FSU Football vs. Virginia Cavaliers: 5 Plays That Changed the Game

For the better part of three years, the breaks simply haven't gone Florida State's way.

Bad bounces. Whiffed portal acquisitions. Administrative restructuring. The constant uncertainty of what tomorrow might bring. One thing after another, a seemingly endless cycle of misfortune that can start to feel like something more than coincidence. As if some mysterious force beyond our understanding has been pulling the strings, finding ways to punish the ‘Noles.

A curse, maybe.

Even in moments when there have been reasons for optimism, the signs of a promising future have often been buried beneath the final score or a losing record, requiring an immense level of imagination to find. Life, however, has a funny way of making the complicated look simple.

Every once in a while, the bounce goes your way. The confidence builds. The plays that were mere inches or one missed assignment away suddenly connect, and a team that has spent years searching for answers suddenly looks like it knew them all along. Sometimes, in the most unexpected of moments, the stars align.

For the Florida State Seminoles, that was Saturday.

Underdogs on their home turf, FSU was set to face off against Virginia in a matchup that very few believed they could win. The Cavaliers boasted an impressive victory over NC State and an offense that, prior to Saturday, appeared to be among the best in the conference. It was FSU’s inconsistent play, particularly on defense, that cast doubt on their ability to stop the Hoos. What transpired, however, shocked most onlookers.

On a record-setting day, Mike Norvell and his squad won in emphatic fashion. So, let’s take a look at a handful of key plays from a highlight-filled contest for the Seminoles.

1. RB Tre Wisner takes a screen pass 48-yards and deep into UVA territory

The first quarter of Saturday’s contest followed what has become a familiar pattern for the ‘Noles as of late. FSU came up empty on its opening possession, going three-and-out and quickly sending DC Tony White's defense onto the field. Fortunately for the Seminoles, the defense answered with a three-and-out of its own, holding the Cavaliers to just three plays and a total of 3 yards.

Unfortunately for the Seminoles, their second offensive possession proved just as unproductive. Virginia took advantage on the ensuing drive, marching 63 yards on seven plays before QB Beau Pribula capped the drive with a touchdown pass to give the Hoos an early 7-0 lead. After one full quarter of football, Mike Norvell’s team was playing from behind once again.

Both teams traded punts before the Florida State offense returned to the field, and they were backed up near their own goal line. With 98 yards between them and a level score, the ‘Noles began working their way downfield behind RB Ousmane Kromah and QB Ashton Daniels.

Kromah picked up a pair of short gains on the ground before Daniels connected with Micahi Danzy for 22 yards through the air, moving the Seminoles near midfield with a fresh set of downs. RB Tre Wisner was wrangled for a loss on first down, but he more than made up for it on the very next play.

On 2nd & 11 from the FSU 48-yard line, Daniels lined up in the shotgun with Wisner flanking him to the right. Before the snap, Daniels motioned TE Chase Loftin across the formation, where he settled behind the right side of the offensive line. At the snap, Loftin and a pulling lineman broke to the left, selling the look of a counter run as Daniels appeared to place the ball in Wisner’s stomach.

As the defense attempted to chase down the apparent run, the quarterback drifted backward, ball still in hand, and allowed the intended play to develop on the opposite side. After faking the handoff, Wisner slipped into the right flat behind a handful of Florida State linemen, and Daniels floated the screen into his hands.

With a wall of blockers running full speed ahead of him, Wisner turned upfield and scampered his way to the UVA 4-yard line for a 48-yard gain.

One play later, Ashton Daniels ran the ball in for his first rushing touchdown of the afternoon, and the score was knotted up at 7 early in the second quarter.

2. True freshman WR Jasen Lopez’s big return provides spark for FSU offense

After watching FSU’s offense march 98 yards and tie the game up, DC Tony White’s defense returned the field with an opportunity to build on the momentum. Like I said, some things just clicked for the ‘Noles on defense, and Virginia’s first drive of the second quarter was our first hint of dominance from the defensive line in particular.

White’s group made quick work of the Cavaliers’ offense with consecutive sacks from DL Kevin Wynn and Mandrell Desir on second and third down to bring an abrupt end to a short-lived -19 yard drive.

With his heels inches away from the backline of his own end zone, Virginia’s Daniel Sparks punted the ball away to an awaiting Jasen Lopez. The kick took a high arc and fell into the outstretched arms of the return man around the FSU 44-yard line. Lopez tucked the ball away, planted off of his back foot, and sliced his way through traffic up the middle of the field.

The true freshman opened up his stride around midfield, made one tackler miss, and followed a convoy of blockers ahead of him as he pushed deeper into UVA territory. A member of Virginia’s punt team just barely tripped the freshman up to prevent the touchdown return, but the damage was already done.

