In their hearts, on their minds: 'Noles dedicate dominant win to teammate Ethan Pritchard

They handled their business. They made quick work of an overmatched opponent and then emptied the benches so that Florida State’s youngest players could see the field.

But it was not easy. No matter what the 77-3 final score might imply.

On Saturday evening, six days after freshman linebacker Ethan Pritchard was shot in the head and hospitalized in “critical but stable” condition, Florida State head coach Mike Norvell had to choke back tears while talking about his and the team’s emotions.

In the span of one week, the Seminoles celebrated their stunning upset of then-No. 8 Alabama, endured the trauma of Pritchard’s shooting, struggled to focus for their next game against East Texas A&M, and then delivered one of the most dominant performances in school history.

“It was a tough week,” Norvell said. “Coming off a big win, obviously our hearts are with Ethan and the fight that he’s going through. It’s a lot of emotions for our team. But I thought our guys, throughout this week and everything that we experienced, I thought they really truly came with a purpose and a passion to go get better. That was the focus. I wanted to see their response. I wanted to put on film — to go compete as a team that’s passionate to get better. I thought they did that.”

As he spoke, Norvell reminded reporters that Pritchard is not merely a player who has been on FSU’s roster for nine months after graduating early from Sanford Seminole High School.

Florida State’s coaches recruited him heavily for two years before he enrolled, and the Seminoles’ head coach said Pritchard has always been special to him.

“The way that he plays the game — it’s a passion, energy — he loves it,” Norvell said. “Absolutely loves it. To know that right now, that’s taken away from him in a senseless act and something that just … you don’t always know why. You don’t always know why you have to go through things in life. You don’t understand the reasoning. But I do believe that God has his hand over Ethan and this football team and just all the relationships.”

Florida State’s players and coaches honored Pritchard before, during and after Saturday’s game.

Some wore T-shirts featuring his image, initials and jersey number during pregame warmups. They sported No. 35 wristbands while playing, and teammate Earl Little held up Pritchard’s jersey as he led the team out of the tunnel before kickoff.

Pritchard’s father, Earl, and an uncle — both of whom were wearing No. 35 jerseys — were introduced to the crowd and received a heartfelt ovation from more than 65,000 fans inside Doak Campbell Stadium. And after the game, Norvell asked Earl Pritchard to “break the rock” as part of FSU’s traditional post-victory celebration.

“Just to have Earl here today, he’s a wonderful man,” Norvell said. “And being with him, I know it’s so very hard. And I know it’s so hard for anybody to have to go through. But he told me earlier this week: He said, ‘I know where my boy wants to be. So I’m going to go stand in his place for him.’

“To see the team and just the embrace for that … it’s special.”

Each of the Florida State players who spoke with the media following Saturday’s game shared their affection for Pritchard and explained how trying this ordeal has been for the entire team.

“It weighs on us for real, ’cause he’s such a good dude, man,” cornerback Jerry Wilson said, explaining that he and Pritchard often trash-talked each other because Wilson’s high school (Kissimmee Osceola) actually played against Pritchard’s (Sanford Seminole) in the 2020 State championship game.

Wilson said he can’t wait for Pritchard to come back from his injury and one day be around the team again.

“I can definitely say every time I’ve seen him, every time I’ve hung out with him, man, he was always a good dude,” Wilson said. “Always positive. And he’s a competitor, bro. So, I know he’s going to get up out of that bed soon. He’s going to be walking. He’s going to be good. He’s going to come back to us soon, ’cause he’s a competitor, bro. And he wouldn’t want nothing else but to be here with us. …

“He’s the biggest Seminole fan out of everybody on the team, if y’all ain’t know. He’s been wanting to come here since he was like a freshman in high school.”

Two of the stars of Saturday’s game, quarterback Tommy Castellanos and receiver Duce Robinson, said that Pritchard is not just another player in the program. They made it clear the freshman linebacker is extremely popular with players up and down the Seminoles’ roster, and they said they were motivated to play well in his honor.

“He’s always at our house, at our pool and hanging out with us and stuff like that,” Castellanos said. “It was crazy. It was a tragedy, and it’s something that made us go out there and play for him today. … His dad was with us on the sideline and in the locker room, and he was with us through this whole process. …

“We are praying for Ethan and we wish him a speedy recovery, and that God upstairs gives him a second chance at life and get back with us as soon as possible.”

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