Florida State delivered the season’s first top-10 upset, knocking off No. 8 Alabama 31-17 on Saturday in a statement win that kickstarts a Seminoles’ revenge tour and piles early pressure on first-year Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer.
Alabama entered as a two-touchdown favorite, expected to overwhelm Florida State with size and depth. Instead, the Seminoles played with energy and poise behind new starting quarterback Tommy Castellanos and a retooled defense that came up with stops in key moments.
Mike Norvell reshaped his staff in the offseason by hiring Gus Malzahn as offensive coordinator and Tony White as defensive coordinator. After one game, both hires look transformative for a program that bottomed out at 2-10 last year.
Malzahn’s offense kept Alabama off balance all afternoon. Castellanos’ dual-threat ability forced the Tide to chase ball carriers sideline to sideline, often leaving defenders out of position. But the Seminoles also proved physical when it mattered, converting short-yardage situations late to seal the win.
Alabama, by contrast, stalled after a fast start. The Tide opened with a 16-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that drained nearly nine minutes off the clock, but their next nine possessions produced fewer than 40 yards apiece. Alabama finished just 8-for-22 on third and fourth down and managed 87 rushing yards on 29 carries.
Quarterback Ty Simpson went 22 of 43 for 254 yards and two touchdowns but never found rhythm as the Seminoles built a 17-7 halftime lead and never let go.
Quick hitters
- Rare feat: Florida State’s win was just its second all-time against Alabama (2-3-1), and first since 2007.
- Streak snapped: The Crimson Tide lost a season opener for the first time since 2001 against UCLA, halting a 23-game streak that had been the second-longest active in the FBS.
- Back-to-back losses: Alabama has dropped consecutive games for the first time since the end of the 2013 season. The Tide had won 18 straight games following a loss.
- DeBoer’s struggle vs unranked foes: Kalen DeBoer fell to 6-4 against unranked opponents as Alabama head coach. From 2008-23, the Tide were 119-1 in such games.
- Quick turnaround: The Seminoles matched their win total through 10 games last season (1-9 start).
- Top-10 breakthrough: Florida State earned its first win over a top-10 opponent since beating No. 5 LSU in the 2023 opener, snapping a four-game skid against ranked teams.
- SEC success: It marked FSU’s 17th win over an SEC team since 2000, the second-most nonconference SEC wins in that span.
- Offensive lift: Florida State’s 31 points included 21 in the first half, more than it scored in any game against an FBS opponent last season.
- Historic stumble: Alabama suffered its third-worst loss to an unranked opponent while ranked in the AP top 10.
- Road streak broken: The Tide’s 10-game win streak in road openers ended; the last such loss came at No. 11 Ole Miss in 2014.
- Nonconference rarity: It was just Alabama’s second regular-season nonconference loss since 2008 (63-2 in that span).
