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Yesterday’s Poll Results

Today’s Poll

🏹 Welcome to The Chief Brief! 🏹

TGIF and Happy Gameday, Seminole!

There’s a lot on the docket so let’s get into it:

⚽ No. 3 FSU Advances to NCAA Third Round After 1–0 Win Over Lipscomb ⚽
A dominant 20–4 shot advantage, Heather Gilchrist’s game-winner, and Kate Ockene’s third straight shutout pushed FSU into Sunday’s Third Round in D.C.

🏀 FSU Defense Rewriting Record Books Ahead of Georgia Southern Matchup 🏀
Luke Loucks’ squad forced 26 turnovers and 19 steals — the second-most in school history — as the Noles’ havoc-heavy identity takes center stage on Friday night.

🏀 FSU Falls 89–67 at Florida Despite Career Night from Pania Davis 🏀
Pania Davis posted 19 points, 9 boards, and 3 blocks, but defensive lapses let the Gators pull away after halftime in Gainesville.

🏊‍♂️ FSU Breaks Another School Record on Day 3 of Georgia Invite 🏊‍♂️
Max Wilson’s 44.43 in the 100 back delivered FSU’s fourth record of the week as both men’s and women’s squads stacked NCAA-level swims.

🔄 FSU Flips 3⭐ RB Amari Thomas Back From South Carolina 🔄
The Noles reclaimed explosive 2026 RB Amari Thomas — a 1,496-yard senior with elite vision and zone-fit skills — after a months-long pursuit.

🔄 FSU Flips 3⭐ DB Jordan Crutchfield from Kentucky 🔄
FSU added a rare 6’3” safety with elite length and downhill traits as Crutchfield committed following his official visit to Tallahassee.

🏟️ FSU–NC State: Predictions, Matchups & Road Demons 🏟️
Across Noles247, Tomahawk Nation, and Warchant, analysts are nearly split on Friday’s bowl-eligibility showdown — all circling the same question: can FSU finally play to its identity away from Doak?

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⚽ No. 3 FSU Advances to NCAA Third Round After 1–0 Win Over Lipscomb ⚽

Florida State punched its ticket to the NCAA Third Round on Thursday, grinding out a disciplined 1–0 victory over Lipscomb in Washington, D.C.

🔥 Gilchrist Delivers the Game-Winner

• Senior defender Heather Gilchrist scored the lone goal in the 24th minute — her fourth of the year and third game-winner.

• The goal came off a corner from Taylor Suarez, who earned her 7th assist and second straight NCAA game-winning setup.

• It was Gilchrist’s first career postseason goal.

💨 Complete Control From Start to Finish

• FSU outshot Lipscomb 20–4, including 6–1 on goal.

• Held a 7–1 edge in corner kicks and dictated pace throughout.

• Freshman Kate Ockene posted her third straight shutout, facing just one shot on frame.

🔥 Key Offensive Threats

• Jordynn Dudley: 5 shots, 2 on goal (both game highs)

• Wrianna Hudson: multiple early chances inches from scoring

• Freshman Nyanya Touray made her first career start and nearly scored inside the opening minutes.

🔒 Defensive Clutch Moments

• FSU allowed zero second-half shots on goal.

• Closed the final minute with a forced miss and defended a buzzer-beating corner as time expired.

🌟 Tournament Pedigree Continues

• FSU improves to 85–19–6 all-time in NCAA play.

• Now 22–2–1 all-time in the Second Round.

• Advances to the Third Round for the 22nd time — and 7th time in the last 8 years.

• Earns its 11th clean sheet of the season.

🧠 Why It Matters

The Noles stay on track for another deep tournament run and now face Georgetown or West Virginia on Sunday with an Elite Eight berth on the line.

👉 Full match recap available via Seminoles.com

🏀 FSU Defense Rewriting Record Books Ahead of Georgia Southern Matchup 🏀

Florida State enters Friday’s home game vs. Georgia Southern riding a wave of defensive momentum after a near–record-breaking performance against UT Martin.

🔥 Turnovers, Chaos, and a Stat Loucks Has Never Seen

• FSU forced 26 turnovers and racked up 19 steals — tied for the second-most in school history.

• The Noles outscored UT Martin 33–4 in points off turnovers, a number Luke Loucks said he’d “never seen on a stat sheet at any level.”

• Five different Noles registered 3+ steals:

  • Somerville (4)

  • McCray V (3)

  • Lajae Jones (3)

  • Cam Miles (3)

  • AJ Swinton (3)

Loucks: “Our effort, communication, and physicality skyrocketed in the second half. It singlehandedly won us the game.”

💨 Pace + Pressure = Identity

• FSU has double-digit steals in 3 of 4 games, averaging 12.0 steals per game (2nd in ACC).

