Upon Further Review: Florida State 31, No. 8 Alabama 17

No. 8 Alabama was upset 31-17 by Florida State on Saturday in its season opener at Doak Campbell Stadium, in a game where the Crimson Tide's defense failed to deliver and its offense largely fell off the map until the fourth quarter after an opening-drive touchdown following a 16-play marathon.

Ty Simpson was serviceable in his first start, throwing for 254 yards and a pair of scores without turning the ball over. He wasn't perfect, but the loss isn't solely on his shoulders. Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos largely backed up his summertime trash talk, putting up 230 all-purpose yards and positioning both himself and his offense to succeed from the opening drive.

It was a disastrous start to year two of the Kalen DeBoer era. DeBoer has now lost four true road games in barely over one full season as the Crimson Tide's coach, and Saturday's defeat was the program's first to an unranked nonconference opponent in the regular season since a 2007 game against the 2025 team's next opponent, Louisiana-Monroe.

The result also snapped a streak of 23 straight wins in season openers for Alabama. One of those 23 games was the 2017 opener against the Seminoles in Atlanta, which the Crimson Tide dominated 24-7.

Player of the Game: Wide receiver Germie Bernard was, by a wide margin, Alabama's most productive pass-catcher in Tallahassee. The senior had eight catches for 146 yards, bringing his per-catch average to 18.3 yards. Tight end Josh Cuevas had the second-most receiving yards for the visitors, with 31 on three catches.

Play of the Game: Only 8:42 remained on the fourth-quarter clock when, trailing 24-17, the Alabama defense stopped Castellanos on second down to set up what would have been a third-and-long, if it hadn't been for a personal foul penalty incurred by Crimson Tide defensive lineman James Smith for hitting Castellanos when he was already down. The flag moved the sticks, and Florida State scored the game-winning touchdown on that drive.

Stat of the Game: Following an opening drive by Alabama that spanned 16 plays and chewed nearly nine minutes off the clock, culminating in a Simpson touchdown pass to Cuevas, Florida State responded in kind with a touchdown on its first drive. It was the first time that the Crimson Tide allowed a touchdown on the first defensive drive of the season in 45 years.

10 things you may not have noticed...

1. Even before his concussion, Ryan Williams was effectively a non-factor throughout the afternoon.

Star sophomore Ryan Williams took a nasty hit in the fourth quarter that gave him a concussion. Before that, though, he had struggled. He didn't have a good game, but the numbers show how difficult the outing was: just five catches for 30 yards, even though he was targeted 11 times, for less than a 50 percent completion rate on passes thrown to one of the country's top wideouts.

2. Alabama's running back room without Jam Miller wasn't given much of a chance to impact the game.

Richard Young. — Richard Young (9) carries against Florida State. | Alabama Athletics

Senior Jam Miller's upper-body injury may have been sudden when it happened during the team's second scrimmage, but Alabama had two weeks to prepare for how it would navigate the first game without him. The earliest of returns didn't pop on the stat sheet, largely because the Crimson Tide's play calling abandoned the run game midway through. Four different tailbacks combined for 19 carries. Redshirt sophomore Richard Young led that group with nine carries, while redshirt freshman Kevin Riley was out in front of the pack with the highest yardage total, accounting for 31 of the tandem's 67 yards.

3. Alabama's run defense, an area of concern from last season, was gashed in its first 2025 showcase.

Alabama football players. — Alabama defenders make a tackle against Florida State. | Alabama Athletics

Seven different rushers combined for 230 yards against the Alabama defense, carrying over one of the Crimson Tide's issues from 2024. Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack's scheme is engineered in part to prevent big plays in the passing game, but the Seminoles had no issues on the ground. Every touchdown Florida State scored was a rushing score, including one by Castellanos, who ran for 78 yards. Four different Seminoles players reached the end zone. Alabama could not replicate this output, not scoring a rushing touchdown at all on the day.

