🏹 October 18th - The Chief Brief 🏹

Can FSU’s late-night trip to the West Coast light a spark for the Seminoles — or will the skid continue under the California lights?

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The Chief
October 18, 2025

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Will FSU cover the spread against Stanford tonight (-17.5)?

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🏹 Welcome to The Chief Brief! 🏹

Happy Saturday Seminole!

🏀 Basketball Season Heats Up Early
FSU fans can meet both Coach Brooke Wyckoff and Coach Luke Loucks this Tuesday at Glory Days Grill, where the two will preview their teams ahead of opening week. Expect insight into Loucks’ debut season and Wyckoff’s retooled offense fresh off leading the nation in scoring.

🏊‍♀️ Swimming Dominates Army, Battles NC State
The Seminoles opened the Dual Meet Tournament with an 18-event win over Army before dropping a close second-round dual to NC State. Maryn McDade’s 22.33 in the 50 free marked the 4th-fastest time in school history as FSU now faces Auburn in the third-place matchup.

🏐 Volleyball Tests No. 5 Stanford
Despite falling in four sets, FSU showed fight in a gritty third-set win behind Kyleene Filimaua’s 11 kills. The Seminoles wrap their Bay Area trip at Cal on Saturday night.

⚾ Baseball Opens Fall Ball in Pensacola
The diamond Noles take on Mississippi State in a 14-inning exhibition — a rematch of last year’s Tallahassee Regional Final. Fall Ball continues next weekend with UAB and Fan Day at Dick Howser Stadium.

🏃‍♀️ Cross Country Finishes Regular Season Strong
The women’s team placed 5th at Pre-Nationals, its best finish under Coach Cody Halsey, led by Rylee Blade (14th, 19:53) and Bieke Schipperen (17th). The men’s squad finished 19th and now looks ahead to the ACC Championships.

🏈 Football Seeks Reset at Stanford
After three straight losses, FSU heads West for a 10:30 PM ET kickoff against the Cardinal in its first-ever trip to Palo Alto. Vegas has the Noles as 17.5-point favorites, but with confidence wavering and injuries piling up, this one carries major implications for Mike Norvell’s future.

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🏀 FSU Hosts Preseason Basketball Coaches Show at Glory Days Grill 🏀

Fans can get an inside look at both Seminole basketball programs as Brooke Wyckoff and Luke Loucks co-host a special preseason radio show on Tuesday, Oct. 22 (7–8 PM ET) at Glory Days Grill in Tallahassee (1926 Capital Circle NE).

  • 7:00–7:30 PM — Coach Wyckoff discusses the women’s team, which led the nation in scoring last year (86.9 PPG) and returns Sydney Bowles, Amaya Bonner, and Avery Treadwell, while welcoming seven newcomers to face a tough non-conference slate including UConn.

  • 7:30–8:00 PM — Coach Loucks previews his first season as FSU men’s head coach, featuring early matchups vs. Florida (Nov. 11), Houston (Dec. 6), and Duke (Jan. 3) — three 2025 Final Four teams.

💪 Program Pride
Florida State is one of only two ACC programs (alongside Syracuse) with alumni leading both the men’s and women’s teams.

⭐ Meet the Noles
Players from both squads — including Bowles, Bonner, Treadwell, Kobe MaGee, Martin Somerville, and Alex Steen — will attend to meet fans and sign autographs.

📺 How to Watch & Listen
The show streams live on FSU MBB social channels (X, Facebook), the Unconquered App, and the Seminole Sports Network, and re-airs locally on ABC27 (Oct. 24, 7–8 PM).

👉 Women’s opener: Nov. 3 vs. Florida A&M, 6 PM ET
👉 Men’s opener: Nov. 4 vs. Alcorn State, 7 PM ET

🏊‍♀️ FSU Swimming & Diving Splits Day One at Dual Meet Tournament 🏊‍♂️

Florida State swimming and diving opened competition at the Dual Meet Tournament in Atlanta with an emphatic 547–231 win over Army, before falling to No. 7 NC State in the second round on Friday at the McAuley Aquatic Center.

