‘As good as there is’ … Florida State defensive coaches confident after second scrimmage

After the Florida State football team’s first preseason scrimmage, tackling was at the forefront of Florida State defensive coordinator Adam Fuller’s mind.

He had just watched FSU tight end Jaheim Bell break five or six tackles on his way to a big gain, and there were other missed tackles as well. So improved physicality was a top priority for Fuller during each of the Seminoles’ practices last week, and those efforts appeared to pay off during Sunday’s second preseason scrimmage inside Doak Campbell Stadium.

“From last week, I wanted our physicality in practice to show up,” Fuller said. “I think in today’s day when you’re ‘thudding’ the football — where you’re trying to keep guys up during practice (and not tackle them to the ground to prevent injuries), which is how you have to practice — there’s a way to do that and still bring physicality. So I think throughout the week, we did a much better job.

“I thought we made lot of strides this past week in allowing our guys to practice hard and physical. But being smart at the same [time]. Today, I felt there were some really good open-field plays.”

It also likely helped that Fuller’s group had more of its best players available when going up against Florida State’s high-powered offense.

Defensive end Jared Verse and linebacker Tatum Bethune, who have been limited at times this preseason as FSU’s coaches practice “load management” with their most experienced players, were mentioned as disruptive forces on Sunday.

“We’ve got a chance to be as good as there is,” Fuller said, when asked about the potential of the Seminoles’ 2023 defense. “I think we’ve got a really strong nucleus of players. We’re constantly trying to build depth, because you know you’re going to need it. But I feel really confident about the group of guys that we have. We’re going to have to continue to work at it, and continue to execute on game days.

“But I don’t put any limits on what this group can accomplish, both defensively and as a team. We’ve got the right people. … I’ve got no questions about who we coach right now, and I’m excited to go to work and jump into this season with them.”

And it’s not just the veterans. When Fuller spoke about Florida State’s improved tackling, freshman safeties Conrad Hussey and Ashlynd Barker were praised for making open-field stops.

Another area where the defense showed improvement Sunday was with takeaways. Fuller’s group recorded two in Sunday’s scrimmage and nearly pounced on a couple others, one week after coming up empty in the first scrimmage.

One of those highlight plays this time was an interception by redshirt junior defensive back Greedy Vance.

“Greedy made a really good 1-on-1 play,” Fuller said. “Greedy did a really good job. … I thought we made a lot of strides during the week, too, to make sure we’re working at the football.”

The second takeaway from Sunday’s scrimmage came from the guys in the trenches. After what multiple coaches called his best week of practice last week, redshirt sophomore defensive end Byron Turner Jr. came up with a safety during a two-minute situation.

“Byron, I thought, had a really good scrimmage today,” FSU defensive ends coach John Papuchis said. “He did a lot of good things.”

Florida State’s defensive players also jarred at least a couple balls loose during the scrimmage, but didn’t recover the fumbles. Fuller said that was another point of emphasis this past week.

“The ball disruptions and attacking it, I thought we made a lot of strides this past week,” Fuller said.

Fuller, Papuchis and head coach Mike Norvell all offered praise for the defensive line as a group, saying the linemen affected the quarterbacks repeatedly.

Of course, it helped having Verse on the field more than he has been in some practices.

“In terms of the impact he makes, I think he’s an elite defensive lineman,” Papuchis said. “When he’s on the field, you definitely feel his presence. Having him out there today, you did feel his presence, and he did make an impact.”

Florida State’s players will take Monday off, participate in meetings Tuesday, and then start preliminary preparation for the LSU game on Wednesday.

Talk about this story with other die-hard FSU football fans on the Tribal Council.

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