• Somerville leads with 10 steals in 4 games — 3.0 SPG over his last three outings.

• The Noles rank Top 15 nationally in pace of play and 1st in the ACC.

Somerville: “We score a lot because we possess the ball more. Coaches want us aggressive it creates more possessions.”

🔥 Friday Night vs. Georgia Southern

• Tipoff: 6:00 p.m. ET at the Tucker Center

• Stream: ACCNX (DeGroot & Bruner)

• Radio: Seminole Sports Network (Kavovit & Miles)

• FSU will wear the Nike Seminole Heritage turquoise uniforms for the 33rd time.

🧠 Why It Matters

The Noles’ havoc-heavy identity is becoming one of the ACC’s early-season storylines and Georgia Southern will get a full dose of that pressure on Friday night.

👉 Full defensive breakdown available via team release

🏀 FSU Falls 89–67 at Florida Despite Career Night from Pania Davis 🏀

Florida State dropped to 3–3 after an 89–67 road loss to rival Florida, but junior center Pania Davis delivered a standout performance in Gainesville.

🔥 Davis Dominates Inside

• 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks (ties career high)

• Team’s most consistent two-way force all night

• Provided early momentum with 6 points, 3 rebounds, a steal, and a block in the first quarter

💨 Supporting Scorers

• Solè Williams: 15 points, 3 made threes

• Allie Kubek: 11 points

• Sydney Bowles: Career-high 7 assists, plus 2 steals

📉 Game Flow

• UF led 23–16 after the first quarter

• FSU surged late in the second with a 15–4 run behind Kubek’s seven-point burst

• Still trailed 41–34 at halftime despite shooting 47%

• Gators pulled away in the second half, entering the fourth up 62–45

• Williams hit two more threes in the final frame

🧠 Why It Matters

The Noles’ transition flashes and interior scoring were promising, but defensive lapses and cold stretches let Florida control the game. Another rivalry test awaits Sunday.

👉 Full game recap available via team release

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🏊‍♂️ FSU Breaks Another School Record on Day 3 of Georgia Invite 🏊‍♂️

Florida State swimming & diving shattered its fourth program record of the week Thursday as senior Max Wilson powered another strong showing at the Georgia Invitational.

🔥 Max Wilson Sets 100 Backstroke Record

• New FSU record: 44.43 (NCAA standard)

• Finished 2nd in the final

• Marks the team’s fourth school record in three days

💨 Elite Relay Performances

• Wilson, Baravelli, Arkhangelsky & Robinson took 2nd in the 400 medley relay (3:02.52)

• 2nd-fastest time in FSU history

• Men now own four NCAA relay A cuts this week

📊 Standings Snapshot

Men (No. 16): 3rd place — ahead of No. 13 LSU, No. 14 Alabama, and GT
Women: 5th place — ahead of Georgia Tech, trailing four Top-20 programs

🧠 Why It Matters

FSU is stacking NCAA-level performances across strokes and boards and continues to outperform multiple ranked SEC programs.

👉 Full Day 3 recap available via Seminoles.com

🔄 FSU Flips 3⭐ RB Amari Thomas Back From South Carolina 🔄

Florida State landed a major recruiting win Thursday, flipping three-star RB Amari Thomas back from South Carolina — reclaiming a prospect the Noles originally held in their 2026 class.

🔥 How the Flip Happened

• Thomas (Blountstown, Fla.) committed to FSU early, flipped to South Carolina in August, but kept communicating with FSU staff.

• Returned to campus last weekend for the Virginia Tech game.

• RB coach David Johnson has a longstanding relationship with Thomas, who lives less than an hour from Tallahassee.

• Offensive growth at FSU + South Carolina’s offensive struggles played a real factor.

He becomes the lone RB commit in FSU’s No. 14-ranked 2026 class.

💨 Production Profile: Absurd Efficiency

Thomas has been one of the most statistically dominant backs in Florida the last three years:

Senior (Blountstown)

• 1,496 yards on 89 carries — 16.8 YPC

• 17 rushing TD

• 168 receiving yards

Junior (Marianna)

• 1,880 yards, 34 TD (12.3 YPC)

• 247 receiving yards, 3 TD

Sophomore

• 1,365 yards, 22 TD (8.9 YPC)

• 323 receiving yards, 3 TD

Also ran 11.79 in the 100m as a junior. Team is still alive in the Rural playoffs.

