Fuller looking for FSU defense to build on positives from first scrimmage
The scrimmage was closed to the media on Saturday night, but what happened inside Florida State’s indoor practice facility still came into focus quite clearly when the coaches spoke to reporters afterward.
The FSU defense was dominant for the first half of the scrimmage. And then struggled to close it out.
So, glass half-full or glass half-empty depending on your perspective.
"I thought we tackled well, I thought we ran to the ball well, I thought we created some takeaways," defensive coordinator Adam Fuller said. "We got good pressure early in the scrimmage. Overall it was a pretty clean first scrimmage. I thought the first half was a lot better than the second half. We got a little fatigued and got a little sloppy there toward the finish.
"But saw a lot of good signs early."
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The Florida State defense wound up forcing four turnovers in the scrimmage.
True freshmen Shyheim Brown and Hunter Washington each had interceptions, and Akeem Dent forced a fumble that was recovered by Keir Thomas. The Seminoles also recovered another fumble on a bad exchange.
Both interceptions came off returning freshman quarterback Tate Rodemaker. But through the first half of the scrimmage, it wasn't as if veteran QBs Jordan Travis and McKenzie Milton were lighting up the defense either.
"I thought the defense started really fast early," head coach Mike Norvell said. "Flying around. Had a couple of forced fumbles, created some very physical plays, a couple of interceptions. It was great to see that passion and energy in which they were playing with."
Brown has been a player that has turned heads since he arrived on campus. His high school head coach, former FSU star linebacker Brian Allen, told the current Seminole coaches that Brown could have played in the dynasty era with him and his teammates. He's that good and has that much potential.
So far, even though it's only been a week, Brown certainly seems to be living up to that billing.
"We've been impressed," Fuller said. "We're leaving him at Buck and just trying to get as many reps as we can. What that's going to look like going into the season we're still unsure. But he's got a really good attitude toward it. He's got a great frame and he's got good movements.
"And you know, the greatest thing about him in high school is he did a lot of things well. Now, we're using all those talents and trying to get it into one position, so he can sort of focus on getting better at things. But you saw some things. He flashed a lot (in the scrimmage), but then he showed some freshman (mistakes). ... But I think the frame, the skill and the personality is a really good fit for us."
As the scrimmage wore on, the defense struggled to get any stops.
Offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham said after scoring just once in the first five drives, the offense scored four touchdowns in its final five drives. There were no details given as to which players were on the field for those possessions, but it's obvious the defense wasn't able to finish strong on Saturday night.
That was an issue all of last year. Fuller hopes they can build on how they started the scrimmage though.
"I thought the energy overall was good," he said. "Especially early in the scrimmage. I thought it was good for both sides. Because the defense played well, you saw some of those backs really lower their pads and fall forward toward the end of the scrimmage. I think that's what you're looking for.
"Listen, I want us to play great on defense. Kenny wants to play great on offense. And make sure we're competing the way it needs to look. But we got a lot of players necessary reps (Saturday night). And it will be crucial to make sure we take good comps from Scrimmage 1 to (Monday) when we get back to the practice field."
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