Keys to victory for Friday’s ACC matchup between Virginia and Florida State.
Virginia
Harass Castellanos, and contain him: Virginia is no stranger to Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos. The Hoos played against him each of the last two years when he was Boston College’s starter, and in those games, the Cavaliers rattled him. They intercepted four passes across the two games, and sacked him three times when they beat him last year. UVa defensive coordinator John Rudzinski must bring enough pressure to make Castellanos uncomfortable in predictable passing downs while the Hoos’ defensive front must be disciplined enough to contain him when he starts improvising. The tricky difference in this matchup compared to the last few is Florida State offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn’s quarterback-run friendly schemes are a seemingly perfect fit for Castellanos, so the Cavaliers can’t exactly copy what they did against him while he was with the Eagles. This season, Castellanos has thrown for three touchdowns and rushed for three scores.
Compensate for Wilson’s absence if he is out: UVa center Brady Wilson is the fifth highest-graded player at his position in the country and the top-graded center in the ACC, according to Pro Football Focus. And if he cannot play on Friday night because of the calf injury he suffered in the second half of last week’s win over Stanford, the Hoos must figure out how to manage without Wilson, who transferred to UVa from UAB this past offseason. His status is day-to-day, per Hoos coach Tony Elliott. But in the event that Wilson cannot play, the Cavaliers will likely slide right guard Drake Metcalf to center and use a combination of Illinois transfer Kevin Wigenton II and James Madison transfer Tyshawn Wyatt at right guard. With new personnel in different roles, UVa has to figure out its communication and be ready to for a seriously stout defensive front. The Seminoles have great size on the interior and the Cavaliers have to be able to move Florida State’s defensive tackles to push the line of scrimmage forward.
Push the envelope on fourth down: UVa is 12th in the country in third-down offense. The Cavaliers have converted first downs in 38 of 66 third-down opportunities. That’s an excellent rate, and quarterback Chandler Morris has shown his comfort in those potentially stressful spots while offensive coordinator Des Kitchings has called plays that Morris feels he can execute. When UVa is in Florida State territory, the Hoos shouldn’t be afraid to go for it more frequently on fourth down. With the Seminoles averaging 58 points per game, the Cavaliers are going to need more touchdowns than field goals this week and they’re good enough on offense to be aggressive in plus territory.
Florida State
Make the Hoos stop the run: To the credit of the Cavaliers, they’ve cleaned up their run defense in the two weeks since giving up 216 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground in their loss at NC State. The Hoos held FCS William & Mary to 59 rushing yards and Stanford to 35 rushing yards. But Florida State’s 363 rushing yards per game are the second most in the FBS and the Seminoles’ group of ball-carriers — Castellanos, running backs Gavin Sawchuk, Ousmane Kromah and Samuel Singleton as well as receiver Micahi Danzy — has superior talent compared to anyone with William & Mary or Stanford. Sawchuk has five rushing touchdowns while Danzy is an extremely fast freshman who Malzahn will use on reverses to run the football with. Danzy is averaging an absurd 34.6 yards per run and three of his five carries have gone for touchdowns.
Don’t give up the big-play pass: Morris and his three starting receivers have proven repeatedly that they can strike quickly. UVa has tallied 20 passing plays of at least 20 yards this season and five passing plays of at least 40 yards this year. The Cavaliers’ big-play pickups through the air are a constant, and Florida State’s secondary needs to be prepared to keep up with UVa receivers Trell Harris, Cam Ross and Jahmal Edrine, because if that trio finds early success, that’ll help open up the Cavaliers’ running game and then the Hoos have a wide array of ways in which they can move the ball.
No looking ahead: The contest in Charlottesville is Florida State’s first road game and first night game of the year, and the bout comes with, perhaps, the Seminoles’ most anticipated contest of the campaign looming in the following week. FSU hosts rival Miami on Oct. 4, and Doak Campbell Stadium is already sold out for the in-state tilt. Sixth-year coach Mike Norvell must have Florida State attentive on Friday, though, because the Cavaliers are talented enough to beat the Seminoles and especially if they’re looking ahead to their clash with the Hurricanes.
Greg Madia
gmadia@dailyprogress.com
@GregMadia on X
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Greg Madia
UVa Sports Reporter
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