Florida State ran for 230 yards and four touchdowns, beginning its 2025 season with a shocking upset of No. 8 Alabama in Tallahassee, Fla. on Saturday.
The Seminoles, 2-10 a season ago after a 13-1 campaign in 2023, looked the part of a new-look team with two new coordinators and a new roster. The Crimson Tide (0-1) suffered their first season-opening loss since 2001 under second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer.
FSU quarterback Tommy Castellanos, who said this offseason that he didn’t believe Bama would be able to stop him, backed up the talk in a major way. He led the Seminoles with 78 rushing yards and scored their first touchdown of the season on a 9-yard first-quarter run. He also completed 9 of 14 passes for 152 yards.
Four different FSU players notched rushing touchdowns in the victory, the most rushing scores Alabama has allowed in a game since 2021.
Alabama starting quarterback Ty Simpson, making his first career start in a hostile atmosphere, completed 23 of 43 passes for 254 yards and threw a pair of touchdowns. However, three fourth-down incompletions in FSU territory loomed large during the TIde’s comeback attempt.
Germie Bernard sparked the Bama offense with a career-high 146 receiving yards on eight catches. But star Alabama receiver Ryan Williams managed just five catches for 30 yards and left the game in the fourth quarter with an apparent head injury.
Alabama got off to a strong start, beginning the game with a 16-play, 75-yard drive which ended with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Simpson to Josh Cuevas.
The Crimson Tide managed little momentum from there the rest of the half, with just 63 yards and no points over their final three drives of the first half.
The Seminoles similarly scored on their opening drive on Castellanos’ rush immediately after a 40-yard completion.
FSU’s momentum, though, kept rolling from there. The Seminoles took a 14-7 lead on a 32-yard reverse to Micahi Danzy, and they extended that lead to 17-7 after a Bama three-and-out and a 45-yard field goal from Jake Weinberg, taking that lead into halftime.
After an FSU three-and-out and an Alabama turnover on downs, the Seminoles added to their lead with a 4-yard touchdown run by Caziah Holmes which was set up by a 64-yard completion from Castellanos to Jaylin Lucas.
The Crimson Tide cut into the deficit with a 40-yard field goal from Conor Talty and a 6-yard touchdown catch by Rico Scott to cut the deficit to 24-17.
But the Seminoles responded to that score with a 10-play, 75-yard drive, effectively icing the game with a physical 14-yard touchdown from Gavin Sawchuk.
Another turnover-on downs on the ensuing Alabama possession, its third of the second half, was the final straw.
With the loss, Kalen DeBoer has now lost to four unranked opponents in his first 14 games at Alabama. His predecessor, Nick Saban, lost to four unranked opponents total in his 17-year tenure leading the Tide (127-4 record).
