Schoffel: Observations from FSU Football's second practice of preseason
At one point during Florida State's first day of preseason practice on Wednesday, Mike Norvell jokingly asked a bystander if he could make the scattered clouds overhead go away. He didn't like the occasional shade they were providing for his weary players.
On Thursday, Mother Nature proved she would have the last word, as storms forced the Seminoles to hold nearly their entire practice indoors.
FSU defensive line coaches Odell Haggins and John Papuchis got their players outside for a few periods, as did offensive line coach Alex Atkins. But the vast majority of the team worked the entire time inside the Indoor Practice Facility.
A heavy emphasis was placed on special teams Thursday, but the quarterbacks, skill players, linebackers and defensive backs also got in some good competition in 1-on-1s and 7-on-7s, and the entire team came together at the end for 11-on-11s.
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As Corey wrote on Wednesday, the defensive backs got the best of most battles during the first practice. But the receivers, running backs and tight ends came back strong on Thursday and made a slew of big plays.
During 1-on-1s, the cornerbacks and safeties appeared to be playing more aggressive coverage and not giving the receivers as much of a cushion. Between that, the fact that the receivers ran a lot of double-moves, and since the players still aren't in pads, it seemed like the DBs were at a bit of a disadvantage. And the receivers made them pay ... for the most part.
On one of the very first plays, sophomore WR Malik McClain made a good move and sprinted past CB Omarion Cooper for a long gain as QB Jordan Travis put the ball right on the money.
Also during 1-on-1s, redshirt sophomore receiver Johnny Wilson made an impressive contested catch on freshman cornerback Sam McCall. It appeared to be a good day overall for Wilson, but not so much for McCall.
The talented freshman, who looked sharp and confident on Wednesday, gave up a handful of big completions Thursday, including a deep post from Tate Rodemaker to Ontaria "Pokey" Wilson.
Seeing that the freshman DB was having a tough time, Norvell made a point to find McCall during a break and encouraged him to trust himself and to continue playing with confidence.
A similar moment came on the other side of the ball when junior receiver Mycah Pittman had an uncharacteristic bout with dropped passes. First, he beat nickelback Kevin Knowles with a double-move to get open deep but dropped a nice throw from freshman QB A.J. Duffy. Then later during 7-on-7s, he got open deep and dropped another well-thrown ball from Travis.
Pittman was so mad at himself after that drop that he slammed his helmet into a padded dummy on the sideline and screamed out in frustration.
Within an instant, Travis was by Pittman's side, lifting him up emotionally with some positive words. It's always good to see teammates picking each other up during times like that, but it's especially good for it to come from Travis, who seems to be embracing the role of team leader. QBs coach Tony Tokarz praised Travis for his growth in that area after practice.
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