In the most anticipated game Scott Stadium had seen in four seasons under Tony Elliott, the Virginia Cavaliers broke through — introducing themselves to the college football world with a thrilling 46-38 win over the eighth-ranked Florida State Seminoles.
On a night when UVA honored its 1995 upset of the ‘Noles by donning retro blue jersey’s in a stadium full of hope and optimism, the ‘Hoos did what they’ve struggled to for so long inside Scott Stadium; they didn’t just hang around against a top-ranked
team — they finished the job.
And, while there is plenty to be said about the gutsy performance of Chandler Morris, the two (nearly three) interceptions hauled in by Ja’Son Prevard, and the dominant play of the offensive line that together has the Cavaliers into the AP top025 as the 24th-ranked team in the country, Friday night’s win was monumental in more ways than one.
The ‘Hoos have pulled their share of road stunners in the past 20 years, from the 2011 upset against 25th-ranked FSU, to the 2023 and 2024 upsets of No. 10 UNC and No. 18 Pittsburgh, to name a few. But a statement-win over a top-10 team in front of its home crowd had eluded the program for 20 years until Friday night.
Heading into the game, UVA held a record of 0-10 in its last ten meetings at home against top-10 opponents, with Marques Hagans’ surgical performance over fifth-ranked FSU in 2005 being the last. And, yes, while there have been important wins at home since then (2011 versus #12 Georgia Tech, 2018 over #16 Miami, 2019 versus Virginia Tech, for instance), I still vividly remember countless instances where the crowd has prepared itself to storm the field at the end of a potential top-10 upset, only to turn around and depart in disappointment at the hands of quarterbacks like Brett Hundley, Lamar Jackson, and DeShone Kizer.
UVA had been moments away from that signature win on a handful of occasions, but continued to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory time after time.
To see such a win finally happen in a standalone matchup, in what was the craziest game played in Scott Stadium in at least the past 30 years — if not ever — combined with its timing for a program that looks to be in the middle of an ascension into national relevance for the first time since 2019, is special. You can’t overstate just how colossal a ‘W’ this was for Tony Elliott and the entire program as it moves further into a season that has the makings to be a memorable one.
The fan perspective is equally important to mention alongside the historical significance. I’m 24 years old and, like anyone who’s followed UVA football for most of their life and is near the age of 30 (give or take a few years), I’ve forever heard about the legendary night that was November 2nd, 1995, when the ‘Hoos served FSU its first-ever ACC loss.
It always felt like a larger-than-life football game to me and anyone else I knew around that age, seeming more like a dream from how it had always been described by the older generations who are now longtime parents and grandparents today.
I’m sure I am not alone in saying (age aside at this point) I never thought the modern era of UVA football would provide an experience anywhere close to that game in ‘95, given how the program continued to stack losses throughout the 2010’s faster than you could count them at times. Seeing those previous instances where last second touchdowns and missed opportunities have robbed Cavalier fans of a win of this magnitude only pressed salt against the wound.
Friday’s win delivered that elusive moment and more, giving those older generations a chance to reunite and reminisce on that win back in ‘95, with a reinvigorated hope for what could be on a humid Friday in 2025. Simultaneously, an entirely new generation of fans and students witnessed a game in which they’ll tell their own kids and grandkids about someday — as one of the best nights ever had in Charlottesville after one of the greatest wins in program history.
When it comes to the craziness that is college sports, is there really anything better than that?
