FSU Holds First Scrimmage

Florida State returned to two-a-day practices on Thursday. The team had a morning kicking scrimmage and then conducted the first full scrimmage of the season in Doak Campbell Stadium for two hours. Notes, stats, scrimmage highlights and quotes are all available below. The team returns to the field for one practice Friday at 4:00 p.m.

Friday morning's kicking scrimmage began with some position work before the team spent about an hour and a half working on all aspects of the kicking game.
Preston Parker, Michael Ray Garvin, Russell Ball and Damon McDaniel all spent time returning kick-offs as Gary Cismesia and Graham Gano worked from the 30-yard line as per the change in NCAA rules.

In punt/punt block Ball and Parker worked as the returners. There were no punts blocked.

In field goal Gary Cismesia hit field goals from 42 yards on two occasions. He hit the uprights on a 35-yard attempt and missed a 42-yarder. Gano, who punted very well Thursday, was good on two attempts from 26 yards and one from 37 yards. He hit the uprights on a 36-yard attempt.

Thursday's scrimmage couldn't have gotten off to a better start for the Jimbo Fisher coached offense. The second group, led by Xavier Lee, moved from the 25 yard line into the endzone thanks to a couple catches by Greg Carr including a 63-yard bomb. Despite plenty of complaints from the defensive side that Carr pushed off to gain separation from Tony Carter, the TD stood.

The first team offense with QB Drew Weatherford took a different approach but ended in the same place. Running back Antone Smith started things with a nice run after the catch on a screen. De'Cody Fagg then caught a pass across the middle and turned it into a 31-yard gain. Preston Parker took another short pass and broke it for a huge gainer as he picked up another 20 yards. Marcus Sims finished the drive scoring a short TD despite the fact the defense had 12 men on the field.

After the first two series the defense started to respond. Defensive end Everette Brown recorded a sack versus Lee and linebacker Dekoda Watson, who had a great scrimmage, tackled Russell Ball behind the line. Ball responded with two nice plays. On the first, he slid between two defenders that converged on him to make a tackle. On the second, he had a big gainer off a screen pass but the offense was unable to produce points.

Head Coach Bobby Bowden:
Opening statement
"The offense was good for a quarter and then we began to get sloppy. The defense had a terrible first and second series and then they began to get better and got better and got better. Goal line they about split up half and half. Offense won half the battles defense won the other half the battles. It's not bad for a first full scrimmage, you know. You see so many mistakes. You look at those films and you'll see errors they're making. Of course our success will come if we correct the errors. The two quarterbacks, that's the big thing, correct those errors."

On the quarterback's decision making:
The thing I talked to them before we went out there was no turnovers, no turnovers, no turners. So they didn't have any interceptions, that's what we're looking for. The first thing a quarterback has got to do is not get you beat. Don't get you beat. If they can do well, that's good. So that's a good starting point as far as that's concerned.