Here is how Florida State's offense looks 2 weeks out from its season opener against LSU

The countdown to kickoff ticks a few days closer as Florida State football is now only two weeks out from its season opener against LSU on September 3 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

Sunday, the Seminoles hosted their second closed scrimmage of fall camp, highlighted by the depth on offense and competition for starting positions.

While head coach Mike Norvell and staff emphasized that there is still much to work on before the season opener, the offense had a strong showing out of the gate.

Here is how FSU thought of its offensive effort during its second scrimmage. Norvelland his coordinators spoke to the local media following the scrimmage via a Zoom Conference video call.

Offensive line depth showing up big time

When it comes to depth on FSU's roster as a whole, its defensive backs and defensive line are highlighted as some of the best in the country.

However, as of late, FSU's coaches have talked about how deep the offensive lineman room has been this year.

Norvell went as far as saying that there are more than five starters on this roster.

Norvell says he "loves what he's seeing" from Jeremiah Byers, Robert Scott, Bless Harris, Darius Washington and Dmitri Emmanuel. Maurice Smith and Casey Roddick didn't get too much work in, but Norvell said the pair looked really good.

"I think we have eight guys that have put themselves in a position that we can go win with and you know, there's still some moving pieces," Norvell said. "There are still some things that that we're gonna look at.

"I feel like there are a couple of guys below that can play themselves up into expanding that group. Especially early on today, I thought that group was really good."

Offensive coordinator Alex Atkins said he isn't moving guys around too much in order to develop confidence in their specific positions on the line. It hasn't just been the consistency and confidence of the field, Atkins said that the group has built a strong relationship together, from the veterans to the newcomers.

"We have a bunch of guys that have played a lot of reps. I am spoiled in that fact, I've had the same guys for a while," Atkins said. "But those new guys, I'm starting to see them take on that where they're building the relationship in that room, that continuity. "

"I give those guys a salute for that because the closeness of the room is starting to show with less communication."

Travis operating at 'a high level, still looking for a backup QB

Quarterback Jordan Travis had another consistent performance, with Atkins saying "Jordan was Jordan". The redshirt senior has locked in the starting job and continues to "operate at a high level".

There's stability at the starting position, but still, a gap when it comes to who is next in line if Travis isn't available.

Norvell elaborated on the backup competition between Tate Rodemaker, Brock Glenn and AJ Duffy. While Glenn is a true freshman, Rodemaker and Duffy saw limited snaps last season.

Rodemaker had 18 completions on 31 attempts, for 254 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Duffy completed two of seven pass attempts for 26 yards and one touchdown in 2022.

Norvell said that the trio of players had their moments on Sunday.

"I think Tate has had a really good fall camp. You see AJ, Brock. Brock is progressing at a very high level and I really like the consistency of what he’s shown but he had a couple of plays today that he's [Glenn] got to learn from." Norvell said. "That’s part of being a true freshman but ultimately, for where we are right now, nobody’s gonna stop a game just because a true freshman is put themselves in a position to step on the field. We all have to push."

"I think Tate, his overall understanding of the offense and what we want to do, we’ve seen it live in action. But all those guys are continuing to compete and today’s film will be a great evaluation, but we grade everything."

Emphasizing development amongst the quarterbacks in competition for the backup position, Norvell said that he believes Travis is one of the best quarterbacks in the country and that the players in the room with him can win with him.

Fitzgerald, Keltner deadlocked in battle for starting kicker

The competition between Ryan Fitzgerald and Tyler Keltner for the starting kicking position continues to roll on as the pair were perfect in Sunday's scrimmage. Kelterner was 2-2 and Fitzgerald was 1-1 in field goals and FSU as a whole made all of its PATs.

"I think in terms of kickers, I think both guys have had a really good camp," Norvell said. "I think here in the next week or so, obviously we're going to have to make some tough decisions. But both guys have competed well, there's been pretty consistent performances from both kickers and that's a good thing to have that kind of competition in camp makes everybody better and it also obviously creates depth for your roster moving forward."

When it comes to who's going to be kicking in two weeks, special teams coordinator John Papuchis said that they have not gotten that far yet, but Fitzgerald and Keltner both understand the process of selecting the starting kicker.

"I think both guys know that you got to be ready when your number is called, regardless of the situation," Papuchis said. "They compete well together. I think there's a good relationship and a good bond there. I feel like the competition, although I know both of them want to win the job, I think they also are going to be supportive teammates."

Focus shifts toward LSU

The preseason is slowly coming to a close as the Seminoles are a week out from the start of classes and two weeks out from their game against LSU.

According to multiple betting sites, the Tigers are a 2.5 to three-point favorite to beat the Seminoles.

In both the AP Poll and Coaches Poll, LSU was ranked above FSU at No. 5 whereas the Seminoles came in at No. 8. Norvell said that the team is getting ready to make that shift toward game prep against LSU and that he has confidence in the depth that the Seminoles are bringing to the field.

"Our guys have competed hard through 15 practices and we still have kind of a modified day that's going to show up on Wednesday as we continue to work on establishing what it’s gonna look like as we get into our LSU prep," Norvell said. "I think this film and just the way our guys competed is really going to help and put some guys in position to be able to help us and emerge in bigger roles."

GAME INFORMATION

Who: AP No. 8 FSU (0-0) vs. No. 5 LSU (0-0)

When/where: Sunday, Sept. 3, 7:30 p.m.; Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Fla.

TV/Radio: ABC/94.9 FM

Live game updates: www.Tallahassee.com; @JackGWilliams on Twitter; @Ehsan_Kassim on Twitter; @JimHenryTALLY on Twitter

Jack Williams covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at jwilliams@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @jackgwilliams.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida State offense flexing its depth in 2nd team scrimmage