🏹 October 4th - The Chief Brief 🏹

Rivalry Week Fever: Unbeaten Runs, Flip Wins, and a Primetime Showdown at Doak

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The Chief
October 04, 2025

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Yesterday’s Poll Results

Today’s Poll

Who wins the Sunshine State Showdown tonight?

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🏹 Welcome to The Chief Brief! 🏹

Happy Game Day, Seminole!

Big wins, big flips, and a primetime tilt at Doak — this edition is stacked. We’ve got clean sheets, five-set grit, PRs in the Windy City, a rodeo takeover, recruiting fireworks, wall-to-wall TV coverage, and the latest on Saturday night’s showdown.

Here’s what’s inside:

⚽ Soccer: No. 6 FSU blitzes Miami 3–0, extends a bundle of unbeaten streaks, and lines up a top-10 at Notre Dame.

🏐 Volleyball: Noles outlast Wake in five behind a freshman surge; NC State up next.

🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️ Cross Country: Career bests across the women’s scorers; men place 12th in Chicago.

🐂🎸 Doak x PBR: “Unleash The Beast” turns the stadium into a bull-riding + concerts venue in March 2026.

🏹 Recruiting: Legacy TE Corbyn Fordham flips from Ohio State; class momentum keeps building.

📺 All-Day ACCN: Live shows from Heritage Fountain, features on the rivalry and Tommy Castellanos, plus alt-cast.

🏈 Flip Watch: Blue-chip visitors in town — OL, DB, and RB targets headlining a 100+ recruit weekend.

🔥 Gameday Primer: No. 18 FSU vs. No. 3 Miami under the lights — keys, lines, and split expert picks.

Cast your vote in Today’s Poll, check Yesterday’s results, and let’s ride. 🍢

⚽ No. 6 FSU Stays Unbeaten, Blanks Miami 3–0 ⚽

Florida State soccer handled business under the lights Friday, storming past Miami with a dominant 3–0 win to stay unbeaten on the season. The Noles (8–0–2, 4–0–1 ACC) wasted no time, scoring all three goals within the first 29 minutes.

🔥 Fast Start, Ruthless Finish

  • Solai Washington opened the scoring in the 12th minute — her second game-winner of 2025.

  • Freshman Nyanya Touray netted her first collegiate goal in the 29th minute.

  • Just 42 seconds later, Jordynn Dudley buried her fourth of the season to make it 3–0.

💪 Stat Sheet Domination

  • FSU out-shot Miami 22–3 (14–0 on goal).

  • Dudley tallied a goal and assist (her second 3-point game this year).

  • Goalkeeper Addie Todd wasn’t forced to make a save — the Noles’ eighth shutout in 10 games.

📊 Historic Streaks Continue

  • 33 straight home games unbeaten — 3rd-longest in program history.

  • 20 straight overall without a regulation loss.

  • 10 straight ACC games unbeaten.

  • Program-record 65 consecutive games with a goal.

Next up: a top-10 showdown at No. 2 Notre Dame on Thursday (7 PM ET, ACC Network).

🏐 FSU Volleyball Outlasts Wake Forest in Five-Set Thriller 🏐

The Seminoles (8–4, 2–1 ACC) battled through momentum swings to secure a five-set victory over Wake Forest on the road Friday night, extending their dominance in the series to 19 straight wins and 27 of the last 28.

🔥 Back-and-Forth Battle

  • Wake took the opening set 25–22 after erasing an early FSU lead.

  • The Noles stormed back with a 25–13 second set behind an 11–1 run and .400 hitting percentage.

  • FSU edged the third set 25–22, powered by key plays from Victoria David and Kyleene Filimaua.

  • Wake responded 25–15 in the fourth before the Noles held strong in the fifth, 15–12, clinching the match on a debated two-hit call.

⭐ Freshman Firepower

  • Lexie Mason: Career-high 13 kills on 29 attempts.

  • Victoria David: 10 kills in her first career start.

  • Nenu Kpea: 10 kills, 9 blocks (career best).

  • Kyleene Filimaua: 10 kills, 13 digs, and a career-high 6 blocks.

  • Lily Nicholson: Another double-double (26 assists, 10 digs).

💪 Grit Without Their Leader
FSU overcame the absence of kill leader Iane Henke with strong team defense (3 blocks in the decisive set) and poise under pressure — a hallmark of head coach Chris Poole’s squads.

Next up: at NC State, Sunday at 1 PM (ACCNX).

🏃‍♀️ FSU Cross Country Shines in Chicago 🏃‍♂️

The Seminoles kept their momentum rolling at the Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational, with both teams posting standout performances — including career-best times from all five women’s scorers.

🔥 Women Dominate with Career Days

  • 🥉 Rylee Blade: 3rd overall at 19:37.41, her second straight top-3 finish.

  • 💪 Bieke Schipperen: 7th place, 19:56.93 (career best).