🧠 Scouting Report: High Floor, Early Contributor Potential

What FSU is getting:

Strengths

• Decisive, intelligent runner with above-average vision

• Mature “press-and-cut” style ideal for zone schemes

• Explosive first step, powerful redirect ability

• Thick lower frame → easy to add weight/strength

• Excellent contact balance

• Competitive demeanor — stood out vs. blue-chip DBs in 7-on-7s

Concerns

• Played in lower classification → some projection variance

• Long-speed questions remain (sub-11.5 range)

• Can run upright at times

• Agility flashes but inconsistent

📈 Grades

• 247 Grade: 88

• Composite: 0.9004

• Analyst Grade: 91

👉 Full scouting & flip breakdown available via 247Sports

🔄 FSU Flips 3⭐ DB Jordan Crutchfield from Kentucky 🔄

Florida State continued its recruiting momentum Thursday night, completing the flip of three-star defensive back Jordan Crutchfield from Kentucky — just days after his official visit to Tallahassee.

🔥 Why the Flip Happened

Crutchfield, a 6'3", 200 lb defender from Vero Beach, committed to Kentucky in June but remained in steady contact with FSU’s staff.

During last weekend’s official visit, Crutchfield said the Noles’ culture and coaching staff won him over:

FSU views him as a versatile chess piece capable of lining up at multiple spots across the secondary.

He joins a strong defensive back class that already features:

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Chauncey Kennon

• ⭐⭐⭐ Sean Johnson

• ⭐⭐⭐ Darryl Bell III

💨 Production Profile

Senior season:

• 27 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 INT, 2 PBUs

• 6 catches, 122 yards, 2 TD on offense

Prior seasons:

• Junior: 30 tackles, 3 PBUs, 2 INT + 495 receiving yards

• Sophomore: 20 tackles, 4 PBUs

Ranked the No. 39 safety nationally (Top247) with an 88 grade.

🌟 Scouting Report: Elite Tools, High Upside

Strengths

• Prototype frame: 6'3", 200 with elite arm length — arguably the best of any safety in the class

• Disruptive in passing windows

• Strong downhill trigger + good building speed

• Natural ball instincts

• Multi-positional versatility:

  • Safety

  • Overhang/ROVER

  • Outside corner

  • Nickel

Weaknesses

• Inconsistent production

• Hip stiffness limits man-coverage upside

• Tackling power is hit-or-miss

• Transition (pedal → drive) can be clunky

🔒 Fit at FSU

Crutchfield projects as a downhill, zone-friendly safety in Tony White’s system where his length and forward explosiveness can shine while masking some transitional stiffness.

If he develops, his ceiling is NFL-caliber due to rare size and reach.

🧠 Why It Matters

This is FSU’s second major flip of the week and another in-state win. Crutchfield brings elite tools, scheme fit, and positional versatility to a defensive back class that needed reinforcements after recent departures.

👉 Full scouting & flip breakdown available via 247Sports

🏟️ FSU–NC State: Predictions, Matchups & Road Demons 🏟️

Bowl eligibility, road credibility, and the temperature on Mike Norvell’s seat all run straight through Raleigh on Friday night. Florida State (5–5, 2–5 ACC) is a slight road favorite over NC State (5–5, 2–4), but every major outlet is essentially calling this what it is: a coin flip wrapped inside a house of horrors.

🔥 The Road Problem (Again)

At home, FSU looks like a Top-15 team. On the road, they look like someone else entirely:

• Home: 5–2, 43.3 PPG, wins over 8–2 Alabama & 7–3 Wake

• Road: 0–3, 20.3 PPG, slow starts every time

Early-game trends on the road:

• At Virginia: down 14–0 early

• At Stanford: down 13–3

• At Clemson: down 18–0

Norvell says they’ve tweaked travel, prep, and game-week structure to fix the starts. Gus Malzahn wants the offense to “play faster and think less.” Tony White is emphasizing mental composure so one mistake doesn’t snowball into a full collapse.

Now they get the ultimate test: Carter–Finley at night, 27th straight sellout, bowl bid on the line.

📊 Matchup Snapshot (Warchant Position-by-Position)

NC State Passing vs. FSU Pass Defense

• NC State: 262.0 pass YPG (35th nationally)

• QB CJ Bailey: 2,531 yards, 19 TD, 9 INT, 69% completions

• Deep, balanced WR/TE room (Anderson, Rogers, Joly, Grimes, Jackson)

• OL is banged up, struggled vs Miami

FSU:

• Allows 196.9 pass YPG (39th)

• Playmakers: Earl Little Jr. (4 INT), Jerry Wilson (3 INT)

• Rawls out for the year → true freshman Shamar Arnoux starting

• Pass rush: 2.5 sacks/game, but mostly by committee

Warchant edge: NC State

NC State Rushing vs. FSU Rush Defense

• NC State: 147 rush YPG (80th)

• RB Hollywood Smothers: 823 yards, 6 TD (2nd in ACC before injury stretch)

• RB Duke Scott: 445 yards, 4 TD, 196 vs GT when Smothers sat

• QB Bailey + QB Will Wilson both factor into the run game

FSU:

