4/5/2023 football Edit

FSU secondary rising to 'Mission Takeaway' challenge this spring

FSU defensive back Azareye'h Thomas has a pair of interceptions so far this spring. (Ross Obley)

Curt Weiler • TheOsceola

Senior Writer

Throughout this spring, Mission Takeaway has been probably the single biggest directive from the Florida State football coaching staff to the FSU defense.

In 2022, the FSU defense was among the top nationally in quite a few pass defense statistics. That included being tied for 7th in total passing yards allowed (2,150), 12th in yards per pass attempt allowed (6.2) and 18th in completion percentage allowed (56.4%). The Seminoles ranked first, first and second among ACC teams in those statistics.

That they did this despite finishing the season ranked 10th in the ACC and tied for 92nd out of 131 FBS teams with only eight interceptions makes the feat even more impressive.

However, it also has become a major talking point by FSU coach Mike Norvell and defensive coordinator Adam Fuller this spring.

While there’s an inherent luck factor that comes into play when it comes to forcing turnovers – FSU had 14 interceptions in 2021 even though it had a noticeably worse defensive unit – Fuller’s focus has been on creating the habits this spring that he believes will lead to a greater number of turnovers this fall.

“We’re more focused on as a staff of the habits that create them. Those are ball distractions, those are ball disruptions, those are physical takeaways, those are capitalizing on loose balls, mistakes, those are near-sideline recoveries, those are tipped balls,” Fuller said after Saturday’s scrimmage, where his defense had four takeaways. “There’s just so many things. We try to rep that throughout the offseason so they quantify. As players get older, it’s repetition. It’s a learned skill. There are some natural guys that are around the ball. It’s a learned trait. I know this: The faster, the more physical you are, the more takeaways that usually come.”

It will no doubt help FSU’s takeaway cause that the Seminoles’ defensive line should wreck even more havoc this fall. With Jared Verse and Fabien Lovett returning, the addition of a few prominent transfers and the development of a few younger players, the defensive line’s talent and depth should, in theory, help create more takeaway opportunities this fall for the entire FSU defense.

That’s definitely been proven true so far this spring, with the FSU defense coming away with 20 takeaways through 10 practices according to Fuller’s Twitter timeline, where he posts graphics of each takeaway after each practice.

Of those 20 takeaways, 15 have been interceptions, two have been forced fumbles, two have been blocked field goals and one was a fourth-down stop in a scrimmage. A promising sign for sure is that those 15 interceptions have come from 12 different players.

For the most part, FSU was able to overcome its relative lack of interceptions a season ago. The one stretch where that was not the case was on the team’s three-game losing streak, which accounted for all its 2022 losses where the FSU defense had just one total takeaway. There’s no doubt this contributed to those three consecutive losses by a combined 18 points.

It was a severe enough problem that Norvell addressed it in one of his press conferences, challenging the defense to force more turnovers. The Seminoles did a marginally better job of that from there, forcing eight turnovers over the final five games of the season. That seems to have carried over into this spring.

“I try not to judge it by the totality of numbers. I try to judge it on the habits,” Fuller said of takeaway numbers. “And those are getting better.”

Norvell went out of his way to praise a pair of tip-drill interceptions during Tuesday’s practice, one of which was tipped by a wide receiver and intercepted by Azareye’h Thomas, his second interception of spring, and the other was tipped by walk-on defensive back Jaden Floyd and intercepted by linebacker DeMarco Ward, his second takeaway of spring as well.

“We made some exceptional interceptions. (New FSU defensive backs coach Pat) Surtain has been working a lot with our guys. It’s been a big point of emphasis of trying to create takeaways,” Norvell said. “It’s one thing to emphasize it, but I really think the buy-in from those guys in the defensive backfield, there were a couple extraordinary plays.”

Surtain, who replaced former FSU defensive backs coach Marcus Woodson, knows a thing or two about creating takeaways. He recorded 13 interceptions over four seasons at Southern Miss and then 37 interceptions over an 11-year NFL career with the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs.

While there’s nothing inherent about a coach who had a great deal of success as a defensive back himself being able to pass that onto his players as a coach, Norvell is encouraged by what he’s seen from Surtain and his unit through 10 spring practices.

“I like some of the things he’s incorporated, some of the ball drills. And then, it’s also building confidence in all things,” Norvell said. “Football is such a strange game because you can work techniques and fundamentals, but putting guys in those situations and maybe having a little different perspective of how you’re emphasizing it, whenever it clicks can build confidence in that.

“It’s one thing for guys to think, ‘Oh, don’t drop this.’ It’s another thing (to think), ‘Go make this.’ I think he’s doing a really nice job. I like what I’m seeing. With these guys, we’re trying to make sure we provide opportunities as well. Even today, there were two tipped-pass interceptions that were just great plays. Guys were prepared in that moment and had the confidence to go make them.”