Florida State At Boston College: Wednesday Practice Observations
Mike Norvell has been less than pleased with Florida State's Wednesday practices over the last couple of weeks. That changed this morning as the Seminoles continue to gear up for a trip to Chestnut Hill this weekend that could also bring them into the path of the incoming Hurricane Lee.
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Despite having plenty of distractions on their plate, the team came out and executed at a high level with tons of back-and-forth action. That's an encouraging sign of progress after some mental lapses over the last two weeks.
NoleGameday was in attendance for the entire session on Wednesday and jotted down some observations from the day.
— The Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, and Washington Commanders had representatives viewing the session from the sidelines.
— The Seminoles are doing what they can to prepare for potential inclement weather on Saturday. The team did some wet ball work over the last two days.
— Ryan Fitzgerald went wide right from 45 yards on his first attempt of the day. However, he responded later in practice by connecting from 30 yards and 45 yards out. Tyler Keltner matched him from 30 yards but was no good from 45 yards.
OFFENSE:
— The offense looked sharp early in practice during two-minute drills. Backed up past midfield with less than a minute on the clock, quarterback Jordan Travis did his best to work the unit into field goal range. He connected with Lawrance Toafili on the sideline to get the drill going before hitting Keon Coleman with a short throw to the opposite side. Coleman cut up the sideline for about 20 yards to move into enemy territory. Travis found Hykeem Williams working over the middle of the field inside the 30 with only a few seconds remaining on the clock, leading to Fitzgerald's lone miss on the day.
— The offensive coaching staff was happy with how the unit executed throughout third-down drills.
— It was a strong day for wide receiver Deuce Spann, who has made some plays this week. He was able to convert during third-down drills after a play that got him into space where he could utilize his speed. Spann exploded on a deep route later in practice, getting the best of Fentrell Cypress in 7-on-7. Confidence seems to be growing after his first two games of the season.
— Once again, Jordan Travis put a couple of balls on the absolute money during practice. He found a wide-open Jaheim Bell deep during third-down drills for a conversion (and much more). Travis delivered a laser to Vandrevius Jacobs for an over-the-shoulder catch in 1-on-1's, continuing his hot streak into work against the scout team.
— Following a standout day on Tuesday, Johnny Wilson carried his effort into practice this morning. He made a difficult snag in 1-on-1's where he spun his whole body back to the football to reel it in with Fentrell Cypress closing in. Travis hit Wilson as he worked outside on the sideline in 7-on-7, finding a few more yards upfield. His best effort on the day came late in the session on a throw into the end zone. Shyheim Brown deflected the pass but Wilson tracked it and made the catch in the corner. We need a replay review of this one to see if his feet touched in.
— Tight end Preston Daniel hauled in back-to-back passes from Tate Rodemaker during team drills. He also had a grab over the middle in 1-on-1's.
— Another active day for true freshman wide receiver Hykeem Williams. The former five-star prospect is continuing to find his footing, making an impact with his ability after the catch in 7-on-7.
— Rodney Hill pulled down a touchdown pass out of the backfield from Tate Rodemaker.
— Darion Williams hauled in a pass while working over the middle in 7-on-7. He got some praise from Norvell following the day.
— For the second consecutive practice, tight end Jackson West came away with a diving catch. He was forced to readjust to a pass that was thrown down the seam erratically, leaping for the grab.
DEFENSE:
— The defensive backs were on one during Wednesday's practice. There were some miscommunications at times but it felt like a sharp day from multiple players in the unit. Cornerback Renardo Green, cornerback Azareye'h Thomas, and safety Kevin Knowles were all able to record interceptions during the session. Greedy Vance nearly joined the party but couldn't quite corral an errant pass during goal-line work. Vance did have nice coverage to prevent a completion to Keon Coleman in 1-on-1's.
— The defense closed the door on the offense during a two-point conversion attempt after Patrick Payton beat Jeremiah Byers off the edge. The pressure forced a low throw from Jordan Travis.
— Linebacker Omar Graham Jr. had nice coverage on Lawrance Toafili out of the backfield directly after a play where Jordan Travis found the running back on the sideline. He was able to prevent the completion in tight space.
— Byron Turner didn't get fooled by Jordan Travis on a keeper, staying in position and taking him down.
— Linebacker Blake Nichelson came up with back-to-back tackles during third-down drills. He stuffed Markeston Douglas short of the end zone late in the session. The true freshman continues to come along with more active stints in practice.
— Dennis Briggs easily worked through a younger offensive lineman for a sack on AJ Duffy.
— Linebacker DJ Lundy blew up a run up the middle during goal line drills.
— Walk-on linebacker AJ Cottrill had a pass deflection on the day.
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Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the 2023 season.
