- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 433,811
- Reaction score
- 44
Florida State football held its second scrimmage of the spring on Saturday.
Media were permitted to view the scrimmage.
With about 100 plays run, the Seminoles continued to install the new schemes of offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and defensive coordinator Tony White.
The defense won the day, forcing a few takeaways and playing a physical style that challenged the offense. Defenseive lineman KJ Sampson, linebacker Justin Cryer and defensive back Christian White had big days defensively.
"I thought it was a really good day for our defense. They did a good job of really flying around to the ball and being very aggressive in their approach," Norvell said. "I thought you saw speed and athetlicsm, those guys really building confidence in what they are being asked to do."
"Offensively, we had a few guys out on the o-line and receiver position, so we were a little thin there. Had limited numbers," Norvell said. "It's still oppurutnies for guys who want more and are pushing for more to go and show where they are.
"There was some good and some bad. That shows the areas of improvement and areas you got to continue to grow."
While it was a limited sample size, here is what we saw in the scrimmage.
White promised a fast and physical defense when he took the Seminoles job, and at least in the scrimmage, the team followed through on his promise.
The pursuit to the ball stood out, with multiple players closing in on ball carriers to finish plays quickly with a pack-like mentality.
It's hard to make a full assessment of the talent of a team with a limited sample size, but there was no question about the pace in which the defense played. Multiple players flew around the field and were disruptive.
Deante McCray and Sampson were active along the defensive line, and the linebackers produced a few big plays. Cryer found himself in the face of the quarterback on more than one occasion. Both Elijah Herring and Stefon Thompson were consistent.
"I remember Juice [Cryer] making a couple of really, really nice plays. He ran over the back on the last play I saw. Elijah, I looked up a couple of times and they tried to throw his man downfield and he's blanketed all over," White said.
"That linebacker room, that's probably the first group when I got here and started installing defensive, that group felt the closest initially... a lot of different personality in that group and a lot of production."
C. White came up with an interception on a deep ball. Norvell admitted he would have liked his redshirt junior to have been in a more advantageous position when the ball was thrown, but he recovered well to undercut the deep ball and force the turnover.
Norvell mentioned that he's challenged Sampson throughout the spring season so far, and he was pleased with the "positive" performance the redshirt sophomore had in the scrimmage.
Sampson was consistently disruptive, getting into the offensive backfield multiple times, including a drive where he found himself in the backfield on each snap.
His persistence was rewarded when he was in position to take a pass deflected by Amaree Williams, who played on the defensive line, and return it for a touchdown.
It was a productive performance from him and the defensive line. Both Norvell and White said they've challenged Sampson this spring, and he's responded.
"He's a big twitchy guy, but you got to play. When it's time to play big, you got to play big, then when it's time to be twitchy and move around, you do that," White said. "He's capable of doing that. Sometimes we forgot, even though their older guys, experience-wise wise they haven't played much... he's a guy who continues to elevate his game."
The offense was thin along the offensive line and in the wide receiver room. Players expected to contribute heavily to the Seminoles in 2025 were unavailable, making it hard to get a full read on the offense with the limited viewing.
Norvell confirmed the absence of Duce Robinson, Squirrel White, Lawayne McCoy and Jalen Brown in the scrimmage gave the Seminoles a chance to see new players step up, with Willy Suarez one player who made a few contributions.
Kevin Sperry made a few impressive reads, especially considering he's a true freshman. He made a few open-field moves, including one juke that left a linebacker on the floor.
"For a true freshman coming in, he's been very, very impressive," Malzahn said. "He's a football guy, he's a natural guy. Just being on the field and just getting the information as far as the signals, protection and direction, then you got to carry over the coverage and the defense and the read. He has a bunch of natural stuff to him, each week, he's gotten better."
A few downfield shots were missed from the quarterbacks, with an under throw from Tommy Castellanos resulting in the interception from White. There was an overthrow from Brock Glenn to an open receiver that would have resulted in a touchdown if the placement had been better.
All three quarterbacks, however, flashed athleticism, and if it wasn't for the scrimmage rules of blowing things dead quickly when quarterbacks got out to run, there could have been a few long, improvised runs from the group. Castellanos accounted for a rushing touchdown with a nice redzone rush.
There were some big throws and a few tight windows, but overall, the "some good and some bad" characterization from Norvell was a fair description of the offense.
Both the tight end and running back rooms did well. There were some quick three to five-yard plays that helped the offense get first downs.
There were a couple of impressive touchdown plays, including a creative pass downfield in the "overtime" period that Castellanos connected with Pittman on.
But it was hard for the banged up Seminoles offense to consistently crack a stout display from the defense.
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football's disruptive defense leads spring scrimmage takeaways
Continue reading...
Media were permitted to view the scrimmage.