Lopez had returned the punt for 31 yards down to the UVA 33-yard line, setting his offense up with prime field position.

Seven plays later, QB Ashton Daniels powered his way into the end zone to give Florida State its first lead of the contest at 14-7 and recorded his second rushing touchdown of the afternoon.

3. LB Chris Jones comes up big with a TFL on 4th down

Momentum was firmly on Florida State’s side for the remainder of the first half. The Seminoles tacked on a field goal to stretch the lead to 14 points, while Tony Elliott’s offense found little in the way of a response to a surprisingly stout FSU defense. Following Florida State’s second touchdown, the Hoos took possession three more times before the end of the half.

Across those three drives, Virginia ran just nine plays and managed a combined 7 yards of offense, with the drives accounting for 11, -3, and -1 yards, respectively. However, few among the Florida State faithful were ready to get comfortable. Those who have followed the Seminoles in recent years knew better. After all, they had seen this story before.

Virginia received the opening kickoff of the second half, and it quickly appeared as though the Cavaliers had made the necessary adjustments to work their way back into the contest. In just five plays from scrimmage, RB J’Mari Middlebrook and QB Beau Pribula had the Hoos surging into Florida State territory.

With the Cavaliers sitting just outside of the red zone and threatening to score, it was the Florida State defense’s turn to rise to the occasion.

Linebackers Omar Graham Jr. and Chris Jones combined for a sack on first down before the Cavaliers rushed for 10 yards on second and third down. Faced with a critical 4th & 1with an opportunity to pull within one score early in the third quarter, Tony Elliott elected to leave his offense on the field.

The Cavaliers hurried to the line, hoping to snap the ball before the Florida State defense could get set. UVA QB Pribula called for the snap and handed it off to RB Xavier Brown, who briefly found a lane between the linemen.

That opening disappeared almost immediately. LB Chris Jones came sprinting through unblocked, shot into the backfield, and wrapped up Brown well short of the line to gain. Doak Campbell Stadium erupted as the fourth-down stop brought Virginia’s promising drive to a sudden end.

Though it came early in the second half, Jones’ stop would prove to be one of the game’s pivotal moments. Had Virginia converted and kept the drive alive, the trajectory of the matchup, and perhaps even the eventual outcome, could have been very different.

4. Ashton Daniels improvises his way to an 81-yard TD run and the school record books

Nearing the end of the third quarter, Florida State was firmly in control, holding a comfortable 24-7 advantage. On the opposite sideline, the Cavaliers were still searching for any semblance of offensive rhythm against a stifling Seminole defense.

After yet another three-and-out from the Hoos, Florida State’s offense took over with an opportunity to tighten its grip on the game. QB Ashton Daniels failed to connect with Ousmane Kromah in the flat on first down, but what followed was far more exhilarating.

Standing in the shotgun on 2nd & 10, Daniels sent WR Micahi Danzy in motion across the formation, initially giving the appearance of a routine jet sweep for the speedster. As Virginia’s defenders flowed toward Danzy and took away what appeared to be Daniels’ intended throw into the flat, the quarterback was forced to improvise.

Daniels tucked the ball and took off running straight up the middle. His blockers opened a crease, and after a crucial block from Kromah, Daniels broke through the second level and suddenly found himself in open space with nothing but grass and roughly 80 yards between him and the end zone.

He opened up his stride and sprinted down the sideline, with HC Mike Norvell mirroring his sprint step for step from the Florida State bench. Moments later, Daniels crossed the goal line for his fourth rushing touchdown of the afternoon, tying the Florida State single-game record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback.

The first-year Seminole quarterback would go on to break that record before the game was over. He finished the contest with 183 passing yards, 136 rushing yards and 5 rushing touchdowns.

5. FSU Defense notches 3-straight sacks to close the door on any chance of a UVA comeback

Virginia opened the possession with a 12-yard completion to move into Florida State territory and appeared poised to mount one final push. After an incompletion, however, the Seminole pass rush put an emphatic stamp on the game. Pribula was dropped for a loss by R. Kennedy, and although a pass interference penalty on the ensuing snap briefly extended the drive, the pressure in the backfield remained relentless.

From there, Florida State slammed the door shut. On three consecutive plays, McCray, Anderson and Diggs brought Pribula down for sacks, with the final takedown coming on fourth down to force a turnover on downs.

The series of sacks punctuated a dominant afternoon for the Seminole defense, which finished with a program-record-tying 10 sacks. It also ended what would prove to be Virginia’s final scoring opportunity of the game.

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