Gus Malzahn couldn’t cease smiling. Patrolling Florida State’s sideline on Saturday, the longtime Auburn coach turned play-caller watched the Seminoles dismantle Alabama, 31–17, in a season-opening shocker that felt like a profession revival.
It felt like outdated instances, Malzahn later shared in a sly put up on social media, poking at Alabama. However this wasn’t Auburn-Bama for Malzahn, who was as soon as so embroiled within the Iron Bowl rivalry he refused to make use of crimson purple pens on his playsheets. This was Florida State’s new offensive coordinator orchestrating the most important upset of Week 1.
The opener got here loaded with strain: one yr faraway from a 2–10 debacle and a roster stripped to the studs, Florida State needed to show it was beginning over, not ranging from scratch.
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For Malzahn, the win wasn’t nearly toppling Alabama. It was proof that, stripped of the burdens of being a head coach, he may as soon as once more be the mad scientist who flipped faculty soccer on its head.
“When you’re just calling plays, it’s a completely different deal than calling plays and trying to manage a game. I kind of forgot what it felt like,” Malzahn informed CBS Sports activities. “You have a whole lot more time in between series, and now that you can look at the video and sit down with your quarterback, you have a lot more time to think about the next series and what they are doing and what you need to do.”
The free time afforded Malzahn alternatives within the offseason to experiment and re-evaluate the scheme. He unearthed outdated playbooks, pulling dusty pages from the archives that hadn’t seen mild in years. Formations he used at Tulsa within the late 2000s and at Auburn in 2009 and 2010, when his “Hurry Up, No Huddle” offense shocked the SEC’s system, breathed new life into Malzahn and the Seminoles.
He even pulled out his favourite trick play, “Fight Song.” An offensive sort out strains up as a receiver, serving as a decoy for a display screen cross, whereas a receiver or tight finish strains up as an inside lineman and shoots upfield for a wide-open cross. Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack was prepared for the decision, probably recognizing the formation from his days taking part in fullback for Malzahn at Arkansas in 2006.
“We had to do that,” Malzahn chuckled. “It didn’t work. We got about six yards because [Castellanos] had to take off running. They had the route covered. Kane played for me and he did a great job being ready for that. That’s one of my all-time favorites, so we had to throw that out there.”
Malzahn stored Alabama off steadiness, complicated linebackers with pre-snap eye sweet and motions, efficiently manipulating and out-leveraging the Tide’s protection. The Seminoles crushed Alabama within the trenches with 254 dashing yards, and quarterback Tommy Castellanos backed up his preseason proclamation for the sport when he stated Nick Saban couldn’t “save them,” with 230 mixed yards and a dashing landing.
“He plays with a chip on his shoulder, and the rest of the offensive guys feed off that,” Malzahn stated. “He made plays on his own outside the system. When you’re playing a really good team, a really good defense, like they are, you’ve got to have a guy that can do that.”
Florida State QB Tommy Castellanos put up 230 yards of complete offense within the upset of Alabama. Getty Photographs
Wommack stated Monday Alabama was not caught off guard by the play calls.
“We played hesitant,” he informed reporters, “which is not the identity of this defense. I think we’ve got a group of young men that take a lot of pride in the way they play, the effort that they play with, and I thought we played too much on our heels on the road with adversity.”
Malzahn’s ordinary staples on offense have been there, however so have been a couple of tweaks, which had soccer aficionados drooling on social media. His guard-tackle bluff reverse, the place left sort out Gunnar Hansen turned inside after which rapidly turned again exterior to function a lead blocker for a jet sweep, paved the best way for Micahi Danzy‘s 32-yard landing, which gave the workforce a 14-7 lead.
The Seminoles employed the “sugar huddle,” the place the offense huddles tightly close to the road of scrimmage, rapidly breaks into formation and snaps the ball earlier than the protection can establish their keys. Malzahn known as it because the offense ran down the sphere after an explosive 64-yard cross set them up on the 4-yard line. FSU scored on a fast pitch to Caziah Holmes to take a 24-7 lead.
Different methods have been included into the sport plan. Early within the second quarter, the offensive line froze of their stances after the snap for a delayed display screen cross. Earlier, on a third-and-5, Castellanos seemed to the sideline for a faux “check” play, nonchalantly clapping his palms to sign his middle to snap the ball, though the quarterback’s physique was nonetheless dealing with Malzahn on the sideline.
The efficiency was thrilling and satisfying, notably after a summer season of hypotheticals with out a lot proof of idea.
“I really had a lot of questions. We have 11 new starters and in the spring we were so beat up, we weren’t able to get any continuity,” Malzahn stated. “It’s really all been about fall camp.”
It’s no secret Malzahn has been at his finest with cell quarterbacks. From a sure-fire prospect like Cam Newton to an unproven junior faculty product like Nick Marshall, Malzahn pursues each the blue-chip and the missed athletes. Castellanos was recruited out of highschool by a number of SEC packages to play cornerback and working again, ranking because the No. 37 athlete in 247Sports’ recruiting rankings in 2022.
“I knew he was a quarterback,” Malzahn stated. “I knew he was capable of being a really, really good quarterback. Now he’s a veteran guy, and the moment is not too big for him. He plays with an edge.”
Castellanos signed with Malzahn at UCF, and departed after one season for Boston Faculty, the place he excelled below coach Invoice O’Brien earlier than he was benched late final season.
When Castellanos entered the switch portal once more in December, FSU focused him as their No. 1 quarterback. Reunited, Castellanos and Malzahn discovered new life Saturday of their shared focus and separate histories with the Tide. Malzahn improved to 6-6 towards the Tide as a coordinator and head coach, together with wins that propelled Auburn to the SEC title sport in 2013 and 2017.
“They’re always really good. They’re always really talented,” Malzahn stated of Alabama. “When you beat a really good team and a really talented team, it always feels pretty good.”
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