Florida State pulled off the biggest upset of Week 1, downing No. 8 Alabama 31-17 on their home turf. It goes without saying, Doak Campbell Stadium was rocking from the opening kickoff. Damien Harris, a former Alabama running back and now analyst for CBS, was on the sideline for the matchup. Despite his alma mater […]
Florida State pulled off the biggest upset of Week 1, downing No. 8 Alabama 31-17 on their home turf. It goes without saying, Doak Campbell Stadium was rocking from the opening kickoff.
Damien Harris, a former Alabama running back and now analyst for CBS, was on the sideline for the matchup. Despite his alma mater taking the tough loss, he gave all the credit to the Seminoles. At atmosphere reminded him of another Death Valley he played in during his college career.
“This is one of the most electric atmospheres i’ve ever been in, played in, been to as a fan,” Harris said on the field after the game. “I would put this right up there today, the environment, with Death Valley in Baton Rouge, a night game (between) Alabama and LSU. I put this up there with them.”
Harris played at LSU twice in his college career, once in 2016 and another time in 2018. The Crimson Tide outscored the Tigers 39-0 (10-0, 29-0) in those matchups. Still, it appears to have left a lasting impression on the former Buffalo Bills tailback.
Fast forward to Saturday night, and the Florida State crowd was able to provide their squad an extra boost on game day. The defense was able to hold the Crimson Tide to 87 yards on the ground, keeping them out of the end zone in the process.
Alabama had more success through the air with Ty Simpson throwing for 254 yards and two touchdowns. Although, Simpson threw 43 passes in the process.
“The way that the crowd was able to make Alabama so uncomfortable. Offensively, defensive, it didn’t matter. They were just uncomfortable,” Harris continued. “They never got in a rhythm. I walked past the sideline a couple of times, and the Alabama sideline seemed to have no life. It was because exactly what you just said, they were getting dominated in the trenches.”
The atmosphere was the same for Florida State on the offensive side of the ball. In turn, the Seminoles racked up nearly 400 yards of total offense behind new quarterback Tommy Castellanos. He was the team’s leading rusher and was responsible for 230 of Florida State’s 388 yards of offense.
Florida State will play four of its next five games on its home field, including an Oct. 4 meeting against No. 10 Miami, which is sure to have a similar big-game feel give that it’s an in-state rivalry matchup. The fallout could have major implications regarding the ACC race as well.
For now, the Seminoles will move forward with massive momentum into Week 2 against E Texas A&M. Kickoff is set for Noon ET on Sept. 6 and will air live on the ACC Network.
Category: General Sports
