UVa's view from sideline not prettier
Commentary by Aaron McFarling
The Roanoke Times

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - An orange mouthpiece dangled from his mouth. A white towel covered his head. An ice pack tried to deaden the pain in his left knee.

Virginia guard Elton Brown - Playboy All-American, affable team spokesman, hulking bringer of pancakes and pain - could only sit on the bench and watch. And what a horror show he saw.

They rode in here the upstart darlings of the ACC, these Cavaliers, bringing hope that the 2004 contenders of this new superconference extended north of the Florida line.

But they left Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday night battered and dazed, 36-3 losers to Florida State, individually and collectively humbled, chants of "overrated" ringing in their ears.

When you want to gauge a team's morale, don't find the coach. Find the heart and soul. Find the star.

And Brown, the normally cheerful champion of a vaunted offensive line, had a fourth-quarter look that said it all: What now?

What now, now that UVa's defensive secondary has been exposed like a Britney Spears thigh? What now, now that UVa's running game suddenly looks inept? What now, now that poll voters can't wait to boot the Cavaliers from the top 10 and kill the Charlottesville buzz Al Groh had worked so hard to foster?

The first goal for UVa: Repair the defense. Maybe someday, we'll find out that FSU quarterback Wyatt Sexton is a bona fide star. Maybe. But until Saturday, the rangy sophomore was best known as the fill-in for an injured Chris Rix who almost let his team get beat by Syracuse.

That guy was nowhere to be found against UVa. Allowed to stand in the pocket for approximately 67 eons before he felt any pressure, Sexton completed 20 of 26 passes for a career-high 275 yards.

"Wyatt?" FSU coach Bobby Bowden said, leaning back in his chair in the postgame interview room. "He had a heck of a dadgum ballgame."

No doubt UVa misses the pass-rushing prowess of standout defensive end Chris Canty, who was lost for the year because of injury. But the Cavaliers had better find a way to get some people in the backfield, or Sexton won't be the only ACC quarterback playing a heck of a dadgum ballgame against UVa.

UVa's secondary routinely looked clueless. Part of the credit goes to Bowden and his staff, who mixed up the play-calling well and got seldom-used tight end Paul Irons involved. Even so, FSU's receivers had way too much room to move, confirming UVa's fear that the inexperienced unit would eventually be overmatched.

UVa's offense, so balanced in the first five games, was fragmented and weak. Quarterback Marques Hagans made some superhuman throws under pressure, and tight end Heath Miller caught nine passes for 110 yards, but the positives stopped there. The Cavaliers' three-pronged rushing attack gained just 20 yards on 29 carries, allowing the Seminoles to focus on slowing Hagans.

The play that fell Brown epitomized UVa's struggles. Pressured as usual midway through the third quarter, Hagans threw a tipped pass that dropped into the hands of Brown. The 338-pound senior tried to run but was tackled for a loss and had to be helped off the field.

To watch.

This.

With about five minutes left in the game, running back Wali Lundy walked over and sat down next to Brown. The two commiserated briefly over the joyful racket of the FSU band.

Brown's mouthpiece was gone, his ice discarded.

The pain? That will linger.

Hardy assumes captain's duties
Game notes
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Jermaine Hardy, a senior from Roanoke, quietly has assumed some of the captain's responsibilities left vacant by an injury to Chris Canty.

After Canty suffered a season-ending knee injury Sept.25 against Syracuse, UVa coach Al Groh said he would not name another captain to join offensive guard Elton Brown, tight end Heath Miller and defensive end Brennan Schmidt. When the Cavaliers came out for their Oct.7 game against Clemson, Hardy, in his second year as a starting safety, joined the captains at midfield and took part in the coin toss again Saturday night.

Odd site

Early arrivals to Doak Campbell Stadium were greeted by two out-of-uniform players booting a soccer ball back-and-forth at one end of the field. It was a pair of ex-soccer players, UVa place-kicker Connor Hughes and kickoff specialist Kurt Smith.

A transplant

A 59-yard punt by junior Chris Hall following Florida State's first possession was the longest of his career. Hall, who had attempted a total of five punts in his first two seasons, was the first-team All-Group AAA punter as senior at Centreville High School in Clifton, Va. Hall is the lone Virginian on the Seminoles' roster.

Hall was involved in a trick play at the end of the first quarter, but his pass to Kamerion Wimbley, which would have been the first attempt of his career, was nullified by a facemask penalty. Hall also serves as Florida State holder on field goals and extra points.

They said it

Commentator Lee Corso said Saturday on ESPN's College GameDay program that UVa junior Heath Miller is "the best tight end in America."

Personnel

Redshirt freshman Jon Stupar, out since the preseason with a broken foot, was in uniform Saturday for the first time.

Redshirt freshman Mike Robertson, a walk-on from Blacksburg High School, observed a milestone with his first road trip. UVa had six wideouts in uniform, a group that did not include scholarship sophomore Ron Morton.

Sophomore wide receiver Fontel Mines, who started at Temple in Virginia's opening game, made his return to action after rehabbing a broken collarbone.