• 33rd nationally vs the run

• Front seven led by Mandrell Desir (TFLs/sacks), Darrell Jackson eating doubles, plus Blake Nichelson, Elijah Herring & Ashlynd Barker cleaning up

Warchant edge: Florida State

FSU Passing vs. NC State Pass Defense

• FSU: 259.8 pass YPG (37th)

• Tommy Castellanos: 2,317 yards, 12 TD, 6 INT (56.9% completions)

• Duce Robinson: 49 catches, 947 yards, 5 TD (ACC receiving leader)

• Ancillary weapons: Micah Danzy, Lawayne McCoy, Squirrel White, Jayvan Boggs, plus TE Randy Pittman in key situations

NC State:

• Worst pass defense in FBS (136th): 299.9 yards allowed per game

• Injury-ravaged secondary, thin depth

• Just 14 sacks all season (117th nationally)

• LB Caden Fordham: 103 tackles, tied for team lead in sacks & INTs

Warchant edge: Florida State

FSU Rushing vs. NC State Rush Defense

• FSU: 9th-best rushing offense in the country

  • Gavin Sawchuk: 444 yards, 8 TD

  • Ousmane Kromah: 369 yards on 63 carries

  • Sam Singleton: 339 yards, 4 TD

  • Castellanos: 404 yards, 8 rushing TDs

NC State:

• 54th nationally vs the run

• Fordham & Sabastian Harsh lead TFL production

Warchant edge: Florida State

Special Teams

NC State:

• K Kanoah Vinesett: 4/5 FGs (long 38)

• P Caden Noonkester: 44.9 yards per punt (Top-30 nationally)

FSU:

• K Jake Weinberg: 11/15 (long 46)

• P Mac Chiumento: 44.4 yards per punt

• Returns: Squirrel White on punts; Jaylin Lucas dangerous on KOs (big impact vs VT)

Warchant edge: Even

🧮 Score Predictions by Outlet & Writer

📌 Noles247 Staff

• Trey Rowland: NC State 28, FSU 26

• Zach Blostein: NC State 28, FSU 24

• Adam Brown: FSU 30, NC State 24

• Brendan Sonnone: FSU 31, NC State 24

• Kevin Little: NC State 24, FSU 21

• Chris Nee: FSU 24, NC State 21

Lean: Very slight edge toward NC State, but with multiple writers seeing a narrow FSU win if effort and execution travel.

📌 Tomahawk Nation Panel

• Curt Weiler: NC State 28, FSU 24

• NoleThruandThru: NC State 28, FSU 24

• Matt Minnick: NC State 30, FSU 20

• Jordan Silversmith: NC State 38, FSU 31

• Jacob Smith: NC State 31, FSU 28

• Tim Scribble: NC State 28, FSU 27

• Frank Denole: FSU 38, NC State 24

• Perry Kostidakis: FSU 34, NC State 28

Lean: Majority on NC State — most are in “I’ll believe an FSU road win when I see it” mode, with a few betting on talent and advanced metrics favoring FSU.

📌 Warchant Staff

• Gene Williams: NC State 34, FSU 31

• Ira Schoffel: FSU 38, NC State 31

• Corey Clark: FSU 34, NC State 28

• Jeff Cameron: NC State 38, FSU 34

• Tom Lang: FSU 31, NC State 20

• Aslan Hajivandi: NC State 31, FSU 28

• Matt LaSerre: FSU 34, NC State 28

Lean: Basically split — Warchant has a near 50/50 divide between “road curse continues” and “FSU finally breaks through and hits explosives on a bad Wolfpack defense.”

🧠 Why It Matters

This isn’t just about getting to six wins:

• Win, and… FSU is bowl eligible, snaps the road hex, and cools off a lot of the Norvell discourse heading into Florida.

• Lose, and… everything rides on Gainesville from bowl status to recruiting narrative to whether admin sees enough to justify staying the course.

FSU is favored by a handful of points, the matchup edges tilt slightly Garnet & Gold… and yet almost every writer across three outlets keeps coming back to the same question:

Can this team finally be itself away from Doak?

👉 Full matchup breakdowns, betting edges, and staff picks are live across Noles247, Warchant, and Tomahawk Nation.

And that’s a wrap!

From tournament grit to recruiting momentum to another night at Carter–Finley that will test every part of this team’s identity — today’s edition had a little of everything.

If FSU brings its home-field version on the road tonight, bowl eligibility arrives early. If not… Gainesville becomes a pressure cooker. Either way, we’ll have full coverage waiting for you tomorrow morning.

Until then; hydrate, pace yourself, and maybe avoid any NC State fans carrying suspicious-looking Ziplocs.

See you after kickoff,
– The Chief