CHARLOTTESVILLE — After Virginia’s first touchdown Friday night against Florida State, a 6-yard pass from Chandler Morris to Sage Ennis, the Scott Stadium videoboard showed a young UVA fan with a two-word edict painted on his chest: “Rank Us.”
Sage and prescient lad, but no matter the pollsters’ verdict after the Cavaliers’ 46-38, double-overtime conquest of the No. 8 Seminoles, know this:
Darn near everything is possible now for Virginia.
The program’s second ACC championship game appearance? The second 10-win season in school history? Unfathomable though it may have seemed just weeks ago, a conference title and College Football Playoff bid?
Yes, to all of it.
Not probable, mind you. Next week’s trip to Louisville is among several potential minefields ahead. Moreover, for all its power and talent, Florida State (3-1, 0-1 ACC) may prove to be less-than advertised.
Party like it’s 1995. #UVA pic.twitter.com/ODyeIzX21n
— David Teel (@ByDavidTeel) September 27, 2025
But Sept. 26, 2025 was as legitimate as Nov. 3, 1995, when the Cavaliers handed the undefeated and second-ranked Seminoles their first ACC defeat in four seasons of membership.
Sure, the defense was leaky and yielded the tying touchdown with 36 seconds remaining in regulation, a fourth-and-goal conversion from the 11 — Tommy Castellanos hit a diving Randy Pittman in the left corner of the end zone.
But Fisher Camac recovered a fumble, and Ja’Son Prevard authored a highlight interception, takeaways the offense converted into first-half touchdowns.
Clutch? You want clutch?
With less than three minutes remaining, on a fourth-and-1 from Virginia’s 22, FSU called a play-action pass. The Cavaliers did not bite, and blitzing linebacker Kam Robinson hurried Castellanos into an incompletion.
You want affirmation of clutch? In overtime, Virginia held Florida State to a first-possession field goal before igniting a field-storming with a fourth-down stop that followed a replay overturn of a Seminoles touchdown — Duce Robinson (nine receptions, 147 yards) bobbled the Castellanos third-down pass as he stepped on the end line.
But as throughout this season, Morris (three rushing touchdowns, two passing) and the Des Kitchings-coordinated offense were the story.
Virginia (4-1, 2-0 ACC) hit chunk passes and broke long runs. Most striking, the Cavaliers owned third and fourth downs, grinding their way through a defense that stuffed Alabama in Week 1.
Never was this more evident than on the 16-play — 16! — 75-yard, fourth-quarter slog that produced a go-ahead touchdown.
On fourth-and-3 from FSU’s 47, Morris found Cam Ross on a crossing route for 14 yards. On fourth-and-1 from the 24, J’Mari Taylor muscled inside for 3 yards.
Finally, after a holding penalty on Ross erased Morris’ apparent 8-yard touchdown run, Kitchings dialed up a wheel route that isolated running back Xavier Brown on linebacker Elijah Herring.
No contest, and Morris’ throw was perfect.
Belying a clash of the ACC’s best offenses to date, the first quarter was downright tame and ended with the Cavaliers leading 7-0, a margin they would quickly double. Then came the track meet that we anticipated, fueled in part by two Seminole interceptions of Morris.
Florida State scored three touchdowns in a 4:20 stretch of the second quarter to seize a 21-14 edge. Five times in the opening half Castellanos targeted the 6-foot-6 Robinson, and five times they connected, gaining 100 yards.
But among Virginia’s many admirable traits this season is the two-minute offense, and after Castellanos’ 5-yard touchdown run gave the Seminoles their first lead, Morris and Co., counterpunched.
First, Trell Harris turned a deflected pass into a 28-yard gain, and on the next snap, J’Mari Taylor sprinted 26 yards up the gut for the tying touchdown 48 seconds before halftime. ’Twas the fourth time in five games that Virginia has scored a touchdown in the final two minutes of the first half.
That’s poise, confidence and coaching.
Would those traits be enough against the most physical and athletic opponent the Cavaliers had encountered? Thirty years after handing Florida State’s dynasty its first ACC defeat, was Virginia going to incite another Scott Stadium party?
And like that Thursday night in 1995, were the Cavaliers and Seminoles going to wait until the final second to settle matters?
Affirmative on all counts.
With center Brady Wilson shelved by a calf injury, Virginia shifted starting guard Drake Metcalf to center and replaced Metcalf in the lineup with graduate transfer Kevin Wigenton (Illinois by way of Michigan State).
No worries. The Cavaliers still rumbled for 211 yards on 48 carries.
If the 30th anniversary vibe Friday wasn’t enough to seize your attention, what about the matchup itself?
For the first time in 21 years, Virginia had rushed for at least 200 yards in three consecutive games. Florida State ranked 13th nationally in rushing defense (2.5 yards per carry) and had smothered Alabama’s running game.
The Seminoles and Cavaliers were Nos. 1 and 11 nationally in scoring, Nos. 2 and 12 in third-down conversion percentage.
UVA set a program record with 700 yards in total offense against William & Mary. Florida State gained 729 and 775, respectively, against East Texas A&M and Kent State.
Much was made, and rightfully so, of Virginia’s offseason effort to upgrade its offensive line with experienced transfers. But injuries struck the group, and Friday night, three of the line’s five starters were program veterans.
Still, the position’s improvement has been striking.
The Cavaliers yielded a crippling 3.9 sacks per game last season — only the Seminoles were worse. Entering Friday, Virginia had allowed one sack in four outings. Moreover, a rushing offense that averaged 3.7 yards per carry last year was averaging 6.0 this season.
Yes, incoming transfers such as Morris and Taylor have eased the line’s burdens, but much of the credit belongs to program mainstays such as senior left tackle McKale Boley. Yet during a virtual media scrum this week, Boley deflected praise to third-year o-line coach Terry Heffernan.
Boley said that Heffernan returned from a tour of NFL franchises with fresh schematic and teaching approaches that the players have embraced. Among the many stops on Heffernan’s coaching path were the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions.
Whatever the secret sauce is, UVA needs to keep it in supply. But first: Party like it’s 1995!
David Teel, david.teel@virginiamedia.com
This is a developing story.
