Alabama left Week 3 with a win, but Florida State quarterback Ashton Daniels still put the Crimson Tide’s defense on blast.
In FSU’s 50-36 loss at BDS, Daniels was the engine of the Seminoles’ offense from the start. He threw for 377 yards and two touchdowns, added two more scores on the ground in the red zone, and helped Florida State jump out to a 15-point lead in the first half. The turnovers were the obvious stain - Daniels also threw three interceptions - but for long stretches he was firmly in command of Kane Wommack’s defense.
That was the part Alabama couldn’t hide from. The Tide’s secondary got stressed again, giving up chunk plays in the air and on the ground and losing too many 50/50 balls. It was another reminder of problems that had already surfaced earlier in the season, first against East Carolina and then again versus Kentucky, even if those issues didn’t fully derail the Tide in either game.
Daniels wasn’t exactly rolling into the matchup on a hot streak, either. He had just 125 passing yards against SMU on Labor Day night in a 27-24 Florida State loss, though he did add 71 rushing yards and a touchdown.
In Week 0 against New Mexico State, he topped 200 all-purpose yards, but the overall picture before Alabama was one of uneven play. That made what he did in Tuscaloosa stand out even more.
It also wasn’t lost on Auburn fans. Daniels had spent most of the 2025 season as Auburn’s backup behind Jackson Arnold, and Tiger fans already knew he had a ceiling after he piled up 442 yards of total offense against Vanderbilt last November. Against Alabama, he showed that same kind of ability again, even if the ball security issues ultimately kept Florida State from turning the night into something bigger.
For Florida State, Daniels’ performance gave Mike Norvell’s tenure a jolt. For Alabama, it was another uncomfortable look at a defense that still feels vulnerable.
And if Auburn is looking for a path against the Crimson Tide, there may be one in the passing game. Byrum Brown found his rhythm in the first half of Auburn’s Week 3 game against Florida, and his connection with Keshaun Singleton, Chas Nimrod, and Jeremiah Koger was on display against an SEC defense. The Tigers have had rough stretches in the passing game early in 2026, but they looked sharper in the second quarter against the Gators than they had all season.
Daniels may have just added another piece to the blueprint.
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Auburns SEC Opener Exposed A Problem Tigers Cant Ignore
Auburns SEC opener against Florida offered an early look at where the Tigers stand, and it was not a flattering one. The 44-39 loss left Auburn 2-1 overall and 0-1 in league play, with the defense repeatedly struggling to get off the field and Florida finding answers in the kind of situations that usually decide close conference games.
The late rally kept the Tigers in it, but the offense was too uneven to fully cover for the problems on the other side of the ball. For head coach Alex Golesh, this was the first major SEC test, and Auburn came away with a clear reminder that competing in this league demands more consistency, especially when the margin for error is already so thin. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn's Comeback Chances Hinge On Fixing Two Costly Problems
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Auburns Florida Captains Reveal Who Alex Golesh Trusts Most
Auburns SEC opener against Florida comes with a familiar leadership group at the front of the huddle. The Tigers have announced five captains for the game, and Byrum Brown and Elijah Melendez will serve in that role for the third straight week, joined by Jake Johnson, Cody Sigler and Alex McPherson. It is another clear sign of which players Alex Golesh is leaning on as the pressure rises.
The captaincy list also says plenty about how this team is being organized going into one of the seasons most important early tests. Repeating Brown and Melendez suggests continuity, while the addition of Johnson, Sigler and McPherson broadens the leadership base in a matchup where details tend to matter. For Auburn, the bigger question is whether that trust shows up on the field once the opener gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]