By the numbers

In its 13 years as an ACC member, Florida State had never faced a higher-ranked ACC team at home until Saturday night. It was only the 48th time in coach Bobby Bowden's 29 seasons that an opponent has been higher ranked than the Seminoles, only 20 of those games at home.

Odds and ends

Visitors to the game included former Virginia star Ronde Barber from Roanoke, who was in the company of three of his Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammates - Derrick Brooks, Greg Spires and Mario Edwards - who played for the Seminoles. ... Both head coaches, Florida State's Bobby Bowden and Virginia's Al Groh, have sons on their respective staffs, offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden for the Seminoles and quarterbacks coach Mike Groh for UVa.

Up next

The Cavaliers will travel to Durham, N.C., for a nontelevised game Saturday against Duke (1-5, 0-3 ACC) at 1 p.m. The Blue Devils' lone victory was over I-AA opponent The Citadel, 28-10, and they have lost eight of their last nine games against the Cavaliers. Duke's only win during that time was an overtime affair in 1999 in Charlottesville.
 

FSU extends Virginia's Florida troubles
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
October 17, 2004

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.
Oh-for-Forever.
Sixth-ranked Virginia’s frustration in the state of Florida continued Saturday night when the Cavaliers were dominated by seventh-ranked Florida State, 36-3.
Inexplicably, the Sunshine State has been Virginia’s own Bermuda Triangle. Once the Cavaliers cross the Georgia border, their compass spins out of control, they lose all bearing and disappear.
On a night when one team ranked ahead of Virginia tumbled, the Cavaliers couldn’t avoid the fall. UVa brought its highest ranking in 14 years, an eight-game winning streak, the nation’s fifth-best productive offense and he sixth-best defense to Tallahassee - it still couldn’t put a dent in the ACC’s perennial champion.
No bullets
It was like they walked into a Texas saloon in the Wild West and were told: “Fellas, you can come in but you’ve got to leave your guns at the door.”
Averaging 275 yards rushing per game, best in the conference, the Cavaliers were stonewalled as 29 rushes resulted in 20 yards. Wail Lundy was held to one-yard per carry and Alvin Pearman averaged just two yards per attempt.
Quarterback Marques Hagans passed for 261 yards before being pulled in the fourth quarter with a dinged hip. But on this night, those were losing statistics. Virginia also finished the game with All-ACC right guard Elton Brown wearing an ice pack on his left knee on the sidelines.
Answering the bell
FSU coach Bobby Bowden said that before the game he was worried that his defense couldn’t get the ball away from Virginia’s ball control offense, or whether his team could physically run the ball against the Cavaliers’ defense.
Neither was a problem.
Florida State dominated every phase of the game. The Seminoles piled up 470 yards on the Virginia defense, which had averaged giving up only 258 per game. Lorenzo Booker’s 123 yards rushing and two touchdowns paced a ground game that was good for 192 yards.
“Our defense was focused on what they were doing,” said Bowden, the winningest coach in major college football history. “Last week they were not ... and you can see the difference. As long as you play defense like that, you should win.”
Quarterback Wyatt Sexton, who is 3-0 in starts for the Seminoles, completed 20 of 26 attempts for 275 yards and a touchdown.
“Our offensive line was amazing tonight,” said Sexton, who enjoyed a career night, while targeting 10 different receivers in chewing up Virginia’s defense. “We won the game up front and our defense held them in check. We had heard about how good they were on both sides of the ball all week, but our guys came out and got it done.”
For Virginia, the chants of “Over-rated, Over-rated,” from the second-largest crowd
(84,155) in FSU history carried a particularly harsh string. The Cavaliers were poised to make their biggest impact in the sport in years, perhaps ever, had they pulled this one off.
Instead, the lopsided loss continued two streaks of another nature for UVa. Virginia has never won a road game against a Top 10 team (Oh-for-23) and has not beaten a ranked opponent on the road since 2001 against No. 19 Clemson.
This one hurt. After steamrolling five straight opponents, coupled with FSU’s late escape from a possible upset at Syracuse (a team that Virginia hammered 31-10), last week, the Cavs felt this might be their year.
But as Pedro Martinez might have said if he were a Cavalier: “Florida State is my daddy.”
Yes, Oh-for-Forever. Not only has Virginia lost all seven times it has traveled to Florida State, but the Cavaliers have never drawn blood anywhere in the state. From South Beach to Disney World, from Jacksonville to the Panhandle - Virginia has never won in the regular or postseason in the land of the palm.
Most stunning was Florida State’s success in shutting down the Cavaliers’ offense. With three capable tailbacks, a big, experienced offensive line, a star tight end and an elusive, strong-armed quarterback, it appeared Virginia might be able to light up the FSU scoreboard.
“We took [Virginia] out of their offense and put them in a position they’re not used to,” said Seminoles linebacker Buster Davis. “That’s when you can send the house on them and that’s what we did tonight.”
Saturday was almost like a page ripped out of past years when Florida State teetered on the verge of a monumental landslide. The experts were about to declare the dynasty over, that the Seminoles had lost their edge. They were ripe for the picking.
Almost every time, the Seminoles have bounced back with amazing fortitude, sinking their opposition’s fortunes.
“It was kind of like a few years ago when that great North Carolina team was undefeated and we played them up there,” Bowden said.
FSU won that one in similar style, 20-3.
And, so now, Bowden’s boys are back in the picture for the National Championship. When the first BCS poll comes out Monday, the Seminoles will be right behind Miami in the top four or five, even though they lost to the Hurricanes in the season-opener.
Meanwhile, coach Al Grog’s biggest job will be making sure that one loss doesn’t lead to another. The Virginia coach tried to put a positive spin on things, as he looked ahead to the second half of the season.
“I have always believed that every game just counts one,” Groh said. “Until they put a weighted average on every one of them. Somebody said, ‘Will this be the biggest win in the history of the program?’ You don’t have big wins mid-season. You have big wins in championship games. All of that other stuff is fan talk. In that respect, every one counts one. This one counts one. It’s a disappointing one, but it counts one.”
Just another one toward Oh-for-Forever.

