The good, the bad and a whole lot of ugly from Virginia's loss to Florida State

Virginia has some rethinking to do ahead of its next game. The Cavaliers were on the receiving end of a 38-7 loss to Florida State in which very little went right for the visitors.

The good was limited. The bad was abundant. The ugly was all-consuming.

The good: At least it's over, Daniel Sparks is an elite punter and the Cavaliers aren't out yet

At least it's over. That was as brutal of a showing as Virginia has had since the 2023 season finale. There are still seven games left to play and the Cavaliers can still salvage the season.

Perhaps the one and only bright spot, Daniel Sparks had a great day — blasting seven punts for 397 yards (56.7 yards per punt, most in a single game in program history). Four of them landed inside the Florida State 20-yard line, including a career-long 73-yard boot. Sparks is now over 10,000 career punting yards and leads all active punters in total yards.

Clearly, the Cavaliers are not a genuine ACC contender at this moment — but that does not mean they are mathematically eliminated. Virginia could win out to go 8-1 in conference play, and with extensive help, they still have a shot to earn a spot in the ACC title game. This team's biggest goals are still achievable, even after that complete dud they produced in Tallahassee, Fla.

The bad: Just about everything

Several dropped passes. Unintelligent play calling. A few missed throws from Beau Pribula. Self-inflicted errors squashed any chance of a comeback by the Cavaliers. Nearly all of the details that are correctly done by winning teams were squandered.

Florida State is a good football team. The thing is, Virginia was supposed to be as well. Saturday, that was not the case.

The ugly: Worst offensive line play in recent memory, dozens of missed tackles and clear inability to handle in-game adversity

The most notable number is 10 — the total tally of sacks allowed by Virginia. That number is beyond ugly, especially for a team that only gave up 18 sacks all of last year, and for an offensive line that was regarded as one of the best in the country.

But as poor as the offensive line was, the defense was just as bad. The Cavaliers blew several chances to tackle Seminoles for loss, and instead gave up chunk plays. Virginia allowed Ashton Daniels (a quarterback) to run for 136 yards and five touchdowns.

The ugliest part of all was that this football team showed no fight when its back was against the wall. This game was not out of hand until the third quarter. Virginia had opportunity after opportunity to get back into the game. It never did. That also happened in the West Virginia loss. A worrying trend is emerging.

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