It’s been an undertone of the first week of practice, but Florida State’s coaching staff has felt like there has been some catching up to do. Injuries and a reduced amount of practices and scrimmages due to an on-campus tragedy in the spring have put Florida State behind the eight ball.

And while head coach Mike Norvell feels good about where they are through the first week or so of practices, the sentiment seems to be that there is urgency to make up for lost time.

The Seminoles were missing many key starters towards the latter stages of spring. Tuesday’s scrimmage was a milestone for a team that got its starting 11 together for the first time and the team got to run just around 110 plays over the course of the evening.

“It was the first time really that our 11 guys were out there together because we were missing so many in the spring,” offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn summarized in his opening statement on Wednesday. “The first half was pretty basic with what they did defensively so we could really evaluate our guys. I thought it was really good.

“With the second half, it was everybody playing football. From a big-picture standpoint, it was good for us from an evaluation standpoint just to see what guys could do, who is ready and who needs work. Just putting the pieces of the puzzle together.”

Malzahn mentioned that they have a group of players coming out of Tuesday’s scrimmage that they feel are ready to play right now and the next four or five practices (including the next scrimmage) hopefully increases the amount of guys that they consider “ready to play.”

Wide receiver corps flashing, but more need to come along:

The wide receivers have been a frequent talking point through six practices as a unit that needs to see an uptick in production. Various receivers have earned praise from Norvell and, while Malzahn did offer some praise as well, he did express that he wanted to see more receivers come along as the room lacks experience overall.

“We don’t have a lot of experience if you really look at the group as far as starting experience and playing experience. It’s not a lot. We still need to bring guys along so we have more numbers and depth with guys that are ready to play,” Malzahn said.

Duce Robinson had a long catch on a 50/50 ball (seen below) that was a highlight of the scrimmage. Micahi Danzy was mentioned as he turned a short pass on a swing route into a chunk gain. BJ Gibson stayed with a tipped pass in the end zone for a touchdown. Jayvan Boggs is someone that Malzahn described as “playing at an elite level for a true freshman.”

“He did it last spring, too,” Malzahn said on Robinson. “He is one of those 50/50 guys that are probably more like 70/30 since he has been here. We just need more guys to come along with him.”

Tommy Castellanos growing in offense, Kevin Sperry still impressing:

Having had prior experience in Malzahn’s offense, a lot is expected of quarterback Tommy Castellanos. The feedback from the coaching staff is continuing to be positive. Castellanos and the offense got off to a quick start on Tuesday night, hitting multiple deep shots down the field. Castellanos also evaded pressure effectively with his legs, much to the chagrin of defensive coordinator Tony White — who lamented missed sack opportunities from the defensive perspective.

“Offensively, we started really fast,” Norvell said following Tuesday’s scrimmage. “We had a couple of big plays. I thought Tommy played really well tonight. There are some things that we’ll be able to go back and clean up but I thought he did a great job. He had a couple of vertical shots that we were able to connect on … There were times that Tommy was able to extend plays using his legs as well.”

“Everything has to play through the quarterback. Coach Malzahn has done a great job of that throughout his career and he has done a great job in terms of being able to establish a foundation right now. We want to see it all and we will throw a lot at him and see things that — even preliminarily — might not be great. But as he is able to grow and work through things, you see someone that is pouring a lot of time in … I have been pleased with his work ethic and his demeanor. The good plays and the bad plays when they show up and how he is owning his own actions and decisions.”

Brock Glenn did not participate in the scrimmage on Tuesday, as it was Norvell’s decision to hold him back as he has been limited early in fall camp. Therefore most of the backup reps when to transfer Jaylen King and true freshman Kevin Sperry, who continues to be notable early.

“The thing that I have liked so far is that if you correct him (Sperry) on something, he won’t be making the same mistake a second time,” Malzahn said. “He is very conscious about it, it’s very important to him and that has stood out to me so far.”

Fierce competition at running back

Running back was a particular position that Norvell was eager to see their performance on Tuesday night and he came away pleased. Gavin Sawchuk was credited with a couple of good runs. Kam Davis is someone that has taken “great strides” and had some good runs as well. Norvell is excited about what Roydell Williams can bring to the room after the first six practices.

But Ousmane Kromah continues to be a popular talking point as someone that could push for early playing time. The true freshman had a rep where he took on a block in pass protection and the result visibly made Norvell smile.

“I haven’t seen many freshmen running backs that will stick their face in there like he did. It was violent. It’s exciting,” Norvell said. “He is a superb talent with the ball in his hands and the things that he can do, but seeing him without the ball in his hands is something that gets you excited for what the future can be.

“We have great competition there. There was no negative light that I saw tonight where I was like, ‘oh man’. I thought guys took advantage of their time. We are going to have a lot of competition because it’s going to come down to production. At the end of the day, we are going to have a group of guys that can make a big impact for us.”

Offensive line focusing on communication during first live action together

More so than other positions this past spring, the offensive line saw some setbacks due to injuries. And while the offensive line is starting to stack some good days, the praise was cautiously optimistic for the unit when speaking to Norvell on Tuesday and Malzahn on Wednesday.

Norvell said that he saw some good plays but also some times where pressure got through. There were other times that the unit was able to make space in the running game but the coaches did not get more specific than that. While the offensive line has the potential to be a markedly improved group, the sense is that it’s taking some time to come together.

“It takes time for an offensive line to gel with the communication and everything,” Malzahn said. “The five guys that were out there first have a lot of experience which I think is really good but working together, seeing the different looks, the ID, the double-team technique and everything comes with that — because a lot of guys came from different programs and coached different ways — it’s making sure that everything is cleaned up. It’s about the execution and that is what I’m focused on.”

That is not to say the line performed poorly, and it’s evident that the offense was able to produce explosive plays and have a fast start, but the unit was passed over in terms of having a strong opinion on their performance.

“I thought it was a solid first scrimmage for where they are, especially with all of them just now coming to play together for the first time,” Norvell summarized.

Notes: Tony White sees pressure but not sacks, notes penalties were an issue

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