🏹 October 27th - The Chief Brief 🏹

Momentum & Meaning: From emotional tributes to statement wins

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The Chief
October 27, 2025

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🏹 Welcome to The Chief Brief! 🏹

Happy Monday, Seminole!

Big wins, emotional moments, and high-stakes matchups — this week’s all about momentum in Tallahassee.

🏀 Men’s Hoops Opens with Heart and History
FSU crushed FAMU 88–54 in an exhibition that doubled as a celebration — as Seminole legend Charlie Ward became the first athlete in school history to have jerseys retired in both football and basketball.

🏐 Volleyball Extends ACC Win Streak
The Noles swept Virginia Tech in straight sets to notch their third consecutive ACC victory and continue their midseason surge inside Tully Gym.

⛳ Women’s Golf Takes Center Stage at East Lake Cup
After a historic NCAA semifinal run, FSU tees off among the nation’s elite in Atlanta this week, live on Golf Channel.

🏌️‍♂️ Men’s Golf Wraps Fall with Top-10 Finish
FSU closed its fall season seventh at the Georgia Collegiate Invitational — edging out multiple ranked opponents and setting the tone for spring.

🎾 Tennis & Recruiting Momentum
Azariah Rusher advanced to the singles final at the Crimson Tide Fall Challenge, while football recruiting continues to heat up with new official visits and strong commitments ahead of November’s home stretch.

🏈 Prime Time at Doak: Wake Forest Preview
The Seminoles return home as 8.5-point favorites under the lights against a surging Wake Forest squad. Can FSU snap its four-game skid and reclaim its footing in ACC play?

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🏀 Seminoles Cruise Past FAMU 88–54 in Emotional Exhibition at the Tucker Center 🏀

Florida State men’s basketball opened its 2025 campaign in emphatic fashion Sunday, rolling past Florida A&M 88–54 in a dominant exhibition performance — highlighted by an emotional pregame ceremony honoring Charlie Ward, who became the first athlete in school history to have jerseys retired in both football and basketball.

🔥 Full-Court Dominance
The Seminoles jumped out to a 6–0 lead and never looked back, turning a 12–11 early edge into a 25–4 run that buried the Rattlers before halftime. FSU led 45–25 at the break and stretched the margin to 40 points in the second half.

💪 Top Performers

  • Robert McCray V – 15 PTS, 6 REB, 4 STL, 2 AST

  • Lajae Jones – 15 PTS, 5 REB, 2 STL

  • Kobe MaGee – 13 PTS, 6 REB, 3 STL

  • Chancey Wiggins & Cam Miles – 11 PTS each, with Wiggins knocking down three 3-pointers

🎯 Relentless Defense
Florida State racked up 15 steals and forced 25 turnovers, converting them into 27 points. The Seminoles also dominated the paint (34–18) and outscored FAMU’s bench 29–12.

Next up: The Seminoles officially open the 2025–26 season Nov. 4 vs. Alcorn State at the Tucker Center.

🏐 Florida State Sweeps Virginia Tech for Third Straight ACC Win 🏐

Florida State volleyball (11–8, 5–5 ACC) kept its hot streak alive Sunday, sweeping Virginia Tech 3–0 (25–23, 25–12, 25–21) inside Tully Gymnasium to even its conference record and extend its dominance over the Hokies to 13 straight wins.

🔥 Henke & Filimaua Lead the Charge
Senior outside hitter Iane Henke turned in a vintage performance, posting a season-best .469 hitting percentage with 16 kills, while Kyleene Filimaua added 10 kills and a team-high 4 aces to fuel FSU’s offensive rhythm.

💪 Balanced Team Effort

  • Nellie Stevenson: 12 digs to anchor the defense

  • Mio Yamamoto: 11 digs and steady serve receive

  • Nenu Kpea: 4 block assists and 1 solo block

  • Lexie Mason: 6 kills and key points in the third set

🎯 Dominance from the Line
The Seminoles recorded 12 service aces — their second-highest total of the season — using aggressive serving to keep Virginia Tech on its heels.

💬 Set-by-Set Snapshot

  • Set 1: FSU rallied from down 6–11 behind Henke’s late surge (25–23).

  • Set 2: Filimaua’s back-to-back aces ignited a 10–2 start and a runaway set (25–12).

  • Set 3: Hokies pushed back, but FSU’s composure held firm, sealing it on Henke’s final kill (25–21).

