Ten important notes for Virginia vs Florida State

Saturday, Virginia and Florida State play each other for the first time since the Cavaliers upset the Seminoles (then ranked No. 8) in double overtime at Scott Stadium. It is just the third time ever in which neither team is ranked.

Here are 10 important notes to know in advance of Saturday's action.

The rematch, post-field storm

The 2025 game between Virginia and Florida State provided one of the most memorable moments in all of college football — a raucous field storm. There many players on both teams who will play in the rematch. However, only one Cavalier has ever played in Tallahassee, Fla. at Doak Campbell Stadium. That would be wide receiver Da'Shawn Martin, who had three catches for 94 yards and a touchdown against the Seminoles while playing for Kent State last year. Martin's 75-yard touchdown was the longest play Florida State allowed last season.

History by Tony Elliott

At his weekly press conference, Elliott told the media that he is not overlooking Florida State. Elliott called it a blue blood program and said that the road to the ACC goes through Tallahassee. That is often true. When Elliott was an assistant coach at Clemson and won seven ACC titles, his Tigers played (and beat) the Seminoles in six of those seven championship campaigns. Overall, Elliott went 7-3 against Florida State (3-2 on the road). He was 6-0 as an offensive coordinator and is 1-0 against the Seminoles at Virginia.

Blowouts galore

Virginia is winning its games by an average of 27.5 points. That's good for second in the ACC, behind only No. 4 Miami. The Cavaliers have decimated three of their first four opponents and are allowing just 130 yards per game. That is No. 1 in the ACC, and No. 5 nationally.

More elite defense

The Cavaliers are one of just 20 FBS teams currently allowing less than 14 points per game. In fact, in two of their games, they did not allow a single touchdown. Virginia has allowed no more than 52 points in its first four games for the first time since 2004. It is holding quarterbacks to just a 84.2 efficiency rating. That is the best mark by any defense in college football.

Road cooking

Virginia started a road winning streak at the tail end of the 2025 season. The Cavaliers have won four straight road games, which ties for the seventh-longest road win streak in the country. Saturday's contest is Virginia's first true road game of the 2026 campaign. Three of the Cavaliers' next five games will be on the road (Oct. 17 at SMU and Oct. 31 at Wake Forest).

Slow and steady wins the race

Virginia has begun to throw the ball more and more — proving that quarterback Beau Pribula is capable of being one of the nation's top passers. However, the bread and butter of the Cavaliers offense is to keep possession as long as possible. That starts with the ground game. Virginia is possessing the ball for an average of 33:54 per game, which leads the ACC. Delaware only had the ball for six total plays in the first quarter last week.

Florida State quarterback is inconsistent, but clearly talented

Ashton Daniels is a fascinating player. On one hand, he is averaging more than one interception per game, but on the other hand, he is the only FBS player with multiple rushing and passing touchdowns plus a two-point conversion. Daniels actually achieved that feat all in one game at No. 10 Alabama. His Seminoles were just two scores away from tying (or beating) the Crismon Tide, but Daniels' three interceptions were extremely detrimental.

Run defense is essential

While Daniels is capable of racking up passing yards thanks to an elite duo of receivers, the core of this offense lies in the running game. Running back Ousmane Kromah is averaging just shy of 100 rushing yards per game — even though he has faced stingy defenses against SMU and Alabama.

To stop Florida State, the defense must get off the field early

Every time the Semimoles have reached the redzone this year, they have scored. They are perfect on 17 trips (fourth-most among teams that have scored on every redzone opportunity). Part of that has been a smooth field goal operation, as kicker Gabe Panikowski has never missed a field goal in his college career. He is 20-20 and is the only active NCAA kicker who has never missed (minimum 15 attempts).

Program evolution?

If Virginia wins Saturday, it will be its third consecutive victory over Florida State. The Cavaliers had never even won two in a row unti they did so by coming out on top in 2019 and 2025. Meanwhile, the Seminoles have beaten Virginia thrice in a row on four occasions. The Cavaliers have not won in Tallahassee since 2011. They have not even played there since 2014.

The field storm

A quick encore — another look at the field storm:

Florida State week. The field rush from my perspective: pic.twitter.com/ILEfsVaipE
— Xander (@xandertilock) September 28, 2026

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