🔥 Dominant Start vs. Army
The Seminoles controlled the opening dual, winning 18 of 22 events and securing eight 1–2 finishes.

  • Maryn McDade clocked the fourth-fastest 50 freestyle time in program history (22.33).

  • Kayleigh Clark swept three of four springboard events.

  • Michel Arkhangelsky and Mathias Christensen each earned two individual wins.

  • Hayden Schroeder took home two diving titles.

💪 Battling the Wolfpack
FSU followed with a strong effort in a 453–322 loss to NC State, highlighted by:

  • Christensen’s double wins in the 200 breaststroke (1:56.34) and 200 IM (1:44.86).

  • Logan Robinson’s victory in the 200 butterfly (1:34.01).

  • Continued diving dominance from Clark and Jack Bessire on 3-meter, and Evelyn Hall and Max Shaver on 1-meter.

📅 Next Up
The Seminoles face Auburn on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. ET in the third-place dual, streamed live on ACCNX (ESPN+) with live results available via Meet Mobile.

🏐 FSU Volleyball Falls in Four Sets to No. 5 Stanford 🏐

Florida State volleyball (8–8, 2–5 ACC) battled hard but came up short against No. 5 Stanford, falling 3–1 (14–25, 13–25, 25–22, 13–25) on Thursday night at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, California.

🔥 Set-by-Set Recap

  • Sets 1–2: Stanford jumped out to commanding early leads, using strong serving and net play to control momentum.

  • Set 3: The Seminoles roared back with a dominant 15–5 start, closing out a 25–22 win after a reversed challenge and a Kyleene Filimaua kill on set point.

  • Set 4: FSU trimmed a 9-point deficit to five but couldn’t sustain the rally as the Cardinal sealed the match.

🌟 Top Performers

  • Kyleene Filimaua: 11 kills, including 5 in the third set.

  • Victoria David: 9 kills, sparking FSU’s offense early.

📅 Next Up
The Seminoles continue their Bay Area trip on Saturday night at Cal (7 PM ET). The match will stream live on ACCNX.

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⚾ FSU Baseball Opens Fall Ball Saturday vs. Mississippi State in Pensacola ⚾

Florida State baseball kicks off its 2025 fall ball schedule on Saturday, Oct. 18, with a 14-inning exhibition against Mississippi State at Blue Wahoos Stadium in Pensacola — home of the Miami Marlins’ Double-A affiliate. First pitch is set for 2 PM ET / 1 PM CT.

🔥 Rematch in the Panhandle
The matchup revisits the 2025 NCAA Tallahassee Regional Final, where FSU defeated the Bulldogs twice (10–3, 5–2) to advance to its second straight Super Regional — one of only five D-I programs to do so last season.

📅 Fall Ball Schedule (Presented by GEICO)

  • Oct. 18: vs. Mississippi State (Pensacola)

  • Oct. 25: vs. UAB — Noon ET at Dick Howser Stadium (Fan Day follows)

  • Oct. 31: Garnet & Gold All-Star Game — 6:30 PM ET, featuring a Home Run Derby finale

🎟️ Tickets On Sale Now

  • UAB Game: $10

  • Garnet & Gold Game: $7
    All tickets are general admission and mobile-only via Seminoles.com/Tickets. Gates open one hour before first pitch.

🏃‍♀️ FSU Cross Country Caps Regular Season with Strong Pre-Nationals Finish 🏃‍♂️

Florida State wrapped up its regular season Friday at the Pre-National Meet in Columbia, Missouri, with the women’s team delivering its best-ever finish under head coach Cody Halsey, placing 5th overall with 255 points.

🔥 Women Shine in Deep Field

  • Rylee Blade led the Seminoles for the third straight meet, placing 14th (19:53.0).

  • Bieke Schipperen followed close behind in 17th (19:56.1, career best).

  • Brooke Hooper (20:35.0) and Suus Altorf (20:35.2) each posted lifetime bests.

  • Ava Povich rounded out FSU’s top five in 131st (21:19.7) — also a career best.

