Jason Hammond already had his own reason for circling Friday night’s clash on calendar.
The third-year Virginia defensive tackle is a native Floridian and his chance to tussle with Florida State holds extra significance to him, he said, after the Seminoles didn’t want him when they evaluated him as a prospect out of St. Thomas Aquinas High School.
“I was actually a guy who was told I was too small by Florida State,” Hammond, a 6-foot-1, 295-pounder, said, “so for me, this is a little personal. I’m excited.”
Add in that the showdown between the Cavaliers (3-1, 1-0 ACC) and the No. 8 Seminoles (3-0, 0-0 ACC) at Scott Stadium is a marquee, standalone opportunity for the Hoos to showcase how much better they are this fall than in recent seasons, and there is an overwhelming eagerness among the team to get to Friday night.
“We all know what this can mean for the program,” UVa wide receiver Trell Harris said.
Harris had four catches for 145 yards and three touchdowns while quarterback Chandler Morris accounted for five touchdowns — four passing, one rushing — to lead the Cavaliers in their rout of Stanford on Saturday night to open their conference slate.
But even in the immediate aftermath of his three-touchdown effort in a dominating victory, Harris was ready to look ahead.
“It makes us want to work even harder,” Harris said. “We haven’t really done anything. We won a game. So what? We’ve got practice [on Sunday], so back to work.”
The challenge in front of UVa is its toughest yet.
Florida State catapulted from unranked in the preseason all the way into the top-10 less than a month into the campaign, largely because of how physical and sharp the Seminoles were in their 31-17 upset win over then-No. 8 Alabama in Week 1.
Florida State rushed for 230 yards and four scores — paced by quarterback Thomas Castellanos’ 78 rushing yards and a touchdown — while its offensive line handled the Crimson Tide’s usually hard-to-move defensive front.
On the other side, the Seminoles racked up three sacks and seven tackles for loss at their defensive line proved to be disruptive.
Since then, they’ve blown out lesser foes, combining to outscore Kent State and FCS East Texas A&M 143 to 13.
“Don’t make it bigger than what it is,” fourth-year UVa coach Tony Elliott said is the key to success in these kinds of contests.
“At the end of the day, it’s a conference game and the next step in the progression,” Elliott said. “Don’t try to be superhuman, but you’ve got to have a good understanding of your opponent, prepare to the standard and you’ve got to block out the noise. The difference in games like this are everybody is going to be excited. It’s a primetime game. There are all these things associated with it, but it’s still about the preparation.”
Elliott said he gave UVa players about 30 minutes in the locker room to celebrate Saturday night’s win over Stanford before asking them to turn their attention to the Seminoles.
That focus was already apparent, though.
For defensive players like Hammond, defensive tackle Jahmeer Carter and linebackers Kam Robinson and James Jackson, they’ve already shown they can give Castellanos trouble. They matched up with the signal-caller when he was Boston College’s starter each of the last two years, and last fall, the Cavaliers sacked him three times and forced him to throw two interceptions.
This time around, though, they’ll have to be ready to defend him in the quarterback-run offense he plays in now under new Florida State offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn.
They’ll also have to prepare themselves to withstand against Florida State’s excellent offensive lines and defensive lines.
Hammond said he’s familiar with Malzahn because when Malzahn was the coach at Central Florida, he offered Hammond a scholarship.
He doesn’t hold any ill will toward Florida State for not doing the same, but Hammond still wants to wants to show the Seminoles what they missed out on while helping the Cavaliers.
“It’s crazy how the world works,” Hammond said. “I don’t take anything for granted. I feel like I’m in the right place and I’m right where I’m meant to be, and hopefully it’s something I can talk about for the rest of my life. So, I’m excited to play against them and show them what UVa football can be.”
Greg Madia
gmadia@dailyprogress.com
@GregMadia on X
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Greg Madia
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