With two weeks of practice now behind them, the Florida State football team will take their intensity up as first-year head coach Jimbo Fisher holds his first pre-season scrimmage in Doak Campbell Stadium Saturday. The Seminoles went through their seventh practice of the spring and have been declared ready for their first scrimmage of the spring.

"Time to pull the pin," said Fisher. "They get to turn it loose, go out there and play at full speed and get to show some things they've learned. Hopefully they won't be too overanxious and be able to relax and play."

As Fisher and his coaching staff get to see their players in their first scrimmage of the season, the players themselves are approaching it as another day to practice and another day to get better on the football field.

"We are very excited (about tomorrow's scrimmage)," said wide receiver Jarmon Fortson. "But it's a work day so we have to get our minds focused and do what we have got to do."

Fortson's thoughts were echoed by running back Jermaine Thomas.

"The scrimmage tomorrow is going to be a big test for us to see how we do," said Thomas. "I want to work on my zone runs and just staying play side and on pass protection. Those are the two aspects that I am trying to work on."

Both Fortson and Thomas, who helped anchor the Seminoles' offense during the 2009 season, had glowing things to say about the Seminoles' quarterback Christian Ponder following Friday's practice which was watched by more than 125 of the top high school coaches in the southern United States.

"He's (Ponder) a Heisman candidate," said Fortson. "I'm just seeing him getting better and better. We have to make him better just like he has to make us better. He is a Heisman candidate and that's all you have to say about it. He's my quarterback and we are just trying to get that rhythm back with him.

Thomas said that he is very happy with how quickly Ponder has retuned from a shoulder injury that cut his 2009 season short.

"Christian is a captain and I expect him to come off of that recovery very quickly," said Thomas. "He's the leader of this team and we are happy to have him back. You love having him on the field and you know that when he is on the field everything is going to be alright."

Fisher, too, is ready to watch his first Seminole team in its first scrimmage.

"The way we are practicing right now we are getting pretty good feel for it too," said Fisher. "When they walk in the stadium and its gets live and you have to make plays it's always a question mark on certain things. It will give us a better indicator of where we are at and what we need to work on and where our strengths and were our weaknesses are."

From FSU SID press release.