The Florida State Seminoles return home to close out September against the University of Central Arkansas, following an expected physical road battle against the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa. After taking on the Tide and SMU in back-to-back games, FSU gets a welcome reprieve as the Seminoles host the Bears, who are expected to arrive at Doak Campbell Stadium as double-digit underdogs.
This matchup will mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Central Arkansas will net a $450,000 guaranteed payday for the trip, but the key storyline will center on FSU head coach Mike Norvell facing his alma mater. Norvell starred as a wide receiver for the Bears from 2001 to 2005, finishing his career as the school’s all-time receptions leader with 213 catches. He started his coaching career there as a graduate assistant in 2006 and has since been inducted into the UCA Sports Hall of Fame.
Norvell, a former walk-on receiver who was inducted into the UCA Sports Hall of Fame in August 2016, is the school record holder for career receptions (213) and is fifth in career receiving yards (2,611). He played on teams that won 33 games in his four seasons, including UCA’s best team in the NCAA Division II era. The 2005 Bears finished 11-3 and lost in the Division II quarterfinals…