Florida State got the kind of night it needed from its best playmakers against Alabama. It just didn’t matter nearly enough.
The Seminoles entered the matchup carrying all the baggage of a roster with obvious flaws, the kind that show up when the money is split poorly both by position and by the players who were added or kept. But even with those issues hanging over everything, FSU still had a path to staying in the fight: its offensive skill talent had to hit big.
That part happened.
Duce Robinson was a force from the start, finishing with six catches for 135 yards on eight targets and scoring his first touchdown of the season. That yardage nearly doubled the 75 he had combined through the first two games.
Ousmane Kromah added 80 rushing yards and another score, pushing his season line to 311 yards and three touchdowns in three games.
Micahi Danzy kept flashing, too, with 89 receiving yards. Sam Singleton Jr. chipped in 68 receiving yards before leaving with an injury and using crutches to get back to the locker room.
Together, those players helped fuel a fast FSU start. The Seminoles raced out to a 21-6 lead early in the second quarter and, for a brief stretch, gave themselves real hope.
But Alabama answered, and then kept answering.
Florida State’s defense opened with consecutive three-and-outs after producing just one in the first two games combined, but after that the Crimson Tide scored on the next nine possessions before the game ended in victory formation.
Ashton Daniels delivered a strange mix of production and pain. He threw for 377 yards, the most for FSU since the Wake Forest game in 2023, but also turned it over three times. The yardage piled up, yet plenty of those throws didn’t look especially difficult, and the overall impression was of a quarterback who wasn’t ready for that stage or that defense.
The line didn’t always hold up for him, but Daniels also made life harder on himself by hanging onto the ball too long in key moments.
So Florida State got standout games from the very players it needed most. It just ran into a roster with too many other leaks to patch, and that was enough to sink it.
The Seminoles are now 1-2, with FCS Central Arkansas next before three straight games against teams ranked this week.
In Other News...
Mike Norvell's Future Suddenly Carries A Price FSU Fans Will Hate
Mike Norvells tenure at Florida State has reached a place nobody in Tallahassee expected when he signed that massive extension last year. He is in his seventh season with the Seminoles and carries a 39-35 record, while the deal he put pen to paper on runs through 2031 and pays in the neighborhood of $10 million to $11 million annually. The timing of the conversation around his future is made even trickier by the fact that Florida State has already moved on from athletic director Michael Alford, the man who signed off on the extension.
Now the noise around Norvell has only gotten louder, fueled in part by recent on-field frustration and even a viral photo of a moving truck at his home. If Florida State were to pull the plug after the upcoming game against Alabama, the financial hit would be staggering, with a buyout around $48 million, among the largest in college football history. That figure could drop if Norvell lands another job, but for a fan base already uneasy, the size of the bill is exactly the kind of detail that makes this situation feel more complicated by the day. [Read more 🡒]
FSUs Comeback Just Took A Brutal Turn In The Backfield
Florida States offense got a major jolt in its game against Alabama when Samuel Singleton Jr. went down after a 65-yard catch and later was seen leaving the field with crutches. Before the exit, Singleton had been a meaningful part of the Seminoles attack, helping the comeback effort and giving the backfield a needed spark.
Now the focus shifts to how Florida State fills the void if he has to miss time. The Seminoles have not yet issued an official update on Singletons status, and in the meantime the burden will fall on other running backs to pick up the workload in a game that already took a brutal turn. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Showed Enough To Compete But One Problem Never Let Up
Florida State had enough offense to hang around with Alabama for long stretches, but the Seminoles could never fully get out from under the pressure in a 50-36 loss that was delayed twice by lightning. Their quarterback piled up 343 passing yards and accounted for four touchdowns, giving Florida State real stretches of momentum and keeping the game within reach even as Alabama answered repeatedly.
The problem never let up on the other side of the ball, where Alabama's quarterback was sharp and efficient, hitting 23 of 30 throws for 320 yards, three touchdown passes and another score on the ground. Florida State's three interceptions proved costly throughout the night, and even with the offense showing it can move, the Seminoles were left with the same lingering concern that kept every comeback attempt from gaining real traction. [Read more 🡒]