DALLAS (FWAA) – The Virginia Cavaliers knocked off then-No. 8 Florida State in overtime Friday, setting loose a wild celebration as Virginia won its fourth home game of the season, 46-38. For taking its highest-ranked win at Scott Stadium in the last 20 years, Virginia has earned the Pop-Tarts Crazy Good Team of the Week for games the weekend of Sept. 27, as selected by the All-America Committee of the Football Writers Association of America.
This is the third time for Virginia (4-1, 2-0 in the ACC) to receive the award from the FWAA and the first time in two seasons since it won at No. 10 North Carolina, 31-27, the weekend of Oct. 21, 2023.
The victory was Virginia’s first over a top-10 opponent at Scott Stadium since 2005, when it also knocked off the then-No. 4 Seminoles 26-21, and comes 30 years after the Cavaliers gave then-No. 2 FSU its first conference loss as an ACC member, also at Scott Stadium. It was Virginia’s first win at home over a ranked opponent since defeating then-No. 15 North Carolina in 2020 and also marks the second by an unranked FBS team over a top-10 team this season – the other was then-unranked Florida State’s win over then-No. 8 Alabama on Aug. 30.
Quarterback Chandler Morris ran for three touchdowns and passed for two more as the Cavaliers’ catalyst. The teams traded field goals on their first overtime possessions. Virginia had the ball first to start the second overtime, and Morris ran four yards for his third rushing touchdown to put Virginia ahead. Morris, a transfer from North Texas in his first season at Virginia, connected with wide receiver Trell Harris in the back of the end zone to make it 46-38.
The Cavalier defense stood firm at the start of Florida State’s possession, forcing a fourth-and-12 play at the UVA 27-yard line. Cornerback Ja’Son Prevard stepped in front of an FSU pass into the end zone for an interception to end the game, his second pick of the contest.
It was a sweet reversal from the result of an earlier play. Virginia nearly had the game won to avoid overtime, but FSU scored on a fourth-down pass with 36 seconds left in regulation to tie it at 35-35.
Virginia’s defense forced three turnovers and had five tackles for loss against an FSU team that came in averaging 58.0 points and 628.7 yards per game.
“Man, how fun was that?” UVA head coach Tony Elliott said in his postgame press conference. “That’s what Scott Stadium is supposed to be like. And that’s what I envisioned when I decided to take the job here, the potential. The atmosphere was unbelievable. It felt like a championship kind of game, and that’s what we desire to be as a program. So I just appreciate everybody for showing up and making Scott Stadium what it is, is a very difficult place for opponents to play.”
“This is one I’ll remember forever,” said defensive tackle Jahmeer Carter, who’s in his sixth season as a Cavalier.
The 46 points were the most by Virginia against Florida State in 20 all-time meetings. UVA’s 46 points are more than FSU’s first three opponents combined, Alabama (17), East Texas A&M (3) and Kent State (10).
Up next, Virginia travels to Louisville for its ACC road opener Saturday, a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on ESPN2.
Since 2002, the FWAA has named a National Team of the Week. Coming into the 2025 season, 284 teams have been honored, including 101 different Division I programs. Each honored team will receive a custom Pop-Tarts “care package” along with a hand-crafted game ball made in America by Dallas-based Big Game USA, the nation’s leading manufacturer of custom footballs.
Other National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Sept. 27 included:
- Alabama (3-1): The Crimson Tide ended No. 5 Georgia’s 33-game home win streak with a 24-21 win at Sanford Stadium. Ty Simpson was 24-of-38 through the air for 276 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a touchdown as Alabama controlled with tempo with 35:36 time of possession compared to Georgia’s 24:24. Alabama was 12-of-19 converting third downs compared to Georgia’s 2-of-8.
- Oregon (5-0): In a rematch of the 2024 Big Ten Championship Game and a battle between two top-10 teams, No. 6 Oregon topped No. 3 Penn State again, fighting past a Nittany Lion comeback to win in overtime, 30-24, in front of the biggest crowd (111,015) to ever watch an Oregon game. Ahead 17-3 early in the fourth quarter before yielding the lead to go to overtime, Oregon silenced the “White Out” crowd when Dillon Thieneman picked off PSU’s Drew Allar on the first play of the second overtime to seal it.
- ULM (3-1): The Warhawks beat Arkansas State, 28-16, for a homecoming win and their first over the Red Wolves since 2009, a 15-game stretch. ULM rushed for 217 yards, but its defense allowed it to come back from an early 10-0 deficit, holding ASU to just 17 rushing yards while registering six sacks, 11 tackles for loss and two takeaways while blocking a field goal.
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Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,100 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com.
After giving up a 17-3 fourth-quarter lead, the 6th-ranked Ducks and 3rd-ranked Nittany Lions headed to overtime before the whiteout crowd in Happy Valley.
