“I dreamed of playing against Alabama; they don’t have Nick Saban to save them. I just don’t see them stopping me.” It’s been a month since Thomas Castellanos said this, and it definitely got the Alabama fans fired up. Honestly, Florida State could use that kind of confidence right now, especially since bouncing back from a two-win season is no easy feat. Mike Norvell is really going all out, making changes to everything from the field setup to how they’re handling the weather. But even with all that effort, Kalen DeBoer has his own plan in place.

According to recent reports, Mike Norvell’s FSU is replacing the turf at Doak Campbell Stadium, a decision that will cost the team around $300,000. The decision to replace the turf with a new “lay and play” turf with natural and thicker grass was made just two weeks before their first game, which seems odd. But with the right conditions? For instance, in favorable rain conditions and extreme heat, it will be a chaotic mess that could even favor FSU. Now, to tackle some of these issues, Kalen DeBoer has been planning something.

It was 93 degrees already in Tallahassee, with the humidity making the heat feel around 99 degrees. That extreme heat could pose some problems for Alabama. And to prepare for that, Kalen DeBoer had moved the team’s second preseason camp scrimmage to the hottest part of the day. Moreover, the head coach also acknowledged the ‘heat’ issue.

“Good scrimmage. Got some good heat out there. That was probably one of the best things we got out of it today; it was one of the warmer days; we saw that all week brewing. So took advantage of it. We actually had it originally scheduled earlier, moved it back just to get a little more heat. It’s good for us. We even conditioned at the end, did some extra work, and so just trying to get ready in every way possible,” said Kalen DeBoer after the practice. Seems like DeBoer has taken the Castellanos’ disrespect quite seriously.

However, while the Bama head coach was preparing for extreme heat, the weather predictions may just alter his plans. As per Mike Rodak, Alabama sports writer for 247Sports, the “long-range weather models are hinting at a chance of rain next Saturday in Tallahassee for Alabama-Florida State.” Mind you, playing in extreme heat is considerably different from playing in wet conditions. Of course, your body is in better shape, but the QBs and receivers will tell you how tough it is to release or catch the ball in such conditions. The good news is that Alabama still has 10 days to prepare for either of the scenarios.

FSU has a foolproof plan laid out to defeat Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama

According to recent reports, Kalen DeBoer has announced his QB1 being Ty Simpson, putting an end to speculation about the QB battle. But just days after that announcement, Kalen DeBoer’s ace running back, Jam Miller, got injured after suffering an “upper-body injury in Saturday’s scrimmage.” The RB was notably a crucial piece for DeBoer, having rushed for 668 yards last year while also receiving 155 yards for a touchdown.

Now, with the absence of Miller, Alabama would be forced to rely on other RBs with lesser experience, potentially affecting Alabama’s ground game. And in the rain, teams need to run the ball more, with an average drop of 12% in passing yards. Add to that, the receivers also struggle to grab wet passes, leading to drops. For instance, a study on NFL games, reported by The Athletic, showed a 36% drop in passing output overall in rainy conditions. So what if Alabama runs the ball? Don’t they have the required depth to cope with Miller’s loss?

Besides Miller, the Alabama running back group also has Richard Young, Daniel Hill, freshman AK Dear, and Dre Washington, which is part of why people are saying there’s “solid depth.” But if you look a little closer, only Dre and Richard actually have some experience. Richard rushed for only 146 yards last year, while Washington managed to rack up 478 yards in Louisiana. If they want to put up similar numbers in the first game against Florida State, it’s definitely going to be a tough challenge!

All in all, Alabama has three things to beat now: extreme heat, an unpredictable new turf, and performing in the rain. Tackling all these three things together will surely be a herculean challenge for DeBoer.