yards and watched the Seminoles convert only 2 of 14 third downs. At the other end, SMU produced 585 total yards and 430 through the air. Those numbers came from a 27-24 game because Florida State forced turnovers and ran the ball well enough to remain close. A similar formula in Tuscaloosa would require cleaner third downs and far fewer explosive plays allowed.

Norvell did not hide from the disappointment when he met reporters before Alabama week. “It doesn’t change my perspective on my belief in this football team. We just have to be better.” Belief is difficult to measure. The run game, third downs, and explosive plays are much easier, and all three give Florida State a direct way to show improvement.

Florida State at Alabama runs into a defense finding answers

Alabama has its own rough stretches to clean up. Quarterback Keelon Russell threw two interceptions at Kentucky, including a pick-six on Alabama’s first drive, and the Crimson Tide trailed 17-13 at halftime. The response looked more like the team Kalen DeBoer wants to carry into the rest of September.

Alabama scored 32 unanswered points after halftime and held Kentucky to 62 second-half yards. The Wildcats finished 1 of 14 on third down, while Alabama turned a fumble and a failed fake punt into short fields. That response also shaped Alabama’s 45-17 win over Kentucky, because the Crimson Tide stopped asking Russell to carry the afternoon by himself. The defense tightened up, the running game gave him room to settle, and Alabama gradually took control after a messy first half.

Florida State has to keep Kromah involved long enough to prevent Alabama from turning the afternoon into obvious passing situations. Norvell said the Tide has increased its size up front and can trust the secondary in man coverage. If Alabama adds an extra defender near the line because its corners are holding up outside, Ashton Daniels will need to complete enough downfield throws to stop the box from shrinking.

Norvell needs a competitive answer before the schedule tightens

A road win in Florida State at Alabama would change the temperature around the Seminoles quickly, but one Saturday cannot solve every problem in Tallahassee. The more immediate standard is whether the Seminoles look organized after a week that gave them every excuse to look distracted.

The opinion here is that Florida State’s best path is less complicated than the noise around the program. Give Kromah enough carries to make Alabama tackle for four quarters, keep Daniels out of repeated third-and-long situations, and force Russell to drive the field instead of feeding him short possessions. Florida State can live with a hard game. It cannot afford another afternoon where basic execution leaves the defense exposed.

Norvell called Alabama’s young quarterback “a scary football player” in a respectful way this week. Florida State has enough of its own concerns without making Russell comfortable. The first road test of the season arrives with a new interim athletic director back home and a coach who says his belief has not moved. Saturday will show whether his team can make the same claim with its play.