Florida State at Wake Forest: Wednesday Practice Observations For The Seminoles

The Seminoles were back at practice on Wednesday morning as the trip to Winston-Salem draws closer. It was a day full of energy and intensity as Florida State continues to push on both sides of the ball.

The defense was strong throughout the practice with the offense popping in to make big plays at times. It felt like Jared Verse had a good session because you could constantly hear him yelling and jawing at players on offense.

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

— The Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Las Vegas Raiders had personnel in attendance at the practice.

— Ryan Fitzgerald finished perfect on his live reps, connecting from 30 and 45 yards out. Tyler Keltner matched him from 30 yards but came up wide on his longer attempt.

OFFENSE:

— The offense was unable to come away with points during two-minute drills to begin practice after consistent pressure from the defensive line. Linebacker Omar Graham Jr. brought down Lawrance Toafili inbounds to keep the clock running a few plays into the drive. Quarterback Jordan Travis responded with back-to-back completions to Kyle Morlock and Darion Williamson to move past midfield with just a couple of seconds on the clock. Outside of field goal range, the offense chose to attempt a deep shot to the end zone that was intercepted by Kevin Knowles.

— Travis and true freshman quarterback Brock Glenn completed passes for first downs during third-down work. Glenn continues to trend in the right direction but it's unknown when he'll be cleared for game action.

— Keon Coleman is carrying his jaw-dropping catches from games into practice. He reeled in a pass at a tough angle with a defensive back draped over him during 7-on-7. Coleman also made it look easy against a veteran defensive back in 1-on-1's with a touchdown catch.

— Deuce Spann has showed up with a strong week of practice after scoring his first career touchdown against Duke. He went up for a high-point catch in the corner of the end zone for a score in 1-on-1's. There's clearly an increase of confidence and that could pay major dividends moving forward.

— Back-to-back positive practices for tight end Jackson West during what has probably been his most healthy season since arriving in Tallahassee. He made a difficult catch that was over his head after an explosive route that allowed him to get behind safety Shyheim Brown.

— Wide receiver Joshua Burrell caught a pass over the middle despite physical coverage from Azareye'h Thomas in 1-on-1's.

— It was a day of response for wide receiver Ja'Khi Douglas. After a few passes slipped through his hands on plays that should've been finished, Douglas didn't blink when his number was called again. He pulled down a difficult catch and stayed in while leaping with Fentrell Cypress II for a pass near the sideline.

— Vandrevius Jacobs got behind a defender for a deep ball in 1-on-1's before catching a touchdown later in the period.

— There was a good battle between Jeremiah Byers and Patrick Payton in 1-on-1's. Payton got the best of Byers on the first rep with a strong bullrush but the offensive lineman responded to sit him down on the next rep.

DEFENSE:

— Jared Verse was all over the field, especially during the second half of the practice. He was part of a consistent effort from the defense to shut down the offense in red zone drills. Verse brought down Caziah Holmes right at the line of scrimmage before sacking Brock Glenn after good coverage on the following play. He started talking towards the end of the period and that carried into 1-on-1's after he easily beat Bless Harris. If that's the Verse that shows up on Saturday afternoon, watch out, Wake Forest.

— Outside of his interception during two-minute drills, it looked like Knowles got his hands on another one in 1-on-1's.

— After getting beat by Jackson West on a rep, Shyheim Brown fought back to win his next two matchups in 1-on-1's, finishing one with a pass deflection.

— Linebacker Blake Nichelson was flying around and doing some things. His effort paid off late in practice after he continued to pursue tight end Kyle Morlock after a catch and punched out the ball to force a fumble.

— Azareye'h Thomas sacked Jordan Travis at one point during the session. A defensive back blitz later in the day forced Brock Glenn to step up into a sack that was finished by the defensive line.

— Cornerback Jarrian Jones made a nice play in third-down drills, laying a solid hit on Jaheim Bell to stop the tight end short of the conversion.

— Tatum Bethune didn't get fooled on some trickery at the line of scrimmage from the offense, sticking in position to deflect a pass and deny a two-point conversion attempt.

— DJ Lundy deflected a pass in the end zone to prevent a completion to Markeston Douglas.

— Ayobami Tifase drove back Julian Armella in an impressive rep in 1-on-1's against the offensive line.

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