📈 Why It Matters
The win marks FSU’s third straight ACC victory and reaffirms Tully Gym as a fortress — the Seminoles are 40–4 all-time vs. VT, remaining undefeated at home.

Next up: FSU continues its homestand Friday, Oct. 31 vs. Syracuse (6:30 p.m., ACCNX).

⛳ FSU Women’s Golf Heads to Atlanta for Prestigious East Lake Cup ⛳

Florida State women’s golf will close its historic fall season with an elite appearance in the East Lake Cup — one of college golf’s most exclusive events — held October 27–29 at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta and airing live on Golf Channel (3–6 p.m. ET each day).

🏆 Elite Company
The Seminoles join Northwestern (2025 national champion), Oregon, and USC in the women’s field — all semifinalists from last year’s NCAA Championship. The East Lake Cup mirrors the NCAA format, beginning with a round of stroke play Monday to crown an individual medalist and determine seeds for match play on Tuesday and Wednesday.

💪 Seminoles’ Historic Rise
Head coach Amy Bond, the winningest in program history, called the invitation “a great honor for our program.” FSU reached the NCAA semifinals last spring — the best finish in school history — and finished No. 2 nationally in the final coaches poll. The team also set a program record with seven tournament titles, including its first ACC Championship.

🔥 Lineup & Leaders
FSU’s lineup will feature Sophia Fullbrook, Haruhi Nakatani, Alexandra Gazzoli, Elin Pudas Remler, and Freya Russell. The trio of Fullbrook, Nakatani, and Gazzoli all finished under par at last week’s Jim West Challenge, where the Noles placed second overall and led the field with 63 birdies.

🏌️‍♂️ FSU Finishes Fall Season Strong with 7th Place at Georgia Collegiate 🏌️‍♂️

The No. 22 Florida State men’s golf team closed out its fall campaign on a high note Sunday, finishing 7th overall (-1, 863) at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational — ahead of several ranked programs including No. 15 Utah, No. 25 UCLA, and Stanford.

🔥 McLauchlan Leads the Charge
Sophomore Andrew McLauchlan delivered FSU’s best round of the weekend, firing a 3-under 69 in challenging conditions to finish T-14 (-2, 214) — his second straight Top 20 finish.

💪 Consistent Support

  • Tyler Weaver: 73 (T-18, -1, 215)

  • Jack Bigham: 71 (T-32, +2, 218) with five birdies on the back nine

  • Jack Whaley: 74 (T-35, +3, 219)

  • Carson Brewer (individual): 72 (T-41, +6, 222)

🌬️ Battling the Elements
The Seminoles navigated 50-degree temps and high winds, carding a final-round 1-under 287 to climb past multiple Top 25 opponents — showcasing depth and composure to end the fall strong.

📆 What’s Next
FSU returns to action Feb. 16–18 at the Watersound Invitational in Panama City, Florida, as the team shifts focus toward its spring championship slate.

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🎾 Azariah Rusher Shines as FSU Wraps Crimson Tide Fall Challenge 🎾

Florida State men’s tennis wrapped up play at the Crimson Tide Fall Challenge on Sunday in Tuscaloosa, highlighted by a standout showing from sophomore Azariah Rusher, who advanced to the final round of the singles main draw.

🔥 Rusher’s Run
Rusher went 2–1 on the weekend, defeating:

  • Noah Schlagenhauf (Ole Miss) — 6–1, 3–6, 6–3

  • Jack Satterfield (Vanderbilt) — 6–7(4), 6–4, 6–0
    He ultimately fell in the title match to Billy Blaydes (Auburn), 5–7, 6–3, 4–10.

💪 Doubles Highlights

  • Ezerzer/Russell (Louisville): Beat Ole Miss’s Whitwell/Martin 6–2 before a close 4–6 loss to Vanderbilt.

  • Rusher/Lyons: Notched a solid 6–4 victory over Auburn’s Blaydes brothers.

📅 What’s Next
The Seminoles will split squads Nov. 6–9, with players competing in both the Battle at the Beach (Destin, FL) and the ITA Sectional Championships (Athens, GA) to close out the fall season.

🏈 FSU Opens as 8.5-Point Favorite vs. Wake Forest Under the Lights at Doak 🏈

Florida State (3–4, 0–4 ACC) enters Saturday night’s matchup as an 8.5-point favorite over Wake Forest (5–2), per FanDuel Sportsbook, as the Seminoles look to snap a four-game skid and earn their first conference win of the season.