Ground to a halt
Cavaliers shut down in loss to Florida State
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
October 17, 2004

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Virginia rolled into Florida State’s Doak S. Campbell stadium with hype and hope.

Florida State (5-1, 3-1 ACC) crushed them both as they gained 470 yards of total offense and kept Virginia in check for the entire game as the Seminoles defeated the sixth-ranked Cavaliers 36-3 in front of a crowd of 84,155.

“I thought [Florida State] played very well, but the key to the game was their backs,” Virginia coach Al Groh said. “That is the age old football adage. If you can run the ball then it can open things in the passing game.”

It did that and more.

As Florida State’s backfield churned out 192 yards on

39 carries against Virginia’s vaunted defense, Seminole quarterback Wyatt Sexton picked apart the Cavalier defense with a combination of short and long passes. Sexton finished the contest 20-of-26 passing for 275 yards and one touchdown.

When the game started, Virginia’s defense appeared up to the challenge. The unit forced the Seminoles to punt after its first three plays.

Once Virginia got the ball, quarterback Marques Hagans lofted a pass down the Seminoles’ sideline to Alvin Pearman for a 40-yard gain. Three plays later Wali Lundy converted a third-and-1 at the FSU 32 with a two-yard run.

Virginia had the momentum.

After two more rushes from Lundy took the ball to the FSU 24, Virginia faced another short yardage situation on third down.

Florida State quickly stole the momentum as they forced Hagans out of bounds for a sack and a two-yard loss.

That set up a 42-yard field for placekicker Connor Hughes, which he missed to the left.

After Virginia’s defense stopped the Seminoles again, the Cavaliers were unable to move the ball.

Facing a fourth down from their own 17, punter Sean Johnson had his punt blocked out of the back of the end zone by Ernie Sims for a safety.

It gave Florida State a lead that they would not relinquish and the momentum that would never shift.

While Groh said the blocked kick was not the main reason for defeat, he did admit that it “might have set the tone with me. We didn’t perform well under pressure.”

Florida State added to its lead on its first possession of the second quarter as placekicker Xavier Beitia connected from 26 yards out, making it 5-0.

While Virginia’s offense continued to struggle, FSU added to its lead with a 6-yard touchdown run by Lorenzo Booker with 8:46 left in the half. Booker finished the game with 15 carries and 124 yards and two touchdowns.

On their next possession, the Seminoles scored again, this time through the air.

Facing a third-and-2, Sexton dropped back and delivered a 19-yard fade pass to Chauncey Stovall in the Seminoles’ end zone to make it 19-0.

Virginia answered on its final drive of the opening half but it was only a field goal. After marching 74 yards in 13 plays, Virginia ran out of time and settled for a 23-yard field goal from Hughes as the first half came to a close.

Virginia appeared poised to add to its point total as the second half opened, moving the ball 30 yards in three plays, but Florida State quickly stopped any threat.

Hagans rolled to his right and as he threw the ball back against his body it was tipped by Florida State defensive tackle Travis Johnson and then intercepted by Jerome Carter.

Virginia never regrouped.

Florida State added a pair of touchdown runs and a field goal and Virginia was left with its first loss of the season.

The loss did not sit well with Groh.

“I feel the same way that I always do when we get beat - not very good,” Groh said.

Luckily for Groh and his team, the season does march on. They will return to action next week on the road at Duke.

“You don’t have big wins mid-season. You have big wins in championship games,” Groh said. “It is a disappointing one but it counts one.”

Hagans, who left the game near the end of the third quarter with a sore hip, finished the contest 20-of-30 passing for 214 yards. He threw one interception and was sacked four times.

Heath Miller, who Groh said was the one lone bright spot, finished with nine receptions for 110 yards.

Note. Virginia offensive lineman Elton Brown left the game in the third quarter with an apparent injury to his left knee. After a Hagans’ pass attempt was tipped down field it bounced backward toward Brown. He made a catch on the play and was tackled for a three-yard loss.

