Seminoles to play ASU in Sun Bowl
Newly hired Norvell will join interim coach Haggins at practices
TALLAHASSEE — FSU is heading west for its bowl game.
The Seminoles will be playing Arizona State in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 31 at 2 p.m. The game will air on CBS.
FSU (6-6) became bowl eligible under the direction of interim coach Odell Haggins. He led the Seminoles to wins over Boston College and Alabama State to give the team the needed six wins.
FSU officially hired Mike Norvell on Sunday. Haggins will lead the Seminoles bowl preparation and will be joined at practices by Norvell. Haggins handled bowl obligations Sunday while Norvell immediately began recruiting after he was introduced as the Seminoles’ new coach.
Norvell said he will need a couple of days to make a decision on whether he will coach Memphis, which will be playing in the Cotton Bowl against Penn State on Dec. 28.
“I had the meeting with the young men in Memphis [Sunday morning], and it was very emotional,” Norvell said. “They supported me 100%. … I love those guys and we have to make sure that it works for everybody with what needs to be done and what needs to be accomplished for both universities to be able to move forward to the best of their ability.”
The Sun Bowl will be the fifth time FSU and Arizona State will face each other. The last time came in 1984 when the Seminoles won 52-44.
Haggins coached FSU to a win in the Independence Bowl in 2017 as the interim coach when Jimbo Fisher resigned and left for the Texas A&M job.
His three-game tenure this time around has been hampered with most of the same problems the team had under Willie Taggart. Pre-snap penalties, missed tackles and inconsistent play on offense and defense has made it frustrating for Haggins.
“Some things we gotta work on as a defense and keep working,” Haggins said following the 40-17 regular-season-ending loss to Florida. “Like you lose a guy like Marvin [Wilson] who is top 5 in the nation in pressures, that hurts. But the next man up, we got to get better that way for this bowl [game].”
FSU will have 15 bowl practices to help alleviate the problems as well as adjusting to a new coach. It’s still one more game to play, which the team missed out on last season when it finished 5-7.
“I’m glad we got a bowl game, I’m glad to be going to a bowl game and competing for one,” wide receiver Tamorrion Terry said following the loss to Florida. “That’s just another blessing for us, but we know what it takes to win. We just gotta execute.”