Transcript: Florida State, Oklahoma press conferences after Cheez-It Bowl

Florida State football coach Mike Norvell, Oklahoma coach Brent Venables and players from both teams met with the media following Thursday night’s Cheez-It Bowl.

Here is the transcript courtesy of ASAP Sports and the Cheez-It Bowl:

Florida State press conference

COACH NORVELL: I mean, just to kick it off, so proud of our team. I mean, all that they have had to work through, all that they have been through, not only throughout the course of this season but for every young man that’s been a part of the journey, the ones that have chosen come be a part of this family, the ones that, you know, have kind of been through it all.

It was really special to be able to finish this year with our tenth win, even in the way that it had to happen tonight, guys that went down, it was a back-and-forth game. There were some good moments and really tough and challenging situations, but their heart, it’s what showed up. They continued to fight, continued to believe. You did everything necessary to be able to finish the game and securing that tenth win.

Like I told the team in that locker room, this team will not be remembered just because of a number, all right. It’s going to be remembered by the way that they played, by the passion, by the character, by just the love that they have for each other. It meant a lot for this team, and it meant a lot for our program.

Just so proud of every young man that’s in that locker room, for our staff, the work that they have put in, just in all ways, we’ve got a tremendous administration that there’s been a lot of investment in helping us build this program and to getting it back to where ultimately we all know that it needs to be.

Being able to support the players with those resources and their development and just, yeah, the way that they have worked in all ways, it’s just truly special. I think tonight capped it off and you see the joy, you see the excitement for what they have done and all the work they have put in. So just proud of our guys.

At the half, what did you tell the team? What was the message? And what did you think about how they came out and approached the second half?

COACH NORVELL: I told them to keep playing, continue to believe. Trust your eyes. Trust what you see. Go out there and execute with fundamentals and trust your training. Just because things don’t go the way that you want them to early doesn’t mean that you always have to scrap a plan or you don’t always have to make these huge adjustments. You just have to continue to believe in what you’re doing.

I thought our players went out there and executed at a very high level. We were able to get critical stops, creating a takeaway when we needed it.

Offensively, the drive, I think it was a 15-play drive, 94, 95 yards, that was special. That was a statement drive for how you respond. You have to give credit to OU. They played hard. They brought a lot of different pressures. They were able to attack in a variety of ways. We knew that was explosive offense especially with their skill position at wide receiver. The young back, he’s good. I know he’s good.

Yeah, the quarterback did a great job in what they were doing, but ultimately our guys just continued to fight. And when we had to take the field one more time our defense ended it the way it needed to be ended.

Just proud of this team. I want to give a shoutout to Ryan as well. Ryan went through some challenges throughout the course of this year. And whether it was confidence, whether it was things that he had to build back, he just continued to work day-in and day-out, and to be put on the stage in the moment, need to make a field goal to put us up to go win the game, he answered the call. Very proud of him as well.

This question is for Jared and Jordan. What was the conversation in the locker room at halftime to kind of rally the guys together and break things open in the second half?

JORDAN TRAVIS: Honestly, it was no different than usual. We know who we are. We know our identity as a team. We work really hard, and we work hard for situations like that in the off-season. We are made for times like that.

The guys stepped up. Defense came up big. Shout-out to the offensive line, Johnny Wilson, Pokey, the running backs running hard. We couldn’t do without all of our guys.

Special teams is big, too. I feel like that gets overlooked, our special teams unit is really special. It was a big-time win for this football team.

JARED VERSE: It was definitely something like that. We were in the locker room, I just came in smiling. And I looked at the defense, and they looked at me smiling back. And we were like, yeah, it’s over with, like we know what we have to do. Offense is going to put points on the board. Special teams is going to handle what they have to handle. Everything is going to be fine and we just have to stop them. I looked at the linebackers, corners, safeties, just smiling. I’m like, yeah, it’s over with.

I’m not sure how many starters went down with injuries during the game, but it seemed like a lot. And when Jazston went down at the end and the whole team came out to him, what was that moment like?

COACH NORVELL: Jaz is a young man that’s been with our team for a year and came in in the summer. But he’s a part of our family forever now. When you see — these guys know. They know the work and they know the investment. It’s one thing it to talk about investment when it comes to a football team, and everybody thinks about lifting weights, practice and all the things that go on on the field.

