Florida State Football Practice Observations: BYE week Thursday
Head coach Mike Norvell was not pleased with Florida State's effort on Wednesday morning. He challenged the Seminoles to respond on Thursday and they did just that during an intense, full-padded, BYE week practice. Leaders across the offense and defense set the tone throughout the practice.
READ MORE: Recruits react to Florida State's thrilling victory over LSU
NoleGameday was in attendance for the session and we've listed some observations from different position groups and players below.
— No NFL scouts made it out to practice today. That might be the first time all fall that's been the case.
— On a day where the Seminoles responded from a poor practice, one area of the team that wasn't in rhythm was the kicking unit. There were too many misses.
OFFENSE:
— Quarterback Jordan Travis was extremely sharp on Thursday from the beginning to the end of practice. He connected on five of his seven pass attempts during two-minute drills, including three passes to Mycah Pittman that all netted first down. Travis also hit wide receiver Joshua Burrell while rolling out of the pocket before finding wide receiver Darion Williamson inside the ten on the right side of the field for a touchdown.
— Travis found tight end, Cam McDonald, down the seam during team drills for a catch. Later in the drill, the two failed to connect on a couple of passes. Travis spent some time watching a replay of the throws before pulling McDonald over so they could get on the same page. It was a moment that put his leadership abilities and knowledge of the offense on display.
— Offensive line coach Alex Atkins pushed his unit extremely hard on Thursday after a disappointing performance from the offensive line a day earlier. It seemed like he wanted to test their mental toughness. To their credit, the unit responded. After being unhappy with a veteran offensive lineman at the beginning of a drill, the player settled and Atkins offered some praise before the period was over. With the loss of starting right tackle Bless Harris for the season, there's even less room for error among the remaining players. Atkins is trying to keep them focused after a solid night against LSU.
— Wide receiver Darion Williamson came down with three catches during one on ones. His athleticism and ability to create space were noticeable during the period. The coaching staff believes Williamson's best football is ahead of him and the next step is finding consistency day by day.
— Quarterback Tate Rodemaker hit Joshua Burrell with a dart on the sideline. A few plays later, Rodemaker delivered a perfectly placed ball that sailed over a defender to wide receiver Kentron Poiter. Only Poitier had an opportunity to make a play on the pass.
— Tight end Markeston Douglas caught a tough pass with linebacker DJ Lundy draped all over him. Douglas held onto the ball despite being brought to the ground.
— Running back Lawrance Toafili found some room to the left side late in practice.
— Shortly after, running back Trey Benson hit a hole up the middle for a big gain.
DEFENSE:
— Defensive back Jammie Robinson came out with a chip on his shoulder today. He set the tone for the defense against the scout team offense during early preparations for Louisville. Robinson read the signal caller's eyes and picked off a pass on the first play of the period.
— Shortly after, defensive back Renardo Green broke on a ball and joined Robinson with an interception of his own. Mike Norvell and Adam Fuller came sprinting over to celebrate with Green in the end zone.
— Defensive back Jarrian Jones broke up a pass on the right side of the end zone and defensive coordinator Adam Fuller went and jumped on him. Shortly after, quarterback AJ Duffy underthrew a deep ball to Kentron Poitier and Jones was in the position to pick it off.
— One of the most exciting plays of practice was when defensive tackle Malcolm Ray sniffed out a trick play and then picked off a pass behind the line of scrimmage.
— Linebacker DJ Lundy displayed some of his newfound athleticism after shedding weight over the offseason. Lundy was able to read the play and stick with a running back on the sideline before making a deflection.
— Linebacker Tatum Bethune exploded through a hole for a tackle for loss in the running game.
— Defensive end Patrick Payton forced a throwaway in two-minute drills.
— Defensive back Azareye'h Thomas deflected a pass on the sideline that was intended for Kentron Poitier.
— Defensive back Sidney Williams had a pass bounce off of his hands that should've been an interception.
— True freshman linebacker Omar Graham Jr. looked physical and fluid during positional drills. He got some love from a couple of members of the staff.
READ MORE: Former Penn State running back enrolls at Florida State
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