Florida State stuns Alabama, snapping Crimson Tide’s season opener run

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New quarterback Tommy Castellanos led a punishing rushing attack for Florida State with 78 yards and a touchdown as the Seminoles stunned No. 8 Alabama 31-17 on Saturday, ending the Crimson Tide’s streak of 23 straight wins in season-openers.

The Crimson Tide entered Saturday’s game with wins in each of its past 23 season openers. Florida State finished the 2024 season with just two wins and was unranked when its meeting with Alabama kicked off. The early-season loss already puts No. 8 Alabama’s College Football Playoff hopes in doubt.

Students and fans swarmed the field at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee immediately after the Seminoles’ upset went final. Florida State came into the game as considerable underdogs.

Under new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, Florida State was physical from the start and finished the game with 230 rushing yards. Malzahn was Auburn’s head coach from 2013 to 20, and most recently served as the head coach at UCF.

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The 20-17 loss to UCLA in the first game of the 2001 campaign marked the last time Alabama dropped a season opener. Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer faced criticism in his first year after taking over for legendary coach Nick Saban.

However, the disappointing start to DeBoer’s second year will ramp up the pressure.

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DeBoer fell to 6-4 against unranked teams at Alabama. Saban went 124-4 in such games.

Castellanos, a Boston College transfer, had 16 carries while no one else had more than seven rushing attempts for the Seminoles. He also completed 9 of 14 passes for 152 yards as Florida State defeated its first ranked opponent since knocking off No. 19 Louisville in the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.