After Florida State's second loss in its first three games by at least three scores, the Seminole players were frustrated.

There were players arguing on the sidelines during FSU's 30-7 loss to Syracuse on Saturday according to ESPN sideline reporter Molly McGrath, and the atmosphere after the game wasn't much better.

Players came out of the locker room at Syracuse with tears streaming down their faces, and the players that spoke with the media seemed in a partial state of shock about how things have gone through the first three weeks of the season.

When the players got back to Tallahassee, they called a players-only meeting to figure out the problems.

"It was very positive," quarterback Deondre Francois said.

"Got together and trying to iron out the problems that we have, just trying to see what we can do better."

There are a lot of problems to iron out for the Seminoles, especially on the offensive side of the ball and special teams.

It's not going to be a quick fix for FSU, but the team has to start building from somewhere.

"I think it was good," wide receiver Keith Gavin said.

"I think we got a lot out of it. Everybody got an understanding of how everybody felt. We put our feelings aside and really we're just wanting to get better. Starting over, starting fresh, continue to do what we do, execute more, get the victory."

In order for that to happen, the players have to continue to buy in to the vision that Taggart has for the program.

They have to believe that things are capable of moving in the right direction, and that seems to be happening.

"I think so now," Gavin said.

"Probably not before but I think we're getting together now."

When adversity struck FSU last season, the team splintered and fell apart.

That led to a 35-3 thrashing at the hands of Boston College and a 5-6 record before Jimbo Fisher resigned and the Seminoles had to reschedule the game against Louisiana-Monroe to get bowl eligible.

More:Florida State running back Khalan Laborn out for the season

More:'Everything is on the table' as Florida State tries to fix offensive line issues

More:Practice Observations: Florida State not dwelling on offensive line woes

One of the main things that Willie Taggart focused on when he arrived at FSU in December was rebuilding the culture of the football program so the team wouldn't shy away when adversity hit.

That's already being tested three games into his tenure.

"Everybody was embarrassed by the way we played and they were hurt," Taggart said.

"I mean, that was it. There was some hurt players in there, hurt coaches, hurt everybody. And disappointed and frustrated at ourselves."

The players wouldn't say who spoke or what was said during the meeting, but they did say they thought it was constructive and had a positive impact on the outlook of the team.

The Seminoles take on Northern Illinois (1-2) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday and they're looking to get things back on the right track and find some confidence.

"We just wanted to have a come-together moment and I think it did its job," center Alec Eberle said.

"I think everybody kind of came back down and getting their feet back in the dirt ready to go, ready to get it done. Get back to where we were during fall back. Kind of get that mentality back and get the vibe we had going. We kind of lost that vibe. We hope to get it back and carry it on into Saturday."