TALLAHASSEE — Justin Cryer gripped the lectern and fidgeted, trying to control his emotions. The Florida State linebacker didn’t raise his voice and declined to put an adjective to how he felt, but his frustration was evident.

The first six games of FSU’s season have been two wild roller-coaster rides: A 3-0 start that began with a top-10 upset of Alabama and, after two guarantee game wins, three tough losses, to which  FSU’s mistakes significantly contributed. Cryer has heard the praise and had to accept the criticism, all in under seven weeks.

“There’s been a lot of noise from outside the building,” Cryer said. “We’ve all seen it. I’m off social media now. It’s all coming from every which direction. The biggest thing for us is being able to block out the noise and focus on what’s inside the room.”

There were questions about FSU’s leadership a year ago as the losses mounted and resulted in a 2-10 season. Without enough leadership, there was no accountability to uphold what the coaches taught and demanded on the practice field and on game day.

FSU didn’t have offensive leaders like Richie Leonard IV, Roydell Williams and Jaylin Lucas after they went down with injuries last September. Cryer was lost to an injury in November, too. They’re all back in 2025, at first enjoying a season that affirmed their reasons to return but now challenging their resolve.

If there is an example of where the Seminoles are at the midpoint of 2025, it’s evident in players like Cryer. They’re mad but not resigned, which often seemed to be the case in the second half of 2024.

The Seminoles (3-3, 0-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) travel to Stanford (2-4, 1-2) in a game that’s far more about their mental psyche. FSU’s players have dealt with criticism of their mistakes, the defense’s shortcomings and coach Mike Norvell being on the hot seat. They flew 2,500 miles to San Francisco on Friday and scheduled a practice later in the day. They planned to hang out in a hotel until a Saturday game where they are a 17-point favorite, at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Norvell admitted he senses “a lot of emotion to the process” of the Seminoles day-to-day with meetings and practice. And in the case of Cryer, there are one-on-one meetings between head coach and the FSU linebacker.

“I’m grateful I get to coach somebody who cares as much as he does,” Norvell said, stating that Cryer came up to his office on Tuesday night. “Our players take responsibility for what happens. Our coaches take responsibility for what happens. This is not a team that’s just going through the motions. Nobody wants to come up short. … But when we get the opportunity to go play the game, it’s got to show up a certain way.”

Norvell said he spoke to players after Wednesday’s practice about enjoying the game at Stanford. He implored them to not think about FSU’s record or the scoreboard on Saturday night.

“Just stay focused on that next thing that you can control,” Norvell said.

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2025/10/17/seminoles-try-to-block-out-noise-focus-on-stanford-game/