In the aftermath of Virginia’s memorable, double-overtime upset take down of No. 8 Florida State on Friday night, fourth-year Hoos coach Tony Elliott provided his players with one message for them to leave Scott Stadium with.
Veteran defensive tackle Jahmeer Carter said Elliott told the Cavaliers, “We’re capable of doing this week in and week out.”
Elliott should feel that way, too, and that was one lesson learned from UVa’s thrilling triumph over the nationally-ranked Seminoles for just the seventh win in school history against a foe in the top 10 of the AP Poll.
The victory required the Hoos’ talented, rebuilt roster to withstand against an opponent that won the ACC title two seasons ago and appeared to be a serious contender for the conference crown again this fall after knocking off Alabama in Week 1 and having entered Friday night with the nation’s top scoring offense and top total offense.
But Elliott’s bunch wasn’t bothered by any of that.
“I could tell by the way they practiced this week. I could tell by the way they showed up for pregame that they believed,” Elliott said. “They didn’t know how it was going to get done, but they believed.”
Quarterback Chandler Morris, the former North Texas star, accounted for five total touchdowns while leaders on defense like defensive end Mitchell Melton, who won a national championship with Ohio State last year, racked up seven total tackles, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble.
Nickel cornerback Ja’son Prevard, an important addition from FCS Morgan State, had two interceptions.
Running back J’Mari Taylor, the ex-FCS North Carolina Central standout, rushed for his seventh touchdown as a member of the Cavaliers when he bounced off a trying tackler and took off on a 26-yard sprint past the goal line to even the score at 21 before halftime.
There are enough older, experienced players like Morris, Melton, Prevard and Taylor to think that in this particular season, UVa is capable of winning any time it takes the field, which is a drastic contrast to last year.
The Hoos were blown out against nationally-ranked opponents and eventual College Football Playoff participants Clemson, Notre Dame and SMU during the second half of the 2024 campaign while being outscored 116 to 52 across those three contests.
But in their first test this year against a previously undefeated squad and potential CFP contender, the Cavaliers showed they belonged on the same field as the Seminoles. The Hoos proved that if they can replicate similar weekly focus, preparation and execution, then dreaming about their season’s great possibilities — like competing for an ACC championship and for a spot in the CFP — is realistic.
Here is what else I learned about UVa in its win over Florida State.
Morris proved his toughness
Not even a painful hand injury was going to take Morris out of Friday night’s contest or limit his capabilities.
Elliott said Morris hit his hand on a helmet of a Florida State defender in the third quarter, and “that, there’s a little sprain there.
“But he’s a warrior,” Elliott continued on about his quarterback.
With the hand problem for Morris, the Cavaliers ran the ball nine consecutive times including once with Morris, who capped the series with a 7-yard rushing touchdown to put the Hoos in front, 28-21, with less than four minutes to play the in third quarter.
Morris also threw pass a 15-yard touchdown on a wheel route to running back Xavier Brown to go back in front during the fourth quarter and then Morris ran for the game-winner on a 4-yard scamper in the second overtime.
“That’s why he came here,” Elliott said. “He came here because he believed in me, believed in the staff, believed in the players in the locker room and believed that he could come help the players in the locker room take the next step.”
Prevard knew what to do on blitz of Castellanos
Cavaliers defensive coordinator John Rudzinski had Prevard doing his homework on Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos, and the extra studying paid off for Prevard, whose two interceptions in the victory matched his career total entering Friday’s contest with the Seminoles.
In the first quarter, Prevard made a juggling interception after tipping Castellanos’ throw into the air.
At 5-foot-11, Castellanos can struggle getting the ball around his offensive line, so Prevard said that Rudzinski, “was emphasizing all week to match the hand, match [Castellanos’] passing hand and contain the quarterback. So, I already knew when I blitzed that I’d either hit him or I’d match the hand.”
Prevard’s second interception came on the last play of the game, sealing the Hoos’ upset with a pick in the end zone on Castellanos’ desperation throw on fourth-and-12.
This past Tuesday, Rudzinski said the Cavaliers would try to take what they could from previous experiences against Castellanos from when he was the quarterback at Boston College. In Castellanos’ career, he’s thrown six interceptions over three games against UVa.
No fear about being aggressive
Twice in the fourth quarter, Elliott opted on fourth-and-short to keep his offense on the field.
And twice, he was rewarded for his aggressiveness.
“You can’t coach scared, you can’t play scared when you’re playing against that bunch over there,” Elliott said.
He said the Hoos felt they couldn’t settle for field goals, and needed to come away with touchdowns when they were on sustained drives in order to keep up with the Seminoles.
So, on fourth-and-3 from the Florida State 47, Elliott went for it and Morris delivered a 14-yard pass to slot receiver Cam Ross to keep the chains moving. Then on fourth-and-1 from the 24, Taylor picked up a gain of 3 yards on the ground.
Six plays later, UVa went ahead 35-28 with 7:20 to go on Morris’ touchdown pass to Brown.
Greg Madia
gmadia@dailyprogress.com
@GregMadia on X
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Greg Madia
UVa Sports Reporter
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