Florida State continued spring practice Thursday night as the team prepared for its second scrimmage this weekend. Competition continued to be a theme of the period for the Seminoles, and the session, which marked their fifth consecutive session in full pads, oozed competition on both sides of the ball.
At times things got a little shaky and continued beyond the whistle. The team's veterans quickly stepped into the fire to prevent things from getting out of hand. Passion and intensity are what you want to see – this group of Seminoles can be a spirited bunch. Head coach Mike Norvell said after practice that the defense won the day. In team training, units remained stationary until the end.
READ MORE: Two more FSU football players to miss remainder of spring practice due to injury
NoleGameday attended the entire practice. Below are some of his 7th day observations of spring.
— It was great to have Athletic Director Michael Alford back on the sideline to watch practice. He is recovering from surgery he underwent earlier this offseason.
— Ryan Fitzgerald connected from 28, 32 (x2), 37 and 44 yards. He narrowly missed his wife on his second attempt from 44 yards.
attack:
— Thursday was our first real-time look at quarterback DJ Uiagalelei popping out of the pocket and showing off how he moves. Despite the naysayers, big signal callers can do more than enough to keep defenses honest. He kept it to himself and got into the open field, but he only let off a little friendly fire after barreling past a wide receiver who was blocking downfield. Uiagalelei ran again late in the period, but the whistle blew after he was tagged by Earl Little Jr. It will be interesting to see how this clash plays out in the actual match. He had a few scrambles late in practice, but those were the only positive plays in the two-minute drill.
Uiagalelei also delivered some rockets. He fired a beautiful deep ball into the middle of the field to Kentron Poitier, but the target was missed by Azaleyeh Thomas, who was inside the area. A few plays later, Uiagalelei made another throw downfield to Jaylen Brown for a big connection near the sideline.
— For the second consecutive year in practice, I thought Brock Glenn was leading the pocket and finding ways to get around the defense to set up completions to receivers or run himself. Glenn stepped up and ran across the pocket before scrambling into the middle of the field for a big gain. On the next play he ran a second time, evading a defender and into the open field. Overall, I feel like I made decisions faster. Glenn had a deep ball of his own, but it was dropped by VanDrevious Jacobs in team practice.
— Luke Kromenhoek spread his arms and let some of his talent shine during a recent practice. He had two great connections with LaWayne McCoy – one where he went for points in team drills, and another that came out of his hands like a laser in 7-on-7. It was a throw that had to be mustarded to get past the defender. Kromenhook hooked up one-on-one with Kamdon Fryer after the true freshman wide receiver broke through tight coverage. Fryer caught the pass over his shoulder, which ended up being a throw of more than 50 yards.
— Malik Benson was very consistent throughout practice and made a series of difficult catches. He retracted the throw and was forced to go low for an awkward overtime as Norvell yelled “Great catch.” Benson followed this up and appeared to have a pass between his legs. Either way, he'll find a way to make a play.
— Kentron Poitier showed up again Tuesday after a productive day. He made a tough catch on the sideline, then came back with another grab to Azareye Thomas in a position that only the receiver who threw to Glenn's well-placed catch could make.
— Usually, veteran wide receiver Jaqui Douglas pulls off some nifty moves to get ahead in one-on-one situations. He did just that, becoming the only skilled player to catch a pass in two minutes of practice.
— Deuce Span made consecutive 1-on-1 catches and was able to get into matchups and create a ton of space.
— Jaylen Brown ran a smooth route but dropped a pass on a one-on-one as Norvell begged him to “finish” the catch. On the next rep, Brown showed off his quick feet at the line of scrimmage, exploding opponents and drawing deep balls. The transferred wide receiver showed his strength by making a series of big plays.
—Samuel Singleton has been mostly cited this spring for his speed and big-play ability. This practice showed that he has the toughness to run when the time comes. Singleton recalls two runs where he was able to shake off tacklers and keep his feet moving.
— Tell me if this was a surprise, Jaylin Lucas found space on the run thanks to a great block by linebacker Lucas Simmons.
— Mike Norvell had a lot of praise for Jalen Early and Kyle Morlock after their combination block efforts.
defense:
— Defensive end Patrick Payton's best game so far this spring, in my opinion. He, along with Marvin Jones Jr. on the opposite side, disrupted the attack many times. This tandem produced multiple sacks, tackles for loss, and botched plays. They were the main reason why the defense came out on top after practice. If that's a sign of what they can bring this fall, opposing offenses had better start taking notes.
— Sophomore linebacker Justin Cryer had a good day. He picked off a pass in team practice and took it the distance. Cryer knocked the ball out of Brian Courtney's hands in a one-on-one, then came back and finished his practice with a couple of solid run fits. Blake Nichelson was right next to him, stuffing Lawrence Toafili, who would have been tackled for loss in a real game. Both young linebackers are improving every day.
— Shyheim Brown was flying around and being aggressive. A bad handoff put the offense behind schedule, and Brown, who was missing run support, made the tackle. He read and reacted very quickly late in the period and was in position to take a huge shot to Malik Benson the second the ball arrived.
— Jaden Jones showed up at several points. He worked in-house for Jeremiah Byers and Lucas Simmons. Jones got a sack in team practice and came back under pressure and nearly got another sack. Both Norvell and Adam Fuller believe he is one of the most improved defensive players.
— Tomiwa Durojaiye broke through the line in team practice and beat Cam Davis for the loss. Odell Huggins liked his performance in practice against the offensive line in the middle of practice. He bulldozed offensive linemen in pass rush one-on-ones.
— Greedy Vance broke up a pass and hit Jaqui Douglas for a well-timed hit. He also showed a glimpse of leadership by noticing young defensive backs leaving the field after being substituted. Vance pointed it out and forced the players to jog back. Standards are set.
— It was another good day for linebacker DeMarco Ward. He had extra vigor and confidence in his steps. Ward popped Cam Davis, who had lost in team practice, and hit the running back as soon as the ball reached his hands.
— The defensive backs had several one-on-one lockdown moments. Fentel and his Cypress II wide receiver tried to get open with a double move and Malik he got stuck on a repeat with Benson. Didn't fool Cypress II, who was on top of him like a blanket. Quindarius Jones continued similar efforts while staying at various locations with Hykeem Williams. He also told him about it afterwards.
— I liked the effort KJ Sampson put in during team practices. On one play, he rushed the ball carrier from his defensive tackle spot to prevent a run from turning into an even bigger score.
— Tymir Hickman-Collins escaped with a sack on a play where the defense pressured him. Aaron Hester and walk-on Grant Fielder could also finish stops in the backfield.
— Jabrill Rawls blitzed from the cornerback position and got a sack. The offensive line wasn't ready.
— Walk-on linebacker AJ Cottrill took a vicious shot on Brian Courtney late in practice, stopping a goal that would have pulled the offense into field goal range. Adam Fuller loved this initiative.
READ MORE: Kentron Poitier makes amazing catch in FSU football's latest practice
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