Everything Mike Norvell said after win over Kent State + Players Q&A: Castellanos, Hansen, Williams, Wilson

First off, just a great night for us. A great weekend here for Florida State. Family weekend, it was a wonderful crowd. Really proud of our players, the work that they've put in throughout the bye week coming into tonight.

We've really been challenging them. Tried to really force uncomfortable situations throughout the bye week. Got some good speed on speed work. Just trying to continue to develop that growth, that edge, just overall execution. I thought our guys rose to the challenge. You really felt them play, once again, fast, physical.

I thought we had explosive plays. It was an extraordinary night offensively, to be able to have great balance. I think we ran for close to 500 yards, which broke a school record.

What they were able to do, just really with all of the things that showed up, whether it was the lightning delay, obviously some challenges that presented themselves, our guys just didn't get shook by the circumstances. They just continued to focus on the next play, and I thought they did an outstanding job in their performance.

It's something that we needed to see, and I'm really proud of them for what they've been able to do coming off our first game. Having a couple games against smaller schools and with the bye week right in the middle, I don't think our guys have let up at all. I think they've had a great focus on improvement, and it puts us in the right position as we go into ACC play here on a short week heading into this week that's ahead.

Really pleased with our coaches, players, everybody involved in the program for the work they did, and just once again, happy for our fan base, and all the Marching Chiefs were outstanding again tonight or today as we got a chance to play. You just feel their presence, and it was a great crowd here this afternoon.

Q. Obviously everybody was very concerned when Tommy limped off the field. Did you know right away it was going to be okay? When did they let you know? I guess he could have played if he had to?

MIKE NORVELL: Obviously anytime you have any player that goes down -- he came off under his own power, but you don't like to see that with any individual. But they were able to get him checked out. We'll see where it progresses as we go into this week. But I was glad to see him back and moving around. I think it's going to be something that's very manageable as we're moving forward.

Q. Going into the season, I know the offensive line just new, new pieces, and you guys were trying to work them together. To have 500 rushing yards or close to it, I imagine still a work in progress, but what have you seen so far from the group that seems to be working so well?

MIKE NORVELL: Yeah, it comes down to their work. They've really made a great investment into each other. I think we've got great leaders in that group. The way that they're taking coaching -- I say that, Coach Hand does a remarkable job pouring into those guys. He challenges them on a daily basis. For all the experiences that they have previously, whether it's here, whether it's newcomers that have joined the program, young guys that are growing and developing, it's a constant push.

These guys, they embrace that on a daily basis, and you feel that, the way that they're gelling together, the things that it's allowing us to do in the run game, obviously given time and protection, I'm pleased with that group.

I think it's a compliment to them and just their overall work and belief in each other.

Q. We all knew Micahi was fast, but he made two big catches, but that one midfield, going up over guys, the hands, Jerry was in here saying he might have a chance to be one of the best receivers of all time. What is his ceiling considering he's only been doing this a few months?

MIKE NORVELL: I mean, I'm very, very pleased with his progress. Another young man that -- every day, you feel his desire, his want-to, the practice habits, the push. You can see the confidence just growing with every play that he gets.

Yes, to have three, four touchdowns here already in this season, a lot of explosive plays, but that's a big play that you can look at and say, man, that's -- yes, his speed got him behind, but the play-making ability is what finished the catch. To see him -- we had a couple of those in fall camp and you're seeing a young man that's growing and developing kind of right here before our eyes.

But it's 100 percent because of his work, and I think Coach Harris is doing a great job with him. You can see that tonight Squirrel was out, and it was an open door of opportunity for Micahi to show that he was ready for even more.

I think that the two vertical passes were big for him, but then also whenever he got the ball in his hand on the reverse, he did what he's been doing. So it was good to see that that was big. But he got to break the rock tonight and just a wonderful young man, obviously a Tallahassee native, and one that I think has got an incredible future in front of him as he continues to progress.

Q. Can you comment on the performance of some of the year two guys, Landon Thomas, Kam Davis, just that they've been in the system for a year now and how they've been adjusting?

MIKE NORVELL: Yeah, I think it's impressive to see those guys have the production that they've had, and both those guys got a chance to play last year, got some reps under their belt, and you're seeing that continued growth. I think that we've got a good number of guys -- Sam Singleton is another person that I know he's a little bit older, another year older, but kind of getting more and more action and opportunities and really has done some great things.

You see the growth on the defensive side of the ball with some of our defensive backs, linebackers, some of the guys that have been in the program that are continuing to push to emerge.

I think the coaches are doing a great job. These guys have worked really hard in the off-season to grow physically, mentally, just the amount of passion and desire to go maximize that potential has really been pleasing to us as a staff and to me.

Q. In these three games, it's been different guys kind of taking starring roles offensively. Is that by design at all or is that just kind of how -- does it just speak to the depth that you guys have?

MIKE NORVELL: I think it speaks to the play making ability that our guys have. Even within all of those plays that you see, there's still other options depending on what a team does.

You've got to be ready when your moment is there, and these guys are making plays, they're playing fast.

I think one of the great compliments is you see guys playing without the ball in their hands, whether it's a fast motion and a guy carrying out a fake just an extra step to get a little bit more leverage or the guy who's blocking up front, different skill positions blocking down the field allowing what would be a big run to be a touchdown, you never know. You never know when it's going to be, but you've got to rise to the occasion.

I think that, as we say, this is an offense and a play that's built for playmakers, and we've got some great playmakers within it. These guys are playing an unselfish brand of football, but they also know when the ball comes their way what they need to do with it, and they're getting the job done.

Q. We touched on last week the number of guys who have been able to see the field so far this season, but with that depth, with what you've been able to see from them going into conference play, how confident are you that, God forbid an injury does happen, that this team is going to be that next-man-up mentality, what we've an able to see from these guys?

MIKE NORVELL: Yeah, I think our guys have handled their business to provide an open door of opportunities to play multiple players. Guys have done a good job. There's been some good, some things that we see where we need to continue to improve, but it definitely is nice going into conference play and the stretch that we have in front of us knowing that guys that might be new to the program or guys that are trying to really forge their own role, that they have some quality reps under their belt.

I like where we are. Hopefully this next week we'll be able to get a couple guys back in a full capacity to continue to push forward.

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