After Brown tried to get to his feet, he fell back to the ground. Brown was helped off the field and spent the remainder of the game on the sidelines with an ice pack on his left knee. Brown did grab his helmet later in the game and headed toward the field, but with the game out of reach, he returned to the bench for treatment.

Brown was walking under his own power after the game. Groh did not disclose details about the injury.

Sexton continues his strong play as FSU QB
By Kevin Record / Special to the Daily Progress
October 17, 2004

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida State senior quarterback Chris Rix was declared healthy enough to play Saturday night against Virginia.

But Wyatt Sexton made sure that wasn’t completely necessary.

FSU’s redshirt sophomore quarterback furthered his stranglehold on the starting position with the best performance of his young career, leading the Seminoles to a 36-3 victory.

The Leon (Tallahassee) High School product completed passes to nine different receivers in the first half alone. What’s more, he showed poise in the pocket and patiently picked apart Virginia’s highly regarded defense.

Rix, meanwhile, watched quietly from the sidelines, arms folded, and witnessed the kind of performance he’s often longed for during his much maligned career.

Rix actually did see playing time, but it came up in the form of mop-up duty during the final three minutes of the game.

Sexton completed 20 of 26 passes for 275 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions.

“I’d like to think I’m the starter for now,” Sexton said with a huge grin.

Since taking over for Rix, who suffered a high ankle sprain on Sept. 25 in the opening quarter against Clemson, Sexton has completed 78 of 118 passes for 846 yards and five touchdowns.

More importantly, the 6-foot-3, 206-pound Sexton has wisely led the seventh-ranked Seminoles to four straight victories and right back into the national championship hunt.

“It was just a good game for me,” Sexton said. “But for the team, it was monsterous. Some people thought we were going to lose this game.”

Coming off a disappointing performance in a 17-13 win at Syracuse last week, Sexton quickly showed that he was worthy of his third consecutive start, as he led the Seminoles to a 19-3 halftime lead.

“I was more relaxed tonight,” said Sexton, whose father is the assistant head coach. “I’ve been around here so much, it just feels like home.”

The highlight of his opening two quarters was a pair of passes to wide receiver Chauncey Stovall, the second of which was a softly thrown 24-yard touchdown toss that gave the ‘Noles a 19-0 advantage.

“I was laughing inside when we called that play,” Sexton said. “They were in press coverage and they had no safety. All I had to do was it up there and let Chauncey go get it.”

During the critical drive, Sexton showed his patience by throwing three times over the middle to tight end Paul Irons.

Early in the fourth quarter, Sexton threw a perfect 35-yard pass to wide receiver Willie Reid, which set up Leon Washington’s short TD plunge, giving FSU a 29-3 lead.

“It’s not easy, but it felt easy out there,” Sexton said. “I know that if we execute, no one can stop us. We’ve got so much talent out there, all I have to do is get the ball to them.”

FSU running backs Leon Washington and Lorenzo Booker both said Sexton’s laid-back demeanor is infectious and it’s having a positive impact on the team.

“He’s having fun out there, for sure,” Booker said. “And it kind of reminds us why we’re all doing this. It’s kind of like practice out there, but there’s 80,000 people watching.”

Asked what it’s like to play so well in front of so many people, Sexton said, “I can’t describe it. It’s ridiculous.”



 

Cavalier Football Notebook
October 17, 2004

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE. Florida State has been the best home team in the country over the last 15 years. The No. 7 Seminoles improved to 81-4-1 with their victory over Virginia at Doak S. Campbell Stadium on Saturday night. Nebraska, Kansas State, Florida and Texas A&M round out the top five, respectively.

ROAD WOES CONTINUE. Virginia’s loss to Florida State marked the 51st time that the Cavaliers have lost to a ranked opponent. It also kept UVa winless on the road in 23 tries against teams ranked in the top 10.

FROM THE SKY. Four members of the 101st Airborne Division, based out of Ft. Campbell, Ky., parachuted into the stadium 18 minutes prior to kickoff. The final jumper delivered the game ball to the official.

TAKING A ROAD TRIP. A pair of players coming back from injury, tight end Jonathan Stupar and wide reciever Fontel Mines, dressed for the contest against the Seminoles.
Stupar, who redshirted last year, broke a bone in his foot before the season-opener against Temple.
Mines, sophomore, caught two passes against Temple in the first half before breaking his collarbone. Mines made two catches in that contest that went for 29 yards.
Virginia fullback Jason Snelling did not travel with the team. He sprained his ankle early in the first quarter against Clemson.

WINNING STREAK ENDS. Florida State’s victory over UVa snapped the Cavaliers’
eight-game winning streak, which was tied for the fourth longest in the country.

WARMING UP. Kurt Smith has been known for his abilities kicking off. Will he be known for his punting someday? With listed backup punter Kurt Korte not on the travel squad, Smith punted several kicks before the game.

RETURNING HOME. Virgin-ia’s travel squad to Tallahassee, Fla. included three players - Jordy Lipsey, Matt Stone and Zac Yarbrough - who hail from the Sunshine State.
Lipsey, who is a redshirt freshman from Longwood, Fla., serves as the backup at center.
Yarbrough, who is the starting center, is a native of Winter Park, Fla.
Stone, who has appeared in only two games in his three-year career, is a native of Boca Raton, Fla. Stone’s two appearances came in 2002, against Florida State and West Virginia.