🔥 Setting the Stage

  • Kickoff: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET

  • Location: Doak Campbell Stadium

  • Broadcast: ACC Network

💪 The Stakes
FSU’s season has taken a sharp turn since its 3–0 start — which included a statement win over Alabama — but the Seminoles have struggled in ACC play, dropping four straight.

Meanwhile, Wake Forest rides into Tallahassee on a three-game winning streak, fresh off a dramatic 50-yard walk-off field goal to beat SMU, 13–12.

🔥 FSU Commit Judah Daniels Locks In Official Visit for Virginia Tech Game 🔥

Another key member of Florida State’s 2026 recruiting class is set to make his way back to Tallahassee. Three-star defensive lineman Judah Daniels of Fort Myers (FL) has confirmed he’ll take his official visit during the Seminoles’ final home game vs. Virginia Tech on November 15.

💪 From O-Line to D-Line Star
The 6’3”, 265-pound Daniels, who committed to FSU in September, has transitioned impressively from offensive line to defensive line — a move that caught the Seminoles’ attention during their summer camp in June, when he earned his offer.

“As soon as he told me I could commit, I told him I was committing the next Monday. I knew it was home,” Daniels said.

📈 Rising Stock
Daniels has been a disruptive force this fall, flashing the quickness and strength that FSU coaches envisioned when projecting his defensive potential. 247Sports ranks him as the No. 137 defensive lineman nationally in the 2026 class.

🏈 Visit Weekend Building Steam
Daniels will join fellow defensive commit four-star LB Izayia Williams in Tallahassee for what’s shaping up to be a major recruiting weekend as FSU hosts Virginia Tech.

🏈 Scouting Report: Wake Forest Heads to Doak for Prime-Time Matchup 🏈

Florida State (3–4) returns home under the lights this Saturday, November 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET to host Wake Forest (5–2) at Doak Campbell Stadium. The game will air live on ACC Network, as the Seminoles seek their first conference win of the season against one of the ACC’s most improved squads.

🔥 The Matchup

  • Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET

  • Location: Doak Campbell Stadium (Tallahassee, FL)

  • Broadcast: ACC Network

  • Series: FSU leads 31–9–1 (won last meeting in 2023)

💪 Wake Forest Snapshot
Under first-year head coach Jake Dickert, the Demon Deacons have jumped out to a 5–2 record (2–2 ACC) and ride a three-game win streak, highlighted by last week’s 50-yard walk-off field goal to beat SMU, 13–12.

Key wins include:

  • at Virginia Tech (30–23)

  • at Oregon State (39–14)

  • vs. SMU (13–12)

📊 By the Numbers

  • Defense: 18.9 PPG allowed (26th nationally); 311.4 total YPG allowed (23rd)

  • Passing Defense: 179.9 YPG (20th nationally, best in ACC)

  • Third Down Defense: 35.5% (41st)

  • Red Zone TD Rate Allowed: 46.2% (elite efficiency)

  • Offense: 26.7 PPG, 394.3 YPG

  • Turnover Margin: –0.29 (T-94th)

  • Red Zone Scoring: 72.0% (129th nationally)

🔥 Players to Watch

  • QB Duo: Sophomore Deshawn Purdie (5 TDs, 2 INTs) and senior Robby Ashford (1,205 yards, 7 total TDs).

  • RB Demond Claiborne: 612 rushing yards, 8 TDs, 6.7 YPC — the engine of Wake’s offense.

  • WR Chris Barnes: 476 yards, 3 TDs, and a 98-yard kick return score — dynamic all-purpose threat.

  • DE Langston Hardy: 8.5 TFL, 4.5 sacks — a force off the edge.

  • DB Nick Andersen: 58 tackles, 3.5 TFL — anchors the secondary.

📉 Weaknesses to Exploit

  • Heavy penalties: 8.0 per game (T-124th nationally).

  • Poor red-zone offense: just 36% touchdown rate.

  • Inconsistent QB play under pressure (6 INTs combined).

And that’s a wrap!

A weekend that reminded us why we watch: emotion, pride, and possibility. From Charlie Ward’s legacy to FSU Volleyball’s surge, the energy around campus feels charged again.

As November nears, every possession, pitch, and putt carries weight — and we’ll be here to track every moment that matters.

Stay sharp, stay loyal, and we’ll see you under the lights. 🌴

– The Chief

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