Florida State University Athletics
Practice Report: Noles Happy To Be Home On Eve Of First Scrimmage
8/17/2018 7:00:18 PM | Football
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Despite returning to the comforts of home, Florida State mixed things up a bit for Friday’s practice.
And to somewhat mixed results, per head coach Willie Taggart.
With the team returning from IMG Academy in Bradenton Thursday evening, Taggart opted to hold Friday’s practice in the afternoon. Not long after that, a mid-afternoon thunderstorm – the kind you can set your watch to this time of year – forced the Seminoles indoors.
Welcome back to rainy Tallahassee. pic.twitter.com/Mopc7udd7t
— Tim Linafelt / FSU (@Tim_Linafelt) August 17, 2018
While the change of venue didn’t affect the practice script, Taggart still saw some things he’d like to have cleaned up for Saturday’s situational scrimmage.
“Some good, some bad,” he said. “I thought our offense came ready to practice today. Not so much the defense. We’ll see how they bounce back.”
That’s not a bad thing in and of itself. There are plenty of ebbs and flows to a fall camp, particularly at this point, when the team is two weeks into practices but still two weeks away from the season opener.
A sub-standard effort today provides a chance to show some resilience tomorrow.
And in this case, tomorrow is a big day. FSU will hold its first team scrimmage on Saturday afternoon, and Taggart has already said earlier this week that it’s about time to start shortening rotations and solidifying his depth chart.
“If it’s like that every day, we’ve got some issues,” he said. “But I think it’s a good thing. The key is how they bounce back tomorrow in the scrimmage.”
Scrimmage format: The Seminoles’ first scrimmage will follow a familiar script for Taggart, but it might be a little unusual for longtime Florida State fans. Rather than scrimmage inside Doak Campbell Stadium, Taggart will keep the team in its usual practice area for a situational scrimmage.
Which means that rather than play a straight, offense-versus-defense simulation, the Seminoles will instead spend the afternoon working through all the variables that arise in a game.
If the spring’s situational scrimmage is any indicator, the Seminoles will work on long- and short-yardage, red-zone, third-down, goal-line and special teams.
“We want to see how our guys operate in those situations,” Taggart said. “…Rather than just going out and running plays, understanding why we’re running those plays and how we’re trying to attack the defense and our mindset behind it.”
‘Icebox’ a hit: With August temperatures constantly hovering in the 90s, keeping players and staff cool is a constant concern. But Florida State seems to have found an ingenius solution.
The “human icebox” – a transportable, 40-foot walk-in freezer – made its debut at practice on Friday and was an immediate hit.
With a steady mist pouring from the trailer doors, a stream of players made their way into the icebox during their mid-practice water break, and more went for another round after practice ended.
Coooooolin off. pic.twitter.com/6JByjJwcCB
— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) August 17, 2018
The icebox is cooled to 25 degrees and, unlike a cold tub, allows the players to lower their body temperatures during practice and then get back on the field.
“We’ve got to find a way to take care of our players, especially down here. For those guys to get their bodies right is important.”
For more on the human icebox, including its origins, check out this Sports Illustrated featurefrom a few weeks ago.
Noles to meet officials on Friday: During every night of fall camp, a different member of the Florida State football staff has stood up in front of the team to teach a different aspect of football.
On Friday night, Taggart will call in a little outside help.
A team of game officials – the same group set to call Saturday’s scrimmage – will meet with the team, explain all the new rules for the upcoming season and then answer any rules-related questions.
The upcoming season will introduce new rules related to uniforms and equipment, fair catches and blocks below the waist, among others.
Extra highlights: Sophomore receiver D.J. Matthews Matthews showed plenty of quickness and agility during a spinning, juking run-after-catch, and he didn’t seem any worse for wear after absorbing some incidental contact in the middle of the field. … Receiver Tamorrion Terrydid a nice job to make a diving, falling grab on a pass that was thrown behind him. … Ontaria Wilson had perhaps his best highlight of the fall, tracking down a deep, deflected pass to turn what might have been an interception into a long gain.