Florida State at North Carolina State: Wednesday Practice Observations

The defense started strong before a response from the offense and Kentron Poitier.

Florida State continued preparations on Wednesday morning for its upcoming trip to No. 14 North Carolina State. The Seminoles put together a 2+ hour session while focusing on situational and red zone work. Head coach Mike Norvell thought it was a solid practice with the matchup against the Wolfpack right around the corner.

READ MORE: Mike Norvell, John Papuchis remain confident in kicking game despite Ryan Fitzgerald's struggles

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

— The Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, and San Francisco 49ers were among the NFL teams with representatives at Florida State's practice.

— Crowd noise returned for the second straight day as the Seminoles try to somewhat emulate the environment they'll experience in Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday night.

— Your daily kicking update; Ryan Fitzgerald was good from 31 and 37 yards out. Back-up kicker Aidan Shahriari matched Fitzgerald on a 31-yard attempt but his 37-yard kick traveled wide right.

— A lot of energy and enthusiasm from Mike Norvell and John Papuchis during punt and kick-off returns. Norvell dapped up Sam McCall after he answered a question correctly. Papuchis liked what he saw from a wall of blockers on the kick-off return unit, "that's it. That's it. Nice job!"

OFFENSE:

— It was a sluggish start for the offense in two-minute drills and third-down scenarios. Quarterback Jordan Travis was able to hit running back Treshaun Ward and wide receiver Malik McClain for conversions. Travis found Ward again during 7-on-7.

— At the goal line, Travis and Cam McDonald hooked up for a touchdown. The running back ran a route that made the linebacker think for just a second and it freed up McDonald in the left corner of the end zone.

— Wide receiver Kentron Poitier was all over the field today. He started off 1-on-1s by adjusting to a football thrown down the sideline and going up vertically to bring it in over Jammie Robinson. On his next rep, the redshirt sophomore got a step on Sidney Williams downfield and corralled a pass for a huge gain. Poitier's final rep of one on ones was another vertical catch in the end zone for a score. His impact carried over into 7-on-7 as he beat Omarion Cooper off the line of scrimmage and found himself wide open for what would've been a touchdown in an actual game. 

— Wide receiver Malik McClain ran a nifty route in red zone work to lose a defensive back and get wide open down the sideline for a touchdown as Travis found him in stride. Travis threw out to Trey Benson on the next play for a long gain up the sideline.

— Running back Lawrance Toafili had a touchdown run during red zone work.

— Quarterback AJ Duffy was the signal-caller to hit Poitier deep in 7-on-7. Other than that, he had some struggles on the day.

— Wide receiver Johnny Wilson high-pointed a pass in the end zone during goal line 1-on-1s.

— Maurice Smith kept his feet moving to mirror Joshua Farmer and win a rep during offensive line and defensive line 1-on-1s.

— Bryson Estes lost his first rep but he sat down on a bull-rush on his next opportunity to win against Ayobami Tifase.

DEFENSE:

— Defensive end Dennis Briggs got to Jordan Travis on third down during two-minute drills for what should've been a sack but the coaching staff gave the offense a completion. That brought up 4th down with 24 seconds left and no timeouts remaining. The offense had to convert to keep the drill alive. Travis threw over the middle to a running back for a first down but linebacker Kalen DeLoach punched it out at the last second to secure the defense a win.

— The defense continued its strong start into third down work. Safety Akeem Dent stopped running Lawrance Toafili short of the line to gain on the first rep. Cornerback Jarrian Jones made a stop of his own later in the drill. Linebacker Brendan Gant came unblocked on a blitz and it forced AJ Duffy to throw before he was ready where a lurking Greedy Vance was ready to break up the pass. Patrick Payton ended things off with an emphatic pass deflection at the line of scrimmage and he was rewarded with a dap from Norvell.

— It looked like Deuce Spann was going to reel in a catch on the sideline during 1-on-1s. Instead, Vance punched it out at the last second.

— Jones had a strong practice for the second straight day. He positioned himself well to break in front of a receiver and intercept a pass in 1-on-1s. Jones was ruled out of bounds but it was still a heck of an effort.

— True freshman Daniel Lyons continues to make progress. He beat D'Mitri Emmanuel on both of his reps in 1-on-1s.

— Defensive end Leonard Warner made quick work of Darius Washington on his first rep. Washington went against Jared Verse next. He had good initial position but he lost his balance slightly while kicking back and Verse took advantage of the misstep to shed Washington.

READ MORE: Florida State releases Depth Chart for North Carolina State Wolfpack

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