After the 34-minute lightning delay in the second quarter, Alabama scored 37 points and gained 388 yards. The Tide put up 20 unanswered points in a 2:36 stretch to close the half, and halftime was scrapped entirely.

Final damage: 567 yards, including 124 rushing yards in the fourth quarter alone. Keelon Russell went 23-of-30 for 320 yards and 3 TDs, then added a 57-yard TD scramble on third-and-3.

It was the fourth 50-point game allowed under Mike Norvell. FSU allowed the same number from 1986 through 2019 combined.

The defensive coordinator didn't dodge it. “It was me,” White said. “I should have stayed aggressive, stayed attacking. The guys were on fire. They were humming.”

PFF charged FSU with 18 missed tackles. The Noles forced zero takeaways and got one sack, from Ja'Bril Rawls. CJ Richard Jr. posted a career-high 12 tackles, which tells you how often the ball carrier reached the safeties.

FSU now ranks 135th of 138 FBS teams in yards allowed at 490.3 per game, last among Power Four programs.

The Desir twins have combined for 8 tackles and zero sacks through three games, despite roughly $1.5 million a year in combined investment, per ChopChat.

Mandrell Desir had 24 pressures all of last season and just 2 so far this fall. Even so, the twins logged 62 snaps against Alabama, compared to 45 combined for reserves Jordan Sanders, Kevin Wynn and Rylan Kennedy.

377 passing yards, 2 passing TDs, 2 rushing TDs and a two-point run. That's the most passing yards by an FSU QB since Jordan Travis threw for 418 in the 2022 Cheez-It Bowl.

Since 1995, he's just the third FSU QB with two passing and two rushing scores in one game, joining Travis and EJ Manuel. His 22.2 yards per completion was the best against Alabama by any QB since at least 1995 (minimum 7 completions).

Four Noles topped 60 receiving yards: Duce Robinson (6-135-TD), Micahi Danzy (3-89), Jayvan Boggs (2-69) and Samuel Singleton Jr. (2-68). That hadn't happened since 2016 against North Carolina.

Three interceptions and three sacks. Norvell said the first pick came off a ball tipped by a blitzing linebacker, and the last was simply a miss.

Daniels holds the ball a third of a second longer than any starter in the country. QB coach Austin Tucker isn't worried about the stat itself but knows the fix: “We either got to dirt the football, get rid of the football.”

Late deep balls cost FSU at least one score. On the 56-yard shot to Danzy, a throw out earlier and further ahead likely goes for six.

The staff moved Nate Pabst out to right tackle and started sophomore Paul Bowling at right guard, sending Chimdia Nwaiwu to the bench. Daniels averaged 3.81 seconds to throw, his most of the season. Expect the same five up front this week.

Robinson finally won his one-on-one balls after starting the year 0-for-3 on contested catches. On the late fourth-quarter scoring drive: “A lot of times last year that would have forced us to just kind of lay down and give up. But this year, we drove right down the field and scored again.”

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic reported that Fisher “really wants the job” and that FSU's administration is at least exploring the idea.

The case for: Fisher's Texas A&M buyout has no offset language, so he could come in below market, while Norvell's buyout sits around $50 million. Fisher's FSU classes from 2017 to 2023 ranked as high as 1st, and Norvell's 2027 class currently sits 34th.

The case against: Fisher hasn't won 10 games since 2016, went 19-15 at A&M once the portal and NIL arrived, and saw a long line of quarterbacks get hurt behind shaky protection. Coaches returning to old schools rarely top their first stints.

FSU is 8-20 since the 2023 playoff snub and has lost 10 straight road games. CBS dropped the Noles to No. 51 in its power rankings, and ChopChat has them 16th of 17 in the ACC.

247's Chris Hummer named FSU one of the sport's worst-value rosters. The total spend, in the low $20 million range, isn't the problem. Where it went is. FSU paid to keep Duce Robinson, Ousmane Kromah, the Desir twins and Ja'Bril Rawls, then came up short of DJ Lagway's and Anthony Colandrea's asking prices and settled for Daniels.

Hummer also flagged more than $500,000 for Texas transfer Tre Wisner, who has five carries this season. His verdict: FSU has one of the best receiver rooms in the ACC and no quarterback to consistently take advantage of it.

Norvell took the heat off his quarterback on Monday. “The first interception Ashton had, he gets booed at home. Because of two years prior,” he said. “I understand that. I told the guys, ‘That's on me.’”

With more than 50 new players, he's pitching this group as its own team: “This is their one opportunity for 2026 to show what this football team will be.” And the bottom line: “Have we been good enough? No, we've lost two games.”

The brand still draws. FSU-Alabama pulled 7.01 million viewers, second-most of Week 3, even after the weather delays pushed the second half to ESPN2.

It caps conferences at 19 members. The Big Ten sits at 18 and the SEC at 16. Any school moving into a power conference would first have to play as an independent, originally for five years.

Revised language trims that to three years and sunsets the penalty six years after the bill is enacted, likely in 2033. FSU Board of Trustees chair Peter Collins calls it “purgatory.”

Negotiating schedules and TV deals as an independent while every conference plays nine league games would be brutal for any program.

The procedural vote passed with 77 yes votes. Only three Republicans voted no, and two of them were Florida's Ashley Moody and Rick Scott, siding with FSU, Miami and USF.

