Much has been said about the significance of Virginia’s win over then-No. 8 Florida State. But what about the actual gameplay itself?
The night that ended with every blade of Scott Stadium’s grass covered in a sea of orange and blue elation began with two ACC programs, 27 possessions and 13 scores. From an athletic standpoint, the Seminoles are equipped with several five-star recruits — some of the strongest and fastest athletes in the country. But Sept. 26, the Cavaliers outmuscled them.
With a forced fumble, a redzone interception, a missed kick and an overtime field goal, Virginia took down the No. 8 team in the country.
Here’s how they did it.
A momentum-altering fumble — first quarter, 7:33 remaining
An observer of the contest’s first three drives may have been surprised to learn that Florida State and Virginia constituted two of the nation’s most dominant offenses. The Seminoles entered the matchup leading all of FBS in offensive yardage per game. Their Charlottesville counterparts were not far behind at fifth in the same ranking. And yet, there was nothing to show for it on the scoreboard. With the Cavalier offense starting slow in a 0-0 ballgame, defensive coordinator John Rudzinski and company needed a second consecutive stop.
What they got was even better. Florida State junior running back Gavin Sawchuk took the handoff. As he was wrapped up by junior defensive tackle Anthony Britton, Britoon tore the ball away. Chaos ensued, and senior defensive end Fisher Camac recovered the fumble. The play marked Sawchuck’s first fumble since November 2023.
Since the Coastal Carolina opener, Virginia had recorded just one takeaway in three games — a second half fumble against Stanford.
And though the Cavaliers forced a similar, 0-0 first-quarter fumble against the Chanticleers, this turnover jumpstarted the offense. With a short field, the Cavaliers eased 38 yards into the endzone for the game’s opening score.
“That’s the number one offense in the country,” Coach Tony Elliott said postgame. “They scored 70, 60, and they beat Alabama. So all we wanted to do was find a way to get enough stops to give our offense one or two more possessions than the other team.”
This fumble put Virginia in a position to play ahead early in the game.
An acrobatic interception — first quarter, 1:47 remaining
Virginia held a 7-0 lead, but for the first time that night, the Seminoles were knocking on the door. A 70-yard Florida State march culminated in a first-and-goal from Virginia’s five-yard line. A tied game seemed imminent. Enter Ja’Son Prevard, junior defensive back and transfer from Morgan State.
On that first-and-goal, Prevard came in on a blitz from the left side. Sitting in the SPUR spot, the transfer went unblocked. As Florida State senior quarterback Tommy Castellanos rushed to get the ball out, Prevard put his hand up.
“We talked about matching the hand all week,” Prevard said. “He's a shorter quarterback, so once he acts like he’s about to throw the ball out, just match his hand.”
Prevard’s outstretched hand made direct contact with the football. Unlike the usual tipped pass — most just barely change course and keep moving downfield — this swat went straight up in the air.
“When I hit the ball, I heard a little ‘boom,’” Prevard said, “and then I looked up, and it was just right in my face.”
Prevard hauled in the pass right in front of a frustrated Castellanos — his first interception in over a calendar year and a truly impressive one, at that.
“That was a heck of a play,” Elliott said.
But for Prevard, those types of exciting, momentum-altering plays were no more than the expectation.
“This group is coming with a full steam of energy,” Prevard said. “There’s going to be a lot of exciting plays, and it’s going to be very fun.”
And with the ensuing 81-yard touchdown drive, the Cavaliers turned a potentially 7-7 game into a 14-0 one.
A consequential missed kick — third quarter, 9:58 remaining
Just two quarters later, the Cavaliers had lost their spot in the driver’s seat. Elliott and company’s two touchdown lead evaporated into a 21-21 tie, and Florida State had marched well into Virginia territory to open the second half.
But the Cavaliers had forced a fourth down. Out trotted Seminole redshirt freshman kicker Jake Weinberg.
The Florida native had only attempted three career college field goals, but he had made all three. This season, he was 2-2 — one of those being a 45-yarder in Florida State’s win over Alabama. He was perfect through 26 extra points, too. All in all, Weinberg likely had a better resume than Virginia would have hoped. Here he was, now attempting again from 45 yards.
Snap. Hold. Kick. Wide right. No good.
A game-saving field goal — first overtime —
Four quarters proved not long enough to crown a victor in the Friday night affair. Rudzinski and company had held Florida State to a field goal — Weinberg redeemed himself — in the first overtime period, leaving the door to Cavalier victory wide open.
Now with the ball, Virginia stared down three possible outcomes. A touchdown meant a win. No points meant a loss. A field goal would trigger overtime number two.
Confronted with a fourth down of their own, the Cavaliers sent out senior kicker Will Bettridge to attempt from 39 yards.
Bettridge, a Miami native, entered the contest 7-10 on field goals this season. The senior had not connected on 52- and 47-yard kicks against Coastal Carolina and NC State, respectively. Just six days before, however, Bettridge missed a 25-yarder against Stanford. And though it proved inconsequential for the 48-20 Virginia victory, the Cavaliers could not afford such a mistake here.
Luckily, Virginia was prepared for the game to come down to a moment like this.
“I told Bettridge, ‘Hey dude, I’ve already envisioned you kicking a 50-yarder to win this game,’” Elliott said. “I told him that throughout the course of the week.”
Scott Stadium went silent as Bettridge lined up his kick. Fifty thousand sets of eyes, exhausted from five periods of painstaking football, stared at the senior’s jet black cleat laces, now empowered with the capability to define a season.
“He prepared and he believed,” Elliott said. “Protection wasn’t great … but the operation was intact.”
Bettridge’s kick travelled straight through the uprights, tying the game at 38.
“He hit it when we needed it,” Elliott said.
With Bettridge’s made kick, the contest headed to a second overtime.
One rushing touchdown from graduate quarterback Chandler Morris and a second Prevard interception later, the field no longer held just players and coaches. But the Cavalier faithful will long-remember the plays that took their team to victory — how Virginia took down a national powerhouse.
Read More
No. 1 Virginia women’s soccer extends dominant win streak over Virginia Tech
By Sam Chun | 1 hours agoThe Cavaliers have not lost to the Hokies since 2018.
Cavaliers strike again, defeating Louisville 30-27 in overtime
By Ryan Weiner | 18 hours agoThis game proved Virginia’s toughness.
Virginia volleyball suffers swift loss against Boston College
By Victoria Blankenship | Yesterday"We're a better serving team than that," Coach Shannon Wells said.