With about 100 plays run, the Seminoles continued to install the new schemes of offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and defensive coordinator Tony White.
The defense won the day, forcing a few takeaways and playing a physical style that challenged the offense. Defenseive lineman KJ Sampson, linebacker Justin Cryer and defensive back Christian White had big days defensively.
"I thought it was a really good day for our defense. They did a good job of really flying around to the ball and being very aggressive in their approach," Norvell said. "I thought you saw speed and athetlicsm, those guys really building confidence in what they are being asked to do."
"Offensively, we had a few guys out on the o-line and receiver position, so we were a little thin there. Had limited numbers," Norvell said. "It's still oppurutnies for guys who want more and are pushing for more to go and show where they are.
"There was some good and some bad. That shows the areas of improvement and areas you got to continue to grow."
While it was a limited sample size, here is what we saw in the scrimmage.
Tony White's defense delivers "fast and physical" display
You must be registered for see images attach
White promised a fast and physical defense when he took the Seminoles job, and at least in the scrimmage, the team followed through on his promise.
The pursuit to the ball stood out, with multiple players closing in on ball carriers to finish plays quickly with a pack-like mentality.
It's hard to make a full assessment of the talent of a team with a limited sample size, but there was no question about the pace in which the defense played. Multiple players flew around the field and were disruptive.
Deante McCray and Sampson were active along the defensive line, and the linebackers produced a few big plays. Cryer found himself in the face of the quarterback on more than one occasion. Both Elijah Herring and Stefon Thompson were consistent.
"I remember Juice [Cryer] making a couple of really, really nice plays. He ran over the back on the last play I saw. Elijah, I looked up a couple of times and they tried to throw his man downfield and he's blanketed all over," White said.
"That linebacker room, that's probably the first group when I got here and started installing defensive, that group felt the closest initially... a lot of different personality in that group and a lot of production."
C. White came up with an interception on a deep ball. Norvell admitted he would have liked his redshirt junior to have been in a more advantageous position when the ball was thrown, but he recovered well to undercut the deep ball and force the turnover.
KJ Sampson puts on a show
You must be registered for see images
Norvell mentioned that he's challenged Sampson throughout the spring season so far, and he was pleased with the "positive" performance the redshirt sophomore had in the scrimmage.
Sampson was consistently disruptive, getting into the offensive backfield multiple times, including a drive where he found himself in the backfield on each snap.
His persistence was rewarded when he was in position to take a pass deflected by Amaree Williams, who played on the defensive line, and return it for a touchdown.
It was a productive performance from him and the defensive line. Both Norvell and White said they've challenged Sampson this spring, and he's responded.
"He's a big twitchy guy, but you got to play. When it's time to play big, you got to play big, then when it's time to be twitchy and move around, you do that," White said. "He's capable of doing that. Sometimes we forgot, even though their older guys, experience-wise wise they haven't played much... he's a guy who continues to elevate his game."
A day of "highs and lows" for the offense
The offense was thin along the offensive line and in the wide receiver room. Players expected to contribute heavily to the Seminoles in 2025 were unavailable, making it hard to get a full read on the offense with the limited viewing.
Norvell confirmed the absence of Duce Robinson, Squirrel White, Lawayne McCoy and Jalen Brown in the scrimmage gave the Seminoles a chance to see new players step up, with Willy Suarez one player who made a few contributions.
Kevin Sperry made a few impressive reads, especially considering he's a true freshman. He made a few open-field moves, including one juke that left a linebacker on the floor.
"For a true freshman coming in, he's been very, very impressive," Malzahn said. "He's a football guy, he's a natural guy. Just being on the field and just getting the information as far as the signals, protection and direction, then you got to carry over the coverage and the defense and the read. He has a bunch of natural stuff to him, each week, he's gotten better."
A few downfield shots were missed from the quarterbacks, with an under throw from Tommy Castellanos resulting in the interception from White. There was an overthrow from Brock Glenn to an open receiver that would have resulted in a touchdown if the placement had been better.
All three quarterbacks, however, flashed athleticism, and if it wasn't for the scrimmage rules of blowing things dead quickly when quarterbacks got out to run, there could have been a few long, improvised runs from the group. Castellanos accounted for a rushing touchdown with a nice redzone rush.
There were some big throws and a few tight windows, but overall, the "some good and some bad" characterization from Norvell was a fair description of the offense.
Both the tight end and running back rooms did well. There were some quick three to five-yard plays that helped the offense get first downs.
There were a couple of impressive touchdown plays, including a creative pass downfield in the "overtime" period that Castellanos connected with Pittman on.
But it was hard for the banged up Seminoles offense to consistently crack a stout display from the defense.
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football's disruptive defense leads spring scrimmage takeaways
Continue reading...
