Florida State QB Tommy Castellanos stood on business on Saturday afternoon, something that Alabama has increasingly struggled to do as they get further and further away from the identity that made them the greatest dynasty in the history of the sport.
The Boston College transfer made waves this offseason with his comments about Alabama. They were stunning for a QB who would be piloting a team that went 2-10 a season ago. Unfortunately, they proved to be prophetic.
"I dreamed of playing against Alabama. They don’t have Nick Saban to save them. I just don’t see them stopping me," Castellanos said.
Castellanos's comments were seen as disrespectful by Alabama defensive players, who vowed to "address" the disrespect during the game. Instead, they allowed Castellanos and the FSU offense to do pretty much anything they wanted.
Alabama's defensive line was consistently blown off the ball. The LB play was non-existent. It wasn't until a fourth-quarter stop by LT Overton that Alabama forced a tackle-for-loss. Florida State didn't punt until the third quarter. As much as Kalen DeBoer is on the clock, the same goes for defensive coordinator Kane Wommack, who continues to be befuddled by a running quarterback.
Florida State racked up 230 yards on the ground, led by Castellanos' 78 on 16 attempts.
Many thought the game would be a mismatch at the line of scrimmage. They were correct - just not in the way they thought. Alabama lost the battle at the point of attack on both sides of the football.
After an impressive 17-play, 75-yard opening drive that featured 55 rushing yards on the way to the endzone. Alabama mustered 19 rushing yards the remainder of the game, finishing with 74 yards on a paltry 2.6 yards per attempt. The Tide sorely missed Jam Miller - but his absence is not an excuse for why Alabama's ballyhooed offensive line was consistently getting blown off the ball.
What was seen as a strength in the preseason is once again a weakness. Alabama's offensive and defensive lines used to bully opponents. They would dominate and "make their asses quit" as Nick Saban would say. Those days are long gone.
Nick Saban isn't coming back to save Alabama
Castellanos was right, unfortunately. Nick Saban ain't walking through that door in Tuscaloosa. All the goodwill that DeBoer built up this offseason got flushed down the toilet in 60 minutes in Tallahassee.
It's premature to say DeBoer is on the hot seat in Tuscaloosa. He is with fans, but fans aren't the ones who will have to pony up the buyout check. For better or worse, Alabama is tied to DeBoer, probably at least through next season. It's just the reality of an era in college football where you have to spend a lot of money to field a competitive roster.
Alabama was never going to be able to stockpile talent in the NIL/Transfer Portal as they did during Saban's heyday. It's why Greg Byrne hired DeBoer in the first place. He had a proven track record of doing more with less. His tenure at Alabama through 14 games has been marred by doing less with more.
Between losing to Louisiana Monroe in 2007 and falling at Texas A&M in 2021, Saban went 100 games without losing to an unranked opponent at Alabama. Saturday's loss to Florida State was the fourth time in 14 games that DeBoer has lost to an unranked opponent as Alabama's coach.
It was never going to be the same post-Nick Saban. But how quickly things have come crashing down is a startling reality check for Alabama fans.