After finishing the 2024 season with a 2-10 record, Mike Norvell’s Florida State opened the 2025 season with a 31-17 win over No. 8 Alabama.Norvell brought in Gus Malzahn as the Seminoles’ offensive coordinator, and the season opener suggested the move was a huge success. Florida State’s offense dominated Alabama’s defense, rushing for 230 yards and averaging 6.1 yards per play and 4.7 yards per carry.Malzahn is no stranger to facing Alabama, as he has served as Auburn’s head coach from 2013 to 2020 and compiled a 3-5 record against Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide.Saturday’s win gave him another chance to revisit that rivalry."Felt like old times tonight!! 🍢," Malzahn tweeted following the Seminoles big win.During his Auburn tenure, Malzahn enjoyed some memorable wins over Alabama, including the legendary 34-28 “Kick Six” win in 2013, secured by a 109-yard return of a missed field goal as time expired.Malzahn was dismissed by Auburn in 2020 with a 68-35 record, including 39-27 in the Southeastern Conference. He then spent four seasons as UCF’s head coach before resigning last December to join Florida State.Gus Malzahn earns high praise from FSU QB Tommy CastellanosSaturday’s win brought Gus Malzahn’s career record against Alabama to 6-7. A major factor in Florida State’s offensive performance was how well Malzahn’s system meshed with quarterback Tommy Castellanos’ dual-threat skills.Castellanos praised the FSU offensive coordinator during his postgame press conference."He's played against Alabama 12 or 13 times and won six times," Castellanos said (via CBS Sports). "He just knows them very well. We had a good game plan set up."He knew exactly what they were gonna and and when they were gonna do it, and it worked. We put our faith in his play calling, and he put us in the best position to go out there and execute plays."Malzahn’s squad now aims to build on this momentum in their next game against East Texas A&M on Sept. 6.