White House point man Randy Levine, the Yankees president, isn't budging: “There is nowhere for Florida State and Miami to go right now.” He points to Big Ten and SEC commissioners who say they have no plans to expand.

A final Senate vote is expected next week. The House is a tougher road, where Florida, California and the Carolinas hold more than 100 seats and schools are already lobbying their members.

FSU and Clemson's settlement with the ACC set concrete exit numbers leading up to 2030, right when the Big Ten TV deal ends and the SEC gets a contractual look-in.

FSU supports much of the bill, including transfer limits, NCAA enforcement on athlete pay and a five-year eligibility standard. The fight is over the membership language.

Norvell played receiver at UCA from 2001-05, broke the school's career receptions record with 213, and went into its Hall of Fame in 2015. UCA coach Nathan Brown was his teammate and played quarterback for the Bears from 2004-08.

The Bears are coming off a 27-9 loss at Southeast Missouri State in which all 9 of their points came on field goals. Brown likes the timing anyway: “You've got nothing to lose this week. Let's go compete, let's see what happens.”

QB Donovyn Omolo: 671 passing yards, 6 TDs, 4 INTs and a team-high 360 rushing yards. UCA runs for 238.3 yards per game, 7th in the FCS.

LB Ashtyn Williams: 47 tackles, more than double any teammate. His 11.8 per game ranks 2nd in the FCS.

CB Bryson Adamoh: a team-high 3 interceptions, including a pick-six.

A defense giving up 490.3 yards a game needs four clean quarters against a run-first attack. Tackling is priority one.

Backup QB battle: JUCO transfer Malachi Marshall won the No. 2 job in camp and sits above Kevin Sperry on the depth chart, but Warchant hears Sperry is now taking more second-team reps, including most of Sunday's scrimmage work. QB coach Austin Tucker: “There is competition going on at that spot.”

Health: Norvell announced Samuel Singleton Jr. will miss an extended period. Pass rusher Rylan Kennedy, who left Alabama with an apparent head or neck injury, avoided anything serious but could see a lighter snap count.

The four-star, Top 100 safety caught six touchdown passes, a Georgia state record, on nine touches in Macon Howard's 49-43 win over Baldwin. He finished with 245 receiving yards, plus 7 tackles and a TFL on defense.

On the Noles' 1-2 start: “They can get right against Central Arkansas, and then UVA and Louisville.” He says the team is blocking out the noise. “The internet is crazy,” he added with a laugh.

Georgia and Tennessee never stopped recruiting him, Alabama circled back, and Michigan jumped in this past weekend. “It's a good school, the defense is hot right now,” Poole said. He has no visits lined up for now.

Elsewhere, FSU-offered OT Austin Ballou, a 6-foot-7, 330-pound three-star from Charlotte Mallard Creek, will be at Georgia this weekend for the Oklahoma game after recent stops at Tennessee and South Carolina.

Five-star PG Cayden Daughtry, five-star F Moussa Kamissoko, four-star F Ahmed Nur and four-star G Jarvis Hayes Jr.

Loucks: “We're swimming in some deep waters, which I love. With a handful of the guys we're involved with, we're in the final two or three schools.”

He saw Daughtry again in South Florida on Tuesday and is expected to see Hayes Jr. and Kamissoko today. Nur is visiting SMU this week.

The Calvary Christian point guard is FSU's biggest priority, and his mother is an FSU alum. Warchant hears the Noles will do everything they can to make it hard for him to say no.

Miami and Iowa have been at the top of his list, and Rivals' Joe Tipton reports Florida is now entering the race. Sources expect it to come down to the in-state schools.

Hayes Jr.: A battle with Georgia, where his father and uncle coach. FSU gained momentum after his visit for the New Mexico State game, and sources say if it isn't UGA, it's most likely the Noles. Vanderbilt is still in the mix.

Kamissoko: The longest shot. Syracuse appears to be pulling away, and Tipton has logged an RPM pick for the Orange.

Nur: If Syracuse lands Kamissoko, it could drop out for the Minnesota standout, leaving FSU and SMU as the top contenders.

FSU (5-5) hosts Miami (2-7) tonight at 7 p.m. on ACC Network in Tully Gym to close a six-match homestand. The Noles have won their last five conference openers and 19 of their last 20 first home ACC matches dating back to 2006.

Kyleene Filimaua ranks 6th in the ACC in points (178.5) and kills (149), and Delaney Ewing is hitting .407, 2nd in the league. Miami has won two straight after an 0-7 start.

Sophomore Rylee Blade was named ACC Women's Runner of the Week after winning the 6K at the FSU Pre-Regional in 20:39.2, leading the Noles to a near-perfect team score of 17.

At the ITA All-American Championships, freshman JoAnna Kennedy earned her first collegiate win (6-2, 6-3), and Mary Boyce Deatherage bounced back with a 6-1, 6-2 consolation win. Women's tennis heads to the Bedford Cup in Tampa on Friday.

With Giants starter Jaxson Dart awaiting an MRI on his knee, Jameis Winston could get the start. The 32-year-old threw an interception and took a sack in relief, so he'll need a quick reset.

Jared Verse, traded to Cleveland in the deal that sent Myles Garrett to the Rams, is off to a quiet start. PFF credited him with one pressure, one QB hit and zero sacks in the Browns' 23-19 win over Tampa Bay, as All-Pro tackle Tristan Wirfs neutralized his bull rush.