Taggart: O-line is getting better

TALLAHASSEE – Florida State may soon get some much-needed relief on the offensive line.

FSU offensive tackle Landon Dickerson is recovering steadily after suffering a sprained ankle against Virginia Tech.

Coach Willie Taggart said Dickerson ran well in practice on Sunday, but a timeframe for his return is still questionable.

“Landon is doing well,” Taggart said. “He’s probably ahead of schedule, to be honest with you, and I know he’s eager to get back out there to help his teammates.”

Fellow offensive tackle Derrick Kelly is not progressing at the same speed. He exited the Syracuse game with a knee injury.

“Derrick is not close to where we want him to be. He’s still working toward it, so there is no necessarily timeframe on him,” Taggart said.

Despite their absences, Taggart said focus and communication helped the offensive line deliver improved play during the Seminoles’ win over North Illinois on Saturday.

“I thought we played better with techniques and fundamentally,” Taggart said.

“When we did that consistently enough, good things happen for us. We still have some hiccups to where we didn’t do things really well technique-wise, or a guy panicked here and there and not just trust his assignment, trust his rules.”

Due to the injuries at offensive tackle, Taggart moved players from guard to tackle. But taking over a new position can create confusion and players usually need time to adjust.

“When you’re not playing fundamentally or technically sound, and then you’re doing someone else’s job and not yours, that’s when bad things happen for you,” Taggart said. “So our guys were more focused up front than what they had to do, and played more aggressive than we have played in the past.”

Defensive tackle Demarcus Christmas will play this weekend at Louisville. He did not dress out against NIU and Taggart did not reveal the reason for his absence.

The redshirt senior’s presence at tackle is key for the defense. He has recorded five tackles this year. In 2016, Christmas finished with 21 tackles and 2.5 tackles for a loss. He improved to 36 tackles with 4.5 for a loss and one sack in 2017.

Aside from his redshirt season in 2014, Christmas had played or started in every game before his absence on Saturday.

Penalties consistently thwarted FSU’s special teams progress, especially on punt returns. Holding penalties have discounted many punt returns by D.J. Matthews, who has gained just 35 yards during the first four games. Opponents, on the other hand, have secured 93 yards.

Taggart said the team will keep taking reps every day in practice to eliminate holding penalties.

“Early in the year, we were letting guys down with fair catching, so he wasn’t getting any returns,” Taggart said.

“Now our guys are working really hard to try to hold guys up to allow him to get catches. We’ve got to do it better technique-wise so we don’t get called for holding.”