‘He’s one of one’: Clubhouse philosopher, straight shooter and line-drive hitter, there’s nobody like Nick Castellanos
-
Jesse Rogers, ESPN Staff Writer
In the first game of the Philadelphia Phillies‘ 2023 MLB postseason run, in the bottom of the fourth inning with the Phillies up 1-0 on the Miami Marlins, Nick Castellanos belted a double. When he reached second base, he dusted himself off, pausing to look into the home dugout — and proudly displayed a single batting-gloved finger on his right hand to his teammates cheering back at him.
Social media exploded, and even his own team’s dugout was confused: Was the Phillies’ right fielder flipping off his teammates from the middle of the diamond at Citizens Bank Park?
Castellanos later said that it was his ring finger he was waving in the air and that the gesture signified he wants a World Series ring to put on that finger, but for his teammates, this was just the latest case of Nick being Nick. This kind of thing is exactly what they’ve come to expect during his two years in Philadelphia. Ask anyone who shares a clubhouse with Castellanos what makes him tick and the inevitable smirk appears on that person’s face. He’s different, they say. But in a good way.
Shortstop Trea Turner put it simply: “He’s one of one.”
“I don’t know if I’ve met anybody like him,” Turner said recently. “He’s different. And he can really, really hit. It’s cool seeing him just do his thing. And regardless of what people think about him, he’s just his own person. So I love him and respect him for that.”
After a down year in 2022, Castellanos has burst onto the national scene during these playoffs. And it’s not just his National League-leading five home runs this postseason for a team that will take on the Arizona Diamondbacks in an all-or-nothing Game 7 of the NL Championship Series on Tuesday night.
Beyond his play on the field and penchant for an attention-grabbing quote or celebration, his endearing relationship with his 10-year-old son, Liam, has also produced heartwarming social media moments that have helped make Castellanos a fan favorite in Philadelphia.
“Every day, being part of this team and getting to understand this city and being able to [spend time] with Liam, I’m loving my space here,” Castellanos told ESPN.
Philadelphia has become a home, something for which the 31-year-old has been “searching” for a long time.
Castellanos was taken No. 44 overall in the 2010 draft by the Tigers, and he flourished at the plate as a doubles machine in spacious Comerica Park. But in his six years in Detroit, he made the postseason only once, in his rookie year, and for the latter part of his stay, he was one of few veterans on a perpetually rebuilding roster.
“I’m a dreamer by nature,” Castellanos said. “When I was drafted as a Tiger, I thought of Al Kaline. I thought I was going to be like him. You don’t always get Plan A.”
Plan B turned out to be a trade to the Chicago Cubs at the 2019 trade deadline, just before he was scheduled to hit free agency the following offseason. Though he quickly became a fan favorite because of his scorching-hot performance at the plate — he hit .321 with 1.002 OPS in 52 games — Castellanos had trouble finding his place as a temporary answer in a clubhouse full of players who were part of Chicago’s 2016 World Series roster.
“With the Cubs, I was a rental player,” Castellanos said. “I was there for two months. I have all these visions and dreams and aspirations and theories on how things should go. But it was not my place to go in and do that because if I vocalized all that, I would have been viewed as a tyrant. That’s also not in my personality either because any leader who inserts himself into that position, that’s not a leader, that’s a dictator. Over history, people don’t f— with dictators.”
Though Chicago had made four straight postseasons, that year the team faltered late and Castellanos again missed out on playing in October. By that offseason, when Castellanos hit free agency, the Cubs were shedding salary instead of adding it, so Castellanos had an open mind in his search for a new home.
He ultimately signed a four-year, $64 million contract with the Cincinnati Reds that included opt-out clauses after each of the first two seasons. Coming on the heels of a career-best season in 2021, Castellanos elected to become a free agent for the second time in three years. Though he called his 2021 season “the most consistent, happiest I’ve been playing baseball” at the time, his performance had put his next contract into a dollar range the Reds were unlikely to spend, and Castellanos was again on the move.
The Phillies didn’t actually emerge as a possible landing spot until late in the winter.
“I did not think that I was coming here during my free agent process at all,” Castellanos said. “It wasn’t [one of] the cities that I was interested in at the time, really wasn’t on the radar. Then Bryce [Harper] reached out to me and said, ‘What do you think? I want this. I want you to be here.'”
