Wednesday Practice Observations For Florida State Prior To Miami

The Seminoles are getting closer to their rivalry game against the Hurricanes.

Dillon Riera/NoleGameday

Florida State held practice on Wednesday morning with just a few days remaining until the Seminoles clash with the Miami Hurricanes in their annual rivalry matchup. The energy was definitely better than earlier this week but the execution on offense was still pretty inconsistent overall.

Following practice, Mike Norvell said he likes how the team has attacked the week. He noted that this is a crucial period for the Seminoles to remain in control of their intensity, mindset, and emotions, considering the focus a rivalry game of this magnitude requires.

READ MORE: Florida State Releases Depth Chart For Rivalry Game Against Miami Hurricanes

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

— Not a clean kicking day for the Seminoles. Ryan Fitzgerald and Jake Weinberg both missed from 50 yards out. The pair of kickers did connect from 28 yards.

OFFENSE:

— I felt like it was a solid practice for the quarterbacks. There were still some missed reads and inaccurate passes but they did a good job of protecting the ball and putting the offense into position to make plays. Luke Kromenhoek had some promising moments, leading a touchdown drive in a two-minute situation. Facing a third down, he delivered a rocket down the sideline to Elijah Moore. He capped off the possession with a pass to Moore on the opposite sideline that the true freshman turned into a score despite two defenders around him.

Later in practice, Kromenhoek found BJ Gibson working over the middle for a touchdown in the red zone. He capped off the day with an extremely difficult throw to the sideline for a connection to Gibson. It was a similar concept to the pick-six that Brock Glenn threw against Duke.

— Speaking of Glenn, he let the ball fly around as well. Glenn hit Amaree Williams down the sideline in third-down work and followed that up with a touchdown to Darion Williamson in the red zone. Glenn got into a nice rhythm in 7-on-7, connecting with Kyle Morlock on a deep shot in stride before creating another big play by finding a wide-open Darion Williamson near the sideline. He finished the drill with a pass to Lawayne McCoy that the true freshman reeled in with a leaping effort.

— Hykeem Williams had the catch of the day while matched up with Azareye'h Thomas in 1-on-1's. Williams used his frame to box out Thomas before leaping into the air and snagging a ball near the corner of the end zone for a touchdown. It was a highlight-reel worthy grab.

— Amaree Williams shined as a receiving threat. Landen Thomas caught a contested pass down the sideline late in the day.

— Micahi Danzy came down with a tough catch in the red zone while running a route of the backfield. The ball was thrown high and slightly behind Danzy as he worked down the sideline but he made a nifty adjustment to turn ball and catch it as he went to the ground.

— Ja'Khi Douglas ran a nice route to lose a veteran defensive back in 1-on-1's. Malik Benson came running over after the play to celebrate.

— Malik Benson, Jalen Brown, and Jackson West all caught touchdowns in 1-on-1's. Benson's was noteworthy as the pass was slightly behind but he reached out to snag it while taking a hit from a defender. He dunked on the goal post after the play.

DEFENSE:

— Good practice for redshirt freshman cornerback Ja'Bril Rawls. He stuck with Elijah Moore after a catch in team drills and punched the ball out to force a fumble that was recovered by the defense. Rawls played excellent coverage later in the day, shadowing a wide receiver on a deep ball and delivering contact at the right time to force an incompletion.

— Cool moment in the middle of practice as true freshman cornerback Charles Lester III put in some really good work on the scout team defense. After fighting off a blocker to blow up a run, Mike Norvell made it a point to bark at the offensive player before running over to Lester III to dap him up. Shortly after, quarterback DJ Uiagalelei came over to show his appreciation for Lester III's effort as well.

This happened shortly after a stellar rep in 1-on-1's where Lester III met Kentron Poitier at the apex of his vertical to break up a pass in the end zone.

— Patrick Payton and Edwin Joseph converged on the quarterback for a quick sack in team drills.

— Azareye'h Thomas picked off a pass in the end zone after the receiver he was guarding slipped on the route.

— Quindarrius Jones got his hand in front of Lawayne McCoy for a deflection in the end zone.

— Byron Turner Jr. exploded off the edge and blew up a running play on fourth down to win a drill for the defense.

— KJ Sampson batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage to set up Turner Jr.'s stop.

— Omar Graham Jr. provided quick pressure on the quarterback in what would probably be a sack in an actual game.

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READ MORE: Florida State Running Back Exits Game Against Duke After Injury

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