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

[ad_1] NEW Now you can hearken to Fox Information articles!

New quarterback Tommy Castellanos led a punishing speeding assault for Florida State with 78 yards and a landing because the Seminoles shocked 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 recreation with wins in every of its previous 23 season openers. Florida State completed the 2024 season with simply two wins and was unranked when its assembly with Alabama kicked off. The early-season loss already places No. 8 Alabama’s Faculty Soccer Playoff hopes doubtful.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

College students and followers swarmed the sphere at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee instantly after the Seminoles' upset went last. Florida State got here into the sport as appreciable underdogs.

Florida State Seminoles followers storm the sphere after a win over Alabama at Doak Campbell Stadium, Saturday, in Tallahassee, Fla. (Butch Dill/Getty Photos)

Beneath new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, Florida State was bodily from the beginning and completed the sport with 230 speeding yards. Malzahn was Auburn's head coach from 2013 to twenty, and most not too long ago served as the top coach at UCF.

ARCH MANNING STRUGGLES AS TOP-RANKED TEXAS FALLS TO REIGNING CHAMPION NO. 3 OHIO STATE

The 20-17 loss to UCLA within the first recreation of the 2001 marketing campaign marked the final time Alabama dropped a season opener. Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer confronted criticism in his first yr after taking up for legendary coach Nick Saban.

Nevertheless, the disappointing begin to DeBoer's second yr will ramp up the stress.

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer appears on through the first half of Saturday's recreation towards Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photograph/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

DeBoer fell to 6-4 towards unranked groups at Alabama. Saban went 124-4 in such video games.

Castellanos, a Boston Faculty switch, had 16 carries whereas nobody else had greater than seven speeding makes an attempt for the Seminoles. He additionally accomplished 9 of 14 passes for 152 yards as Florida State defeated its first ranked opponent since knocking off No. 19 Louisville within the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference championship recreation.

Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos scores a 9-yard speeding landing previous Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson through the first half Saturday in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photograph/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Alabama will look to rebound subsequent Saturday when the Tide hosts Louisiana-Monroe. Florida State will stay dwelling subsequent week to face East Texas A&M.