Florida State vs. Miami: Wednesday Practice Observations For The Seminoles

Florida State continued its preparation for the upcoming rivalry game against Miami with a practice on Wednesday morning. For the second consecutive day, the Seminoles came out with an edge as they draw closer to a game that means everything to both programs.

Following the session, head coach Mike Norvell was once again happy with the energy and focus that FSU brought to the field. He wants the Seminoles to continue bringing this effort leading up to kickoff.

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

— Ryan Fitzgerald connected from 46 yards out to conclude a successful drive in a two-minute scenario. Fitzgerald was iced on the play and the noise was cranked up right before his kick. He was perfect in the practices we viewed this week.

OFFENSE:

— Saturday will be the final time that Jordan Travis gets to face Miami during his college career. It's obvious that he's not taking the moment for granted as Travis has been impressive throughout the week. He led the offense to a successful possession in two-minute work. Travis connected with Lawrance Toafili three times and also hit Kyle Morlock on a route toward the sideline which resulted in a 20+ yard gain.

Later in the day, he found Morlock again with a bullet that drew a reaction from the offense before hitting Vandrevius Jacobs with an accurate throw in the end zone where only his receiver could get it. Travis also tossed a dime to Jaheim Bell that hit the tight end in stride down the opposite sideline. He was feeling confident and making sharp decisions, leading to praise from Mike Norvell after multiple plays.

— It remains to be seen whether wide receiver Keon Coleman will play this weekend. Norvell said that "things are trending in the right way" but that the Seminoles will make a decision closer to kickoff. Coleman did have a catch in red zone work while working back to the ball on a throw from Travis.

— For the second straight day, it felt like all of the tight ends were making plays. Morlock, Markeston Douglas, and Jaheim Bell did their parts to stand out with a variety of promising moments. Douglas, in particular, had two extremely tough catches where he took some punishment right after catching the ball.

— Things were about even between the offense and defense during third-down work. Quarterback Tate Rodemaker was able to find Caziah Holmes out of the backfield for a conversion. CJ Campbell had success on a similar route to get into the end zone a few plays later.

— Jeremiah Byers did a great job of sticking with Patrick Payton, despite the defensive end using an athletic move to try and get to the quarterback. Byers was able to mirror Payton for a dominant rep. Byron Turner Jr. got the best of him on the next go-around. Plenty of fun competition between the two units throughout the day.

— Deuce Spann got to show off some of his speed after beating a defender over the middle on a pass from Rodemaker.

DEFENSE:

— Florida State holds talent from the top to bottom of the roster. There are plenty of true freshmen within the program who project to be future impact players. Linebacker Blake Nichelson has displayed an abundance of signs throughout his first year with the program. That continued on Wednesday with his work in pass coverage down in the red zone.

Nichelson made his presence felt in a big way on back-to-back plays. First, he recognized a pass out of the backfield to a running back and made an effort to knock it down. On the ensuing play, Nichelson was matched up with a wide receiver in the end zone when the ball came his way. He went vertical in front of the opposing player for an athletic interception that resulted in Norvell and defensive coordinator Adam Fuller sprinting over to celebrate.

— It didn't take long to get Norvell and Fuller moving once again. Right after Nichelson's sequence, true freshman safety Conrad Hussey pulled down an interception of his own. A good indication for Florid State's future on defense.

— Safety Ashlynd Barker nearly got in on the action as well but couldn't quite pull in the pass. Barker deflected another pass during 7-on-7.

— Cornerback Fentrell Cypress II had multiple pass deflections throughout the practice, including one in the end zone to prevent a touchdown.

— Safety Kevin Knowles got his hand on a pass while defending Destyn Hill in third-down work.

— Cornerback Renardo Green played physical coverage to force an incompletion while defending Ja'Khi Douglas.

— Cornerback Quindarrius Jones was matched up against Johnny Wilson in goal-line 1-on-1's. Despite the size disadvantage, Jones stuck with Wilson in tight coverage, preventing him from reeling in a pass with one hand.

Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the 2023 season.

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