Harper’s pitch worked, and over the span of three days in March, the Phillies signed Kyle Schwarber for $79 million and Castellanos for $100 million, remaking the team’s offense (and leaving plenty of pundits wondering about its defense).
Asked if his fit in Philadelphia off the field was everything he had hoped for, Castellanos gave an emotional response that went far beyond the team’s success on it.
“Yes,” he said. “And it starts with the Middleton family. [Owner John Middleton] is a Phillies fan. He’s a Philly guy. That’s the foundation of everything. I truly do not believe that owning this team is a business for him. It’s a passion. If that passion is not there, a lot of time, the things that are underneath it, does not work out. Because of that, he oversaw the hiring of [president of baseball operations] Dave Dombrowski. And I think Dave is tremendous at his job. And what makes him tremendous at his job is he’s such a good people person. He believes in character above individuals.
“Every team is going to talk. I found that the more intelligent the words sound, the faker they are. The more fancy and educated the vocabulary — you’re getting to describe why winning is not now but it is in our imminent future — they’re trying to convince. I didn’t have to be convinced here.
“The one thing that gave me comfort was having pillars in Bryce, J.T. [Realmuto], [Zack] Wheeler, Schwarber and Dave’s track record. I didn’t need to hear any intelligent vocabulary because if I can just look at what’s there, I can understand.”
Such a thought-out and detailed response to a question, any question, is something Castellanos’ teammates have come to expect in their two years together.
“If Casty wasn’t a ballplayer, he’d be a philosopher,” catcher Garrett Stubbs said. “He’ll always ask, ‘Why?’ No matter what. He’s probably the most curious person in the entire world. It doesn’t matter what the conversation is about. You know how little kids will always ask, ‘But why?’ He’s always asking why, and it’s hilarious.”
Across the clubhouse, second baseman Bryson Stott admitted that learning to appreciate Castellanos’ deeper thoughts to even the most routine conversations took some time.
“You could ask him the most simple question like, ‘Why is it 7 a.m. in the morning?’ and he gives you an answer you could probably write a story on,” Stott said. “Sometimes you’re like, ‘Nick, I just want to know what time it is. I don’t need to know about the sun and how everything is moving around.’ Anytime you get in a conversation, you know you’re going to get the most in-depth, full answer you could get.”
Or you could get something off-the-cuff and shocking, in the vein of his ring-finger celebration. During an on-field interview after the Phillies’ division series win over the Atlanta Braves, Castellanos was asked if his fit with the team was something he always needed. Without skipping a beat, he responded, “I mean, yeah, I f— with Philly,” on national television.
“I’m not sure where he’s going with some of those interviews, like a lot of other people,” Dombrowski said with a smile. “That’s Nick. One thing you won’t get is any false pretense. You’ll either like it, or you won’t. That’s up to you.”
There is no denying that Castellanos’ straightforward approach could be jarring in a professional clubhouse. But the mistake, according to those who know him best, would be to judge Castellanos by only his quirky, say-anything style without getting to know him as a teammate.
Rookie center fielder Johan Rojas points to the help his right fielder has provided him all season, from the first day of spring training, to his call up to the big leagues in July, to the October stage. Throughout, Castellanos has been there to show the 23-year-old the ropes.
“He’s been a mentor to me,” Rojas said through the team interpreter. “He’s been good about everything, really. He tells me what to expect in the game and sometimes when I don’t have a good [at-bat], he comes to me to forget about it and focus on defense.
“All I can tell you is he’s a great teammate. He’s always looking to help me. I can’t be more thankful to God for putting me on his team. He’s been an incredible teammate.”
Firmly in his comfort zone in his second year in Philadelphia, Castellanos has grown into a leadership role in the clubhouse and become a fan favorite. Much of what has endeared him to the home fan base is showing how he connects with his son through baseball. First, MLB released a Father’s Day video tribute that showcased a softer, more personal side of Castellanos not many had seen before. Whether it’s his son cheering him on after a clutch home run or a postgame trip across the parking lot to meet fans at Xfinity Live, their interactions this postseason have become part of the fabric at Citizens Bank Park. On the eve of NLCS Game 6, it was Liam who got the bigger ovation when both Castellanoses were shown on the Lincoln Financial Field scoreboard during the Miami Dolphins-Philadelphia Eagles game. Getting to share the journey with his son has added to the feeling of groundedness for the elder Castellanos.
