Florida State Fall Camp Observations: Practice 19
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The Seminoles were back on the practice field on Friday morning for the first of their final two practices of the preseason. As head coach Mike Norvell stated yesterday, today represented a game week Wednesday for Florida State. The team came out in full pads and competed for over two hours on a humid morning in Tallahassee.
NoleGameday was in attendance for the session and we've listed some observations from different position groups and players below.
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— The Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns had representatives attend practice.
— The point of Friday's practice was to simulate a game week Wednesday for the team. The final practice of the preseason on Saturday is closed to the media but Norvell said the team will go through a lot of situational work. They will also go through pregame to make sure everyone understands where they need to be before and during games.
Offense:
— It was an inconsistent day for quarterback Jordan Travis and the position group as a whole.
— Tight end Markeston Douglas had an impressive day overall. Douglas hauled in a wild catch that was tipped by himself over a defender then snagged it to take it for a gain. Later in practice, he came away with a touchdown grab in the red zone. A nice day overall from then redshirt sophomore.
— Tight end Preston Daniel had a few flashes of his own on Friday. Quarterback Jordan Travis hooked up with Daniel on back to back passes early in practice. Later in the session, he made another nice catch along the sideline.
— Running back Lawrance Toafili is in a groove this camp. He’s been making plays left and right and today in the red zone he hit the hole at the perfect time and no one could stop him as he took it in for six. Norvell earlier this week called him the most improved in camp.
— The offensive line was plagued by a couple of bad snaps and false starts. During the first break of the day, Jordan Travis and the centers put in some extra work. From that point on, the unit tightened up for most of the remainder of practice. Graduate transfer D'Mitri Emmanuel was one of the standouts.
— Wide receiver Johnny Wilson put together another nice practice. During one on ones, he found clear separation from a defensive back and Tate Rodemaker went deep. The ball was slightly behind Wilson but he had no problem reeling it in.
— D'Mitri Emmanuel, Kanaya Charlton, and Jazston Turnetine all had promising moments during one on ones.
Defense:
— Linebacker Amari Gainer had a very nice PBU in the end zone to disrupt a touchdown from happening. He played the ball perfectly while having tight coverage on it. Later in the session, Gainer made multiple tackles for loss. This has been Gainer’s best week of camp and he’s coming along at the right time.
— Linebacker Brendan Gant looked capable in coverage. Rodemaker threw a pass out of the backfield to running back Lawrance Toafili. Gant was in a position to light him up in a live scenario. Later in practice, Rodemaker threw into an extremely tight window and Gant almost picked it off.
— Defensive back Jammie Robinson got some praise from head coach Mike Norvell for his performance during one on ones.
— Defensive back Omarion Cooper made an athletic play to go up vertically and deflect a pass that was intended for Ontaria Wilson on the sideline. Cooper's deflection stopped what would've been a touchdown and position coach Marcus Woodson loved it.
— Defensive back Jarrian Jones had a nice day in the defensive backfield. Jones deflected a pass that was intended for Mycah Pittman on the outside. A play later, he and Fabien Lovett put pressure on the quarterback. In one on ones, quarterback Tate Rodemaker threw a pass deep to Kentron Poitier. The ball hit Poitier in the hands but Jones was able to swipe it out at the last second.
— Defensive back Greedy Vance was able to come down with an impressive interception off of a deflected pass.
— Defensive back Renardo Green ripped out a ball that hit a receiver directly in the hands. Green has had an impressive week of practice.
— Defensive back Akeem Dent made a few plays around the line of scrimmage on Friday morning but he also prevented a touchdown in coverage. Quarterback Jordan Travis threw into the end zone for Johnny Wilson. It looked like a touchdown waiting to happen but Dent got a finger on the pass at the last second to force an incompletion.
— True freshman defensive back Azareye'h Thomas earned another takeaway with some assistance from another defender. Quarterback Tate Rodemaker's pass was deflected in the end zone by Greedy Vance. The ball went up into the air and Thomas adjusted his body to pick off the pass towards the back line.
— Defensive end Patrick Payton exploded off the edge for a sack in the latter portion of practice.
— Defensive end Jared Verse and linebacker Amari Gainer combined for a tackle for loss. On the ensuing snap, Gainer got in for another stop.
— Linebacker DJ Lundy took a few smart angles to bring down a ball carrier.
— Joshua Farmer, Daniel Lyons, Bishop Thomas, George Wilson, Jarrett Jackson, and Fabien Lovett all had wins during one on ones.
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Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout fall camp.
