TALLAHASSEE, Fla. --
The second-largest crowd in Doak Campbell history succinctly answered all of our questions about Virginia. With 10 minutes left and Florida State leading 29-3, more than 80,000 Seminole fans fully decked out in garnet and gold began a spirited chant of "overrated" aimed directly at the visiting sideline. Saturday night proved that Virginia didn't deserve its number six ranking, as FSU outclassed the Cavaliers nearly from start to finish.
Just as Florida State is no Akron, so too is Virginia no top 10 team. With its five lopsided wins not having challenged the Cavaliers to sustain optimal effort for any longer than a single half this season, Virginia remained a team of mystery. We knew they could dominate a weaker foe, but how would they match up with the big boys?
Saturday night's 36-3 drubbing proved Virginia is not yet on par with its competitors from the Sunshine State. I thought things were going to end differently. Like seemingly every other Virginia fan, I bought into the hype that the 'Hoos were going to become only the second ACC team to win in Tallahassee. Virginia had been surging, Florida State had been struggling -- the pieces seemed to be in place.
The first few minutes of the game even seemed to follow that script. Virginia's highly-touted defense held the Seminoles to three-and-out on their first offensive possession. Following an FSU punt, quarterback Marques Hagans deftly play-actioned and found a streaking Alvin Pearman down the left sideline for a 40-yard completion.
But that drive ended in a missed field goal, Virginia's next drive ended in a punt blocked through the endzone for a safety, and the Cavaliers did not gain another first down until there were two minutes left in the half. Lacking Chris Canty, the Cavalier pass rush was nearly non-existent, making it only a matter of time before the FSU offense began amassing in chunks the 470 yards it would gain on the day.
Part of the loss can certainly be blamed on Virginia's inexperience playing in big games, but what struck me was how wide the gap in pure athletic talent remains. Wali Lundy may have entered the game tied for the NCAA lead with 10 rushing touchdowns, but he could not compete with the speed and shiftiness exhibited by Lorenzo Booker and Leon Washington.
It was no individual failing of Lundy's. Florida State's swarming front seven made the full stable of Virginia tailbacks look slow and indecisive, especially when compared to the explosive cutbacks of Booker (15 carries, 123 yards) and Washington (16 carries, 68 yards). Even the slightest hesitation on the part of Virginia's running backs quickly turned plays into one of a staggering 17 tackles for loss by the FSU defense.
There's no doubt that Al Groh has recruited higher caliber athletes than the University is used to seeing on its Grounds. There probably have never been this many NFL-caliber players wearing a Cavalier uniform at one time. But it was painfully obvious Saturday that Florida State remains a tier above Virginia. Pressed into starting service, their backup quarterback completed 20 of 26 passes for 275 yards and a touchdown. Their two running backs outgained Virginia's trio 191 to 45. Even their backup punter boomed a 48-yard punt -- eight yards farther than Virginia's starter averaged on the night.
Before the game, ACC Commissioner John Swofford said that, when discussing conference expansion, matchups such as this one "are the kinds of games we were hoping to have."
He added that the ACC is now "having more games within our league that have national implications." Sadly for Virginia fans, the only national implication of Saturday's night debacle was the pronouncement that the Cavaliers are not yet ready for the upper echelon of college football.
There's no doubt that Virginia will soon be a deserving top-10 team -- maybe even by the end of this season. For now, however, the Cavaliers need to regroup with a win against Duke and prepare mightily for their tough final four games of the season.
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