“If what you mean by ‘home’ is I have like-minded individuals that are passionate about being great at their careers, yes, I have found a home,” Castellanos said. “The city of Philadelphia, and the crazy cheering by the fans, is all complementary to that. Because if you don’t have that, everything else is come and go.
“The more comfortable I feel with where I’m at, the more my raw emotions can come out and I’m not worrying, thinking or analyzing about s—. I’m just doing it because everything else is in its place.”
Now, Castellanos and his Phillies teammates have a chance to finish what they fell just short of accomplishing last season — bringing their city its first World Series title since 2008. But Castellanos refuses to let even that lofty goal be his only measure of success.
“There’s two ways to go about it,” he said. “You can look at the positive side and just appreciate the fact you got to be in it and not sound like a spoiled brat, just be thankful for the opportunity to play in the biggest baseball series in the world. Or you can be that much more frustrated and not be thankful about any of it and just want to finish it the right way, and none of the other stuff matters. Where’s the balance?”
Many players would have given the expected canned response to such a question, but it’s an answer that is quintessential Castellanos.
“Nick being Nick,” pitcher Michael Lorenzen said. “He knows how to be himself better than anyone.”
-
David Hale
During the long, dark months between the end of one season and the beginning of another, we tell each other stories, because we need something to fill the void. We dress those stories up, calling them things like “way too early” rankings, preseason predictions or scalding hot takes, and we sustain them with statistics, data and historical perspective. But ultimately, they are at best educated guesses and, at worst, outright lies.
Then Week 1 comes along and college football delivers us a heaping dose of the truth, exposing our deceptions to the world like the kiss cam at a Coldplay concert.
On Saturday, college football’s truth still seemed hard to believe.
We’ve spent months burnishing the image of our next Heisman Trophy winner, Arch Manning. Only, in Week 1, Manning’s offense was overwhelmed by the defending champs, as Ohio State dumped Texas 14-7.
We’ve spent the summer laughing incredulously at Florida State ‘s Tommy Castellanos, seemingly the only player foolish enough to poke the bear by taunting Alabama when, in fact, he was a fortune-teller. Nick Saban couldn’t bail out the Crimson Tide on Saturday, and the Seminoles, buried after a 2-10 season a year ago, toppled Bama in convincing fashion 31-17.
We’ve heard all offseason Clemson was the class of the ACC, a nearly perfect team built around loads of returning talent that, after Dabo Swinney lost a bet with Tom Allen on who’d win the three-legged race at the team’s annual team picnic, even added players from the transfer portal. On Saturday, however, Clemson’s offense looked woefully similar to those stagnant offenses of years past. LSU‘s defensive front steamrollered its way to a 17-10 win in what used to be Clemson’s Death Valley, which must now be referred to as Critical-but-Stable Condition Valley due to the stakes of this matchup between two teams with the same nicknames for their stadiums.
Yes, Saturday’s results revealed that all our offseason narratives were no different than the description on a John Mateer Venmo transaction — dangerous, hilarious and completely made up.
In Columbus, the preseason No. 1 Longhorns couldn’t crack the scoreboard for the first 56 minutes of action. This was to be Manning’s coming-out party after two years in waiting behind Quinn Ewers; instead, the day belonged to new Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, a man hired only so Ryan Day wouldn’t have the weirdest-looking beard on staff. Patricia’s defense had an answer for everything Texas threw at it, holding Manning to just 17-of-30 passing, picking off a critical third-quarter pass to set up the decisive touchdown and stuffing the Horns on fourth down four times — including twice inside the 10-yard line.
It’s not that Ohio State’s offense wowed. A unit that proved deadly in last year’s College Football Playoff en route to a national championship mustered just 203 total yards — the Buckeyes’ worst regular-season output since 2015. But new quarterback Julian Sayin avoided any catastrophic mistakes and delivered a 40-yard dagger to Carnell Tate in the fourth quarter despite no one even knowing who his uncles are. If it wasn’t an emphatic endorsement for the 2025 version of Ohio State, it was a reminder the Buckeyes will not be swept aside without a fight.
In Tallahassee, Kalen DeBoer took another huge step toward having the word “tarmac” appear on his Wikipedia page. Since toppling Georgia last September and climbing to No. 1 in the AP poll, the Tide are just 5-5 overall, and Saturday’s loss to Florida State — a team that finished 2-10 a year ago — marks a new nadir.