When it’s investment in who they are off the field, getting to know a teammate, building a relationship; when you see a guy that goes down, you know, it hurts. I want to try to go out and see every one of them because this is a game that unfortunately that happens.

Jaz played his last game as a Florida State Seminole, but he’ll forever be a Nole. To see our team embrace him, celebrate after the game with him, he’s sitting there on crutches, and celebrating with him, I mean, you know, I love the young man and I’m grateful that I got an opportunity to coach him. And I think you saw the impact that he had on this team, right, just in the way that they embraced a very tough situation.

Jordan, how does it feel to represent Palm Beach County in this Cheez-It Bowl and be MVP?

JORDAN TRAVIS: It’s a blessing, growing up in Palm Beach, it was so awesome. I was blessed; my family took care of me all the time. I didn’t have to go through a lot with my brother always looking down on me and protecting me, my family, my parents, my sister. I’m so blessed to represent Palm Beach.

But we’re not done yet. This is just the beginning. We have another chapter. This is the end of the chapter of this year, but we still have a lot, a lot to do. I’ve got a lot of plans for next year and a lot of goals, and I can’t wait.

COACH NORVELL: A lot of work.

JORDAN TRAVIS: A lot of work, too, 100 percent.

We’ve seen the ups and downs with Johnny, but for him to have the game he did when the offense needed him tonight, what can you say about his performance?

COACH NORVELL: It was great. I think you see his growth. I think back to the last regular season game, he had some challenging moments in that game, but even on the last drive, he had a huge third down reception and showed that response. Tonight, to come out and play at such a high level — it wasn’t perfect, but it was — he made some plays that were spectacular.

One of the third downs, he used every bit of that 6’7″ body to go make an incredible catch, and then that long pass there on the final drive, Jordan put it in a remarkable place, hand-fighting down the field and to be able to snag it was special.

He’s a special player. You need those players to rise up in those moments, and you see his growth as the seasons progressed, and just excited for what the future holds for him and for this football team.

We’ve seen this program go from 3 to 35 to now double-digits wins for the first time since 2016. Where would you say the state of the program is in playing for a National Championship?

COACH NORVELL: We’re getting better, and that’s our objective is every day we go out on that field or in the classroom or whatever we are doing, and we want improvement, right.

I will put no limits to what we can accomplish as a team. I was disappointed in some of the setbacks that we faced earlier in the season, but these guys never stopped working and never stopped believing. This is a special place. This is a remarkable program to be a part of, and it’s not just the things of even the history and the past; it’s the people.

When you get them around, the past players that have come around you and see their support, you see their excitement, you see their joy, we represent them. That fan base that was out, that was special tonight. You look, we played in a couple different places, going to New Orleans to kick off the season in a classic game, and the Nole family showed up. Tonight in a Bowl game, once again, the Nole family showed up. This is a remarkable program to be a part of.

But I get to coach guys like this, and I know that when I watch them work and what they poured into it, they are challenging themselves to be the best they can be.

For where we are going, I can promise you, there’s great days ahead in Tallahassee. The future is very bright for this program, but it’s because of the people that we have. It’s because of that constant push to get better and guys are just willing to fight the fight.

You kind of talked about it. I’m just wondering, do you allow yourself to savor what just happened tonight and what happened throughout this season after the struggles you went through the first two years? But then Jordan mentions there’s much more work to be done. How much do you savor this?

COACH NORVELL: Absolutely. Every experience is critical for our journey, the highs, the lows, the good and the bad. I’m proud of this team. I’m so very proud of them. We get to sit back and see what they have been able to accomplish when people didn’t believe that they could, but I knew because I’m with them every day. I watch them work. I watch how much they care.

This is a team that they truly are a family, and you know, just like with family, there’s days that, you know, you squabble together. There’s days that — the accountability part of it, it’s hard, and there’s a lot of other programs that you can go to that would probably be a lot easier.

But it’s what makes moments like this worth savoring, because it’s not just about the results of a game. Yes, we could look up at a scoreboard and be really excited, but you know what it took to get there. I got to watch these guys whenever maybe people doubted them or when maybe things weren’t going exactly like they had hoped. I know what we had to come through as a program. It was hard.