SPECIAL GUESTS. With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a bye week, four players from the team were in attendance for the game. Former Virginia cornerback Ronde Barber was in attendance to watch his alma mater. Three former Seminoles, who play for the Bucs, were also at the game (Derrick Brooks, Mario Edwards and Greg Spires).

FACES IN THE CROWD. Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Burt Reynolds, who is an alumnus of FSU, was on hand to promote a movie that he is directing – “The Longest Yard.” Several of the actors from the film were on hand for the game, including Bill Goldberg and Brian Bozworth.

CAMERA ANGLE. ESPN Skycam made its debut at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday night. It was nothing new for Virginia fans. ESPN brought the camera, which provides a bird’s-eye view of the field, to Scott Stadium on Oct. 7 when the Cavaliers hosted Clemson.

MISSING THE MARK. UVa placekicker Connor Hughes missed a 42-yard field goal with 10:32 left in the first quarter. The kick missed narrowly to the left. Hughes was 6 of 9 on the season entering the contest. He missed two field goals against Temple in the season opener and missed another against Syracuse. Hughes redeemed himself as he nailed a short field goal as time expired in the first half.

SCORING A TWO-POINTER. Florida State recorded a safety in the first quarter when it blocked a Sean Johnson punt out of the end zone. It marked the first time that Virginia had given up a safety since FSU recorded one against the Cavs in 2002.

MILLER CONTINUES CLIMB. Virginia junior Heath Miller moved into fourth place in ACC history in receiving yards by a tight end during the second quarter. Miller entered the game with 117 pass receptions for 1,370 yards. Miller finished with
9 catches for 110 yards.

UP NEXT. Virginia will play its second straight road game next week when they travel to Durham, N.C., to face the Duke Blue Devils. The kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. The game will not be televised. Duke (1-5, 0-3) lost to Georgia Tech 24-7 on Saturday.
Florida State plays at Wake Forest at 3:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ABC.

EXTRA POINTS. Virginia departed shortly after the game and was expected to arrive in Charlottesville at 2:40 a.m. this morning. … When Marques Hagans started the contest at quarterback it marked the seventh straight year that Virginia has started a different quarterback than the year before against the Seminoles. The last UVa quarterback to start in back-to-back games against Florida State was Symmion Willis (1997-98). … The last time Florida State gained 300 yards or more rushing yardage in one game came against Virginia in 2002 at Doak Campbell Stadium. ... When the Cavaliers were held scoreless in the opening quarter it ended a streak of 26 consecutive quarters that they had scored in. …. FSU junior Chris Hall, who is from Centreville, Va., punted the ball 59 yards in the first quarter. It was the longest punt of Hall’s career and the longest punt for a Virginia opponent this season.

Tally woe
FSU's speed and Virginia's penalties and poor special-teams play doom the Cavaliers.
BY DAVE FAIRBANK
247-4637
Published October 17, 2004

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. -- Every person associated with the Virginia football program believed this time would be different. Florida State had cuffed around the Cavaliers, and just about everyone else in the ACC, since joining the league in 1992, particularly on its home turf.

But Virginia entered Saturday's showdown against the Seminoles unbeaten, ranked higher and certainly with the best team in coach Al Groh's tenure.

The Cavaliers' great expectations ran smack into Florida State's superior speed and athletic ability in a 36-3 thumping at Doak Campbell Stadium.

"I never thought we would lose like this," Cavs' cornerback Tony Franklin said. "We let ourselves down."

The seventh-ranked Seminoles (5-1 overall, 3-1 in the ACC) shut down Virginia's rushing game and exhibited remarkable balance on offense to defeat the Cavaliers for the ninth consecutive time and the 12th time in 13 meetings.

Seminoles quarterback Wyatt Sexton was brilliant in his third start, completing 20 of 26 passes for 275 yards and a touchdown before coach Bobby Bowden pulled him midway through the fourth quarter.

FSU's tailback tandem of Lorenzo Booker (123 yards, two touchdowns) and Leon Washington (68 yards, one TD) led a rushing attack that accounted for 192 yards and kept Virginia's defense off balance all night.

"The key to the game was their backs," Groh said. "That's the age-old football adage: if you can run the ball, it opens things up in the passing game."

The sixth-ranked Cavaliers (5-1, 2-1) entered the game third in the nation in scoring, at 42.4 points per game, and fifth in rushing at 275 yards per game. But they were held to their lowest point total since a 24-0 shutout by N.C. State in 2001, Groh's first season, and equaled their lowest output in the series against FSU.

Virginia netted just 20 yards on 29 carries - 255 less than its average - and leading rusher Wali Lundy managed just 32 yards on 10 carries.

Almost from the outset, the Cavaliers' offense was limited to whatever quarterback Marques Hagans could create. The redshirt junior from Hampton, the ACC's leading passer, completed 20 of 30 passes for 214 yards with one interception.