🔥 Men’s Team Highlights

  • Isaac Hirshman Chandler led the men with a 24th-place finish (23:46.5).

  • Kaden Levings (84th), Lucas Bouquot (99th), Aidan Ryan (104th), and Gino Palazzolo (167th) completed FSU’s scoring lineup.

  • The men’s team finished 19th overall with 448 points.

📅 Next Up:
The Seminoles shift to postseason mode at the ACC Championships in Louisville on Oct. 31.

🏈 FSU Looks to Snap Skid at Stanford in Late-Night West Coast Matchup 🌙

Florida State (3–3, 0–3 ACC) heads to Palo Alto for its first-ever meeting with Stanford (2–4, 1–2 ACC), aiming to halt a three-game losing streak and reclaim momentum before next week’s bye. Kickoff is set for 10:30 PM ET on ESPN — the final game of Saturday’s slate.

🔥 Setting the Stage
The Seminoles opened the season 3–0, highlighted by a statement win over then-ranked Alabama, but have since dropped three straight to Virginia, Miami, and Pitt. Now unranked and facing a cross-country trip, this matchup presents both a challenge and an opportunity — a “get-right” game against a struggling Stanford squad led by interim coach Frank Reich and GM Andrew Luck.

Stanford ranks 106th in total offense (333 YPG) and 126th in rushing (93 YPG), while FSU’s defense remains mid-tier nationally (45th total, 38th rush defense). The Cardinal’s pass defense, however, has been a disaster — allowing 304 yards per game (132nd nationally) — which could open the door for a rebound performance from a banged-up Seminole offense.

🔥 Key Matchups to Watch

  • FSU Offense vs. Stanford Defense:
    Despite recent injuries, FSU still ranks No. 5 nationally in rushing (275 YPG) and No. 5 in scoring (44.2 PPG). Expect a heavy ground attack led by Gavin Sawchuk, Ousmane Kromah, and QB Tommy Castellanos, who returns after an ankle scare.

  • Stanford QB Ben Gulbranson vs. FSU Pass Defense:
    Gulbranson has thrown for 1,445 yards and 6 TDs, but Stanford’s offensive line (ranked 111th in pass-blocking) faces an FSU front featuring Darrell Jackson, Daniel Lyons, and Deante McCray.

  • FSU Linebackers:
    With coverage struggles well-documented in recent weeks, all eyes will be on Elijah Herring, Justin Cryer, and Blake Nichelson to improve communication and contain Stanford’s backs and tight ends.

💬 Expert Predictions

Noles247 Staff:

  • Trey Rowland: FSU 41–28

  • Zach Blostein: FSU 37–28

  • Brendan Sonnone: FSU 38–17

  • Kevin Little: FSU 42–24

  • Chris Nee: FSU 35–20

Warchant Staff:

  • Gene Williams: FSU 37–17

  • Ira Schoffel: FSU 31–17

  • Corey Clark: FSU 38–22

  • Tom Lang: FSU 31–13

  • Aslan Hajivandi (Upset Pick): Stanford 28–27

Tomahawk Nation Crew:

  • Frank DeNõle: FSU 54–17

  • Curt Weiler: FSU 34–27

  • Jordan Silversmith: FSU 35–24

  • Perry Kostidakis: FSU 38–16

📊 Vegas Line:
FSU –17.5 | O/U: 53.5

💡 What’s at Stake
A win would halt FSU’s midseason collapse, provide its first ACC victory, and give Mike Norvell breathing room heading into the bye. A loss, however, would mark his third career four-game losing streak in Tallahassee — and ignite louder questions about the program’s trajectory.

📅 Kickoff: Saturday, Oct. 18 — 10:30 PM ET | ESPN
👉 Full previews and predictions via Noles247, Warchant, and Tomahawk Nation

And that’s a wrap!

That’s all for tonight’s edition, Chief. From hoops hype to cross-country resilience and football’s moment of truth, every Seminole team has something to prove this weekend.

💬 Tomorrow’s storylines are written by tonight’s performances.

See you back here after the West Coast showdown — and remember, no matter how late kickoff is, Noles never sleep.

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