But we know what’s ahead, and it’s going to be work. Like Jordan says it, there’s no limits to what we can accomplish because I know how these guys are going to work and I know how we’re going to push them to make sure that we get to where ultimately I know where we can go.

When you were talking about Jared about coming to Florida State and continuing his career, how special of a season has it been for him and to see him covered in glitter? How does it feel? And Jared, how does it feel, the journey you’ve taken to get to this point?

COACH NORVELL: You want to go first or you want me?

JARED VERSE: I’ll go. It meant a lot to finally go out there, end the season the way we wanted it to. At the beginning of the season, we had a couple hard losses where we could have done this or that to be a little bit better.

Just the one thing I’m grateful for Coach Norvell. He has not lied to me once. Like I said, multiple times, he sat down with me and he told me he’d give me his best. He has not stopped since then. Like all today, all the first day since I got here he’s given me his best. And I’ve tried my hardest to give him the same in return. This is the best decision I’ve made in my life.

COACH NORVELL: When you get to coach a young man like this, you don’t have to search for his passion. It shows up. I remember in the recruiting process, it was a fast recruiting process, but from the first time that I talked to him on the phone till the official visit when I was there in person, I just knew that this was the right fit for Florida State, because he wants to be great in everything that he does.

Yes, it’s fun watching No. 5 go out there and sack the quarterback. I watch how he competes in the classroom, too. I watch how he competes in the weight room. I watch how pours in and challenges teammates and pushes guys to be better than what maybe even they think they can be at times.

When he made the decision to come to Florida State, I remember on that phone call, and I’m not too proud to say, I was emotional in that moment because it was real. There was no bullcrap about it. It was about somebody that really went through the process and just said, look, I need to find the best fit where I can grow and grow in every way.

You know, I think you see some of the things he’s capable of. And I’m telling you, he’s just scratching the surface for where he can go. This young man has a special future in front of him because the good Lord blessed him with great ability, but he’s got an unbelievable mind, and he’s got an unbelievable heart. It’s going to be fun to watch him continue to grow to what I know that potential is.

You obviously had a decision to make if you even wanted to play in this game. How gratifying was it for you to play the way you did and have the sack that sealed it?

JARED VERSE: It was very gratifying. The whole game they did a good job containing me. That right tackle, he was very good. He clamped me up a couple times where I was like, all right. You know me, I love to talk. He was talking to me, I’m like, “Yeah, okay, I’m going to get you.”

That last play, I remember vividly, he said to me, “You’re not going to do nothin’ in the league. You’re not going to make it to the league.”

I looked at him, I said, “Watch this next play,” and we the got sack, I think it was D-Low right there with me. And we look at the clock, 3 seconds left, time running out, I started laughing at him, quarterback tried to hike the ball everything, and I’m like, It’s over. We hear the buzz, and everybody starts to scream.

It was a great feeling.

COACH NORVELL: That is impressive detail (Laughter). I hope you enjoyed that. That was awesome. I did. (Laughter.)

Pokey Wilson is a guy that’s been in this program for many, many years, and with all the transfer talent that came in this year, there was obviously some more competition. Can you talk about the development and work ethic of Pokey because he ended up having, I’m pretty sure statistically, his best season here at Florida State.

COACH NORVELL: He’s a wonderful player, somebody that’s very versatile in his skill set. He had as made so many big plays for us this year. You trust the process of growth. Competition, you’re either going to rise to it or you’ll let it pass you by.

Pokey, just his work ethic, the amount — he’s not the biggest guy in the world but when you look at how consistent he is of being at practice of working to get better, I mean, he will do — he will give everything that his body has to go out there and compete, and he’s a great competitor. I think you saw with a lot of really talented players that have come around him, he still defined his role because of that work ethic.

There’s a lot of guys that have been here since the beginning of this staff’s arrival, and you know, guys like Pokey, you sit there, Robert Cooper, that’s my heart right there. Just being able to hug him after the game and knowing all that he’s done, there’s just so many stories like that with players that have come in and guys that we recruited that are very talented. They have continued to push and they have continued to improve, and I’m excited about where their future is going to take them.

