Mike Norvell and FSU entered Raleigh looking to secure bowl eligibility after a lackluster season. However, a brief injury pause near the Florida State tunnel drew instant attention when NC State cheerleaders took a knee, and social media rushed to figure out why.

“Some sort of issue on the field with Florida State personnel, near the Seminoles tunnel. NC State cheerleaders taking a knee,” reporter Brian Murphy tweeted as the incident caught everyone’s attention.

However, the gesture was nothing more than a show of respect. The cheerleaders kneeled in solidarity with an injured FSU player, a customary display in college sports. Mike Norvell addressed the issue in his post-game press conference. “Yeah, we had a player that went down, and just needed to make sure that was checked out. Appreciate our athletic training staff. You know, this was a stadium support. I believe we’re down there with him, and so he was able to get up work and come in. So, I know they’re still evaluating, but it was good to see him be able to get up and come,” he said.

While that moment became the headline online, the real disaster happened on the field. FSU melted down in the final minutes and threw away a game it desperately needed.

Norvell didn’t identify the injured player, but fans present in the game quickly pointed out that it was freshman wideout Jayvan Boggs. The severity of the issue wasn’t immediately clear, though he eventually made his way to the locker room for further evaluation. The moment unfolded during the post-game routine on the field, adding to a worrying trend for Boggs. He has already missed time this season after getting hurt in the win over Kent State, which sidelined him for matchups against Virginia, Wake Forest, and Clemson.

Meanwhile, the whole incident failed to divert the focus from the Seminoles’ abysmal outing in the 21-11 loss. This is the second loss after the Seminole AD, Michael Alford, talked about a “comprehensive review” at the season’s end. The humiliation in Raleigh has FSU reeling at 5-6 with a game remaining. This has left FSU’s bowl hopes hanging in the balance of their rivalry matchup against Florida. All of this has piled up the pressure on Mike Norvel as the calls for his firing intensify.

Norvell blames the team for the loss

The pressure is finally getting to Mike Norvell, as he shifted the blame for the loss. “Too many missed opportunities. Not good enough offensively,” said Norvell in the post-game conference. But that wasn’t the FSU HC’s expectation. “He (Mike Norvell) thought the team prepared well in the short week and was ready,” wrote Warchant on its official site.

To be honest, they did play badly in this game as the offense struggled while Tommy Castellanos threw two interceptions. After which, they relied heavily on the run game. But it wasn’t just him as the whole unit collapsed. The O-line broke down, increasing the pressure on their QB while they missed two red zone conversions. The special team contributed with two failed punts.

On a night when everything went awry for Norvell and his team, even Lady Luck left their side. “Lucky is when a ball bounces off a guy, back to us, and your punter recovers it. That was lucky. And that’s God’s blessing, is what that is,” NC State coach Dave Doeren said.

The bad performance on the field did hurt the coach. However, blaming the team after spending six years building it makes no sense. Even the stats back the narrative of Norvell being unable to understand what he is doing in Florida. He is 38-33 overall while going 22-26 in the conference. This comes as a surprise, considering his image of an offensive mastermind before joining FSU.