Florida State quarterbacks, receivers putting in extra work to fix the passing game
By: Curt Weller - The Osceola
You could certainly say that Florida State's first bye week of the 2024 season was pretty well-timed.
After an 0-2 start, not having a game last weekend allowed the Seminoles to spend a bit of time returning to fundamentals and working on the multiple issues that have shown up on both sides of the ball before the coaches hit the recruiting trail over the weekend.
But even when the coaches had left town, the pursuit of improvement didn't stop for quite a few members of the FSU football team. Namely, head coach Mike Norvell said Wednesday that the FSU quarterbacks and wide receivers have been holding meetings without the coaches to hammer down what has kept the passing game from clicking through two games this season.
(Photo: Kathy Hitchcock)
"I know the quarterbacks and receivers, they've been meeting a lot on their own, which is something that I love that they're doing," Norvell said. "Making sure that those guys are all tied together in where and what we're supposed to be doing and then obviously, we've got to go out there and execute it."
The issues on the FSU offense have extended far beyond just new quarterback DJ Uiagalelei's struggles. The run game hasn't yet found much success, averaging just 2.53 yards per carry with 119 rushing yards through two games. The offensive line has certainly played a role in that, struggling to find as much success as it had previously with a more mobile quarterback in Jordan Travis.
Even the passing targets have struggled to make the most of their opportunities, dropping a combined seven passes in the 28-13 loss to Boston College, including three by starting tight end Kyle Morlock and two by veteran running back Lawrance Toafili. Quite a few of those drops killed FSU drives in big spots on third downs.
And yet, Uiagalelei has gotten much of the brunt of the criticism from the FSU fan base. During an underwhelming first-half performance vs. BC where he completed just 8 of 21 passes (38.1%) for 108 yards and led the Seminoles to three total first downs, boos and chants calling for his backup, redshirt freshman Brock Glenn, to replace him rained down on the quarterback like daggers in his home debut as a Seminole.
Norvell didn't deny that Uiagalelei made mistakes in the loss in his FSU debut when he talked at his press conference this past Monday. And yet, he made a point of saying that Uiagalelei was far from the only thing going wrong on the offensive side of the ball.
"I'm not going to get into specifics, but there have been issues. I say issues, it's not pointing to one person, to one group. I think that we have to be more consistent overall as an offense," Norvell said. "There's been times where obviously he's been on point or maybe we're a couple yards too deep on a route depth or maybe there's a protection issue. There are different elements. I mentioned during a game there's been a few missed throws he's had, whether that was due to a drop or a progression. I think those are all opportunities for us to get better. It's definitely not been all on him.
"I've really liked his mindset and his approach. He's got a lot of experience and he understands how to play the game. He understands how to respond to good and obviously to responding to some of the challenges that showed up. I think he's brought the right attitude and approach to what we need and to what we need to continue to do as this offense is growing together. We all have to be better — myself, all positions. That's part of us continuing to forge the identity of who we are and just the consistency of our execution."
Players like offensive tackle Darius Washington, who have been a part of the program and remember the days where FSU fans booed Travis during the Seminoles' season-opening loss to Notre Dame in 2021, has tried to encourage the quarterback through his early struggles at FSU.
"You just try to uplift him and tell him to block out the noise. Because we've seen it before. We've been through this type of situation before with Jordan Travis, the quarterback situation where people doing that (booing) in the stands," Washington said. "It's nothing that we haven't seen before so it's just how do we react to it, how do we come back from what is going on. Just try to keep him up and try to tell him, 'These first two games, new school, you've got it bro. It's cool.' "
In his first two games at FSU, Uiagalelei has completed 58% of his passes for 465 yards with just one passing touchdown to go along with one interception. He's been a better player on the practice field, but that hasn't yet translated into games early in his FSU tenure.
"What I look for are their eyes, their feet, obviously the delivery of the ball and locations. When it comes to the passing game, there are a lot of factors that go into it. It's protection, it's routes, it's separation, it's finishing plays when you get the opportunity and the ball is put on you," Norvell said of what he looks for in the passing game. "And then obviously quarterbacks locating the ball where we need it to be or knowing where to miss. Because sometimes there is a good miss. It's just making sure that we're owning the football, maximizing our possessions and then being able to cut it loose, trusting our eyes to be able to deliver the ball."
Entering Saturday's home game vs. Memphis, many fans are still calling for a change at quarterback. To begin the week, it doesn't appear that will be the case as Uiagalelei remains the starter on the depth chart.
Norvell has liked what he's seen from the signal-callers over the bye week and remains optimistic it will translate into the Memphis game. We saw some improvement this week out at practice. But it's fair if fans want to see that for themselves when it counts before believing it.
"I see that group growing," Norvell said of the QBs. "I like what I'm seeing from their eyes and it's about transitioning that not only from the meeting room to practice but then obviously it's got to show up on gameday."
