Florida State Upsets No. 8 Alabama Football

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Alabama football is less than two hours from kicking off its season opener on the road against Florida State.

The Crimson Tide finished last season with a 9-4 record—its worst since 2007—but Alabama is looking forward to Year 2 under head coach Kalen DeBoer, as the coaching staff and players have said numerous times this offseason that there's a bit of a change in the mindset. The Tide's No. 8 ranking in the preseason AP Top 25 is its lowest since 2008, but Alabama aims to change that initial spot within the next couple of weeks, starting with Florida State.

After going 13-1 in 2023, the Seminoles followed their best record in nearly a decade with an abysmal 2-10 finish last season. It resulted in 33 players entering the transfer portal this offseason, but head coach Mike Norvell and Florida State found a way to add 23 players from the portal.

The trip to FSU marks the first time Alabama will begin a season on the road since 2020 and the first non-conference road pairing to begin a year since 2000 at UCLA.

Kickoff is set for 2:45 p.m. CT in Doak Campbell Stadium.

As of 12:30 p.m., the weather for kickoff is 83 degrees fahrenheit. There's a 30 percent chance of rain starting at around 3 p.m. (30 minutes after kickoff).

FOLLOW ALONG FOR LIVE UPDATES AND ANALYSIS. BE SURE TO REFRESH THIS BROWSER AS THE LATEST EVENTS WILL BE PLACED AT THE TOP.

Live Updates:

Fourth Quarter:

Alabama turns the ball over again on downs after just eight plays, allowing Florida State to run out the clock and claim a 31-17 victory.

Alabama's 23-Game Win Streak in Openers Snapped

Date, Outcome, Opponent, Score, Site
Aug. 31, 2002   W Middle Tennessee         39-34      Tuscaloosa
Aug. 30, 2003   W USF                               40-17       Birmingham #
Sept. 4, 2004     W Utah State                    48-17       Tuscaloosa
Sept. 3, 2005     W Middle Tennessee         26-7 (v)   Tuscaloosa
Sept. 2, 2006     W Hawai’i                         25-17 (v) Tuscaloosa
Sept. 1, 2007     W Western Carolina          52-6 (v)   Tuscaloosa
Aug. 30, 2008 W (24) Clemson (9)           34-10      Atlanta
Sept. 5, 2009     W (5) Virginia Tech (7)    34-24      Atlanta
Sept. 4, 2010     W (1) San Jose State      48-3        Tuscaloosa
Sept. 3, 2011     W (2) Kent State              48-7         Tuscaloosa
Sept. 1, 2012     W (2) Michigan (8)            41-14      Arlington, Tex.
Aug. 31, 2013   W (1) Virginia Tech           35-10      Atlanta
Aug. 30, 2014   W (2) West Virginia           33-23      Atlanta
Sept. 5, 2015     W (3) Wisconsin (20)         35-17      Arlington, Tex.
Sept. 3, 2016     W (1) USC (20)                  52-6        Arlington, Tex.
Sept. 2, 2017     W (1) Florida State (3)      24-7        Atlanta
Sept. 1, 2018     W (1) Louisville                 51-14      Orlando
Aug. 31, 2019   W (2) Duke                         42-3         Atlanta
Sept. 26, 2020   W (2) Missouri                  38-19      Columbia, Mo.
Sept. 4, 2021    W (1) Miami (14)               44-13      Atlanta
Sept. 3, 2022     W (1) Utah State                 55-0       Tuscaloosa
Sept. 2, 2023     W (4) Middle Tennessee    56-7       Tuscaloosa
Aug. 31, 2024    W (5) Western Kentucky   63-0       Tuscaloosa
Aug. 30, 2025    L (8) Florida State    31-17    Tallahassee
#Final game at Legion Field
v Win later vacated due to NCAA penalty

Norvell's gamble pays off as Florida State scores to put the nail in the coffin with a 14-yard Gavin Sawchuk touchdown run to extend Florida State's lead to 31-17 with 7:17 remaining.

Florida State ball at FSU 25 (11:00)

Norvell made a gutsy play call going for it on fourth-and-1 on his 34, but former Alabama running back Roydell Williams converted on a four-yard run.

