Florida State At Clemson: Tuesday Practice Observations

The Seminoles returned to the practice fields on Tuesday to begin preparations for a big road game against the Clemson Tigers. There was plenty of energy and emotion on display throughout the session, to the point where head coach Mike Norvell noted he wanted his team to be a little bit more under control.

Regardless, the way that Florida State attacked the day was the start of the type of response you want to see from the group after what happened over the weekend. The focus seems to be fully on putting the past behind them and executing their best game plan against the Tigers.

NoleGameday was in attendance for the entire session on Tuesday and jotted down some observations from the day.

— The Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colts, and Kansas City Chiefs all had personnel viewing the practice.

— Former Florida State tight end Camren McDonald watched the team from the sidelines.

— Ryan Fitzgerald connected on attempts from 35 yards, 39 yards, and 45 yards throughout the practice. Tyler Keltner matched him from 45 yards out.

— After a shaky showing on Saturday, wide receiver Keon Coleman caught all of his punt return reps in practice. There was one that nearly got away from him but Coleman was just able to secure it.

OFFENSE:

— The crowd noise was cranked up to full blast this morning as the Seminoles gear up for a loud environment in Death Valley. That led to multiple false starts on the first drive for the offense but they began to settle in from there. Jordan Travis found CJ Campbell for a short gain and Rodney Hill cut up the right side during the period, leading to a field goal from Fitzgerald.

— I thought running back Lawrance Toafili had a strong outing on Tuesday after his crucial fumble on Saturday. He was able to get open down the sideline for a catch in stride on a difficult grab where he snagged the ball with outstretched hands. Tate Rodemaker found him in 7-on-7 as he worked over the middle for another big play.

— Quarterback Jordan Travis had some positive moments on the day after getting banged up over the weekend. He tossed a couple of well-placed throws, including one to Kyle Morlock on the sideline where no defender could contest it and another in a tight spot to Keon Coleman that didn't end up being caught. Generally, Travis was pretty good throughout the practice and gave his receivers a chance to make a play.

— Coming off a big game against Boston College, Johnny Wilson carried the momentum into Tuesday's practice. He was able to come down with multiple grabs on the day and notably, didn't have any drops. Wilson had a catch in 1-on-1's where he utilized his frame to wall off a defender on the perimeter.

— I was interested to see how Keon Coleman would respond after failing to make a catch last week. He struggled early as Fentrell Cypress II and Kevin Knowles forced incompletions on two passes he was able to get his hands on. Coleman made up for it as the session went on by coming down with a deep shot.

— Markeston Douglas got a ton of love from Mike Norvell after a blocking rep in 4-on-3's against the defensive line and linebacker. Norvell wasn't as happy later in the session when Douglas tried to catch a pass with one hand.

— Caziah Holmes was able to get into space during team drills on a few runs. Credit Jeremiah Byers and a couple of other offensive linemen for opening up holes.

— Late in practice, the defense had a miscommunication and Hykeem Williams was able to punish them after getting wide-open for a catch down the sideline.

— Winston Wright Jr. had a difficult catch late in practice while working over the middle.

DEFENSE:

— Star defensive end Jared Verse spoke after practice about how the team is moving on to Clemson and focusing on the task at hand. That was evident on Tuesday as the entire unit brought a renewed effort after struggling at times against Boston College. Verse had some flashes of the dominance he brings to the table, easily beating a younger offensive lineman in 3-on-2's before sacking Tate Rodemaker so swiftly that the coaches just let the play continue on in team drills.

— Safety Shyheim Brown was really sharp on the day, making it tough for the offense whenever he was taking reps. Brown had multiple pass deflections on the day, including a play in 7-on-7 where he baited Jordan Travis into a throw to Markeston Douglas over the middle before breaking on the ball and nearly intercepting it.

— Fentrell Cypress II was all over Keon Coleman in the end zone and made the wide receiver uncomfortable enough to prevent a completion on fourth and goal.

— Kevin Knowles delivered enough contact on Coleman in 1-on-1's to force another drop.

— True freshman cornerback Ja'Bril Rawls picked off Tate Rodemaker on the sideline during tempo drills. He nearly added another turnover to his list in 1-on-1's after getting between Hykeem Williams and the football.

— After picking off a pass on Saturday, linebacker DJ Lundy worked in coverage with noticeable confidence to begin the week. He almost intercepted a pass during 1-on-1's.

— Cornerback Greedy Vance had a nice rep in 1-on-1's where he rerouted Winston Wright Jr. from the sideline to the middle of the field. That left Vance in position for an interception on a deep pass from the quarterback.

— Linebacker Tatum Bethune flashed at times on Tuesday. There was a rep in 7-on-7 where he read the play and was in a position to lay a bone-crushing hit on a running back in a live-game scenario.

— Blake Nichelson typically makes at least one play to pop up throughout each practice. On Tuesday, it was an impressive display of his coverage ability after getting matched up with Johnny Wilson during 7-on-7. Nichelson stuck with the massive receiver in space and did an impressive job defending him vertically to force an incomplete pass.

— Jarrian Jones almost picked off a pass during the session.

— Quindarrius Jones deflected a pass in 7-on-7.

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