Revisiting the field storm, ahead of Virginia vs Florida State rematch

John Freeman said it best: "all heaven has broken loose."

Some called it the field rush of the year. A few called it the greatest field storm of all time. However someone wants to describe it, the words historic, incredible or iconic usually come up.

Virginia fans were on the field instantly. They remained there for several minutes, celebrating with Cavaliers players. A sea of orange and blue quickly usurped the green grass. Florida State receiver Squirrel White quickly became invisible.

“It happened so fast,” former defensive back Ja'Son Prevard said. “When I caught the ball, I hit the ground, I looked up and all I see is everybody just running all over me. So it was crazy.”

Coach Tony Elliott said he wished he got a chance to speak with Coach Mike Norvell, plus safety Earl Little and receiver Duce Robinson. But before diving into that, Elliott praised the Virginia community for a night to remember.

"Man, how fun was that?" Elliott said postgame. "The atmosphere was unbelievable. It felt like a championship kind of game, and that's what we desire to be as a program. That's where we want to go, but we all got to do it together. So, just appreciate everybody for showing up and making Scott Stadium a very difficult place for opponents to play."

That night, the Cavaliers had their most fans at Scott Stadium since the 2023 home opener. Several thousand of them ended up rushing the field. Virginia fans had not been on the field since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

More field rush aftermath videos: pic.twitter.com/iFUAjYgyx3
— Xander (@xandertilock) October 2, 2026

That night, Elliott's program exuded something once-rare — belief. On a national stage, the Cavaliers took down the No. 8 team in the country. For the veterans who had been through tragedy and several losing seasons, it was nothing short of spectacular.

"Don't deviate from the plan," Elliott said. "Double down on what you believe in. I came here because I believe that [UVA[ can be one of the premier football programs in the country, to go alongside being one of the premier academic schools. Everything associated with this university can just ooze with excellence, and that's why I came here."

Fast forward to 2026, and the Cavaliers are once again battling to earn a ranking. They are also in the thick of the ACC title race once again, although that slog will take several months to sort out.

Today's game will likely lack the same dramatics from last year, but even still — it will evoke memories of one of the most iconic moments in program history.

"Adversity is a companion of a champion, an enemy to the weak, and so we had to embrace the adversity, and that's really what this is about," Elliott said.

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