Eighth-ranked Florida State looked poised for a showdown of unbeatens with No. 2 Miami next week, but Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell will have to get his team to regroup instead.
The Seminoles fell in a stunning 46-38 loss to Virginia on Friday despite trading touchdowns throughout in a high-scoring affair. FSU had three turnovers and couldn’t stop Virginia’s rushing attack, which had 211 yards and four touchdowns.
“Obviously, I’m extremely disappointed with the outcome of tonight. We knew this would be a highly emotional game,” Norvell told reporters afterward. “We knew that we were going to get their best shot throughout it, and give credit to Virginia.”
“They made the plays that were necessary throughout the course of the game,” Norvell continued. “They started fast, took advantage of some of the mistakes we had early, turned the ball over, had some big penalties that set us behind the chains. It just did not get off to the start that we needed to have.”
Mike Norvell ‘Pleased’ With Team’s Response After Slow Start
Virginia jumped in front 14-0 with quarterback Chandler Morris throwing for a touchdown and running for one. The Seminoles rallied to tie 14-14 as Gavin Sawchuk rushed for a 2-yard score and Randy Pittman Jr. scored on another 2-yard run.
“I was pleased with the way our guys responded throughout it, to be able to come back, to be able to take a lead, and then, unfortunately, a touchdown right there before half,” Norvell said. “Give credit to back. I mean, ran through a big collision, but obviously areas where we have to be better defensively, we’ve got to continue to take advantage of opportunities to be able to get off the field.”
FSU quarterback Tommy Castellanos pulled his team ahead on a 4-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, but Virginia tied it up at 21-21 before halftime on J’Mari Taylor’s 26-yard rumble.
“Obviously, they were able to do a good job in the run game against us, and they made one more play than what we did. There were multiple opportunities throughout that contest, any different result on probably 20, 30 plays,” Norvell said.
“It’s going to be a different outcome at the end, but that’s football,” he added. “When you come on the road, obviously, it was a Friday night, big game for all of us being our conference opener, and for all the things you felt. I mean, they had plenty of passion, and the crowd was impactful.”
Virginia, FSU Traded Punches in Second Half
Virginia got the crowd going with Morris’ 7-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, and Pittman’s touchdown pass to Duce Robinson tied it a 28-28 but didn’t thwart the Cavaliers’ momentum.
Morris found Xavier Brown on a 15-yard touchdown pass with 7:20 left for a 35-28 lead, and FSU needed a big play on fourth down in the final minute to keep things going. Castellanos found Pittman on a touchdown pass to tie it 35-35, but FSU couldn’t find the same big plays in overtime as Castellanos threw a pick that ended the game.
“For us, we’ve got to focus on the things that we can control and go out there and start better,” Norvell said. “I’m pleased with the response. I saw from our guys, but obviously, it wasn’t enough there at the end.”
“You got to go back to work. We lost our first conference game,” Norvell added. “We have nothing but an opportunity in front of us here this next week in a huge game for us, for our program, for the university, getting back home against a very talented team.”
Miami Poses Major Challenge For Seminoles
Miami will come into Tallahassee fresh off of a bye week and a strong start to the season. The Hurricanes score 36.8 points per game and have only allowed 46 points all season.
“There’s some big steps that we need to take as a football team just in how we handle that environment, some of those emotions, and make sure that our execution and discipline is what it needs to be throughout the course of 60-plus-minute games,” Norvell said. “I know our guys will respond.”