Florida State vs. Louisiana: Wednesday Practice Observations

The Seminoles returned to the practice field on Wednesday morning to continue preparing for their second to last regular-season game. The defense stole the show throughout the session as the unit forced multiple turnovers and showed why it has played so dominantly as of late.

NoleGameday was in attendance for the session and we've listed some observations from different position groups and players below.

— The Los Angeles Chargers and Arizona Cardinals had representatives attend the practice.

— The team elected to practice outside on Wednesday which exposed the Seminoles to the cold and windy weather making it through Tallahassee. Kicker Ryan Fitzgerald was no good on his attempts from 32 and 41 yards out. Backup Aidan Shahriari connected on his lone kick from 32 yards.

OFFENSE:

— Tate Rodemaker and AJ Duffy took the majority of reps at quarterback during practice and it led to some struggles for the offense. The unit was unable to complete a pass during tempo/two-minute drills and in third-down work. There were multiple poor throws into traffic or passes that were off-target that resulted in incompletions or interceptions. I counted seven straight plays at one point where the offense was unable to earn a third-down conversion. Things finally got going a little bit during 1-on-1s and the latter half of practice.

— Wide receiver Johnny Wilson made a grab over the middle. Wilson made two fantastic catches during goal-line 1-on-1s, including one where he adjusted and went over a defender for an acrobatic touchdown.

— Wide receiver Kentron Poitier had one of the catches of the day on a high-pointed pass in the end zone. Tremendous grab.

— Tight end Brian Courtney with a strong catch on the sideline in 1-on-1s. He's continuing to make progress but did have a few contested drops in the drill.

— Wide receiver Ja'Khi Douglas beat Jammie Robinson on a route down the sideline and let him know about it after the play.

— Wide receiver Malik McClain came back to a pass on the sideline and lost Renardo Green in the process. Rodemaker found McClain again during 7-on-7 with a perfectly placed ball that hit the sophomore in the breadbasket on the sideline. It was his best throw of the day.

— Wide receiver Ontaria Wilson was blanketed in coverage by Sam McCall but a tough catch helped him beat the true freshman.

— Running back Lawrance Toafili caught a pass out of the backfield that resulted in a score.

DEFENSE:

— The defense has some serious momentum and energy after two strong performances against Miami and Syracuse. It was evident on the practice field as the unit played with a lot of swagger and confidence. There were at least eight interceptions recorded on the day.

— On the first play of tempo/two-minute drills, pressure got to Rodemaker and he threw over the middle. Akeem Dent stepped up to pick the pass off and end the offensive possession before it really got started.

— The defense forced four straight incompletions on AJ Duffy's drive, including a pass breakup by Omarion Cooper on the sideline.

— The success continued into third-down work as the defense stifled the offense with a variety of blitzes and pressure. Cornerback Jarrian Jones was in position on the sideline for an interception after staying between the wide receiver and ball. Jones earned another pick during 1-on-1s after sinking on a route and making a play on the pass in the end zone.

— Patrick Payton fought off the edge for a sack on Duffy during third-down drills. He was held by the left tackle on the play but would've brought Duffy down in a game situation. Payton was able to tag Rodemaker for a sack or no gain on a play where the quarterback attempted to step up in the pocket and scramble.

— Defensive end Byron Turner Jr. stayed alert on a trick play by the offense and stopped a skill player for a loss. The defense swarmed him and was fired up.

— Defensive back Greedy Vance became opportunistic in the second half of practice. He came away with a turnover in 7-on-7 after picking off a pass that bounced off a wide receiver's hands. Vance pulled down two more interceptions during scout team work toward the end of the session.

— Pressure got to the quarterback again and the player took a deep shot. The ball sailed over the intended wide receiver and went right to true freshman Azareye'h Thomas for a pick.

— Safety Jammie Robinson was beaten on a rep by Ja'Khi Douglas early in 1-on-1s. He responded with a deflection his next rep against Douglas. Robinson pulled down a pick of his own during 7-on-7.

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