How nice was it to see Ryan Fitzgerald get out there and get that kick to win the game after everything he’s been through season?

COACH NORVELL: Like I mentioned earlier, it was a special moment. You talk about response, you talk about growth, you talk about continuing to try to be the best that you can be. It doesn’t mean it’s always going to go your way on the journey, but sometimes challenges are necessary.

You’ve got to know what you can go through to be able to prove what you can get through, and Ryan has done that. That was a big moment for him. That’s one that it was the difference in the game, and just proud of him, proud of this team, and you know, grateful for the opportunity that I have to be able to work side-by-side with him each day.

Oklahoma press conference

COACH VENABLES: I’d like to first congratulate Coach Norvell and Florida State, their staff, their players. Terrific game. They played their guts out, like our guys did. Heck of a game for them. Big win for them.

Incredibly proud of our team. Disappointed for them in the loss. But, man, as I told them going into the game, you know, not going to, you know, play to a scoreboard. I want to see fight. I want to see guts. I want to see courage. I want to see toughness. I want to see physicality, not perfection, all right. I want to see belief. And we saw that tonight from our guys.

And so they have done everything that we’ve asked from them, and couldn’t be more proud of them for that. Disappointed in, again, not being able to find a way to win the game. They made a couple more competitive plays than we did, and we certainly had our opportunities tonight. And like the normal ebbs and flows of any game, again, they did enough to win.

So I’m proud of our guys. Again, disappointed for our seniors, but as I told them, foundationally, how we do what we do is what matters. You know, it’s an easy time now for people to judge us based on being 6-7, and that’s fine. That’s what goes with the territory. This is a performance-based profession, and people on the outside are going to judge us on that. And winning is incredibly important, and those are the standards and expectations that are here at Oklahoma.

But how we do what we do matters. Incredibly proud of, certainly, these gentlemen here, Dillon and DaShaun for their leadership, their heart, their toughness, their work, for believing in Oklahoma and representing the brand the right way.

Moving forward, it’s a great opportunity. Got a bunch of guys that got their first extended playing time. I was really excited for them and proud of them in their effort, and it’s going to bode well for us in the future.

So with that, we’ll open it up for questions.

What’s the difference in this game with the culture and the structure, you talk about foundation, how do you feel from what you saw – the injuries and all?

COACH VENABLES: Again, I think what you all saw today was what we saw in the last three weeks, again, the end of the regular season, and the Bowl game was announced, and our guys went right back to work, trust my eyes, and from weight room to finishing strong in the classroom to the practice field to the extra film time to handling themselves with class, both on the field and certainly off the field while we were here doing everything that we asked of them, couldn’t be more proud of them. And that is foundationally what it’s about.

They invested a tremendous amount. It should hurt. That’s never going to be acceptable. But at the same time, you have no regret when you put everything you’ve got into it. And that’s what this football team did. Proud of the players and all of their hard work and their perseverance and just fighting till the end.

And proud of the coaches, too. Were there plenty of mistakes? Absolutely. We’ll have to, you know, look at those once we get to the out of season as well. But what I saw tonight was what I saw the last three weeks, and proud of these guys for that.

Brent, I wanted to ask you, 60 rushing plays, four offensive linemen were missing, Eric Gray is out, you had Gavin and Jovantae had big games. Can you talk about the run game and how everyone came together and meshed?

COACH VENABLES: The guys up front, they played physical, and they played with purpose. I thought the players played with a tremendous physicality and toughness that we’ve asked from them. Coach Bedenbaugh did a great job getting these guys ready. Jacob Sexton went out early in the game. Unfortunate for him, but he’ll recover okay.

But really, again, I love the sense of desperation that they played with up front, and tight ends, O-line, the backs, Gavin and Jovantae in particular, Dillon in some of the run game that he was involved with as well. I thought these guys – again, in many ways, is exactly according to game plan.

So, proud of them for that.

Kind of following up on the run game, Gavin, he had not seen a lot of time this year, came into this Bowl game and shined a little bit even in a loss. Can you talk about his talent, his performance and just kind of the future he has at Oklahoma moving forward?

