Florida – of Seminole, Florida Looking forward to traveling to Jacksonville for a two-day trip with the UNF, I hit the practice field on Tuesday. I was in the house, but I wasn’t wearing any clothes. He wore the number 16, as indicated on his roster.
Halfway through practice, the team entered Doak Campbell Stadium for an intense series and red zone practice, as well as working on live kick returns. Returners weren’t really given a chance to go back due to low reps. They were fair catches and touchbacks. Defensive back Jammy Robinson made a great play dropping and “pinning deep” the ball around the 5-yard line.
*Doak Campbell’s new press boxes and suites have a sophisticated façade. It looks like it’s about half done.
hole in run game
One funny thing I noticed during practice was that behind Lawrence Toafili the linebacker came out and drove to the first down marker before waking up on the ground. The linebacker wasn’t bad at all today, it was just one play. We talk a lot about other running backs, but Toafili has his purpose in this offense.
The middle of the line seemed more open today, allowing backs like Rodney Hill, Trey Benson and even wide receiver Jaqui Douglas to hole up. When Hill finds where he wants to go, you can see the explosive speed he can generate.
Receiver and tight end develop chemistry with Rodemaker
At 7-7, the offense could take just about anything. Rodemaker is starting to look pretty in the paths, but it can get bogged down and inconsistent at times. But his errant throws are becoming less and less of a regular occurrence. He showed good ball placement through defensive back Sam McCall attempting a pass down to stride Micah Pittman for a big gain.
Wide receiver Johnny Wilson had another good practice, using his size on multiple defenders. He was able to catch a touchdown over the head of defensive back Jarion Jones without even appearing to leave the ground. I was able to get up and get it while Sydney Williams at the back was closing in quickly. Williams’ hit was heard across the practice field, but Wilson managed to hold on.
Quarterback AJ Duffy had a nice touch on some passes inside the stadium today. A quick rollout and read allowed him to connect with flat and wide receiver Ken Trompoitier on a good pass.
Of the several red zone drills they did, tight end Jackson West was able to score two, and nearly a third of the time the ball just went out of bounds in the end zone. West is steadily emerging as someone with reliable hands. Deuce Span was also able to get into the end zone.
defense is advantageous
Everything was non-aggressive today. Defensive back Jammy Robinson was a major factor in the second breakup pass, nearly picking both quarterbacks. On this day, Renaldo Green made an interception.
Edge Jared Verse quickly diagnosed the play unfolding in the backfield and quickly focused on his man to make the key tackle for the loss.
Defensive linemen Patrick Payton and Bishop Thomas both played pretty well, with Payton ending the day with a fumble recovery.
The defensive line was able to generate massive amounts of pressure and power imperfections, but the offense was still able to move.
The next practice is on Wednesday 10th August at the Dunlap practice facility, then ‘Noles will practice aboard the UNF before returning to another scrimmage this weekend.