Alabama ball at ALA 37 (14:16): Florida State 24, Alabama 17

Simpson found Cuevas on the second play of the drive for 27 yards. The Crimson Tide is starting to find momentum, but can it continue to build on it?

Riley's been a surprising bright light today as he ran for six yards on an important third-and-1.

The hard running effort paid off as following a 12-yard reception by Bernard, Simpson connected with Scott for a six-yard score. This game isn't over just yet as the Crimson Tide trails by seven with 11 minutes remaining in regulation; The drive: 7 plays, 63 yards, 3:16

Florida State ball at FSU 28 (0:55 left in third quarter)

The Crimson Tide defense goes three-and-out with a third-down sack by safety Keon Sabb. It was Alabama's first sack of the game but can the offense capitalize?

End of Third Quarter: Florida State 24, Alabama 10

Third Quarter:

Alabama ball at ALA 25 (3:16)

The Crimson Tide defense goes three-and-out, but Florida State muffed the punt and Utah transfer Cam Calhoun recovered at FSU's 46-yard line with 1:56 to go in the third quarter.

Simpson had a lane to run on 4th-and-7, but he threw it and it resulted in an incompletion. Alabama couldn't take advantage of the gift given by FSU's special teams.

Florida State ball at FSU 25 (5:59)

Alabama linebacker Justin Jefferson, who hit 22 miles per hour this offseason, couldn't reach Castellanos in the backfield on third-and-5 and he ran for six yard gain. Jackson was called for a personal foul after a late hit as Castellanos was running out of bounds.

Nevertheless, the Tide defense buckled down and kept FSU out of field goal range, resulting in a punt.

Alabama ball at ALA 25 (9:45): Florida State 24, Alabama 10

Simpson found Bernard once again for a 37-yard gain and then 18 more a couple plays later. Bernard is up to 134 receiving yards—the most of his collegiate career. He's been perhaps the only bright light for Alabama today.

Alabama went for it on 4th-and-long just outside the red zone, but a defensive holding bailed out an incomplete pass directed towards Williams.

Talty hits from 40 yards out, but it wouldn't be possible without center Parker Brailsford, who picked up a strip sack and returned it 12 yards.; The drive: 12 plays, 53 yards, 3:46

Florida State ball at FSU 32 (10:22): Florida State 24, Alabama 7

Florida State immediately capitalizes on the fourth-down stop with a 64-yard catch-and-run by Lucas on a busted wheel route. Caziah Holmes followed it with four-yard score one play later; The drive: 2 plays, 68 yards, 0:37.

Alabama ball at ALA 29 (12:19):

Simpson starts the second half aggressively with a deep ball to wide receiver Rico Scott but it was overthrown. Scott has had a few snaps so far as the first wide reciever off the bench. He made a lot of noise this season for his improvements and he clocked the team's fastest speed in the offseason.

Simpson shook the overthrow off with 30 yard play with Bernard. However, the fun would end there, as after the next couple of plays, Simpson connected with Riley on fourth-and-five but he was one yard short.

Florida State ball at FSU 15 (15:00):

Alabama's defense gets a much-needed quick stop on the Seminoles' opening drive of the second half after six plays.

It's worth noting that Alabama had six defensive backs on the field on third down. This was something they worked on in practice.

HALFTIME: Florida State 17, Alabama 7

DeBoer to Crimson Tide Sports Network at halftime: “I mean, the conditions were just on the last drive for us there, catching the ball. We’re a little hesitant on defense right now. They got a lot of moving pieces. The quarterback is doing a good job keeping plays alive. We knew that would be the case. Got to trust what you see, trust what we prepared for. There’s a couple wrinkles, and that’s what keeps you from thinking completely confident. But we’re good. We got to get in there. We get a chance to get back out on the field as a defense and go get a stop.”

HALFTIME: Florida State 17, Alabama 7 pic.twitter.com/lhgoRV2oeJ
— Hunter De Siver (@HunterDeSiver) August 30, 2025

Second Quarter:

Alabama ball at ALA 25 (3:44)

Alabama is looking to do everything in its power to not enter the locker room down by double digits, On third-and-short, Simpson continued the drive with an 8-yard completion to Preseason All-American wide receiver Ryan Williams. Williams has been quiet so far.

