What we learned about FSU football as defense shines in scrimmage
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Florida State football held its second preseason scrimmage on Sunday, Aug. 9, at Doak Campbell Stadium.
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It was the second scrimmage of the week for the program, with the first one coming on Tuesday, Aug. 4. The two scrimmages were sandwiched between the program's annual trip to Jacksonville to practice at the University of North Florida.
Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell said the team ran "around 100 plays" and he felt it was a "good day" for his unit.
"I thought it was a good day for practice 10, to see the installation, the situations," Norvell said in a Zoom after the scrimmage. "We had a little bit of a two-minute there at the end, seeing guys work. I thought overall, there was a lot of great film that we're going to be able to evaluate from."
Here are three takeaways from the scrimmage.
FSU football's defense "wins the day"
There was an emphasis on execution and limiting big plays from the defense, and that showed up, according to Norvell.
The first scrimmage saw the defense give up a few explosive plays, but under the floodlights on Sunday, the defense created the game-changing moments with tackles for loss and consistent pressure.
"I thought they did a really nice job flying around. Made some explosive plays, created some TFLs. I liked tonight there was a great balance of pressures," Norvell said. "I saw some third-down four-man pass rush, guys just having to go out there and win one-on-one. It was good to see some of those get home."
Norvell liked the play of the defensive line. He said the Desir twins, Darryll and Mandrell, and Jalen Anderson were among the players who were "really impactful." Anderson was credited for a sack, and the defensive line overall generated good pressure in Norvell's opinion.
The area Norvell pointed to consistently was the four-man pressure on third down. He said the unit was able to "answer the call" with what was asked of them.
That pressure allowed for plays to be made across the defense.
“I think when you look at the speed from the front end to the back of our defense, that's going to be something that should be a great strength for us," Norvell said.
Ashton Daniels leads a couple of scoring drives
While Norvell said he'd pick the defense as the "winner" of the day, he said some "really good stuff" showed up on the offensive side of the football.
Ashton Daniels led a couple of touchdown drives, and he was again credited for the "ownership" he's taking under center. Even with his positive results, Norvell said there are moments where Daniels needs to be better.
"I think he's done a really good job. Tonight there were a few opportunities that he created. And then there was a few opportunities that we can continue to grow and be better at," Norvell said. "He's been highly efficient and explosive in the things we've asked him to do."
In the running back room, Texas transfer Tre Wisnor was out, which allowed for increased carries for both Samuel Singleton Jr. and Ousmane Kromah. Both running backs were in non-contact jerseys, but Norvell said they had impactful moments.
He singled out Singleton for what he called a "big run." It's another positive step for Singleton, who enters his senior year with the program and could be in for a career year from a usage standpoint.
"They still got the opportunity to show some good things and some runs that I thought could have a chance for explosive plays," Norvell said. "Just being smart with those guys, just the work that they've been doing."
Position battles take shape ahead of "moving week"
The Seminoles have two weeks of preseason camp left before attention turns toward game preparation for a Week 0 contest vs. New Mexico State. With the clock ticking, Norvell labeled the next week of practice as "moving week," a chance for players to solidify their spots on the depth chart.
One of the key contests to follow is the Seminoles' second cornerback spot. Ja'Bril Rawls is a locked-in starter, but who lines up in the secondary role remains to be seen; however, an answer could emerge soon.
"I think it's very competitive right now... Q[uindarrius Jones] has been really good. You see Nehemiah Chandler, Charles Lester had a really nice pick tonight. A guy that we challenged, Ricky Knight. Who's going to emerge as one of those guys that can be counted on?"
On the other side of the ball, the Seminoles' wide receiver room has an opportunity open. Duce Robinson and Micahi Danzy are the top two in the room, but true freshman Jasen Lopez continues to turn heads and could pencil his name in for the third receiver role.
While he's the new man on campus, Norvell said he's not treating Lopez like a freshman as he competes for significant reps in the wide receiver room.
"He's a guy that doesn't really act like a freshman. So I'm not going to put him as a freshman player until he shows me that's how he's going to act," Norvell said.
"He's still got plenty of things to be able to work on, plenty of things to grow in. But the mentality is one thing I do appreciate with him. We're challenging him, asking him to do a lot of different things ... but he's definitely answered the call in a lot of ways."
Other notes and takeaways
- There was a heavy dosage of special teams, which included kickoff returns and different punt return situations.
- Norvell said there was a "really clean" kickoff return early.
- Freshman linebacker Izayia Williams was held out of the scrimmage. Norvell is confident he'll be back soon.
- Jalen Anderson had a good "speed sack."
- The Desir Twins were highlighted for their disruptive play.
- Tae'Shaun Gelsey earned praise for his "consistency" through camp. The second-year wide receiver has been earning high marks early in the preseason.
- Wide receivers Duce Robinson and Micahi Danzy did some "good" things. Norvell said you can see the experience they have.
Florida State football schedule 2026
- vs. New Mexico State | Aug. 29
- vs. SMU* | Sept. 7
- Bye
- at Alabama | Sept. 19
- vs. Central Arkansas | Sept. 26
- vs. Virginia* | Oct. 3
- at Louisville* | Oct. 9
- at Miami* | Oct. 17
- Bye
- vs. Clemson* | Oct. 31
- at Boston College* | Nov. 7
- at Pittsburgh* | Nov. 13
- vs. NC State* | Nov. 21
- vs. Florida | Nov. 27
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at [email protected] or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: What we learned about FSU football as defense shines in scrimmage