FSU football's offense stumbles, defense shines | 5 things to know from fall camp day 12

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FSU football's offense stumbles, defense shines | 5 things to know from fall camp day 12

Liam Rooney, Tallahassee Democrat · Tallahassee Democrat

Mon, Aug 12, 2024 ·

6 min read

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The focus for Florida State football has shifted to Georgia Tech as kickoff in Dublin, Ireland is less than two weeks away.

Returning from Jacksonville and starting gameplan preparations for the Yellow Jackets at the Albert J. Dunlap center, the Seminoles' offenses stalled while the defense stole the show , and a lot of the ball, during practice Monday morning.

The Seminoles practiced in front of NFL scouts from the Houston Texans , Tennessee Titans and Denver Broncos .

Here are five things to know from FSU's 13th fall practice.

Defensive back Kevin Knowles continues to have strong performances

Senior defensive back Kevin Knowles continued his strong run of practices, grabbing two interceptions and jarring a ball loose in coverage drills. Knowles has had three interceptions and multiple pass breakups in the last two practices.

FSU head coach Mike Norvell singled out Knowles as one player who had impressed him after the first scrimmage of the fall , and Knowles has continued to impress since.

He was an ever-present force in coverage, sticking with receivers well and not allowing the quarterbacks to get into any rhythm.

During 7-on-7 work, Knowles stuck with wide receiver Ja'Khi Douglas and forced the ball loose in the air, popping it up and securing it for an interception. His performance drew praise from both Norvell and defensive coordinator Adam Fuller.

"I think that Kevin is somebody that has executed at a high level lately," Fuller said. "He's gotten his hand on a lot of footballs."

During practice in Jacksonville, Knowles was one of the stronger defensive backs and has continued to show high confidence both in practice drills and in live team action.

A less than inspiring day from the Seminoles' offense

On Saturday, FSU's offense got out of the gates quickly against the defense in the Seminoles' closed scrimmage, but during Monday's practice, the offense stumbled out of the starting blocks.

During the first team 11 vs. 11 action of the day, quarterback DJ Uiagalelei threw an early interception to Knowles as the defense set the tone for the day early on. Quarterback Brock Glenn had a couple of throws you would typically expect him to make either fall short or get deflected.

Miscommunication on routes, overthrows and drops were too common during both practice drills and live team action early in practice.

Norvell challenged his receivers mid-practice after a bad run of reps and Malik Benson took the challenge head-on. He made some impressive catches, including a deep one up the middle from Uiagalelei in team action and finished the day well after a slow start.

There were some good moments from Uiagalelei, Glenn and Luke Kromenhoek, with Uiagalelei flashing sharp and quick decision-making.

The offense finished the day with some nice work in team action, including some nice plays from wide receiver Deuce Spann, who made some impressive catches.

There have been flashes of what could be a dynamic wide receiver room and overall offense, but the search for consistency remains.

Young pass catchers, running backs a bright spot

The running backs and offensive line have remained consistent, with Roydell Williams having a nice practice Monday. He got free for a couple of long runs in team activities and had good pass blocking.

While it wasn't the day the offense wanted, there were some good showings from wide receiver Jalen Brown , tight end Amaree Williams and running back Kam Davis .

Davis has been on a strong run of form, having a good week of practice last week and continuing that momentum into Monday. He made some nice runs in team action, showcasing his quick feet and speed that pair with his impressive strength.

Davis is making some noise in a talented runningback room, which has arguably been the most consistent and best group on the Seminoles' offense this fall.

The Seminoles will be looking for more consistency from the offense as kickoff against Georgia Tech nears, looking for more performances like that of Saturday night's scrimmage.

Seminoles' defense remains sharp, continue to make plays on the ball

Florida State football players participate in fall practice at the Albert J. Dunlap on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024.

While Knowles led the way in regard to turnovers, the Seminoles' defense came up with a couple of turnovers Monday.

Redshirt freshman Edwin Joseph grabbed an interception in live team action and in coverage drills, a few Seminoles defenders showed good hands to punch or rip the football loose and cause what would have been a fumble in live action.

FSU's defense as a whole seems to be rounding out, with the defensive backs continuing to stake a claim for being the best position group on the team. The defensive line is also in that conversation, with Darrell Jackson coming up with some nice moments Monday.

During 11 vs. 11 scrimmages, Jackson was causing issues for the offensive line, who had a very strong day overall, and he even got his hand on a pass from Uiagalelei. The deflected pass nearly ended up in the hands of Azareye'h Thomas, who just couldn't cleanly secure the football for the interception, and the play drew an excited reaction out of Fuller, despite the dropped turnover.

Thomas and Earl Little Jr. had a strong practice. Thomas and Fentrell Cypress continue to be a star duo in the defensive backfield.

While the offensive line was sharp, coverage from the defensive backs and linebackers forced the linemen to block longer than normal, allowing the defensive front to crash on the quarterbacks on a few occasions.

Andre' Otto continues strong showings, offensive line remains strong

While forced to do a lot of work in blocking against a confident Seminoles defensive front, the offensive line showed why it's considered to be one of the top in the nation.

Redshirt freshman Andre' Otto continues to impress, working in multiple roles across the line including left guard and center. His versatility and strength allowed him to win and compete in a lot of reps Monday morning, with the 6-foot-5 Otto showing quick feet to hold off rushing players.

Darius Washington and Richie Leonard both had strong showings in pass protection and in live-action team drills.

In one pass protection drill, Leonard pancaked a rushing defensive lineman, followed by an impressive win in his next rep, digging his feet into the ground and forcing the rusher back to the line of scrimmage.

Washington showed off his strength on a couple of reps, pushing defensive linemen back and winning nearly every rep he had in pass protection drills.

FSU football schedule 2024

Week 0: vs. Georgia Tech, noon Saturday, August 24 in Dublin, Ireland
Week 1: vs. Boston College , 7:30 p.m. Monday, September 2
Week 2: Open
Week 3: vs. Memphis, noon Saturday, September 14
Week 4: vs. California , Saturday, September 21
Week 5: at SMU, Saturday, September 28
Week 6: vs. Clemson, Saturday, October 5
Week 7: Open
Week 8: at Duke , 7 p.m. Friday, October 18
Week 9: at Miami, Saturday, October 26
Week 10: vs. North Carolina , Saturday, November 2
Week 11: at Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, November 9
Week 12: Open
Week 13: vs. Charleston Southern, Saturday, November 23
Week 14: vs. Florida, Saturday, November 30

Liam Rooney covers preps sports 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 Kevin Knowles leads defense, offense struggles

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