Florida State began Clemson week (or as I have started calling it, prep for the Billable Hours Bowl) Tuesday morning out on the practice field.
With head coach Mike Norvell confirming after the practice that DJ Uiagalelei will miss Saturday's game due to injury and will be evaluated over the next few weeks, that left plenty of opportunities for new starter Brock Glenn and new backup Luke Kromenhoek to get reps during Tuesday's practice.
I didn't think either of them started particularly well but they grew into the practice at least a bit. Glenn had a great 1-on-1 ball down the sideline to Malik Benson that he appeared to catch with a full-extension grab before the ball was knocked out. Still a great throw, though. He also made more plays in the final few periods, hitting a nice pass downfield to Kentron Poitier on a read-option keeper that fooled the defense and made a few nice throws on the run in 7-on-7 pass-skelly work, creating yard-after-catch opportunities for his wide receivers.
I thought Kromenhoek was really quite good during that pass-skelly 7-on-7 segment. He strung together a number of great plays including a deep shot to BJ Gibson (who had a great day with an incredible 1-on-1 catch while falling down as well), a pass over the middle to Brian Courtney in a tight window and a dime of a wheel-route pass to running back Micahi Danzy. Kromenhoek also uncorked a great deep ball in 1-on-1s that found an open Darion Williamson, who had burned by his defender, in stride.
Although he wasn't practicing, I thought Uiagalelei looked quite engaged talking with his fellow quarterbacks and offensive players during Tuesday's practice. That hasn't been something we have seen a ton from him at FSU, but he seems to be embracing his current role while he recovers.
On the first play of the first team period in the red zone, Lawrance Toafili broke a 12-yard touchdown run. On the second play, the defense made a good play for an interception as Ashlynd Barker was in tight coverage and knocked the ball into the air for AJ Cottrill to pick it off.
On top of his good day in coverage, Azareye'h Thomas also made an impact on a few days as a blitzer from the cornerback spot. Marvin Jones Jr. made his presence felt on a few plays as a rusher and defensive tackle KJ Sampson made the most of being in the right spot at the right time, picking up a fumble at the line of scrimmage and returning it for a "touchdown."
We'll be back out at practice Wednesday morning for the final practice availability before Saturday night's game.
With head coach Mike Norvell confirming after the practice that DJ Uiagalelei will miss Saturday's game due to injury and will be evaluated over the next few weeks, that left plenty of opportunities for new starter Brock Glenn and new backup Luke Kromenhoek to get reps during Tuesday's practice.
I didn't think either of them started particularly well but they grew into the practice at least a bit. Glenn had a great 1-on-1 ball down the sideline to Malik Benson that he appeared to catch with a full-extension grab before the ball was knocked out. Still a great throw, though. He also made more plays in the final few periods, hitting a nice pass downfield to Kentron Poitier on a read-option keeper that fooled the defense and made a few nice throws on the run in 7-on-7 pass-skelly work, creating yard-after-catch opportunities for his wide receivers.
I thought Kromenhoek was really quite good during that pass-skelly 7-on-7 segment. He strung together a number of great plays including a deep shot to BJ Gibson (who had a great day with an incredible 1-on-1 catch while falling down as well), a pass over the middle to Brian Courtney in a tight window and a dime of a wheel-route pass to running back Micahi Danzy. Kromenhoek also uncorked a great deep ball in 1-on-1s that found an open Darion Williamson, who had burned by his defender, in stride.
Although he wasn't practicing, I thought Uiagalelei looked quite engaged talking with his fellow quarterbacks and offensive players during Tuesday's practice. That hasn't been something we have seen a ton from him at FSU, but he seems to be embracing his current role while he recovers.
On the first play of the first team period in the red zone, Lawrance Toafili broke a 12-yard touchdown run. On the second play, the defense made a good play for an interception as Ashlynd Barker was in tight coverage and knocked the ball into the air for AJ Cottrill to pick it off.
On top of his good day in coverage, Azareye'h Thomas also made an impact on a few days as a blitzer from the cornerback spot. Marvin Jones Jr. made his presence felt on a few plays as a rusher and defensive tackle KJ Sampson made the most of being in the right spot at the right time, picking up a fumble at the line of scrimmage and returning it for a "touchdown."
We'll be back out at practice Wednesday morning for the final practice availability before Saturday night's game.