In the aftermath, DeBoer was left scrambling for answers, saying, “There’s no excuse about what happened. We’ve got to play our style of ball. Last year isn’t this year. You’ve got to focus on the moment …” and there’s a long run past midfield by Castellanos.
Castellanos had promised a win, saying in June he saw no way Alabama could stop him. Lo and behold, he was right. The signal-caller who was benched at Boston College just a year ago ran all over an Alabama defense that seemed utterly flustered at times, despite FSU’s game plan including just nine completions.
Fewest completions in a win over Alabama since 2008:
FSU – 9, today
Okla – 9, Wk13, 2024
LSU – 10, Wk10, 2011
Mich – 11, bowl, 2024
Aub – 11, Wk14, 2013
Aub – 13, Wk14, 2010So, 3 all-time Saban classics (Cam, 9-6, Kick 6) and 3 of DeBoer’s 14 games as Bama HC.
— 💫🅰️♈️🆔 (@ADavidHaleJoint) August 30, 2025
But it was FSU coach Mike Norvell who delivered his own truth in the fourth quarter. After a year in which he aged on the sideline the way a president does over two terms, Norvell promised he wouldn’t let this team roll over in the face of adversity. After Alabama charged back to within one score, FSU faced a fourth-and-1 at its own 36, and Norvell decided to go for it. It was a decision that would have been lambasted if it had failed and the Tide tied the game, but Alabama transfer Roydell Williams plunged ahead for 4 yards, FSU capped the drive with a touchdown, and Norvell’s message to his team couldn’t have been more clear. This year is different.
Things are different at LSU, too. While so much of the college football world had grown to love Brian Kelly’s annual Week 1 postgame press conferences in which he’d raise a podium over his head while decrying his lack of a ground game and yelling “Hunk smash!” this year’s Bayou Bengals actually played hard from start to finish and finally snagged a season-opening win.
In what was billed as a showdown between arguably the two best QBs in college football, it was the LSU defense that stole the show, tormenting Cade Klubnik throughout and holding Clemson to 31 rushing yards. Clemson’s last 19 plays were all passes, and Klubnik was under pressure on nearly all of them. Swinney may insist on bringing his own guts, but he keeps leaving his rushing attack at home.
So here we are, still not quite through with the opening scenes of the 2025 season, and we’ve already upended the Heisman race, slayed a giant and left Kelly with a smile on his face. What were the odds?
Of course, that’s the point, right? After an offseason in which conference commissioners tried to codify their own stories in the form of scheduling metrics, guaranteed playoff bids and TV revenue splits, a real Saturday of games is the respite from the narratives, a reminder that the games remain blissfully unpredictable.
After all, to paraphrase Lester Bangs from “Almost Famous,” the only true currency in this bankrupt world of college sports is the jokes you share with someone else when watching Alabama lose as a 14-point favorite again.
Jump to a section:
Trends | Under the radar | Heisman five
Notes from the road | Best of Texas-Ohio State
Week 1 vibe check
Each week, major upsets, emphatic wins and stellar performances grab the headlines around the college football ecosystem, but there are also many smaller storylines that matter just as much. We try to capture those here.
Trending up: Trendy fashion choices
Georgia Tech upended Colorado on Friday 27-20, but the real buzz was all about the attire of return man Eric Rivers, who took the field dressed as though he was the lead singer of Talking Heads during the “Stop Making Sense” tour or had just been selected sixth overall in the 1999 NBA draft.
Pierrot, by Jean-Antoine Watteau, 1718-19 pic.twitter.com/dHRfgGYzPP
— ArtButMakeItSports (@ArtButSports) August 30, 2025
If the Yellow Jackets have any sense of humor at all, Rivers should line up for his first scrimmage play next week rocking a pair of parachute pants.
Trending down: Bad fashion choices
To honor the city of New Orleans on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Tulane had hoped to don its 2005 uniforms for its game against Northwestern on Saturday. The Wildcats denied the request, which led to a 23-3 whooping by the Green Wave and some spicy comments from Tulane coach Jon Sumrall afterward.
“When you disrespect the city of New Orleans, you’re going to run into it,” Sumrall said. “I’m not trying to be a jerk, but don’t disrespect the city of New Orleans.”
In contrast, after Florida State’s QB disrespected the city of Tuscaloosa this offseason, Alabama responded by writing a sternly worded letter to its commissioner insisting that, instead of a nine-game slate, the SEC move to a 12 conference games so this can’t happen in the future.
