TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida State coach Mike Norvell walked out of his home court Monday night after a 28-13 loss to Boston College, his face deadpan.

No one in the Seminoles program expected what has unfolded in front of a national television audience over the past two weeks: an 0-2 start with problems on all fronts — an inability to run the ball, an outmatched and often confused defensive line and a passing game that has struggled under a completely overhauled roster.

If the 24-21 loss in the season opener to Georgia Tech could be explained by the fact that it happened on another continent in Ireland, Florida State’s loss to Boston College exposed many of the same problems that plagued the Yellow Jackets.

Norvell struggled to find answers in his post-game press conference, simply saying, “I’m tired of how this season started. Tonight I didn’t prepare the team to go out there and respond,” Norvell said.

Florida State entered the season not only as the reigning ACC champions, but also as the preseason pick to win the conference — despite losing its best players, including Jordan Travis, Jared Verse, Braden Fiske and Keon Coleman. As they prepare for an NFL season, Florida State has had to fill their spots — not just on the field, but in the locker room as well.

Norvell spoke repeatedly about players needing to trust each other more on the field, about pushing, about how the team now needs to come together to solve its problems. The Seminoles have an open date before their Sept. 14 game against Memphis to “get back to the lab,” as receiver Kentron Poitier put it.

“You have a football team that no one ever expected to get to where we are and be disappointed, fail, but I believe in what this team can do,” Norvell said. “I believe in what this team can do.

“There’s going to be a lot of negativity around this program. I understand that. When we perform like we just did, that’s all part of it. But for our football team, you have to stick together and make sure you’re there for each other. We’ve been knocked down. We know how to get back up, but we have to do it. It’s one thing to talk about it. It’s another thing to put it into practice and then be able to perform in the moment.”

Florida State has done this before under Norvell. In 2021, Florida State started 0-4 before rallied to win five of its last eight games. In 2022, it lost three straight games before reeling off six straight wins. That season propelled the Seminoles to 13-0 in 2023 and an ACC championship win, until an elimination from the College Football Playoff left a significantly weakened Florida State team playing Georgia in the Orange Bowl.

Florida State lost that game 63-3. The Seminoles are now 0-3 in their last three games. Norvell said the playoff exit has no bearing on this year’s team.

“When things don’t go your way — a disappointing outcome in our first match — and today it was clear that everything that can go wrong, did,” Norvell said. “I don’t know if that’s a carryover from some other part of it than just starting to press, trying to do too much, wanting it so badly that there are times where you almost give up on the training you’ve had because you just start to press and almost try to do too much.”

Boston College won the line of scrimmage on both the offensive and defensive lines, just as Georgia Tech did. In the first two games of the season, Florida State has given up 453 total rushing yards, while only managing 119 yards on the ground. The game against Boston College proved particularly problematic, with Florida State rushing for just 21 yards and the running backs totaling eight carries.

Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei was erratic at best when Norvell turned to him to help jump-start a struggling offense. Uiagalelei was off target for most of the game, and fans began chanting for backup Brock Glenn before halftime. Uiagalelei finished 21 of 42 for 272 yards with a touchdown and a crucial interception in the third quarter that essentially put the game out of reach.

Trailing 14-6, Norvell decided to try it on fourth-and-5 from the Florida State 47-yard line. Uiagalelei missed his pass badly and Max Tucker was there to intercept and return the ball to the 7-yard line. Boston College drove the ball in and took a 21-6 lead.

Boston College’s win was the first under new coach Bill O’Brien, a statement of sorts that this team would play hard and physical up front while relying on a new-look Thomas Castellanos, who looked much more confident as a passer. Castellanos rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown while throwing two more scores. While this victory will be celebrated in Boston, Tallahassee was left scratching its head after another loss.

“Losing is a lot of motivation. Nobody likes to lose,” linebacker DJ Lundy said. “So we’re going to push. We’re going to work as hard as we can to get where we want to be. Right now, we’re 0-2. We don’t want to lose another game. We shouldn’t lose another game.”