By Garin Turner
No. 8 Florida State’s unbeaten run came to an end in heartbreaking fashion Saturday night in Charlottesville. The Seminoles dropped a 46–38 decision to Virginia in double overtime, a game filled with momentum swings, miscues, and late drama. With the loss, Florida State falls to 3–1 while Virginia improves to 4–1.
A rocky start
The night began poorly for the Seminoles. After punting on their first possession, quarterback Tommy Castellanos fumbled on the opening play of the second series, setting up Virginia’s first touchdown. A personal foul penalty on the drive made the short field even easier for the Cavaliers to cash in. On the next possession, Castellanos was intercepted, and Virginia capitalized again to go ahead 14–0 midway through the second quarter.
Fighting back
Florida State steadied itself with a pair of short touchdown runs. Gavin Sawchuk powered in from two yards out to put the Seminoles on the board, and Randy Pittman Jr. followed with another two-yard score to tie the game. Castellanos then gave Florida State its first lead on a four-yard run, but Virginia struck back before halftime to knot things up at 21.
Trading blows
The Cavaliers regained the lead in the third quarter, only for Florida State to answer with some creativity. Pittman Jr. took a handoff and threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Duce Robinson, leveling the game at 28 heading into the fourth quarter.
After Virginia jumped ahead again late in regulation, the Seminoles forced overtime behind a clutch 11-yard touchdown pass from Castellanos to Pittman Jr. with just 36 seconds left.
Extra time heartbreak
In the first overtime, both teams traded field goals to push the drama deeper. Virginia struck first in the second overtime with a touchdown. Florida State thought it had answered when Robinson hauled in a touchdown catch, but the play was overturned on review. Facing fourth and 12, Castellanos launched a desperate throw under pressure that was intercepted in the end zone, sealing the Cavaliers’ upset and sending their home crowd storming the field.
By the numbers
Passing: Tommy Castellanos — 254 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Tommy Castellanos — 14 carries, 78 yards, 1 TD
Receiving: Duce Robinson — 10 receptions, 169 yards, 2 TD
What’s next
Florida State now turns its attention to a massive rivalry matchup with No. 2 Miami on October 4.