Trending up: In-game ad revenue
Deion Sanders delivered on his promise to have a portable toilet on the sideline for Colorado’s game against Georgia Tech, and he even got it sponsored by Depend.
Deion Sanders indeed has a portable toilet next to Colorado’s bench, to accommodate him following bladder reconstruction surgery.
And it’s sponsored. pic.twitter.com/GegvViVJQC
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) August 29, 2025
While we’re certainly glad to see Sanders is feeling better, the Buffs’ loss makes this sponsorship feel as though it’s one of the worst on-field marketing disasters since Red Lobster sponsored Les Miles’ ill-fated sideline seafood tower during the 2015 Texas Bowl.
Trending down: The middle seat from ATL to SYR
Tennessee‘s offense certainly didn’t look any worse off after waving goodbye to Nico Iamaleava. Transfer Joey Aguilar threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-26 win over Syracuse.
This, of course, was bad news for whichever member of the Orange had to sit next to Syracuse coach Fran Brown on the flight home, as Brown famously refuses to shower after a loss. Luckily, for just an additional $29.95, Spirit Airlines will furnish the team with one of those “new car smell” air fresheners to hang above Brown’s seat.
Trending up: Short road trips
UConn packed the house at Rentschler Field with its largest crowd since 2013.
A total of 37,594 in attendance today at The Rent!
The largest crowd since 2013 🫡 pic.twitter.com/FTGYFP1Spa
— UConn Huskies (@UConnHuskies) August 30, 2025
This could certainly be in response to fans getting excited after last year’s 9-4 campaign. Or it could be that the opponent, Central Connecticut State, drove up attendance. CCSU is actually closer to Rentschler Field (12 miles) than is UConn (24 miles).
Trending down: The Group of 5
On Thursday, the Group of 5’s playoff picture was upended when No. 25 Boise State — the lone ranked team outside the Power 4 — was stomped by USF Bulls 34-7. Then on Friday, the defending American champion, Army, fell in embarrassing fashion to FCS Tarleton State.
This could leave the door wide open for a surprise team from the Group of 5 to make a playoff run, but unfortunately Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti already called dibs on the spot and invoked the “no take backs” clause of his proposed playoff plan, so … congratulations Maryland. You’re in now.
Trending up: Upstaging celebrities
Much was made of the engagement of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift earlier this week, but the Kansas City Chiefs tight end didn’t manage the most romantic proposal of Week 1. That honor goes to this guy, who popped the question in the only truly romantic way possible: with mayonnaise.
LOVE HAPPENS IN MAYO LAND 💍 pic.twitter.com/WBLqschvhb
— Duke’s Mayo Classic (@DukesMayoBowl) August 30, 2025
We assume the wedding will be officiated by an anthropomorphic Pop-Tart, they’ll exit the reception by riding on the back of the Wake Forest Demon Deacon’s motorcycle, and they’ll honeymoon at the Bahamas Bowl which, this season, is probably being played in Little Rock, Arkansas for some reason.
Trending up: Lincoln Riley’s job security
USC thumped Missouri State 73-13, racking up nearly 600 yards of total offense and rushing for six touchdowns.
Riley would like to remind everyone that even if they get shut out against Georgia Southern next week, he would still be averaging 36.5 points per game, and that’s pretty good.
Trending down: Life expectancy for K-State fans
One week after seeing their team fall to rival Iowa State in the verdant hills of Ireland, Kansas State fans nearly suffered an even bigger indignity at the hands of a school mostly surrounded by cornfields, as North Dakota took a 35-31 lead into the final minute of the game.
Avery Johnson rode to the rescue this time, however, engineering a 10-play touchdown drive capped by a 6-yard completion to Joe Jackson to escape with a 38-35 win. Johnson threw for 318 yards and three touchdowns in the game and is now listed as the emergency contact on 86% of Kansas residents’ medical forms.
Trending up: The First State
Delaware toppled Delaware State 35-17 on Thursday, the Blue Hens’ first game as an FBS member.
With fellow newcomer Missouri State getting blown out by USC, that means that Delaware alone has the best winning percentage in FBS history (minimum one game). It’s the most exciting thing to happen in to the state since the new Hot Topic opened at the Concord Mall.
