Wednesday Practice Observations For Florida State Prior To Clemson

A bounce-back day for the Seminoles in regard to energy and execution.

Florida State returned to the practice fields on Wednesday morning with only a few days remaining until the team takes on Clemson in Tallahassee. It didn't take long for me to get a good feeling that the Seminoles would bounce back after a less-than-stellar practice on Tuesday. The first sign was the number of players that joined head coach Mike Norvell in the daily 100-yard race.

Practically the entire defensive line answered the call after walk-on defensive end Dante Anderson was the only player up for the challenge yesterday. Linebacker Justin Cryer also sprinted down the field with the unit, putting his arm around Norvell as the conglomerate of bodies crossed the goal line. It was a small moment in the middle of a struggling season but as we know; how you do anything is how you do everything.

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The trickle-down effect was evident as the defense brought plenty of intensity while the offense executed at a higher level compared to Tuesday. Following practice, Norvell noted that he liked how the Seminoles approached the day.

NoleGameday was in attendance for the entire session and we jotted down some observations from multiple position groups. The Seminoles won't hold another open practice before taking on Clemson on Saturday night.

— The Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cincinnati Bengals, and New England Patriots had representatives observing the practice.

— Ryan Fitzgerald connected from 25 and 44 yards out. Jake Weinberg made his attempt from 25 yards.

OFFENSE:

— The quarterbacks were a lot more consistent with ball placement and accuracy on Wednesday. Brock Glenn got off to a good start in two-minute situational work with completions to Lawrance Toafili and Hykeem Williams. Facing a fourth down later in the drive, Glenn released a nice throw to the sideline and true freshman Lawayne McCoy came down with an outstanding catch.

Glenn's decisiveness was on display later in practice as he fired a quick pass to Ja'Khi Douglas on the sideline with a blitz coming his way. He also found Kentron Poitier for a touchdown in 1-on-1's with a lofted pass to the end zone that the wide receiver made a play on. For the most part, Glenn put the offense in good positions to find success and he wasn't afraid to respond after a mistake. Following an interception in 7-on-7, Glenn threw right back into the middle of the field to Lawayne McCoy and fired a pass down the seam to Amaree Williams for a big gain.

— The increased reps in practice can only be a positive for Luke Kromenhoek's future. His ceiling is evident and there is usually a play each day where Kromenhoek 'wows' you. On Wednesday, it was a high-level throw to the side of the end zone to Darion Williamson for a touchdown. The score drew a loud reaction from the offense. Kromenhoek also found BJ Gibson in the corner for a touchdown. Later on, he ran one in himself.

— Trever Jackson has been elevated following DJ Uiagalelei's injury and will likely be the third quarterback on the depth chart this weekend. He's still working with the scout team to mirror the upcoming opponent for Florida State's defense. I thought he did a pretty good job considering Jackson is matched up against the top defenders on the team with a lot of youth around him. He scored a touchdown on the ground in team drills.

— It was another solid day for BJ Gibson with a touchdown in 1-on-1's followed by multiple plays throughout the day. Gibson put in some really good work on the scout team. After a long catch, Shyheim Brown even tapped the rookie on the helmet to give him some props.

— Lawayne McCoy was another true freshman wide receiver who stood out on Wednesday. He had a crazy one-handed grab in team drills where McCoy reached back to snag the pass while his momentum was taking him the other way. It was a hell of a play. McCoy was active from the beginning to the end of practice.

— Darion Williamson flashed with a deep ball in 1-on-1's and a touchdown later in practice. He did drop a pass in 7-on-7 but promptly responded by reeling one in on the sideline.

— Hykeem Williams fought off Azareye'h Thomas's press at the line of scrimmage and got open over the middle. The pass was slightly high and Williams extended both hands to grab it while continuing to work upfield.

— Amaree Williams came down with a tough short catch, diving and extending with a defensive back all over him. That prompted assistant strength coach Lanier Coleman to bark at Williams, "That's a big boy catch" while helping him back to his feet. Williams made another big play later in practice.

— Brian Courtney was another tight end who had a nice day. Courtney completed a difficult catch in 1-on-1's while working over the middle, earning a high-five from Norvell. What stood out the most was his effort as a blocker, an area he has struggled so far this season. Courtney pancaked a defender to open up room for Darion Williamson on a short throw.

DEFENSE:

— It felt like Fentrell Cypress II was everywhere on Wednesday. He broke up a deep ball to Malik Benson in 1-on-1's and nearly intercepted a pass later in the drill. Cypress II followed that up with excellent recognition pre-snap, diagnosing the play before it even began and arriving at the same time as the ball to deliver a big shot on a wide receiver.

— This was one of Marvin Jones Jr.'s better practices as of late, especially early on. He won the two-minute drill for the defense with an explosive move off the edge, easily beating the offensive tackle and knocking the ball out from Brock Glenn's hands for a strip-sack. Not much later, Jones Jr. pulled out a filthy spin move to instantly get by Jeremiah Byers for another sack.

— Charles Lester III was a true freshman that popped up on Wednesday. His instincts were on full display as Lester III picked off a pass in the end zone and had multiple pass breakups. He delivered a big hit on a skill player later in practice too.

— Ricky Knight III also came down with an interception after jumping a route near the sideline.

— KJ Sampson powered right through Bryson Estes for a sack in team drills.

— Edwin Joseph broke up a pass in the end zone early in the day to prevent a touchdown.

— Kevin Knowles and Ja'Bril Rawls both forced incompletions in the end zone in 1-on-1's. Knowles went vertical with Ja'Khi Douglas and knocked it out of his hands.

— Quindarrius Jones deflected a pass while covering Deuce Spann down the sideline. His energy in practice has been contagious lately.

— Shawn Murphy delivered a big hit on Elijah Moore late in practice.

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