Norvell Speaks On Hosting Memphis
With college football on the horizon, many storylines will be talked about across the nation. With this, a game not many have spoken about is the week three matchup between Memphis and Florida State. These two programs will meet for the first time since 1990, when Memphis fell to FSU 35-3, in Orlando. This will be the 18th meeting all time with the Seminoles leading, 10-7-1, in games played from the first, in 1959, to the aforementioned game in 1990.
This will be the fourth consecutive game in the state of Florida in this series as Memphis will take to the road to Tallahassee for the 2024 meeting. Memphis trials games in Tallahassee, 10-7-1 all time. When the game was announced, in 2021, Memphis head coach, Ryan Silverfield, would have this to say.
“We are very excited to be able to play Florida State in the future,” Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield said. “Florida State is a program with great tradition, and we are looking forward to a great matchup with them. Memphis will always look to play other nationally recognized teams.”
As many know, Mike Norvell, FSU head coach, was formerly with Memphis from 2016 to 2019 and took the Tigers program to heights unseen prior. The Atlantic Coast Conference would start their football ‘Kickoff’ event, today, in Charlotte. Florida State and Norvell would be the first team to the podium to speak to the media in attendance. It wouldn’t take long as the second question would ask Norvell about facing his former team. In response, Norvell would have this to say on facing Memphis.
“Memphis has a great program, a very talented team. Coming off another 10-win season there. We know it’s going to be a great challenge when we get to that third week of the season. It’s definitely going to be a unique dynamic. Coach Silverfield and his staff have continued to push that program forward. Got a special place in my heart for it. But also going to be excited to compete once that opportunity shows up.”
If you are keeping the record, the Tigers trail the Seminoles, 3-7, in games in Tallahassee. The last game Memphis won in this series was the last win on the road. In 1975, Memphis would win, 17-14, over the Seminoles. With the history not only between the programs, this game garners attention as the nation looks on.
While many Memphis fans look at Norvell as the best coach in Memphis history we expect Silverfield and company to challenge that. The 2023 season for Memphis was shades of the 2019 Cotton Bowl team. To further this point, the average attendance, of 32,497, and TV viewership, of 954,125, were both the highest seen since 2019. With this, combined with the 4th 10-win season since 2014, Memphis is not intimidated by the challenge.
On September 14th, 2024, Memphis will take a road trip to see if they can ‘Spear The Noles’ in what would be a massive win for numerous reasons. Both coaches have spoken about this matchup, now all that is left is the week three battle.