Rain started to come down during the two-minute timeout. This was a bit of a worry throughout the week, however, Alabama knew rain was expected and the Crimson Tide practiced with a wet and soapy football throughout the week.

Alabama closed the drive shortly after with a 54-yard punt by Doud. It nearly stayed on the one-yard line but just touched the end zone for a touchback. It's worth mentioning, that running back Richard Young made a reception earlier in the drive that could've gone for 20 yards but he tripped after six yards and the Tide never got the first down.

Florida State ball at FSU 21 (8:23) Florida State 17, Alabama 7

Alabama's missed a couple of tackles on this drive and it'd led to longer gains for the Seminoles. Safety Bray Hubbard couldn't fully grab the legs of Duce Robinson on a 15-yard catch-and-run, Ousmane Kromah ran for a 14-yard gain following numerous broken tackles and Castellanos sprinted forward for 14 yards as well after multiple players missed him while diving.

The drive ended with a 45-yard field goal by FSU kicker Jake Weinberg; The drive: 9 plays, 52 yards, 4:39

Alabama ball at ALA 25 (9:13)

Rough offensive possession for the Crimson Tide as Simpson threw two incompletions, including one on third-and-long. Not the best start for an offensive line with Joe Moore Award expectations as the pocket was collapsing on the final throw and hasn't created many big plays so far.

Offseason transfer Blake Doud had a nice 52-yard punt that bounced and rolled backwards. He's been competing with Alex Asparuhov throughout the offseason but DeBoer has previously made it clear that Doud has really impressed the past couple of months.

Florida State ball at FSU 35 (13:07): Florida State 14, Alabama 7

Aiming to get a third-down stop after a disappointing offensive possession, Alabama's defense allowed a 12-yard completion to wide receiver Randy Pittman Jr.

The momentum continued to trend away from Alabama's direction as Castellanos' clean pocket gave him three straight positive carries.

Alabama's difficulty in stopping the run met its worst moment as Micahi Danzy took a reverse 32 yards for a score; The drive: 9 plays, 40 yards, 4:52

First Quarter:

Alabama ball at ALA 25 (3:04)

Simpson and Bernard continue their early connection with a 29-yard play on the second play of the drive. The duo connected once again a couple of plays later for a 12-yard gain. Bernard was not selected to a Preseason All-SEC team and is someone to watch as the season rolls on.

But the end of the drive wasn't nearly as strong as the start as Simpson took his first sack of the season and kicker Conor Talty, who had some question marks entering this game, was far too short on a 53-yard field goal attempt.

Florida State ball on FSU 25 (6:10) Alabama 7, Florida State 7

Alabama commits its first defensive penalty of the season on a third-down holding call on cornerback Domani Jackson.

Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos and running back Jaylin Lucas followed Jackson's penalty with 12 and 10-yard runs respectively. However, the 10-yarder was negated for holding.

Alabama called its second timeout on a third-and-long. The Crimson Tide only has one timeout left in the half and there's still over three minutes left in the first quarter. Some confusion on both sides for Alabama early in this notorious environment.

The timeout didn't work as Castellanos connected with wide receiver Squirrel White for a 40-yard gain. Freshman Dijon Lee Jr. and sophomore Zay Mincey were in coverage. One play later Castellanos cruised in for a nine-yard score. Rough first defensive possession for the Crimson Tide; The drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:06

Alabama ball on ALA 25 (15:00): Alabama 7, Florida State 0

Ty Simpson logged his first completion (12 yards to wide receiver Germie Bernard) and run (six yards) as Alabama's starter.

The Crimson Tide converted its first fourth-down attempt thanks to one-yard run by Richard Young and fellow running back Kevin Riley broke off a 13-yard rush a couple of plays later.

The FSU crowd may have gotten to Simpson a bit as Alabama showed some confusion at the line of scrimmage and it forced the Crimson Tide to call timeout on third-and-6. Simpson ran for the first immediately after.

Calm and composed, Simpson found tight end Josh Cuevas on the right side for a 2-yard touchdown; The drive 16 plays, 75 yards, 8:50

Pregame:

2:50 p.m. Florida State won the coin toss and deferred. Alabama will start with the ball.

2:45 p.m.: Both teams come out of the tunnel. The first full-stadium war chant of the season was booming.

2:28 p.m.: Alabama huddled in the end zone and went back to the locker room.