He faced far more pressure from the speedy Seminoles than he had seen this season and ultimately was forced out of the game in the fourth quarter with a hip injury.

"I thought it would be a very difficult test," Groh said. "I thought it was far and away the most talented team, maybe the best Florida State team we've encountered since we've been here. I thought they played that way tonight."

Virginia did little to help itself, as well. Kicker Connor Hughes missed a 42-yard field goal attempt on the Cavaliers' first possession.

The Cavs had a punt blocked out of the end zone for a safety. A pair of facemasking penalties aided Florida State scoring drives in the first half. One resulted in a Xavier Beitia field goal, the other in a Booker touchdown run and a 12-0 lead.

Florida State tacked on one more touchdown before the end of the first half to take control as Sexton took advantage of his running backs and the protection his line afforded him. He completed all six of his passes, the last a 24-yard touchdown strike to Chauncey Stovall for a 19-0 lead.

"Our offensive line was amazing tonight," said Sexton, who may never give up the starter's job to Chris Rix. "They won the game up front and our defense held them in check. We had heard about how good they were on both sides of the ball all week, but our guys came in and got it done."

One positive for Hagans, many negatives for Cavs
DAVE FAIRBANK
Published October 17, 2004

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. -- Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans needed only three plays to surpass the completion total of his previous start against Florida State.

As a redshirt freshman here two years ago, Hagans completed just 1 of 7 passes for 4 yards before Matt Schaub replaced him in an eventual 40-19 loss.

On Saturday, Hagans completed his first attempt, a 40-yard throw to Alvin Pearman. Two plays later, he connected with tight end Heath Miller for a 9-yard gain.

In the first quarter Hagans completed 4 of 5 passes for 61 yards. He was 14-for-19 for 156 yards in the first half.

BLOCK

Florida State scored first when linebacker Ernie Sims blocked Sean Johnson's punt and the ball rolled out of the end zone for a safety in the first quarter.

The last time Virginia had a punt blocked was by Virginia Tech on Nov. 30, 2002. The Hokies scored a touchdown on the play in a 21-9 victory.

STARS

Among those in attendance were several stars involved in the remake of the movie "The Longest Yard," including Adam Sandler, who reprises the role of Paul Crew.

Florida State alum Burt Reynolds played Crew in the original and also attended Saturday's game.

DEPLETED

Virginia's potent rushing game was without a key component. Fullback Jason Snelling, injured against Clemson on Oct. 7, did not make the trip to Florida State. Brandon Isaiah, a senior reserve, was the only fullback to make the trip. Snelling rushed for 138 yards and a 6.9-yard average. In addition, he is a valuable blocker in the running game and in pass protection. The Cavaliers compensated for Snelling's absence with Isaiah, as well as Pearman and by using multiple tight end formations.

BIG GAMES

Virginia-Florida State was the third time that the Cavaliers have participated in a game matching top-10 teams. In 1947, fourth-ranked Penn defeated No. 10 Virginia 19-7. In '52, No. 6 Duke beat the ninth-ranked Cavaliers 21-7.

Meanwhile, Florida State has played 43 games against top-10 opponents when it was ranked in the top 10. The Seminoles were 23-18-1 in those games before Saturday.

Prior to the Virginia game, the Seminoles were 12-0 at home against ranked ACC opponents. FSU outscored ranked conference foes 503-174, an average victory margin of 27.4 points per game.

MISCELLANY

Florida State fullback Paul Irons came into Saturday's game with one reception for 8 yards. He caught four passes for 23 yards on the Seminoles' second-quarter touchdown drive that extended the lead to 19-0. ... Florida State has as many players on NFL rosters (46) as Virginia (20) and Virginia Tech (26) combined. The Seminoles are second to Miami (49) among NFL players from ACC schools. ... Virginia has had a different starting quarterback against FSU each of the past seven years. Aaron Brooks (1997-98) was the last U.Va. quarterback to start consecutive games against the Seminoles, though Hagans and Schaub each started two games in the series. ... The crowd of 84,155 was the second-largest in Doak Campbell Stadium history.

Cavaliers don't come close to expectations
Published October 17 2004
David Teel


TALLAHASSEE, FLA. -- Bobby Bowden doesn't resort to fake punts against the standard assortment of ACC chumps. So when Florida State's coach got wily in the first quarter against Virginia on Saturday night, you knew he figured his Seminoles were in for a fight.

But the Cavaliers didn't perform as Bowden, and many others, expected.

Not even close.

Too many penalties and special-teams breakdowns. Too few rushing yards. And, as usual, too much Florida State speed.

Those punches staggered Virginia in an ugly 36-3 loss at Doak Campbell Stadium.

"I never thought we could lose like that with our talent," cornerback Tony Franklin said. "We let ourselves down."

The sixth-ranked Cavaliers (5-1, 2-1 ACC) appeared uniquely prepared, for them, to compete against the seventh-ranked Seminoles - even on the road. They had routed five opponents, ratcheting up the hype for Saturday's test. But visiting teams here need to be precise and darn near flawless.

