After a day where the defense mostly dominated, the offense found life, especially in the middle and late portions of practice. The highlights were a trio of catches from Hykeem Williams, Ja’Khi Douglas, and Lawayne McCoy along with a one-handed interception by Conrad Hussey. It felt like a productive practice from an execution and energy standpoint for the Seminoles.

Nole Gameday was in attendance for the entire session and we jotted down some observations from multiple position groups. The Seminoles won’t hold another open practice before taking on SMU on Saturday night.

— Ryan Fitzgerald connected from 51 yards out to conclude a successful two-minute drill.

OFFENSE:

— It wasn’t a great start for DJ Uiagalelei but once again he started to find his footing as the day went on. Uiagalelei connected on deep shots to Deuce Spann and Malik Benson in 1-on-1’s as well as a touchdown throw to Lawrance Toafili on an accurate pass. He hit four straight throws in 7-on-7, including a long pass to Micahi Danzy down the sideline and a connection in the middle of the field with Landen Thomas. There are still decisions you want to see Uiagalelei make a little faster but this was one of his better days as of late.

— Brock Glenn guided the offense on a successful two-minute drive, working the unit into field goal range with a pass to Jalen Brown that led the receiver out of bounds with three seconds left. Glenn connected on touchdown throws to Amaree Williams and Landen Thomas. His accuracy was up and down in practice this week.

— Luke Kromenhoek found BJ Gibson in the end zone for a touchdown in 1-on-1’s.

— Hykeem Williams walked away with the catch of the day, mossing a defender in the back of the end zone with an insane vertical grab. Williams extended fully into the air and somehow came down with the ball as the offense came running in to celebrate. One assistant just shouted, “Oh my God” over and over again. I would imagine that one will make its way to social media.

— Ja’Khi Douglas followed that up with a vertical catch of his own in team drills, leaping higher than I thought possible for a grab over Ja’Bril Rawls. I had my hands out ready to catch the pass on the sideline but Ja’Khi stole it from me.

— And then there’s more. True freshman Lawayne McCoy put forth an outstanding catch in 7-on-7. He extended on the sideline and made the catch while keeping a foot in bounds, leading to another celebration for the offense.

— Deuce Spann didn’t quite make the highlight reel catch list on Wednesday but he did have a nice grab. Working down the sideline, Spann had a pass bobble off his hands and quickly flutter into the air before he secured it for a big play.

— Micahi Danzy had a couple of explosives after getting open down the sideline. On one of the catches, Danzy made a terrific adjustment, spinning back toward the ball to finish the play as he ran by Omarion Cooper. His speed flashed in a big way.

— It was a productive practice for true freshman wide receiver Elijah Moore. I felt like he consistently popped up throughout the day.

DEFENSE:

— Conrad Hussey had the play of the day for the defense with an incredible one-handed interception in 1-on-1’s. His energy has been evident in practice over the last week and Hussey is bringing a lot of intensity to the table right now.

— Azareye’h Thomas was all over the place. He had a deflection on fourth down to win a two-minute drill for the defense, another deflection in the end zone in team drills, and nearly came away with a pick in 7-on-7.

— Ja’Bril Rawls nearly picked off a pass in the end zone that hit him right in the hands.

— Edwin Joseph and Fentrell Cypress II both deflected passes in the end zone.

— True freshmen Charles Lester III and Ricky Knight III both showed up with pass deflections. The duo of first-year players are trending in the right direction.

— Walk-on linebacker AJ Cottrill brought down Kam Davis for a tackle for loss.