Alabama Defense Was 'Not Surprised by Anything' Shown by Florida State Offense

Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said Alabama knew what to expect, but his defense did not execute.

Aug 30, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Tommy Castellanos (1) runs with the ball against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the second half at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Alabama lost by two touchdowns to unranked Florida State on Saturday despite Seminole starting quarterback Tommy Castellanos completing just nine passes.

Castellanos was efficient with his 14 passing attempts, but he was even more efficient in the run game, where Florida State decimated the Alabama defense. The FSU quarterback finished with 16 carries for 78 yards. (Those numbers were slightly affected by three straight kneels at the end of the game which lost six total yards.)

Overall, the Florida State offense, coached by former Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn, rushed for 230 yards on 49 carries. The Alabama defense could not stop the Seminole run game. Malzahn is known for some trickeration and different play designs, but nothing the Florida State offense did on Saturday came as a surprise to the Crimson Tide according to defensive coordinator Kane Wommack.

"We were not surprised by anything," Wommack said during his Monday press conference. "We were prepared for a number of things that they were doing, including some of the trick plays and a number of their run game things. We did not play to the level that we are capable of as a defense. And so we've got to own that as a coaching staff. We got to own that as players, which I think we are. But I have great confidence in our guys that they will get that corrected, and quickly."

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer echoed similar sentiments from his defensive coordinator, saying there were "maybe a couple looks" that the defense hadn't practiced during the week.

"I thought we did a good job preparing," DeBoer said. "I thought the guys had a great week. Now you’ve just got to translate the numbers that you see on the football field that were in different jerseys and believe that that the schemes, those Xs and Os that you saw in your week of preparation, is who it is in a Florida State uniform.

“I think you saw it as the second half went along, but it was just too late. It put us behind the eight-ball, and now you’ve got to be perfect in everything you do. It put us in a spot where we had to play catch up, and on the road, that’s certainly hard to do.”

In DeBoer's first two seasons, Alabama's has trailed at halftime in the losses at Vanderbilt, Oklahoma and Florida State. The Crimson Tide has also faced a double-digit deficit at some point against all three opponents. The game week preparation has to start translating over into the games.