Florida State at Syracuse: Wednesday Practice Observations

Florida State returned to the practice fields on Wednesday amidst a chilly and windy morning that had the Seminoles working inside for the majority of practice. It didn't start off how head coach Mike Norvell would've liked, but he was pleased with the response.

NoleGameday was in attendance for the session and we've listed some observations from different position groups and players below.

— The Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, Las Vegas Raiders, and Carolina Panthers were among the NFL teams to have representatives at practice.

— The crowd noise returned for the second consecutive day (and fourth straight open practice) as Florida State prepares for its final road game of the season. It feels business as usual at this point with the noise droning on.

— A good day from Ryan Fitzgerald. He made two attempts from 53-yards in two-minute drills. Fitzgerald also connected from 33 and 40 yards out later in practice. Backup kicker Aidan Shahriari was good on his lone kick from 33 yards.

OFFENSE:

— Florida State opened up practice with a two-minute situation. The offense had under a minute to go and trailed by three. On the first play, quarterback Jordan Travis lofted a perfect throw down the sideline to Ontaria Wilson to get inside the opposite 30-yard line. Renardo Green didn't do anything wrong in coverage, it was just a great pass. 

— Later in the drive, Travis was forced out of the pocket and it resulted in a holding call. He was sacked on the next play by Derrick McLendon to bring up third down with nearly 30 yards to go. The offense called a timeout and Travis hit Lawrance Toafili out of the backfield to get back into field goal range. Kicker Ryan Fitzgerald nailed a 53-yard attempt but the defense elected to ice him. Fitzgerald's second attempt was cleaner than the first and would've been pure from nearly 60 yards.

— The unit started out slow but got things going throughout third-down work. A bad snap ended the first play before it began before Travis was converged on for another sack. The redshirt junior responded by getting out of the pocket and finding a wide-open Deuce Spann for 20+ yards. Head coach Mike Norvell shouted out "good job, Deuce" while explaining something he could've done more effectively on the play.

— Travis displayed his precision again with an accurate throw down the seam to tight end Cam McDonald. The veteran was smothered in coverage but made a nice adjustment to bring in the pass. He connected with an open Lawrance Toafili in the end zone during red zone work. During 7-on-7, Travis hit a few receivers in stride over the middle, including two to Mycah Pittman.

— The offense converted its two-point conversion attempt with a pass from Travis to Ontaria Wilson.

— Wide receiver Johnny Wilson made a tough acrobatic catch on the sideline in 1-on-1s. Wilson later converted a strong catch in the end zone with a defensive back on his back. It appeared he got a foot, if not two, down inbounds. Norvell watched the video replay and cracked a smile, "that one is under review."

— Ja'Khi Douglas and Ontaria Wilson both made easy grabs over the middle in 1-on-1s. Douglas broke away from Kevin Knowles in the corner for a score in goal-line 1-on-1s.

— True freshman tight end Brian Courtney made two outstanding plays in goal-line 1-on-1s. He walled off starting safety Jammie Robinson for a touchdown catch before doing the same thing to the other starting safety, Akeem Dent, on his next rep. Norvell was happy with both plays.

— Quarterback Tate Rodemaker scored the lone touchdown in goal-line work as he stepped up in the pocket and scrambled in. Rodemaker tossed a score to wide receiver Kentron Poitier in the red zone as the redshirt sophomore got behind true freshman Sam McCall. Poitier had a difficult catch late in the day.

— Treshaun Ward and Trey Benson both had explosive runs up the middle in the red zone.

DEFENSE:

— Kalen DeLoach and Patrick Payton were among the defenders to get to Travis for a sack in third-down work.

— Redshirt freshman defensive end Byron Turner Jr. really flashed on Wednesday. He sacked Rodemaker in third-down drills. Turner Jr. stopped a run at the goal line before getting to Duffy on the next play for another sack. He recorded a tackle for loss in red zone work and nearly had another one on the ensuing play. While competing against the offensive line in 1-on-1s, he put a nice move on Julian Armella for an easy win. Following a midseason injury, it wouldn't be a surprised to see Turner Jr. get involved in the defensive end rotation down the stretch.

— Defensive back Travis Jay has spent the majority of the year contributing on the scout team. During 1-on-1s, he was matched up with true freshman Brian Courtney. Travis tossed a pass over the middle but Jay intercepted it with one hand.

— The defensive backs as whole got the best of the wide receivers during the first half of the drill. True freshman Azareye'h Thomas recovered on a deep ball to force an incompetion. Safety Akeem Dent broke up a pass that hit Courtney's hands while Demorie Tate prevented Johnny Wilson from coming down with a ball. 

— Safety Jammie Robinson also deflected a pass that was intended for Courtney. He nearly pulled down a pick on a throw intended for Ja'Khi Douglas in the end zone. Norvell praised the veteran for the way he's been practicing as of late.

— Linebacker DJ Lundy read a pass out of the backfield perfectly. AJ Duffy threw out to CJ Campbell but Lundy was right there for a potential pick. The ball slipped out of his hands in the end zone.

— True freshman Sam McCall got some work at cornerback and safety once again. He was beat by Kentron Poitier for a touchdown at one point in practice. McCall and defensive coordinator talked things over after the play. He responded with a read on Rodemaker that nearly resulted in an interception during 7-on-7. No drop-off despite what occurred earlier in the week.

— Kevin Knowles had an interception against the scout team.