COACH VENABLES: Well, he has a tremendous future. He’s made of all the right stuff. Tremendous character. Great work ethic. Incredibly humble, intelligent, tough. It’d been easy for a guy like him to kind of check it in and not get better, but he showed up every day and got better all season long, and these guys will attest to that.

He’s been a great teammate, and he’s ready for his opportunity when it presented itself. Again, really excited for him in some of his production tonight, outstanding. And he’ll be a lot better going into it next year because of it. Kind of like Jaleel in our Bowl game a year ago. Also obviously able to preserve his redshirt year as well.

With the offensive line, guys coming in the past few weeks and first quarter of the game, can you describe the competitiveness in yourself to be back in Orlando, scrapping through, running for your life, making positive yards and getting up and even showing a little spiciness at times, jawing back and forth?

DILLON GABRIEL: My competitive nature. I want to do whatever it takes for this team to win. Obviously it’s a little frustrating when it doesn’t happen. But personally, I think the O-line played their butt off in the sense of their effort. They are guys who care, and they are competing for their opportunity at hand. I can respect that. And in times of a game, things happen. MA’s happen, or shoot, sometimes you just lose a rip.

But they continued to fight. And regardless of the situation, AP coming in and playing his butt off, I’m proud of them. More importantly because they are my friends and guys I’ve connected with and are really close to. So whenever it’s like that, you’re riding with them forever, regardless of the situation.

DaShaun, I know the loss is fresh in your mind, but can you appreciate what this season has meant in terms of you being a senior, a captain and trying to get that foundation built?

DASHAUN WHITE: Definitely, yeah. Kind of this season has been up and down. It’s been something I’m not really used to; I don’t think any of us are really used to.

Kind of having this opportunity to still leave a legacy in a way and still leave your fingerprint behind, or however you want to look at it, was something that I just kind of clinged on to all year. As many times as he said it, every time he said it, it’s something that I knew I wanted to do, and I just wanted to – any way I could, any little thing I could for the young guys, just leave them with whatever I can, you know.

Dillon, on pass plays you were running for your life a lot, but the running game relieved the pressure. What can that running game do going forward? What did that do for the future, do you think?

DILLON GABRIEL: I think anytime the run game is going well it helps a lot, not only in game management, but also if you establish the run game, it helps you out in all areas.

Our run game has just been really good all year. I’m proud of those guys up front, and obviously the running backs, there was no drop-off in that sense with how talented those two young guys are.

You guys obviously did a better job stopping the run than a lot of people have done, but then they got you guys in the passing game in the second half. Was it them adjusting, or what do you think happened there?

COACH VENABLES: I think they got us into a couple of tough matchups. They made a couple of competitive plays. And then, you know, Jordan Travis does what – did what Jordan Travis does sometimes. He extended plays with his legs. He does a great job of keeping his eyes down the field. And the receivers do a great job of staying open and staying alive.

We had a screen that was, whatever it was, 48 yards, something like that, and we don’t leverage it right, and that’s what happens. He did a good job off the playaction, how they had that designed.

But I think it was a combination of a couple of bad matchups, not great calls. We had 14 on a safety that should not have happened and they made us pay for that. It’s a game of matchups, and that wasn’t our intended matchup. That’s on us as coaches.

Again, I thought Jordan Travis got into a pretty decent rhythm there. They drove the ball. First drive of the second half, 15 plays for 94 yards, and they made, again, just a lot of critical plays within that drive.

And that’s what good teams will do. We wanted to make them be efficient and drive the ball down the field, if they were going to, as opposed to big plays. We still gave up too many explosive plays. It’s a tough thing to have happen and have a chance to win a one-score game.

Yeah, I think it was a combination of those things, and the passing game the second half.

Dillon, Coach Venables talked about not record-chasing, but whenever you know that the ’23 season winning record streak came to an end, does that affect that you that happened this year?

DILLON GABRIEL: Not necessarily. I think it tested us, tested me personally. Just in life, the journey, all the work you put in with a bunch of guys with the right mindset and great attitude. You know, your work doesn’t necessarily come to fruition in that sense.

What I love about Coach BV is just the idea of attacking the process and loving that, and the results shouldn’t be the drive for your happiness for the result being what it is. It’s just finding that deep joy in family and the Lord, and of course with us, because that’s the only thing that sticks. When you’re tested like this, if you ain’t got that, you know, you’ll go into dark places.

