Prepare yourself for possible breaks in the action today as you get ready to watch Virginia (3-1, 1-0 ACC) and Florida State (2-2, 0-1 ACC), who are set for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff, broadcast on ESPN2.
The forecast from AccuWeather for Tallahassee today is calling for a couple of showers and a heavy thunderstorm, and temperatures in the upper 80s.
At the least, buckets of rain seem to be in the offing, which could foretell us getting a mud-wrestling contest, with lots of run, fumbles.
Both teams are good at the run; FSU, of the two, is the lesser at defending the run.
We’ll start live-blogging a few minutes ahead of the kickoff.
UVA (3-1, 1-0 ACC) at FSU (2-2, 0-1 ACC)
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN2
SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 176 / SiriusXM 235 / SiriusXM 268
SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 959 / SiriusXM 978
Pregame coverage
- First look: UVA Football gets another Week 5 matchup with Florida State
- Game Preview: What UVA Football fans need to know about Florida State
Availability report
Key UVA guys out
- TB Peyton Lewis
- OL Noah Hartsoe
- OL Grant Ellinger
- DT Jason Hammond
- DE Cazeem Moore
- DE Devon Baxter
(latest update: Saturday, 1:30 p.m. ET)
First quarter
Update: 3:43 p.m. The two teams traded three-and-outs. The Virginia possession was two mistakes – Beau Pribula, on first down, had his initial read in the flat to the left, but couldn’t pull the trigger. On third down, Jacquon Gibson flat-out dropped an easy pitch-and-catch on a curl.
Update: 3:57 p.m. Beau Pribula connects with Da’Shawn Martin for a 13-yard TD pass.
Nice drive: seven plays, 63 yards.
The first three plays were runs for Jekail Middlebrook for 13, nine and four yards.
Two play-action passes to tight end John Rogers for first downs.
Nice balance.
Virginia 7, Florida State 0, 6:04/1st
First quarter summary
Two first downs for the FSU offense, as Virginia leads 7-0 at the end of one.
I’d like to see more power running from the offense. The offense flowed downhill on the TD drive because of the big gains from the run, and then passing off the run game.
The defense has done well to this point bottling up Ashton Daniels.
Second quarter
Update: 4:27 p.m. FSU needed a play on third down to keep the sticks moving inside their own 20.
Then … a missed call on an obvious hold on a pass play that gained 22, and a screen pass that oddly went for 48.
Not sure what happened there.
The TD: a 4-yard keeper by Ashton Daniels.
Game tied at 7-7, 11:48/2nd
Update: 4:38 p.m. The offense goes three-and-out, with two sacks, both bullrushes of Drake Metcalf.
FSU returns the punt to the UVA 33.
Short drive, just the ‘Noles running it through the line.
Ashton Daniels scored from three yards.
FSU 14, Virginia 7, 5:58/2nd
Update: 4:58 p.m. Tony Elliott turned down a holding penalty that would have put FSU back at its 40, instead giving them a 10-yard gain into plus territory at the UVA 40.
The third-down play was a gain into field-goal range; naturally, the ‘Noles made the 44-yarder.
TE needs to be perp-walked out of the stadium at halftime.
FSU 17, UVA 7, 1:03/2nd
First half recap
FSU’s defense was a sieve in their losses to SMU and Alabama; Virginia put up 89 yards against this group.
Des Kitchings, in the coaching box, looks like he’s fighting sleep.
Beau Pribula and his receivers are not on the same page, aren’t even reading from the same playbook.
Pribula: 6-of-13, 60 yards.
The last four possessions:
- 3 plays, -19 yards, punt
- 5 plays, 11 yards, punt
- 3 plays, -3 yards, punt
- 1 play, -1 yard, half
Meanwhile, the defense gave up 218 yards to the FSU offense in the second quarter.
FSU’s offense looks like the varsity playing against the JV.
I don’t know what you fix, other than everything.
Third quarter
Update: 5:35 p.m. The first possession for Virginia ended on a fourth-and-1 at the FSU 22. After Xavier Brown went for seven yards on a third-and-8, Des Kitchings tried to go tempo, and linebacker Chris Jones shot the gap and stopped Brown cold for no gain.
If Beau Pribula keeps on the read-option, he walks for a first down.
Update: 5;43 p.m. Warm up the busses.
Florida State went 78 yards on eight plays.
Way too easy.
Ashton Daniels had 74 sack-adjusted rushing yards and three TDs on the ground.
FSU 24, UVA 7, 7:47/3rd
Update: 6:01 p.m. The simplest of read-option plays goes 81 yards for an Ashton Daniels TD.
This is karma.
Florida State 31, UVA 7, 3:16/3rd
Third quarter summary
The sideline reporter hit the root issue here: there is no want-to on the Virginia sideline. Even TE looks out of it.
It’s like somebody filled the Gatorade jugs with Sominex.
That was a big issue in the loss to WVU.
This team has a ton of talent on paper, but nobody seems to want to be there.
Football ain’t a sport for the faint of heart.
Fourth quarter
Update: 6:20 p.m. First-and-goal at the 5, Beau Pribula missed a wide-open Xavier Brown on a would-be TD pass; series ends with a turnover on downs.
Pribula: 11-of-25, 126 yards, four passes dropped, six sacks for 40 lost yards, five rushing attempts for six rushing yards.
There’s a reason a bunch of schools had him in for a visit and went with another guy.
Update: 6:35 p.m. Another drive gets inside the FSU 30, and fails to generate points.
Beau Pribula was sacked on the last three snaps of that one.
He’s been sacked 10 times today.
The data:
- 12-of-28, 138 yards passing
- 10 sacks for 68 yards lost
- five yards for six yards rushing
The way we keep stats in college, Pribula officially has 15 rushing attempts for negative-62 yards.
The way they do it in the NFL, Virginia would have 76 net yards passing today.
This FSU defense, in its two prior Power 4 games this season:
- SMU: 585 yards total offense (430 passing)
- Alabama: 567 yards total offense (247 rushing)
Virginia today:
- 160 yards total offense (138 passing, 22 rushing)
Update: 6:42 p.m. Ashton Daniels scores his fifth TD on the ground, a 1-yard run.
Daniels today:
- 12-of-19, 183 yards passing
- Sack-adjusted rushing: 13 attempts for 168 yards, 5 TDs
FSU 38, UVA 7, 3:41/4th
Quick wrap
The postgame talk from Tony Elliott after an ugly loss to a bad WVU team that has gone on to lose two straight since: all of our goals are still in front of us.
What’s he going to come up with today, after sulking on the sidelines for the final two quarters of a 38-7 pantsing by a Florida State team that will be lucky to win six games this year?
I’ve been told repeatedly by those who would know that this team cost the donors in the range of $40 million.
That’s a lot of money on a group of guys that quit on their coaches and each other.
Highlights
Da’Shawn Martin TD catch
“Virginia strikes first!” 🔹⚔️🔸
That’s @DaShawn5Martin‘s fourth TD reception of the year 😤
📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/4dbPJwPhUc
— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) October 3, 2026
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Chris Graham