Under-the-radar game of the week
Entering Saturday’s action, Kent State had lost 21 straight games. The program was in shambles, and its last head coach, Kenni Burns, had been fired and (possibly) replaced by an AI program developed by some MIT dropouts who thought they were playing Minesweeper and accidentally coded a football algorithm.
And yet, the football gods smiled upon the Golden Flashes in Week 1, delivering a win in truly epic style.
Trailing 17-14 to Merrimack, a school that exists only in a child’s imagination, a player named — this is true — Da’Realyst Clark ran back a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, putting Kent State up 21-17 with 5:28 to play.
1:17
Merrimack Warriors vs. Kent State Golden Flashes: Full Highlights
Merrimack Warriors vs. Kent State Golden Flashes: Full Highlights
Sure, Kent State has Texas Tech, Florida State and Oklahoma — all on the road — in its next four games, but that’s of little importance today because, for the first time in nearly two full calendar years, the Golden Flashes are victorious. Turns out, that AI that thinks the Greek god of wisdom is Toyotathon knows a little something about football after all.
Under-the-radar play of the week
During pregame celebrations in Eugene on Saturday, the famed Oregon Duck took a nasty spill and lost his duck head, exposing the human underneath. While that was good for a laugh, the mascot’s reaction was truly impressive, as he sprinted a solid 25 yards at full speed wearing feet made out of felt, all while (we assume) screaming, “Look away! Look away! I’m hideous!” before returning to his secluded lair beneath an opera house.
0:16
Oregon Duck loses his head and scampers off
Oregon Duck loses his head and scampers off
Heisman five
On one hand, Arch Manning saw his Heisman odds tumble after struggling in a 14-7 loss to Ohio State. On the other hand, at least he’s unlikely to have the Heisman stolen from him by Charles Woodson now, so he has got that going for him. Which is nice.
1. Oklahoma QB John Mateer
The Washington State transfer completed 30 of 37 passes for 392 yards and accounted for four touchdowns in a 35-3 win over Illinois State, a performance so impressive his friend sent him $50 bucks with the note: “Definitely not because of sports gambling.”
2. Florida State QB Tommy Castellanos
Some would call it ego. Some would call it cockiness. Castellanos would call his offseason commentary facts. After talking smack on Alabama in June, Castellanos backed it up with 230 total yards and a touchdown to take down the Tide 34-17. Given that head coach Mike Norvell is superstitious, we recommend Castellanos keep this up by insisting the Noles will hang 300 on East Texas A&M next week.
3. Georgia QB Gunner Stockton
Stockton threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more in a 45-7 win over Marshall on Saturday, then we assume he drove his F-150 over to the Burger King parking lot, sat in the back and listened to John Mellencamp cassettes while wearing a denim jacket and promising he’ll never waste his life working in the factory like his old man.
4. LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier
After throwing for 230 yards and a touchdown in a win over Clemson, Nussmeier now looks like the odds-on favorite to be the No. 1 pick in next year’s NFL draft. His dad, Doug Nussmeier, just so happens to be the offensive coordinator of the Saints, and he was in attendance for Saturday’s win. After the game, the younger Nussmeier responded to his dad’s enthusiasm that he could be drafted by the Saints by saying, “Oh, wow, yeah. That sounds great, but really, it’s OK. You don’t need to go to all that trouble. Really. I’m sure there are lots of other quarterbacks who need a good home and, honestly, just focus on them. I’ll go to the Rams. It’s fine. That’ll be fine.”
5. Iowa State QB Rocco Becht
One week after upending Kansas State in Ireland, Becht delivered the Cyclones a dominant victory over FCS power South Dakota, throwing for 278 yards and three touchdowns in a 55-7 win. By federal law, South Dakota now needs to add Becht’s image to Mt. Rushmore in place of Thomas Jefferson.
Notes from the road
How FSU pulled the upset
Florida State coach Mike Norvell talked for months about wanting his team to play with an edge, with desperation, with heart — three key intangibles missing last year during a miserable 2-10 season.
The college football world saw all of that on display in a 31-17 win over Alabama. But perhaps most jaw-dropping was the physical way in which the Seminoles dominated the Crimson Tide up front. After allowing an opening 75-yard drive, the Florida State defense clamped down from there — and allowed just 3 yards per rush for the game.
The revamped offensive line, with four veteran transfers, dominated in its own right — not only opening up holes, but pushing defenders backward at nearly every turn. Florida State rushed for 230 yards, a year after averaging 89.9 yards per game — ranking No. 128 in the country.