  • 🏅 Brooke Hooper: Lifetime best 20:40.00, finishing 33rd.

  • 🚀 Suus Altorf: 61st, 20:54.62 (career best).

  • 🌟 Ava Povich: 95th, 21:39.63 (career best).

The women placed 7th overall (195 pts) — ahead of nationally ranked No. 7 Providence, No. 21 Wisconsin, and No. 29 Minnesota.

💨 Men’s Team Steps Up

  • 🏁 Isaac Hirshman-Chandler: 17th at 23:55.83 to lead the Noles.

  • 🧠 Aidan Ryan: 58th, 24:45.42 (career best).

  • 👟 Gino Palazzolo, Kaden Levings, and Lucas Bouquot rounded out the top five, pushing FSU to a 12th-place team finish.

📅 Next Up: Pre-Nationals in Columbia on Oct. 18, closing out the regular season.

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Powerful Patents: RYSE has over 10 granted patents, and an Amazon Court Judgement win that blocks the sale of any copycats from selling!

Consistent Returns: Early shareholders have seen their share price rise by over 10x, with significant upside remaining as RYSE launched in over 100 BestBuy stores.

🐂 Doak Campbell to Host PBR “Unleash The Beast” in 2026 🎸

For the first time ever, Doak S. Campbell Stadium will be transformed into a massive bull riding and concert arena as the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) bring their “Unleash The Beast” tour to Tallahassee on March 13–14, 2026.

🔥 Event Overview

  • Two nights of elite bull riding action and post-show concerts.

  • A PBR Major stop — higher stakes, more championship points, and a $200,000 prize purse.

  • Over 50 of the world’s top bull riders and the fiercest 1,800-lb American Bucking Bulls.

  • Major music acts will perform after each night’s competition (artists TBA).

🏟️ Transforming Doak

  • 2,500 tons (5.5 million lbs) of special clay-sand dirt will cover 30,000 sq. ft. of the field.

  • 20 semi-trucks and a 50-person crew will handle setup and teardown.

  • Production scale: 3× larger than a typical PBR event.

📣 What They’re Saying

“This groundbreaking bull riding event is the result of a true partnership with Florida State University,” said PBR CEO Sean Gleason.
“This is a landmark event for FSU, Tallahassee, and the entire Big Bend region,” added FSU AD Michael Alford.

💥 Why It Matters
This marks a historic first for Doak Campbell Stadium — bringing national attention, new revenue, and world-class entertainment to FSU’s campus.

🏹 FSU Flips Legacy TE from Ohio State 🏹

Florida State added a major piece to its 2026 class Friday night, flipping three-star tight end Corbyn Fordham from Ohio State — a legacy recruit and the son of former Seminole lineman Todd Fordham (’92–’96).

🔥 Recruiting Win

  • Fordham (6’3.5”, 215 lbs, The Bolles School, Jacksonville) chose FSU over offers from Alabama, Auburn, Miami, Clemson, and Florida.

  • Originally committed to the Buckeyes in November 2024 but stayed in touch with FSU tight ends coach Chris Thomsen and assistant Preston Brady.

  • FSU’s early-season upset over Alabama and increased tight end usage helped seal the flip.

🧩 Class Impact

  • Joins four-star TE Xavier Tiller to solidify FSU’s 2026 tight end class.

  • FSU still pursuing Heze Kent, a four-star Florida commit.

  • Fordham’s senior stats: 14 receptions, 169 yards, 1 TD through six games.

📊 Ranking

  • No. 22 tight end nationally in the 2026 class (247Sports).

📺 ACC Network Goes Live from Doak 📺

Saturday’s rivalry matchup between No. 18 Florida State and No. 3 Miami (7:30 PM ET, ABC) will bring wall-to-wall national coverage as the ACC Network broadcasts live from Tallahassee all day long.

🔥 Live from Heritage Fountain

  • ACC Huddle (10 AM ET, ACCN): Hosted by FSU alum Taylor Tannebaum alongside Jimbo Fisher, Eric Mac Lain, and Eddie Royal.

  • Guests include FSU Head Coach Mike Norvell and FSU legend Dalvin Cook, who reunites with his former coach Fisher live on set.

  • Norvell joins again at 11 AM ET.

🎞️ Special Features

  • “The Rivalry” — A historical look back at iconic FSU-Miami moments like “Wide Right I & II” and “Bowden goes for two.”

  • Tommy Castellanos Feature — Chronicles the QB’s journey from being doubted as a passer to leading FSU with championship aspirations.

🎙️ Game & Alt-Cast Coverage

  • Main Broadcast (ABC): Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit & Holly Rowe.

  • Field Pass Alt-Cast (ACCN, 7:30 PM): Tannebaum, Fisher, Mac Lain, and Royal provide live sideline commentary.

  • Pre/Postgame Coverage: Mark Richt, Kelsey Riggs Cuff, and Tom Luginbill anchor ACCN shows throughout the day.