So that being said, I’m proud of this team. We were tested in many ways, but we got the right guys in this building, and we love each other and know that regardless of the result, we’re together. So that’s the main thing.

I know you’re only a few minutes removed from this thing right now, but when you get the chance eventually to sit back and reflect on year one, the last 13 games, where do you think it is your mind will go first?

COACH VENABLES: I’ve had a lot – I reflect – I’ve had plenty of time. I’m in the middle of it, and I can see the trees through the forest.

First and foremost, again, proud of, again, the work of the guys, man. I’ve been saying it all year: These guys have been putting the work in and giving us everything that we could ask for, and that’s where it all starts for me.

If we come up short in a lot of different areas, as a staff and certainly on the field, we certainly did, there’s plenty of disappointment and there’s things that we’ll need to do better moving forward. That goes without saying.

But that, really, is any season is like that. Any season I’ve been a part of. So you go through your normal postseason processes as far as evaluation and how I did what I did and how we do what we do schematically and all those types of things.

So that’s, as you know, a very broad question. Again, Dillon alluded to it: It’s the commitment; it’s the fight; it’s the investment. That’s where foundationally, that’s what it takes first. It takes that first. And if you don’t have that first, you have no chance.

If we come up short, five of our games we come down to the last drive of the game. We weren’t good enough and we didn’t coach them good enough. We have to play a little more efficient. So we’ll learn from it. That’s what I know. I believe that without – without question; that we’ll all learn from it.

Scarred up from a challenging season, but I know the type of men, the type of people that we have in that locker room. And for me, that’s what I hang my hat on in regards to we’re going to be fine, all right? And again, go back and look at a lot of things, and there’s a gazillion things that we’ll go back and look at that we’ve got to be better at, and programatically, you know, scheme, personnel, all of it.

But for me, it starts with those other things. And so, again, certainly disappointed being 6-7, but proud in a lot of the things that we were able to accomplish, and certainly proud of the players and their work and their fight and their achievement. And there’s plenty of achievement there. In the middle of losing, there’s plenty.

I think it’s always important that you have the right perspective and that you recognize that, because I think you can get lost if it’s all – again, this is – at the end of the day, it my job as the head coach is to win and win every one of them, and I get that.

But from the expectations and standards that we have in our program, it goes well beyond that. The results, you don’t get into the arena and say, I’m only going to do my best if we win. That’s not how it works. I’m only going to invest; I’m only going to put in the extra time; I’m only going to – you know, blood, sweat and tears with my teammates; I’m only going to sacrifice if I know we’re going to win. That’s not what you do.

And then, you know, the result always takes care of itself. And that’s what Dillon was saying. And again, sometimes, man, you’re on the wrong side of it. So why was that? So you go back and you evaluate all of it, and we’ll peel that onion all the way down to the core and look at that.

I just watch. I watched what I’ve been watching. And again, for a lot of people, they can’t see that because they are not inside the building. And that’s fine. And we’ll be judged by being 6-7. That’s fine, too.

For me, for us, I know what the future looks like, and I’ve been seeing it in that locker room. The winning will come. I know that without question.

You said the foundation was in place. Expounding on what you just said, what did you see out there tonight that shows that foundation?

COACH VENABLES: Guts, courage, fight, physicality, attitude, belief, commitment, trust, love, respect. It’s all brotherhood. I saw guys that had an appreciation for their opportunity. Guys that had a thankfulness for putting on a Sooner uniform.

And again, part of the hurt and the disappointment – certainly me, too, I know I can speak for them because we talk about it a lot – is this program has represented excellence for such a long time. And there’s so many people, they want to turn the Sooners on, and the Sooners give them hope, the Sooners give them joy, the Sooners give them pride. And again, when you come up short, man, there’s some disappointment.

So a lot of the hurt, it’s for those people that have paid the price and been in these shoes, been in those locker rooms, worn that whistle. Hey, man, we are all prideful, and we care about what other people think in regards to our football family. The past players and the past coaches, all the excellence, again, this university represents, that matters to all of us.

But that’s what I saw, all those things out there tonight.

Talk about this story with other die-hard FSU football fans on the Tribal Council.