Cam Akers was tackled for no gain at the ‘Hoos 4 as time expired, which felt kinda familiar, didn’t it, for a UVA-Florida State game in Scott Stadium?
The stop, at the end of a crazy sequence that saw Virginia assessed with four 15-yard penalties to extend FSU’s final drive, preserved UVA’s 31-24 win Saturday night in front of 57,826 fans, a four-year high attendance mark.
The Cavaliers (3-0, 2-0 ACC) trailed 17-10 entering the fourth quarter. Bryce Perkins was 9-for-9 passing for 67 yards on the drive that tied the game, on a 12-yard Perkins-to-Joe Reed pass.
Florida State (1-2, 0-1 ACC) needed just 2:33 of game clock to go back up, when James Blackman connected with Keyshawn Helton on a 17-yard touchdown pass that made it 24-17 Seminoles with 11:42 to go.
Perkins led the ‘Hoos right back down the field, with Wayne Taulapapa hitting paydirt on a 1-yard run. Brian Delaney missed the extra point, though, so UVA still trailed, 24-23, with 6:02 to go.
The Virginia D forced a three-and-out on Florida State’s next possession, and Virginia made quick work of its next drive, going 72 yards in five plays, concluding with another Taulapapa touchdown, from two yards out, and a highlight-reel Perkins two-point conversion play made it 31-24 with 2:34 left.
The final FSU drive was … interesting. Nick Grant was flagged for a questionable pass-interference call on a fourth-and-15 play, and then the game officials compounded that mistake by throwing a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct on UVA coach Bronco Mendenhall.
The UVA D forced another fourth-down play on the next set of downs, but then Jordan Mack was flagged on an iffy personal-foul, roughing-the-quarterback call that extended the FSU drive.
Another PI call, on Bryce Hall, put the ball in the red zone, but Zane Zandier sacked Blackman on first down, forcing Florida State to use its first timeout.
A completed pass to Helton on third down got the ball inside the UVA 5, but Helton was tackled in the field of play, with four seconds left.
Florida State rushed to the line and gave the ball to Akers on a run to the right, but he was swarmed there by a host of UVA defenders as the clock expired, and fans rushed the field, a la 1995.
Story by Chris Graham
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