The Cavaliers were not. They gave up a safety on a blocked punt. They extended two Seminole drives with facemask penalties, gift-wrapping 10 points. They missed a field goal.

All in the first half.

"That started the landslide," Virginia coach Al Groh lamented.

Bowden's fake punt? Virginia smothered punter Chris Hall's pass to Kamerion Wimbley, only to have a facemask penalty against Isaiah Ekejiuba prolong the drive.

Not that Florida State's offense needed the help. With Virginia generating a negligible pass rush, the Seminoles (5-1, 3-1) did anything they pleased. Throw short, throw long. Run inside, run outside.

Excuse me, but weren't the Cavaliers allegedly a top-10 squad? Well, that distinction should vanish when new polls are released today.

In his third start since Chris Rix went to the sideline with a sprained ankle, quarterback Wyatt Sexton shredded Virginia for 275 passing yards. The secondary is clearly not the Cavaliers' strong suit, but no coverage scheme - zone or man-to-man - can blanket Florida State's athletes without the front seven harassing the quarterback.

Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans did his best to prolong the fight, passing for 214 yards. But he could not create his trademark plays - the scrambles and passes-on-the-run that bamboozled opponents during Virginia's 5-0 start. Florida State's defense was too fast. Buster Davis and Ernie Sims. Jerome Carter and Sam McGrew.

Only once did Hagans break loose, eluding the rush for what seemed like minutes before completing a 25-yard pass to tight end Heath Miller on a third-and-20. The conversion, one of Miller's nine receptions, led to the Cavaliers' only points, Connor Hughes' 23-yard field goal as the second quarter ended.

"Heath Miller was the one guy who stepped up to the competition tonight," Groh said.

Not quite. Hagans did before sustaining a third-quarter hip injury. But without a credible running game, he had no chance.

Virginia came to Tallahassee averaging a conference-best 275 yards rushing per game, but Saturday the Cavaliers managed all of 20 yards on 29 rushes. No quarterback can overcome such meager production. Not on the road. Not against a quality opponent.

Dating to 1940, Virginia is 0-23 on the road against top-10 opponents, plus 0-2 at neutral sites. But more telling are the Cavaliers' recent road woes.

Winning at Temple this season? Western Michigan and North Carolina last? Wake Forest and Duke in 2002?

None of those teams posted a winning record during the regular season.

A significant road victory? Go back to 2001, Groh's first season as coach, when Virginia defeated No. 19 Clemson 26-24 on a last-minute pass from Bryson Spinner to Billy McMullen.

Not that Florida State had been tearing it up. The Seminoles had lost seven consecutive games, and nine of their last 10, against top-10s prior to Saturday. Nor had the Seminoles wowed anyone with victories against UAB, Clemson, North Carolina and Syracuse since their season-opening loss at Miami.

But this was close to vintage Florida State - ruthless on defense, balanced on offense. Vintage Virginia it was not. Bowden and Florida State expected a fight but didn't get it. In fact, they got more resistence from Syracuse, a team Virginia drilled by three touchdowns.

Strange. Disappointing.

 

FSU-Virginia: What showdown?
Sexton, 'Noles stuff Cavaliers
By Steve Ellis
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

This was to be the game where Virginia came of age. Instead, it was redshirt freshman Wyatt Sexton who played beyond his 20 years in leading Florida State to a convincing 36-3 victory over No.6 Virginia on Saturday night.

Sexton, who completed 20 of 26 passes for a career-high 275 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, did all he could to make certain he'll be directing No.7 FSU's offense as it fights its way back into contention for a national title. Leon Washington and Lorenzo Booker combined for 191 yards rushing on 31 carries. And FSU's defense put in what was arguably its best effort of the season in chasing Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans early in the fourth quarter and earning five sacks. Linebacker Ernie Sims, backing vows of bringing the hammer to Virginia's touted offense, led with two sacks.

"I couldn't take him out, the way he was playing," FSU coach Bobby Bowden said of Sexton, who was also hurt by four dropped passes. "I couldn't ask for better out of Wyatt. You can figure out (who will start against Wake Forest). He's gotten better every week. He's passed every scenario so far.

"As long as you play defense like that, you should win. It's the kind of win to make me feel like we put it together."

Better special-teams play also helped FSU improve its record against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents at home to 49-1 before 84,155, the second-largest crowd ever at Doak Campbell Stadium. It was FSU's first victory over a team so highly ranked since Nov. 18, 2000, when FSU defeated then-No.4 ranked Florida.

"Our offensive line was amazing tonight," said Sexton, who completed passes to 10 receivers.

With Virginia's umbrella defense determined to shut down FSU deep, Sexton found the middle inviting. He hit tight end Paul Irons four times for 23 yards.

"(FSU) won the game up front and our defense held them in check," Sexton said. "We had heard about how good they were on both sides of the ball all week, but our guys came out and got it done. Our coaches did a great job of game planning.

"The energy in the stadium was amazing and we fed off it."

Sexton finished strong in hitting Willie Reid, finally healthy after nursing a hamstring injury, on a 35-yard post pattern in which Sexton spotted that the Virginia free safety drifted from his area to leave Reid in a one-on-one situation. Washington followed with a 5-yard run that gave FSU a 29-3 lead.

