Another top-10 bout on Saturday night was a defensive showing, but this time, it was the road team getting it done, as No. 9 LSU earned a 17-10 victory over No. 4 Clemson in South Carolina.

Offense did not come easily in this one, as there were four punts, a fumble, and two field goals on the first seven drives. Late in the second half, Clemson found a groove and went on a 13-play drive that ended in the game’s first touchdown. LSU answered back with a healthy drive of their own, but they lost a fumble on 4th and 2 from inside the red zone just before the half ended.

Clemson missed a field goal with their first drive out of the half, and LSU responded with a touchdown to tie things up at 10. Momentum seemed to be in LSU’s hands, as they picked off Cade Klubnik, and Garrett Nussmeier found Zavion Thomas for a score. However, Thomas did not maintain control through the catch, and it was ruled incomplete. Almost immediately, Damian Ramos pull-hooked 46-yard field goal attempt.

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But LSU forced a three-and-out, and they took advantage with a touchdown drive that ended in Nussmeier finding Trey-Dez Green for the lead score with 12:18 left in the game.

Clemson’s offense continued to stall, as they turned the ball over on downs with roughly nine minutes to go, but had another chance with 4:26 to go. However, each of Klubnik’s first two passes fell incomplete, and a false start backed them up even more, forcing them to punt. The Clemson defense forced a three-and-out, giving Clemson one more shot with 1:46 to go at their own 43 and a timeout.

They quickly got inside the red zone, but on 4th and 4, LSU forced Klubnik to shorten his throw on a rollout, preserving their 17-10 victory.

Nussmeier impressed to begin his second year as a starter, completing 28 of his 38 passes for 230 yards. Klubnik went 19-for-38 for 230 yards, and their rushing was non-existent. Their leading rusher in Adam Randall rushed for only 16 yards on five carries, albeit one of them being a touchdown.

Clemson will look to get back on track next Saturday against Troy, and LSU will get a warm welcome next week in Baton Rouge when they play host to Louisiana Tech.

New quarterback Tommy Castellanos led a punishing rushing attack for Florida State with 78 yards and a touchdown as the Seminoles stunned No. 8 Alabama 31-17 on Saturday, ending the Crimson Tide’s streak of 23 straight wins in season-openers.

The Crimson Tide entered Saturday’s game with wins in each of its past 23 season openers. Florida State finished the 2024 season with just two wins and was unranked when its meeting with Alabama kicked off. The early-season loss already puts No. 8 Alabama’s College Football Playoff hopes in doubt.

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Students and fans swarmed the field at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee immediately after the Seminoles' upset went final. Florida State came into the game as considerable underdogs.

Under new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, Florida State was physical from the start and finished the game with 230 rushing yards. Malzahn was Auburn's head coach from 2013 to 20, and most recently served as the head coach at UCF.

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The 20-17 loss to UCLA in the first game of the 2001 campaign marked the last time Alabama dropped a season opener. Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer faced criticism in his first year after taking over for legendary coach Nick Saban. 

However, the disappointing start to DeBoer's second year will ramp up the pressure.

DeBoer fell to 6-4 against unranked teams at Alabama. Saban went 124-4 in such games.

Castellanos, a Boston College transfer, had 16 carries while no one else had more than seven rushing attempts for the Seminoles. He also completed 9 of 14 passes for 152 yards as Florida State defeated its first ranked opponent since knocking off No. 19 Louisville in the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

Alabama will look to rebound next Saturday when the Tide hosts Louisiana-Monroe. Florida State will remain home next week to face East Texas A&M.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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