By: Curt Weller - The Osceola
You could certainly say that Florida State's first bye week of the 2024 season was pretty well-timed.
After an 0-2 start, not having a game last weekend allowed the Seminoles to spend a bit of time returning to fundamentals and working on the multiple issues that have shown up on both sides of the ball before the coaches hit the recruiting trail over the weekend.
But even when the coaches had left town, the pursuit of improvement didn't stop for quite a few members of the FSU football team. Namely, head coach Mike Norvell said Wednesday that the FSU quarterbacks and wide receivers have been holding meetings without the coaches to hammer down what has kept the passing game from clicking through two games this season.
(Photo: Kathy Hitchcock)
"I know the quarterbacks and receivers, they've been meeting a lot on their own, which is something that I love that they're doing," Norvell said. "Making sure that those guys are all tied together in where and what we're supposed to be doing and then obviously, we've got to go out there and execute it."
The issues on the FSU offense have extended far beyond just new quarterback DJ Uiagalelei's struggles. The run game hasn't yet found much success, averaging just 2.53 yards per carry with 119 rushing yards through two games. The offensive line has certainly played a role in that, struggling to find as much success as it had previously with a more mobile quarterback in Jordan Travis.
Even the passing targets have struggled to make the most of their opportunities, dropping a combined seven passes in the 28-13 loss to Boston College, including three by starting tight end Kyle Morlock and two by veteran running back Lawrance Toafili. Quite a few of those drops killed FSU drives in big spots on third downs.
And yet, Uiagalelei has gotten much of the brunt of the criticism from the FSU fan base. During an underwhelming first-half performance vs. BC where he completed just 8 of 21 passes (38.1%) for 108 yards and led the Seminoles to three total first downs, boos and chants calling for his backup, redshirt freshman Brock Glenn, to replace him rained down on the quarterback like daggers in his home debut as a Seminole.
Norvell didn't deny that Uiagalelei made mistakes in the loss in his FSU debut when he talked at his press conference this past Monday. And yet, he made a point of saying that Uiagalelei was far from the only thing going wrong on the offensive side of the ball.
"I'm not going to get into specifics, but there have been issues. I say issues, it's not pointing to one person, to one group. I think that we have to be more consistent overall as an offense," Norvell said. "There's been times where obviously he's been on point or maybe we're a couple yards too deep on a route depth or maybe there's a protection issue. There are different elements. I mentioned during a game there's been a few missed throws he's had, whether that was due to a drop or a progression. I think those are all opportunities for us to get better. It's definitely not been all on him.
"I've really liked his mindset and his approach. He's got a lot of experience and he understands how to play the game. He understands how to respond to good and obviously to responding to some of the challenges that showed up. I think he's brought the right attitude and approach to what we need and to what we need to continue to do as this offense is growing together. We all have to be better — myself, all positions. That's part of us continuing to forge the identity of who we are and just the consistency of our execution."
Players like offensive tackle Darius Washington, who have been a part of the program and remember the days where FSU fans booed Travis during the Seminoles' season-opening loss to Notre Dame in 2021, has tried to encourage the quarterback through his early struggles at FSU.
"You just try to uplift him and tell him to block out the noise. Because we've seen it before. We've been through this type of situation before with Jordan Travis, the quarterback situation where people doing that (booing) in the stands," Washington said. "It's nothing that we haven't seen before so it's just how do we react to it, how do we come back from what is going on. Just try to keep him up and try to tell him, 'These first two games, new school, you've got it bro. It's cool.' "
In his first two games at FSU, Uiagalelei has completed 58% of his passes for 465 yards with just one passing touchdown to go along with one interception. He's been a better player on the practice field, but that hasn't yet translated into games early in his FSU tenure.
"What I look for are their eyes, their feet, obviously the delivery of the ball and locations. When it comes to the passing game, there are a lot of factors that go into it. It's protection, it's routes, it's separation, it's finishing plays when you get the opportunity and the ball is put on you," Norvell said of what he looks for in the passing game. "And then obviously quarterbacks locating the ball where we need it to be or knowing where to miss. Because sometimes there is a good miss. It's just making sure that we're owning the football, maximizing our possessions and then being able to cut it loose, trusting our eyes to be able to deliver the ball."
Entering Saturday's home game vs. Memphis, many fans are still calling for a change at quarterback. To begin the week, it doesn't appear that will be the case as Uiagalelei remains the starter on the depth chart.
Norvell has liked what he's seen from the signal-callers over the bye week and remains optimistic it will translate into the Memphis game. We saw some improvement this week out at practice. But it's fair if fans want to see that for themselves when it counts before believing it.
"I see that group growing," Norvell said of the QBs. "I like what I'm seeing from their eyes and it's about transitioning that not only from the meeting room to practice but then obviously it's got to show up on gameday."