4. Conor Talty's first Alabama field goal attempt may have shed light on some of his camp struggles.

New Alabama kicker Conor Talty, last season's kickoff specialist, had an up-and-down fall camp and more than one miss in the team's second scrimmage of camp. However, according to DeBoer, he hit a 55-yarder in practice leading up to Florida State. In his first official Alabama field goal attempt, he missed from 53 yards because he left his kick short. A kickoff specialist doesn't have any difficulty booting the ball that far, but Talty's miss would've been good if it had the distance, indicating that he may have been trying too hard to correct for accuracy during his camp kicks. He later made his second try in Saturday's game, from 40 yards out.

5. Alabama didn't seem keen on taking it to Tommy Castellanos until it was too late.

Tommy Castellanos and Justin Jefferson. — Aug 30, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Tommy Castellanos (1) stiff arms Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Justin Jefferson (10) during the second half at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

The Florida State quarterback had a lot to say about Alabama over the summer, including that the team did not have Nick Saban to save it anymore and couldn't stop him. From then on, Alabama players spoke throughout the offseason about how that disrespect would be addressed come game time. This did not happen, and Castellanos was able to have a standout day in his first Seminoles game. Smith's penalty was one of the only real instances of a Crimson Tide player trying to give Castellanos a receipt for his scathing words, which eventually rang almost prophetic after the first drive.

6. Ty Simpson costing Alabama a drive by not using his legs prevented what could've been a 24-24 tie in the fourth.

Late in the third quarter, Alabama made it down to the Florida State 28 when it faced a fourth down with seven yards to go. Simpson was flushed from the pocket but passed up a running lane to try and get the ball to Williams through the air. Simpson would've been able to move the sticks if he ran, but the pass was incomplete. If all else is held equal and the Crimson Tide nets a touchdown on that drive, the visiting team could have tied the ball game because the Crimson Tide got a stop and then scored a touchdown after Simpson's big incompletion. Instead, 24-17 was as close as Alabama got to overcoming what was once a 24-7 deficit.

7. Deontae Lawson did not look 100 percent in his first game back since his ACL tear, especially on one big play.

Returning Alabama captain Deontae Lawson would be in the NFL if he had not torn his ACL late last November in a loss at Oklahoma. He shed his knee brace for Saturday's opener, officially completing his comeback to the field after approximately nine months. Recovery from that kind of injury is a process, which was shown in the third quarter when Lawson dropped into coverage and Castellanos completed a 64-yard pass to Jaylin Lucas. Florida State scored a four-yard rushing touchdown on the very next play.

8. Alabama's defense, particularly up front, sorely missed Tim Keenan III.

Tommy Castellanos. — 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. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

DeBoer revealed last Monday that defensive lineman and captain Tim Keenan III's status for Florida State was in doubt, with the details that followed this announcement dealing a devastating blow to the defense. Keenan sustained an ankle injury that required tightrope surgery and is expected to be out for multiple games. One of the key reasons why Alabama performed so poorly against the run was his absence, not just from an on-field standpoint, but also the presence he provides.

9. Right guard Jaeden Roberts didn't play despite clearing concussion protocol before the game.

Jaeden Roberts suffered a concussion during camp, in the middle of the week prior to the first scrimmage, and did not partake in either scrimmage during the month of August. He made it through concussion protocol in time for the season and dressed for the game, but Geno VanDeMark stepped in at right guard for the Crimson Tide.

10. The tight end room was once again shorthanded, which is nothing particularly new for this group.

Josh Cuevas. — Josh Cuevas (80) with the ball against Florida State. | Alabama Athletics

The Crimson Tide's known injuries in advance of its trip to Tallahassee already included a list of multiple starters. Tight end Danny Lewis Jr., who along with Cuevas figures to feature prominently at the position (if his injury is not a long-term one), did not appear in the game. The position group was almost barren in the spring and was working its way back into shape during camp.