“We wanted to be the aggressor, and we were,” Norvell said. “Our players, they rose to the challenge. We talked all year, and I’ve used the buzzwords of edge and desperation. That goes to the heart, and you saw heart tonight. We saw a team that absolutely loves playing this game together and were physically dominant, emotionally together, and they responded. This is a first step, but it’s a big step.”
0:35
Florida State fans storm field after Noles upset Alabama
Florida State fans storm the field after opening the season with a 31-17 win over No. 8 Alabama.
It is a big step because of what happened a year ago. Florida State came off a 13-1 ACC championship season with one of the worst performances in school history. Those outside the program questioned Norvell, questioned the program’s direction. He needed a win like this to remind the general public the Florida State is not what it showed a year ago.
On the flip side is Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, who already went into the season with Crimson Tide fans skeptical about him and the direction of the program after a 9-4 debut that ended with a bowl loss to Michigan.
You will remember DeBoer got the Alabama job over Norvell, and now the pressure is rising as the successor to Saban. Alabama lost a season opener by two touchdowns for the first time since 1970.
“There’s no excuses about what happened,” DeBoer said. “Last year isn’t this year, and it’s going to be an uphill climb for us, but you can’t think of it in the big scope of things. You’ve got to focus on the moment. And the next moment is, ‘What happens tomorrow?’ And we’ll find out. We’ll find out.” — Andrea Adelson
Ohio State’s defense came ready
Ohio State opened its national championship defense with a dominating defensive effort. And for the second straight season against Texas, the Buckeyes produced a game-clinching stop.
Despite eight new defensive starters, the Buckeyes flew around all afternoon and flustered hyped Texas quarterback Arch Manning into a stunningly erratic performance.
The Buckeyes did not surrender a play longer than 15 yards until late in the fourth quarter. They also came up huge in the red zone.
In the first half, the Buckeyes stuffed a Manning quarterback sneak on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Then in the fourth quarter, cornerback Davison Igbinosun swatted away a Manning fourth-down pass to the corner of the end zone.
“Every time you get a fourth-down stop, it’s like a turnover,” Day said after the game.
After a Texas touchdown with 3:28 to play, the Longhorns got the ball back again with a chance to tie.
But just like last season — when Jack Sawyer’s strip sack and score propelled Ohio State to victory over Texas in the CFP semifinals and to the national championship game — the Buckeyes got the key final stop — as Caleb Downs tackled Jack Endries short of the marker on fourth down.
The Buckeyes’ defensive performance allowed them to ease quarterback Julian Sayin into his first start. Sayin was 13-for-20 for 126 yards and a score in his first start. Unlike Manning, however, Sayin avoided turnovers.
“We were fairly conservative [offensively] because we felt like our defense was playing well,” Day said. — Jake Trotter
Best moments from Texas-Ohio State
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — New quarterback Tommy Castellanos led a punishing rushing attack for Florida State with 78 yards and a touchdown as the Seminoles stunned No. 8 Alabama 31-17 on Saturday, ending the Crimson Tide’s streak of 23 straight wins in season openers.
Coming off a 2-10 season, Florida State handed a crushing setback to Alabama, which was viewed as a College Football Playoff contender under second-year coach Kalen DeBoer.
Castellanos, a transfer from Boston College, made headlines over the summer after saying legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban wasn’t there to “save” the Tide vs. Florida State in their Week 1 matchup and that he doesn’t “see them stopping me.” He backed up that jab by spearheading FSU’s dominant ground attack while staying efficient through the air, finishing 9 of 14 passing for 152 yards.
Students and fans swarmed the field at Doak Campbell Stadium to celebrate the upset by the Seminoles, who closed as 13 1/2-point underdogs at ESPN BET.
Under new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn — who spent eight seasons as Auburn’s head coach — Florida State was physical from the start, finishing with 230 rushing yards and averaging 4.7 yards per carry. The Seminoles averaged just 89.9 yards during their disastrous 2024 season.
The Crimson Tide had not dropped a season opener since losing 20-17 to UCLA in 2001 under Dennis Franchione, and this defeat will ratchet up the pressure on DeBoer from the demanding Tuscaloosa faithful. His predecessor, Nick Saban, led Alabama to six national titles.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment11 months agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024