Florida State vs. LSU: Thursday Practice Observations For The Seminoles
Thursday marked Florida State's final open practice of the week as the Seminoles get closer and closer to Sunday night's kickoff against LSU. With the team back on the field after a hurricane came through Tallahassee yesterday, there were some sloppy moments on both sides of the ball, including mental mistakes on offense.
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Head coach Mike Norvell spoke after practice about the Seminoles not being "not being as consistent as we needed to be" during the first half of the session. There were too many drops, pre-snap mistakes, and miscues on defense with Norvell noting that the team picked it up as the day progressed.
NoleGameday was in attendance for the entire session on Thursday and jotted down some observations from one of the final practices before Florida State kicks off its season.
— Ryan Fitzgerald and Tyler Keltner both connected on attempts from 45 yards out. Fitgerald had an attempt from 31 yards that was blocked or kick too low, couldn't quite tell from my vantage point.
— Keon Coleman continues to look comfortable as a punt returner in practice. I'm interested to see how that carries over into his first game reps at the spot on Sunday night.
OFFENSE:
— Florida State's offense struggled early in practice and was marred by inconsistency throughout the session. The unit was only able to manage one first down during two-minute work as drops and good plays on the ball by defenders on the perimeter led to a quick stop.
— I didn't think any of the quarterbacks were particularly sharp today. Jordan Travis was probably the best out of the group. There were some poor decisions, overthrows, and inconsistency throughout the day. One of the first times this preseason that's been the case.
— It was a really good day for Keon Coleman as he was able to display some of the freakish athleticism that will make him one of the top wide receivers in the country on two tough catches. One was a rep in 1-on-1's where Coleman went vertical with Fentrell Cypress in good position on the sideline and somehow reeled in a high-pointed catch while barely dragging a foot to stay in. He had another difficult grab near the sideline with his momentum taking him forward in the end zone as defenders converged around him.
— Speaking of good days, true freshman Vandrevius Jacobs stood out throughout practice ahead of a week 1 matchup where he could make his debut against LSU. Jacobs had arguably the catch of practice after skying in traffic between two defenders for a grab on a pass that was thrown late. They don't call him All Day Dre for no reason. Jacobs caught a pass over the middle in goal line 1-on-1's while making a nifty catch as he worked back to the ball in 7-on-7.
— We saw Johnny Wilson make one of his patented tough catches on a pass thrown to the sideline in 1-on-1's. With that being said, he struggled to make routine plays at times on Thursday, showing there is still work to do with his consistency.
— Destyn Hill had a rep where he exploded off the line of scrimmage and beat Greedy Vance downfield for a catch. Hill looks like he's chomping at the bit to get going with the Seminoles on Sunday night.
— Jaheim Bell caught a pass for a score in goal line 1-on-1's, showing off his body control.
— Kyle Morlock had a couple of nice grabs throughout practice,
— The running game is going to play a big role on Sunday. CJ Campbell cut to the left for a touchdown in red zone work.
— I think Hykeem Williams is becoming noticeably more polished and consistent as a route-runner. There are still a lot of hurdles for Williams to continue leaping through but it's a good sign that he's making progress surrounding the fundamentals of the position.
DEFENSE:
— This was arguably cornerback Fentrell Cypress II's best practice since arriving at Florida State. He's really come along strong as of late and seems to have settled in prior to his debut with the Seminoles. Cypress forced multiple turnovers on Thursday, punching out a ball and recovering the fumble after sticking with Johnny Wilson on a catch over the middle. Cypress picked off consecutive passes during 7-on-7, reading and reacting with ease. He nearly had another interception after breaking on pass that was thrown outside. Good to see ahead of his debut.
— Safety Shyheim Brown has continued to become more consistent throughout the preseason. He had multiple deflections and picked off a pass during goal line 1-on-1's on a play where the receiver fell down. Brown stopped a running back short of the line. Maybe just as important, he was on the field when the defense blocked a kick during the special teams portion of practice.
— Quindarrius Jones broke up a pass thrown to Hykeem Williams on the sideline early in practice after blanketing him in coverage. Jones deflected a pass during red zone work as well. Don't be surprised to see him get some burn on Sunday night.
— Cornerback Renardo Green almost came down with an interception early in practice on a throw that sailed on the quarterback.
— It felt like true freshman safety KJ Kirkland was consistently around the football on Thursday. He held up Vandrevius Jacobs and Preston Daniel from earning first downs in separate portions of practice.
— Braden Fiske was putting a lot of pressure on the offensive line during practice. He had a play during third-down work where he batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage.
— Gilber Edmond came off the edge for a sack so swiftly that the coaches let the play continue. It ended up being an overthrow, a common theme of the day.
— Impressive coverage display from Tatum Bethune. The veteran linebacker blanketed Jaheim Bell on a route before getting in front of him for a deflection.
— The play isn't over until it's over. Johnny Wilson looked to pull down a catch in the end zone but Jarrian Jones tackled him to the ground, popping out the ball at the last second.
— Justin Cryer took a good angle and stuck with Jaheim Bell on a short pass.
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