'Climbing faster than people expected.' Florida State football turns corner under Mike Norvell

Florida State's emotional victory over Florida Friday night at Doak Campbell Stadium set off a raucous celebration as fans stormed the field.

The scene capped an impressive turnaround - and an unforgettable season - for the football program under third-year coach Mike Norvell.

"I was so proud of the team and staff, the atmosphere was electric and it felt like the old FSU vs. UF games," said former FSU and NFL tailback Sammie Smith, who attended his first home game in more than seven years and made the eight-hour drive from Oxford, Mississippi.

Trey Benson's 17-yard touchdown run with 4:06 left lifted No. 16 FSU a 45-38 win over Florida. The Gators drove the field in the final minutes but Anthony Richardson's fourth-down pass under pressure over the middle fell incomplete with 39 seconds to go.

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It marked FSU's first victory over the Gators since 2017, and the first time it has swept UF and Miami in the same year in six seasons. The Seminoles (9-3) are bowl eligible for the first time since 2019 and will post their first winning season since 2017.

"Mike Norvell has proved me wrong from the last two years," FSU fan Hagen Bentley said.

"He is a phenomenal coach. ... You can tell the team truly loves playing with one another with how unselfish the players are. Also, mental toughness. After something didn't go Florida State's way in previous years, they seem like they would fold in and quit.

"Not with this team, they bounced back so quickly all season."

The FSU-UF showdown entertained the sold-out crowd of 79,560 and television audience on ABC. It was the highest scoring game in the rivalry's history that dates to 1958.

The teams combined for 957 total yards - 497 by FSU.

Benson had 111 yards rushing and three touchdowns, and quarterback Jordan Travis ran for 83 yards and two touchdowns. He also completed 13 of 30 passes for 270 yards.

"I think Norvell is climbing faster than people expected," FSU fan Michael Carpenter said. "Fans can be pretty impatient.

"This year we’ve seen some mistakes that costed us games but also growth to indicate we’re taking back the ACC next year."

Norvell: Building trust is important

This is the eighth time this season FSU has surpassed 35 points in a game. The Seminoles also extended their winning streak to five games, the team's longest since ending 2016 with five straight wins.

Norvell, who was 8-13 in his first two seasons at FSU, is further proving his worth. He is now 20-6 in the month of November as a head coach, including 4-0 this year.

Norvell said building trust is an important part of the process.

"Being able to have that ownership and be honest with your players, to be able to develop trust," Norvell said after Friday's win.

"I said the very first day that I got here, I told the players I'm never going to ask them to trust me, all right? All I ask for is an opportunity to prove that I'm trustworthy. You have to do that through actions. They have to see it. It can't be one day here, the next day there. You have to be able to go through that process with them."

Smith - the Fellowship of Christian Athletes representative at Ole Miss and a 2013 FSU Hall of Fame inductee - liked what he saw from Benson and the Seminoles' running game.

FSU rushed for 227 yards, the team's seventh straight game crossing the 200-yard

barrier. That is the longest streak in the country this season, and the longest for FSU

since 1987 - Smith's redshirt sophomore season at FSU.

Smith had 1,230 rushing yards in 1987.

"I thought Benson was superb and ran with great desire," Smith said. "Also, Jordan Travis is a difference maker. They are a playoff contender if he returns next season. I desperately needed a win after Ole Miss came up short in the Egg Bowl Thursday."

FSU should move up the polls after winning its second game against the SEC. The Seminoles beat LSU 24-23 in September. The Seminoles will likely have to wait until after the ACC Championship game next weekend to find out its bowl destination.

Regardless, Friday's win left fans gushing over their team.

"Very impressive," Barbara Francois Brabham said. "They have self-discipline and heart. Proud of coach and team."

Added Jeff Wright:

"Hats off to coach Norvell and his family. They’ve hung in here even when much of the fan base was doubtful and critical. He has created a culture that makes your proud to be a Seminole. And these young men have bought in and worked their butts off to be the best they can and they don’t give up."

Reach Jim Henry at jjhenry@tallahassee.com.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida State football sweep Florida and Miami for first time in six years