Florida State University Athletics
Practice Report: Taggart Eying Position Races As Second Scrimmage Approaches
8/23/2019 8:49:57 PM | Football
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – No matter the school, the last scrimmage of fall camp is one of the marquee moments of a college football team’s preseason.
And that’s especially true at Florida State, which will head inside Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday afternoon with a number of high-profile position battles still undecided.
Yes, FSU’s quarterbacks remain in the spotlight, with the race apparently still too close to call.
But head coach Willie Taggart said he’ll also be paying close attention to his defensive backs, linebackers and offensive linemen.
“It will tell you a lot about your team,” Taggart said of the scrimmage. “You want highly competitive individuals, not guys that are going to run from competition. But in order to see that, you’ve got to put them in those competitive situations.”
To that end, Saturday’s scrimmage will be a true game simulation, as opposed to the “situational scrimmage” that FSU held last week.
The Seminoles will go through their usual pre-game warmups on the field at Doak Campbell Stadium and then play a full game. Coaches who will be on the field during games will be on the field; coaches who will be on headsets in the press box will be in the press box.
And no matter what happens on Saturday afternoon, Taggart cautioned against putting too much stock in one scrimmage.
The results will factor into his decision-making, but they’ll also be weighed against the last three weeks of practices, too.
“I think what’s going to matter is the whole body of work,” he said. “One scrimmage can help, but one scrimmage is not going to do it by itself.”
Beyond that, those who find themselves atop the depth chart after Saturday would do well not to take too much of a breather.
Camp might be coming to an end, and the season might be inching closer. But the competition for playing time will continue for the next several months.
“If a guy wins a spot, it’s not over with,” Taggart said. “It’s going to be competitive throughout the year. It’s got to be that way.”
Taggart announces uniform tweaks at Kickoff Luncheon: FSU uniform enthusiasts got plenty to chew on Friday, as Taggart announced a few plans for the Seminoles’ threads in 2019 and beyond.
Most immediately, Taggart said that the Seminoles will sport a more traditional look this season – gold helmets, garnet jerseys and gold pants at home; gold helmets, white jerseys and white pants on the road.
That will make for a pretty stark departure from 2018, during which the Seminoles wore seven different uniform combinations.
The changes will continue in 2020, when FSU adorns its home uniforms with white numbers and gold trim for the first time since 2013. Those colors flipped – gold with white trim – as part of a redesign in 2014.
Coming in 2020
#DoSomething | #WhiteNumbers pic.twitter.com/twehGmpmgh— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) August 23, 2019
Extra highlights: FSU on Friday held its annual Kickoff Luncheon, which featured speeches from President John Thrasher, Athletics Director David Coburn and Taggart. Taggart urged fans to put FSU flags on their cars on game-week Fridays, and said that the 2019 season will be different than last year. … Receivers coach Ron Dugans returned to practice on Friday after missing the last few days tending to his family. Dugans’ mother, Kathryn, died earlier this week after a battle with cancer. … With their scrimmage up next, the Seminoles held a shorter, walkthrough style practice on Friday afternoon.