
FSU football pulls off major upset over Alabama: How Seminoles won it
Here’s Tallahassee Democrat reporter Peter Holland Jr. gives a brief recap of FSU football’s victory over No. 8 Alabama
- Florida State upset No. 8 Alabama at home, winning their first game of the season.
- Quarterback Tommy Castellanos led the Seminoles’ offense with both passing and rushing touchdowns.
- FSU’s defense played aggressively but struggled at times against Alabama’s passing attack.
- Special teams play was inconsistent, with a key fumble recovery by Alabama.
- Head coach Mike Norvell earned praise for having his team prepared and energized for the upset.
Florida State football made a statement in a sold-out crowd at Doak Campbell Stadium, taking down No. 8 Alabama and picking up its first win of the season on Aug. 30
Many would ask, ‘How did this happen?’ The same FSU team that was in ruins for one year after going 2-10 last season took down the eighth-ranked Crimson Tide.
“This is one game, and we understand it’s one game, but it was a big game,” head coach Mike Norvell said.
“I know we talked about that last week is you have to be on this stage against a top 10 opponent, very talented team, but we wanted to be the aggressor, and we were. Our players, they rose to the challenge.”
That one year made a complete difference for head coach Mike Norvell and his new staff. The new group of players that he brought from the transfer portal was put on display, starting with their quarterback Tommy Castellanos, who finished the day completing 9 of 14 for 152 passing yards and netted 78 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.
Here are the grades of Saturday’s win.
Offense: A-
Castellanos lived up to the hype.
From a team that struggled to make any movement on offense, Castellanos showcased his dual-threat playmaking abilities.
Alabama‘s defense had no answer for the former Boston College QB through the air or on the ground. The sold-out crowd at Doak went ballistic when he threw a 40-yard deep ball pass to wide receiver Squirrel White that would set up Castellanos’ first rushing score in an FSU uniform.
“It feels great,” Castellanos said during the postgame. “
“I relied on my teammates today and relied on my coaches, and they put us in position to go out there and execute and win, and we came together today, and we heard everything everybody said. We’ve seen everything everybody said, and we add that fuel to the fire, and we went out there and just played ball together.
While Seminoles weren’t quite consistent with their run game, a few jet sweeps and reverse plays, such as Micahi Danzy’s touchdown in the second quarter, made up for it and set up Castellanos for another scoring opportunity.
FSU’s other speedster, Jaylin Lucas, who missed all of last year due to a season-ending injury, led with two catches for 66 yards.
The offense quieted down late in the third and early fourth quarters, while Alabama’s defense shut down the running game, giving its offense a chance for a comeback. Running back Gavin Sawchuck made the final blow with FSU’s fourth rushing touchdown of the night.
The unsung hero went to the offensive line: Gunnar Hansen, Richie Leonard IV, Luke Petitbon, Adrian Medley, and Micah Pettus. Four of those five were part of the 2025 class that Norvell acquired through the transfer portal.
The running game totaled 236 yards and four TDs on the ground. The front five wore down the Alabama defensive line, which was without their best defensive tackle, Tim Keenan III.
“I thought they were great. For the first time, for those guys playing together, we’ve talked a lot through this off-season, and a lot of those guys were out at different points in the spring,” Norvell said.
“So really this fall camp, it was a push just trying to get as much as we could for those guys to be together.”
Defense: B+
FSU’s defense was flying around and was playing physical the entire game. Exactly what defensive coordinator Tony White ordered.
At first, it seemed that Simpson got the best out of the 3-3-5 defense with his mobility, rolling out to his right and finding an open man downfield. Alabama scored first on a short pass.
The defensive front seemed to put enough pressure on Simpson to make things uncomfortable. However, Simpson remained efficient in his passing, especially on third down, which was the defense’s weak point.
Linebacker Juice Cryer had the best defensive play by making a huge stop on fourth down that led to a turnover on down. When asked about that play, he downplayed his credit individually, calling it a team-executed play.
“I think that’s a team play, honestly, from the coaching staff to the communication on our part,” Cryer said. “That’s not anything I did in that play was really just a product of the system, honestly.”
Earl Little Jr. was the best defensive player on the field. He was making hits and finished the day leading the team with nine total tackles.
“I feel like we made a tremendous step as a team and as a defense. I mean, we did the good things,” Little said. “We still have one more room to improve, but we going to celebrate this victory.”
FSU eventually wore down by Alabama’s rushing attack. The Crimson Tide would take advantage with Simpson’s second passing touchdown of the day, finding Nico Scott in the flat, making a one-score game at 24-17.
FSU held Alabama to 87 rushing yards.
Special teams: C
Jake Weinberg nailed a 44-yard field goal to make it a two-score game for the end of the half. Edwin Joseph made a special team play on a field goal block, tipping the hand that led to a short field goal for Alabama. Jaylin Lucas struggled with punt returns.
His biggest mistake occurred in the quarter when he failed to avoid the ball, resulting in a fumble that led to a fumble recovery, which flipped the field for Bama. Fortunately, the Crimson Tide left with no points.
“Both of those were also — both of those moments were identity moments because nobody wants to turn the ball over,” Norvell said. “We’re going to learn and be better from that experience. “
Coaching: A+
Norvell got his Seminoles ready. The energy was there, and FSU made enough plays to set them up for success. In front and center nationally, the Seminoles delivered the blow when the odds were against them.
Gus Malzahn was an aggressive play-caller, designing run plays and utilizing the speed of his skilled players, putting his trust in Castellanos to take command of his offense by keeping the Bama defense guessing on their heels.
Tony White’s defense was just as aggressive, and despite giving up a chunk of yards, the defense kept Simson and the offense in check.
“I thought our coaches did an outstanding job in putting together a great plan,” Norvell said. “It was so very multiple being able to be on the attack throughout the game, regardless of the situation, and our players rose to the challenge.”
- Aug. 30, Alabama, W 31-17
- Sept. 6, East Texas A&M, Noon
- Sept. 20, Kent State, TBA
- Sept. 26, at Virginia (Friday), 7 p.m.
- Oct. 4, Miami, TBA
- Oct. 11, Pittsburgh, TBA
- Oct. 18, at Stanford, 10:30 p.m.
- Nov. 1 Wake Forest, TBA
- Nov. 8 at Clemson, TBA
- Nov. 15 Virginia Tech, TBA
- Nov. 21 at North Carolina State (Fri.), 8 p.m.
- Nov. 29 at Florida, TBA
Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.