🏟️ Saturday Schedule Highlights

  • 10 AM – ACC Huddle (live from FSU)

  • 6:30 PM – ACC Huddle Scoreboard

  • 7:30 PM – FSU vs. Miami Field Pass

  • 11 PM – ACC Huddle Final Score

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🏈 FSU Targets Multiple Flips Ahead of Miami Game 🏈

It’s a massive weekend in Tallahassee — not only for what happens on the field vs. No. 3 Miami, but for the future of FSU football. Over 100 recruits are expected in attendance, including several top flip candidates committed elsewhere.

🔥 Top Flip Watch Prospects

  • Aaron Thomas (3⭐ OT, Ohio State commit) – The 6’7”, 300-pound FSU legacy is the top visitor of the weekend. His father, Eric Thomas, played OL for the Seminoles in the ’90s, and FSU is making a serious push to bring the Phoenix standout home.

  • Lasiah Jackson (4⭐ DB, Stanford commit) – The Lee County, Ga. standout and Stanford’s top-ranked commit has FSU in the mix despite Auburn holding recent buzz. He’s close friends with FSU freshman RB Ousmane Kromah, and the Seminoles will look to strengthen that tie.

  • Kaiden Hall (3⭐ S, Florida commit) – At 6’3”, 195 lbs, Hall’s length and physicality make him an ideal fit for FSU’s rover safety role. He chose to visit Tallahassee instead of Gainesville for Miami week — a move that signals real interest.

  • Xavier Lherisse (3⭐ S, Oregon commit) – A hometown product from Eau Gallie, Fla., who grew up rooting for the Garnet and Gold. FSU’s revamped defensive staff has reignited this recruitment and could be primed for a flip if this visit goes well.

  • Johnnie Jones (4⭐ OT, recent UCLA decommit) – A 6’6”, 305-pound offensive tackle from Venice who’s back on the market. FSU was linked early but cooled off — this weekend could change that if the staff reignites the pursuit.

👉 Full recruiting coverage via Noles247 & 247Sports

🔥 Rivalry Reignites: No. 18 FSU vs. No. 3 Miami in Primetime 🔥

For the first time in over a decade, both programs enter the Sunshine State Showdown ranked inside the top 20 — and everything is on the line. A sold-out Doak Campbell Stadium. National TV on ABC. College Football Playoff implications. The Seminoles (3–1) host the undefeated Hurricanes (4–0) in what could define the trajectory of both seasons.

🏟️ The Setup
Florida State comes off a double-overtime loss at Virginia, but returns home with one of the nation’s most explosive offenses — #1 in total yards (600 per game) and #1 in scoring (53 PPG). QB Tommy Castellanos leads the country in yards per completion (18.84) and will face his toughest test yet against a Miami defense ranked top-10 nationally in scoring, total, and rushing defense.

The Hurricanes haven’t trailed all season and bring a trench-dominant team built around QB Carson Beck (972 yards, 7 TDs) and DE Rueben Bain Jr., one of the most disruptive defenders in college football.

💥 Expert Predictions Split the Room
Opinions from across the FSU media landscape show just how unpredictable this matchup is:

  • FSU 31–24 (Curt Weiler) – Believes in “Doak magic” and Castellanos’ ability to ignite the offense at home.

  • Miami 27–24 (Brendan Sonnone) – Gives the edge to Miami’s defensive front, predicting hidden yards will decide it.

  • FSU 31–29 (NoleThruandThru) – Head says Miami, heart says Noles: betting on FSU’s resiliency and home-field edge.

  • Miami 30–24 (Adam Brown) – Thinks FSU regains its edge but can’t overcome Miami’s talent advantage.

  • FSU 31–26 (Perry Kostidakis) – Calls out Cristobal’s coaching miscues as the potential X-factor in FSU’s favor.

  • Miami 35–28 (Tim Scribble) – Believes FSU’s defense still has too many question marks.

Across all predictions, one consensus stands: this game will be close, physical, and decided in the trenches.

🎯 Betting Line & Keys to Victory
Miami enters as a 4.5-point favorite, but several analysts note the Hurricanes’ untested road status. For FSU to pull the upset:

  • Stop the run, force Beck to win through the air.

  • Protect Castellanos from Bain & Mesidor.

  • Feed off Doak’s energy — the first primetime home crowd of 2025.

As one writer put it:

“The only thing that can stop Miami’s playoff march… is Mario Cristobal’s decision-making.”

And that’s a wrap!

From streaks on the pitch to grit on the court — and all eyes on the gridiron tonight — it’s one of those weekends where the Garnet & Gold truly take center stage.

Whether you’re tailgating outside Doak, catching the ACCN broadcast, or tracking every recruit visit in real time, this is why we love college sports — chaos, pride, and history in motion.

Let’s see if FSU can turn that Doak magic into a statement win over Miami. 🍢

See you under the lights.
— The Chief Brief

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