(AP) Florida State athletic director Michael Alford said Monday he is “fully committed” to helping coach Mike Norvell and his team “strongly rebound in the coming weeks.”

But Alford also noted that “a comprehensive assessment of the football program” will be completed at the end of the season.

Alford’s statement came two days after a 20-13 loss at Stanford in which Norvell got into a heated exchange with defensive back Edwin Joseph on the sideline. The two had to be separated.

Florida State (3-4, 0-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) has dropped four consecutive games after starting the season 3-0. Shocking then-No. 8 Alabama in the opener looked like a turning point for Norvell after last year’s 2-10 debacle.

But it now appears to be among the biggest flukes in the college football season, with the Crimson Tide winning every game since and the Seminoles slumping to the bottom of the ACC for the second consecutive year.

“Florida State football benefits from unmatched passionate support from the entire FSU family, and the commitment to our football program is unwavering,” Alford said. “We rightfully have high expectations in everything we do to represent Florida State in the manner that built our reputation as one of college football’s best programs, cultivating an extraordinary group of supporters nationally and globally.

“We embrace those expectations while also sharing the deep disappointment when results on the field are short of that standard.”

The Seminoles are off this week before hosting Wake Forest on Nov. 1.

Norvell’s contract runs through 2031 and includes a buyout that equates to 85% of the deal’s remaining value. It would cost Florida State more than $54 million to fire Norvell right now.