After the opening third of a season that saw Virginia emerge with a winning record, the Cavaliers (3-1, 1-0 ACC) head out for their first true away game of the season at Florida State. Last season’s upset victory was the first time that a Tony Elliott-coached Virginia team faced the Seminoles (2-2, 0-1 ACC).
“My mindset has always been in [the ACC], to win this league you got to go through Tallahassee,” Elliott said in his postgame press conference after beating Delaware. “Bottom line… that’s just the mindset. That’s just the way I see it.”
The Cavaliers have not played against Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla. since 2014. That will change when the Cavaliers head south Saturday to vie for the Jefferson-Eppes Trophy against the Seminoles.
“It’s a tough place to play, right?” Elliott said. “I’m glad it’s not a night game, to be honest with you, because it gets pretty rocking down there.”
Unlike last year’s late September double-overtime upset, though, the 2026 Cavaliers seem to enter the game with less of an identity. They are less the plucky upstarts with something to prove, and more a team not entirely certain of their approach to the offensive side of the ball.
Especially in the first three games, Virginia utilized an offense significantly utilizing the run. This was spearheaded by fifth-year quarterback Beau Pribula in the season-opening thrashing of NC State, and by the running back room against Norfolk State and West Virginia — although the latter did see growth in the passing game, with yards in the air overtaking yards on the ground for the Cavaliers.
Perhaps pushed by the defeat at the hands of the Mountaineers, the Cavaliers passed much more against Delaware than in previous games. Pribula recorded more passing yards in the first half against the Fightin’ Blue Hens than he did over the course of any previous game this season. These two differing offensive identities could make an observer question which will show up against Florida State.
Further confounding the assessment of the game in advance is how much the past results can say about either team. Yes, Virginia has beat down on NC State, Norfolk State and Delaware, holding those opponents to an average of fewer than five points per game. But the Cavaliers also suffered a stinging, demoralizing, neutral-site loss against West Virginia where everything that seemed to have worked before stopped doing so.
In a true road environment, the question remains if the Cavaliers will perform as they have in their wins in the confines of Scott Stadium, or if the result will be more similar to the only loss on the record so far.
On the other hand, Florida State enters this game at an even .500. They carry wins over New Mexico State and FCS-level Central Arkansas, but suffered a close loss to then-No. 19 SMU and a larger defeat against then-No. 10 Alabama. To speak more simply, they beat the teams they should have, and lost against the teams they were not expected to defeat — results that don’t significantly move the needle in assessing the quality of a team.
An assessment of the Seminoles would not be complete without discussing their coaching staff — especially Seminole head Coach Mike Norvell.
Despite a 3-14 record against ACC opponents dating back to the 2024 season, Norvell is the coach that shepherded the Seminoles to a 2023 ACC Championship and the doorstep of the College Football Playoff.
On the field, the Seminoles have a playmaker in senior wide receiver Duce Robinson, who was named to the preseason Biletnikoff Award watchlist, a national achievement for wide receivers. He has played well in big plays for Florida State, with 65.5 yards per game, despite recording only 3.25 receptions on average.
Make no mistake about it — Florida State will be an opponent that Virginia should not take lightly. A win would put Virginia well on the track to bowl eligibility, while a loss might sap dreams from a season thought to be very hopeful for the Cavaliers. The players understand this.
“I felt like [the 2025 Florida State] game kind of gave the whole team confidence,” third-year wide receiver Kameron Courtney said. “I feel like it’s gonna be the same way this year.”
The Cavaliers will play the fifth game of their season Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla. The match is scheduled to kick off at 3:30 p.m., and will be televised on ESPN2.
Drew Dillman is a staff writer and X account manager on the sports desk. He is a fourth-year College student, majoring in history. Drew is from North Little Rock, Ark., and he enjoys writing game recaps. Outside of The Cavalier Daily, Drew is president of Shakespeare on the Lawn, a classical theater group at the University.
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