’Noles wrap scrimmage with plenty of positives

Florida State wrapped up its second week of spring football camp by taking part in its first scrimmage at Doak Campbell Stadium Saturday. With seven practices under their belts and a nearly full roster, coach Mike Norvell was pleased with how the Seminoles responded, particularly his defense.

After a strong performance by the offense in Thursday’s practice, the defense answered back, much to the delight of Norvell and the coaching staff.

“Thursday was kind of one of those days where everything was clicking for the offense, but those guys [defense] came back and responded well, especially early,” Norvell said of the scrimmage, which was closed to the media. “We created some TFLs [tackles for loss], the linebackers were flying around and aggressive, and the defensive front … made things more challenging.”

Defensive coordinator Adam Fuller met with his secondary to impart a simple message: the competition is us with them, not us versus them.

“That’s good for Florida State. You never want the defense winning all the battles, and you never want the offense winning all the battles,” said Fuller. “You want maximum effort, maximum execution and, at the end of the day, it gives us the best product.”

The offense was able to bounce back, providing some highlights for the coaching staff.

“What you like is the composure,” offensive coordinator Alex Atkins said of his unit’s response. “Nobody got down; everybody stayed focused and locked in. Once they settled down, you started to see some drives and big plays.”

One of the positions of interest is quarterback, where redshirt junior Jordan Travis continues to grow into the role after a season as the Seminoles starter.

“I expected Jordan to be able to play with a lot of confidence,” said Norvell. “He’s doing that and taking great ownership of the offense. Throughout the spring, he’s doing a great job of owning the ball, not putting the ball in jeopardy and taking what the defense is giving him.”

Added Atkins: “He’s trusting the pocket and making the throws, and he’s keeping those guys confident. When Jordan gets into the lineup, you can tell he’s in there because our guys light up a little bit, and they know No. 13 is back here.”

Travis isn’t the only quarterback coaches have eyes on, with backups Tate Rodemaker and AJ Duffy also earning attention.

“We had high expectations when he brought Tate in,” said Norvell. “His knowledge, the ability that he has to be able to not only do what he does with his arm but also be able to keep plays alive with his legs.

“AJ Duffy, for his first scrimmage, it was really impressive. He doesn’t act like a freshman. Here is somebody who’s supposed to be in his spring semester of his senior year [of high school]. I like his presence in the ownership and what he’s doing.”

Another standout Saturday was running back Trey Benson.

While the coaching staff has tried to be cautious with the transfer from Oregon as he comes back from a significant knee injury, it’s been hard not to be impressed by the speedy tailback.

“We started slow the first week and tried to pick our points. This last week coming back from spring break, you see the confidence in how he’s running,” said Norvell. “Today, he had a couple plays down at the goal line where you feel his power and he got into the open field and you feel his feet.”

“We tried to limit him, but he would probably run through the coaching box to get out on the field,” Atkins added. “We know he wants it and we’re monitoring, but he’s ready to go.”

Midway through spring camp, Norvell wants to see his Seminoles pick up the pace and be more efficient. Tempo has been a critical component of Norvell’s offenses throughout his career, including while at Memphis.

“Let that be a strength for us. I want us to be unrealistic in where that’s going,” Norvell explained. “Tempo goes on defense, too, and people think about that as an offensive term. I want to see our defensive guys identifying quicker, aligning quicker, getting down and being ready, and being the aggressor when it comes to the style of play.

“If we can do that, that will benefit us for the long haul, regardless of the type of team that we play.”

With so many players and groups rotating in and out during practices, it can sometimes be difficult to build confidence consistently. Once the players have mastered it and developed better communication, Atkins believes things will improve.

“As you grow that cohesiveness, everybody is on the same page,” he explained. “So the more confidence you gain, the faster you play.”