Just One Game, But What a Difference a Year Makes for FSU Football

Bob Carskadon

Sep 3, 2025, 21:44

Bob Carskadon

Sep 3, 2025, 21:44

Updated at: Sep 4, 2025, 16:42

This time last year, Florida State was the talk of the college football world for its surprising and precipitous fall from the Top 25. Now, the Seminoles are once again a hot topic, but this time for their rise from unranked and overlooked to No. 14 in the AP Top 25. One game made all the difference.

So much has changed, even as so much has remained the same: a re-tooled roster reliant on transfers, a new dual-threat QB with a mixed resume, a re-made crop of skill position players, a wealth of new talent in the trenches, and a coach with something to prove. This could be 2024, or it could be 2025.

One team went to Ireland in 2024 and returned only with bad luck. This team debuted in a remodeled Doak Campbell Stadium, shining as bright as the lights surrounding the home field.

After FSU dismantled then-No. 8 Alabama 31-17 last weekend, crumbling the Crimson Tide’s lofty reputation in the process, head coach Mike Norvell and his new-look Noles made it abundantly clear that this year is different.

FSU controlled both lines of scrimmage for the majority of the game, giving up zero sacks and recording five quarterback hurries against the Tide. The Seminole receivers and running backs found room to run, while their defensive backs swatted pass after pass and almost entirely shut down Alabama’s preseason All-American wide receiver Ryan Williams.

It felt justified that after the gut punch of 2024, 'Noles fans stormed the field with equal parts joy, relief and renewed optimism.

The door of the portal swings both ways in this new era of college football. With one game down and 11 to go, the Noles are knocking.

FSU gets its swagger back

Outside of the actual game results – and ultimately, that’s all that matters – the biggest difference between this year and last is that FSU seems to have found its edge again. It may have sounded like bluster to those outside the program when transfer quarterback Tommy Castellanos taunted Alabama in the preseason, but Saturday’s results show that it was more omen than ominous.

The Seminoles lined up against one of the most talented rosters in the country, and for the majority of the game the home team was the aggressor. It was the Bama blue chippers who looked rattled, while Castellanos and the rebuilt offense stayed cool.

When things clicked, the Seminoles executed big plays or extended drives until they reached the end zone. Perhaps more importantly, when things didn’t go their way, the 'Noles held fast.

From underthrowing an open receiver on Castellanos’ first deep pass to getting called for defensive holding in the red zone to muffing a punt return at a key moment, FSU made mistakes that destroyed their season last year. Instead of game killers, the errors were character-building moments.

The fourth-quarter decision by Norvell and new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn to go for it on 4th-and-1 deep in their own territory – against one of the most talented defensive fronts in the country on paper – showed what kind of team the coaches want this group to be. When the Seminoles converted, it proved the coaches right.

And when the crowd rushed the field following the final whistle, it not only proved Castellanos right, but it made a statement to the rest of 2025’s would-be contenders: FSU has its swagger back.

Noles offense, Malzahn impress in FSU debut

The biggest question entering 2025 was whether the offense could bounce back from its dismal 2024. Is Malzahn still the wizard who built a reputation as one of this century’s best play-callers? Was Castellanos just the wrong fit for a pro-style offense at Boston College, or would his consistency problems follow him to Tallahassee?

And my goodness, could something be done about that offensive line?

The 2025 offense seems to have arrived with an entirely new set of answers.

Malzahn and Castellanos may be the best new QB-OC matchup of the year, if one game is any indication. The two seemed perfectly paired for a run-heavy offense that spreads the ball around and creates opportunity for its playmakers.

The play of the offensive line is key to that. With five new starters and a new position coach in the highly-respected Herb Hand, FSU seems to have found a winning combination. Protections weren’t always perfect, but the group paved the way for an impressive rushing attack (230 yards on 49 attempts) while largely giving Castellanos the time he needed to either find an open receiver or take off running himself.

The Tide didn’t record a single sack, and there were only a few instances when the pocket showed any leaks. Even then, Castellanos extended the play – or took it over entirely – with his mobility. The entire starting five played all 63 snaps Redshirt senior center Luke Petitbon was named the ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week.

Looking ahead, the Seminoles will see only two front sevens with as much size, speed and pedigree as the group they largely kept tame on Saturday. While there is plenty of football to be played between now and then, the matchups against Miami and at Clemson loom large as what could be the games of the year in the ACC.

Perhaps one final stat says it all. With their third touchdown of the game on Saturday, FSU scored more points in 2½ quarters against a Top 10 team than they did in any full game against an FBS opponent in 2024.

Anything can happen on Saturdays in the fall, but it certainly appears that the 2025 season in Tallahassee will be starkly different from the last – and that’s exactly how the Noles want it.

Just One Game, But What a Difference a Year Makes for FSU Football