2:25 p.m.: Alabama's first team defensive line: LT Overton (Bandit) James Smith (DT) Jeremiah Beaman (DT), Jah-Marien Latham and Qua Russaw (rotating at Wolf).

2:23 p.m.: Florida State lined up to fill the entire 50-yard line and raised their helmets up to the crowd. They then trotted to the locker room with roughly 25 minutes until kickoff.

2:13 p.m.: Although RG Jaeden Roberts has cleared concussion protocol and is available to play, Geno VanDeMark is taking first team RG reps during warmups. Kam Dewberry is at LG.

2:10 p.m.: Alabama's captains led the Crimson Tide in warmups, but with co-captain and defensive lineman Tim Keenan III out with an ankle injury, safety Bray Hubbard filled his role. Redshirt freshman Jeremiah Beaman was taking first team reps at defensive tackle in Keenan's absence.

2:00 p.m.: Both teams have their full rosters out on the field. More thunderous applause as FSU entered.

1:57 p.m.: Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer was first seen on the field. He's wearing a crimson polo with the same colored hat and is also sporting black pants with white shoes.

1:54 p.m.: The crowd roared as FSU head coach Mike Norvell came out of the tunnel.

1:40 p.m.: Florida State's quarterbacks came out for stretches. This included starter Thomas Castellanos.

1:45 p.m.: Alabama brought out its receivers to field punts. Ryan Williams, Germie Bernard and Rico Scott were among many other pass-catchers in this drill.

1:34 p.m.: Florida State's specialists take the field for stretches. As they came out, the Seminoles' student section began the notorious war chant.

1:25 p.m.: The punters and kickers came back out in full uniform. They are the only ones on the field from either team as punters are on one side of the 50 while the kickers are on the other.

1 p.m.: Alabama kicker Conor Talty was practicing field goals from 30-35 yards out. This position has been a bit of question mark during the offseason. The same could be said for the punter spot, as Blake Doud and Alex Asparuhov were booting it from 40 yards out with the ball landing outside of the end zone.

12:40 p.m.: Alabama's offensive line tradition of being the first players on the field and taking a lap around it continues in Tallahassee.

Alabama buses pulled up to Doak Campbell Stadium at 12:20 p.m. CT

Alabama rolls into Doak Campbell for the 2025 season opener pic.twitter.com/YFin3lxumb
— Katie Windham (@katiewindham_) August 30, 2025

How to Watch: No. 8 Alabama vs. Florida State

Who: Alabama (0-0, 0-0 SEC) at Florida State (0-0, 0-0 ACC)

What: 2025 season opener

When: Saturday, Aug. 30, 2:30 p.m. CT

Where: Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida

TV: ABC

Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (Play-By-Play: Chris Stewart, Color: Tyler Watts)

Sirius XM: Away 81, Home 84

Series: Alabama leads 3-1-1, with the first matchup occurring on Oct. 23, 1965

Last meeting: Alabama cruised past Florida State 24-7 in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta on Sept. 2, 2017. Crimson Tide wide receiver Calvin Ridley had seven receptions for 82 yards and a score. Linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton led the defense in tackles (8), tackles for loss (3.5) and also logged a sack. This was a highly anticipated matchup as the Tide was given the No. 1 rank in the preseason AP Top 25, while the Seminoles were No. 3. In the fourth quarter, FSU quarterback Deondre Francois tore his patella tendon and his season ended there.

Last time out, Alabama: The Crimson Tide's first year under head coach Kalen DeBoer ended on a sour note following a 19-13 ReliaQuest Bowl loss to Michigan in Tampa, Fla., on Dec. 31, 2024. Former Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe completed 16 of 32 pass attempts for 192 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The Crimson Tide's run game did not add much to the total as Alabama rushed 68 yards on 29 attempts, including two fumbles by Milroe. Neither team eclipsed 300 yards of total offense.

Last time out, Florida State: Like Alabama, the Seminoles also ended their season poorly with a 31-11 home loss to Florida. Former Florida State quarterback Luke Kromenhoek went 15-for-28 for 140 yards, along with 32 rushing yards on 21 attempts. The Seminoles entered this final game of the regular season with two wins, meaning they were ineligible to qualify for a bowl game.