A Saturday in the South: Florida State at No. 10 Alabama
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No. 10
Alabama (2-0, 1-0 in SEC) will be looking to avenge their 31-17 loss to Florida
State (1-1, 0-1 in ACC) of a season ago. The Crimson Tide will try to
accomplish this feat with a young, inexperienced, and first-time starting quarterback,
and a fierce, relentless and dominant defense.
The
Seminoles will try and counter with a quarterback who has faced this team
before in SEC play, and performed well. In addition, they will unleash a
talented rushing attack. Bryant-Denny Stadium will be a pressure cooker, not
just for the visiting players, but for Florida State coach Mike Norvell.
Broadcast
Information
Date:
Saturday, Sep. 19, 2026
Time: 2:30
PM CT
Location:
Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
TV: ABC
Betting
Odds: Alabama -19.5-point favorite
Norvell
will be coaching for his job on Saturday. He has coached the Seminoles to just
eight wins in their last 18 games, and the fans are ready to storm the athletic
administration offices with clubs and pitchforks to force a change.
Former athletic
director Michael Alford was fired earlier this week. Could Norvell be next on
the chopping block? That could depend on what happens on Saturday.
Florida
State Seminoles
The
Seminoles’ offense is powered by their rushing attack. After two games, Florida
State has gained 416 yards, averaged 208 yards per game, and has scored five
touchdowns on the ground. The focal point of the offense is led by running back
Ousmane Kromah. Kromah is ranked No. 2 in the ACC in rushing, and has averaged
115 yards per contest this season. He averages 6.42 yards per carry.
If and when
the Seminoles do throw the football, starter Ashton Daniels has only thrown two
touchdown passes, and has averaged 163 yards per game through the air. As the
starter for Auburn in the Iron Bowl against Alabama last season, Daniels
accounted for 367 total yards and a touchdown in a seven-point loss to the Crimson
Tide. That is the version of Daniels that needs to manifest itself for Florida
State on Saturday.
Whether
Norvell is being too-conservative in his play-calling, or Daniels is
overthrowing or short-hopping his passes, the Seminoles’ passing offense has
been totally devoid of their two best receivers, Duce Robinson and Micahi
Danzy. Both have a combined 11 catches between them, and zero touchdowns.
On
defense, the one thing they do well is stop the run. The Seminoles allow barely
100 yards per game (101 yards). Other than that, the Florida State defense has not
been a dominant force to be reckoned with at this point of the season.
Alabama
Crimson Tide
The only
returning starter on offense for Alabama this season is receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams.
That’s it. Williams has averaged 19 yards per catch over the first two games of
the season, but has yet to find the end zone. First-time starting quarterback
Keelon Russell has accounted for 521 total yards, two touchdowns, and two
interceptions.
The
leading rusher for Alabama is Daniel Hill. At 6-foot-1, 234 pounds, Hill is
built like a linebacker. Hill has rushed for 151 yards and three touchdowns,
and is averaging 5.59 yards per carry.
The Alabama
defense is a throwback to the Nick Saban days: attacking, formidable, and
unyielding. They are a top ten unit in total defense (185 yards/game) and
rushing defense (32.50 yards/game). And, they allow 13.5 points per game. They
are led by linebackers Caleb Woodson and Luke Metz, their leading tacklers.
Florida
State will win if…
If the Seminoles can exploit the rebuilt Alabama offensive
line (30 career combined starts) and put pressure on Russell and force some mistakes.
Also, if Daniels can find his rhythm throwing the football to Robinson and
Danzy and score touchdowns, not settle for field goals. And, if Kromah can
continue his upward trajectory running with the football.
Alabama
will win if…
If Hill, and
his bruising running style, can run over and through the Florida State defense
for big yards. If Russell can pick apart the Seminoles’ pass defense, which has
been suspect to say the least in their first two games.
The fans
will be glued to their stadium chairs to see who wins this one, and to hear
what news comes out of Tallahassee immediately afterward.
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