No. 10 Notre Dame not taking reeling Florida State lightly as it chases a playoff spot

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman keeps reminding his players of the lessons from Week 2.

Be ready, be prepared and avoid the mirage by taking nothing for granted.

If that inexplicable early-season loss to Northern Illinois did anything for the Fighting Irish, it's steeled them for Saturday night's matchup against reeling Florida State.

The Seminoles five-game losing streak and 1-8 record has taken the luster off what was supposed to be one of this weekend's marquee matchups when the season began. And with No. 10 Notre Dame (7-1, No. 10 CFP ), Freeman knows his team cannot afford another misstep if it hopes to make the expanded 12-team playoff field.

“It’s a mental preparation and a physical preparation, and we know what the result is when you don’t mentally prepare the right way,” Freeman said. “We know it, and that’s why we say, ‘Keep the pain of NIU,’ because that’s a result of not having the right mindset.”

It's been an epic freefall for the Seminoles, who were snubbed from last season's four-team playoff despite posting an unbeaten regular-season mark and who started this season ranked in the Top 10.

But nothing has gone as expected. Coach Mike Norvell's team didn't have just one early season stumble — it lost its first three games before beating California and hasn't won since. In fact, the Seminoles are 0-4 outside of Tallahassee, and in a season they're trying to salvage something, a win at Notre Dame might be just the trick.

“I am shocked in where we are,” Norvell said Monday. “You look at some of the results we’ve faced, you look at some of the circumstances that have shown up, you go into a season and you have a picture in your mind of what things are going to look like. It really has been shocking some of the things that have kind of evolved throughout this season."

Freeman is equally surprised.

And he wants his players to fully understand what they're up against this week — a team with four straight strong recruiting classes and a team capable of beating anybody. Even a foe in the playoff picture.

“Listen, it’s a very talented football team, and it doesn’t take long to turn on the film and realize how talented they are,” Freeman said. “The record doesn’t reflect their talent. They’ve had to deal with some injuries, especially at quarterback, that has affected the outcome of their games. Our team must, and we will respect the challenge Saturday night presents."

The Irish don't have a choice if they want to make the playoffs.

QB questions

Perhaps nothing has short-circuited Florida State's season like the quarterback carrousel.

D.J. Uiagalelei, the former Clemson and Oregon State starter, was lost after having surgery on his throwing hand after a loss to SMU in Game 5. Brock Glenn replaced Uiagalelei and then Glenn was replaced by Luke Kromenhoek in the second quarter of a loss to Duke.

Glenn took most of the snaps in last week's 35-11 loss, though Kromenhoek got in significant playing time. It's unclear how Norvell will play it Saturday.

Matchup problems

In Notre Dame's 51-14 victory over then-No. 24 Navy two weeks ago, the Irish forced six turnovers. That's not good news for Florida State, which ranks 132nd in the FBS with a minus-12 turnover margin and has been outscored 68-3 in points off turnovers.

While that's been a major problem all season for Florida State, it's hardly the only one. The Seminoles rank 133rd in yards rushing per game (76.1), are averaging just 14.4 points and are 101st in yards passing (208.2 per game) — not a good matchup against a defense that ranks No. 3 in pass efficiency allowed (96.25).

Finishing strong

Though Florida State will post its fifth losing season in seven years and could produce its lowest win total since the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2020 season when the Seminoles were 3-6 and its lowest full season victory win total since a 3-8 mark in 1975, Norvell believes a strong finishing kick could help turn the program around.

“For us, every game, every day, we’re recruiting,” Norvell said. “We’re having those conversations with guys that are committed to us. We’re having conversations with guys that we’re going after. Man, we’re putting everything that we have into the growth for this program. Obviously, it’s all going into the players we have to finish this season and then it’s a focus on where we’re going and who we’re doing it with moving forward.”

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Curt Rallo, The Associated Press