"We knew Virginia wasn't going to give us anything deep," Sexton said. "They brought up the safeties to stop the run, and once they did, then I found Willie on the post." FSU's final score came on a 5-yard run by Booker with under seven minutes remaining for the final 36-3 victory. Booker carried 15 times for 123 yards - his first 100-yard rushing effort at FSU.

By the time Chris Rix entered the game with 5:08 remaining, any chance of a quarterback controversy was likely snuffed by Sexton.

In a game of great matchups, FSU's front seven smothered Virginia's ground game, which entered Saturday ranked fifth nationally with 275 rushing yards per game and 21 rushing touchdowns. Virginia had just three rushing yards with 8:46 remaining in the first half and finished with just 20 rushing yards and 281 total yards. Standout Wali Lundy finished with 32 yards on 10 carries.

Equally impressive was FSU's ability to contain Hagans, although the junior eluded Kamerion Wimbley and Eric Moore to complete a 25-yard pass play to Heath Miller that set up Virginia's first score - a 23-yard field goal by Connor Hughes with no time remaining in the first half. A scrambling Hagans also connected with Miller late in the third quarter, but a sack by Sam McGrew stalled the drive. Hagans left in the fourth quarter with an injured hip.

FSU's defense bent on the first drive in giving up a 30-yard pass from Hagans to Pearman with Jerome Carter defending. But Virginia was unable to parlay the big play into a score when Kurt Smith missed a 32-yard field-goal attempt.

Virginia, three-and-out just six times before Saturday night, found itself in that position six times in the first half against FSU. Virginia also committed just its third turnover of the season when FSU snuffed the opening drive of the second half on Travis Johnson's tip and Carter's interception.

Sims came up big twice in corralling Hagans, who before Saturday night had rushed for 165 total yards.

The FSU offense sputtered early after Sexton missed an open B.J. Dean to keep alive its first drive, and Booker dropped a pass to end FSU's second series. The third time wasn't a charm for the Seminoles' offense when Xavier Beitia's 43-yard field-goal attempt hit the goal post with 3:39 remaining in the first quarter. FSU was facing a fourth-and-six from Virginia's 26 but chose to go for three points.

Beitia did come through on his next attempt - a 26-yarder that put FSU ahead 5-0 with 12:33 remaining in the first half. He added a 32-yarder in the second half to rebound well after missing two attempts against Syracuse. The first field goal capped a drive that was given new life when Virginia was penalized on a fake punt by FSU, and the Seminoles followed with their 13th fourth-down conversion in 15 tries.

The Seminoles used a key block by Washington against Virginia's blitz, and the quick reaction of center David Castillo to set up its first touchdown - a 6-yard run by Booker to put the Seminoles ahead 12-0 with 8:46 remaining in the first half. Sexton found Chauncey Stovall on a 32-yard square-in against the blitzing Cavaliers on that drive. Then, facing a third-and-6, Castillo caught Andrew Hoffman in the neutral zone and quickly snapped the football to Sexton, who took a knee and the penalty on Virginia. The Seminoles converted on third down and scored five plays late on Beitia's field goal.

FSU made it 19-0 when Sexton found Stovall on a 24-yard fade route against Marcus Hamilton to help FSU take a 19-3 halftime lead.

The special teams, the source of disappointment in recent weeks, made amends early in the game. Sims smothered Virginia's punt midway through the first half for a 2-0 lead.

"We just wanted to prove ourselves," Sims said.

Seminoles should not be counted out of the race yet
By Randy Beard
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

When Virginia moved past Florida State in the national polls last week, the message that filtered down to the Seminoles had to be jarring.

College football's power brokers had spoken loud and clear - and it wasn't the kind of news that was well received in Tallahassee. Suddenly, 2004 wasn't just the year the Atlantic Coast Conference had expanded its geographical football; it was being viewed as the season in which a seismic shift was taking place in the conference.

New addition Miami put the Seminoles in the uncomfortable, and unfamiliar, position of having to play catchup in the ACC just one game into the season. But now the Seminoles were having to listen to national analysts suggest that the Cavaliers just might be the team to doom FSU to the middle of the pack.

But how is this for a loud and clear message:

Florida State 36, Virginia 3.

With the first Bowl Championship Series rankings set to come out Monday, the timing of FSU's first complete-game performance couldn't have been better.

With 10:05 remaining Saturday in the showdown between No.7 FSU and No.6 Virginia, the chant came spilling forth from a near-record crowd of 84,155 at Doak Campbell Stadium.
Over-rated Over-rated Over-rated.

FSU redshirt sophomore quarterback Wyatt Sexton enjoyed his most productive night, completing 20 of 26 passes for 275 yards and a touchdown. If it hadn't been for about four dropped passes, he would have topped the 300-yard mark.

"I couldn't have asked for any better out of Wyatt," said FSU coach Bobby Bowden.

Still, the first quarter didn't provide the quick start that Bowden wanted to see. The only points to go up on the board came courtesy of a punt that was blocked out of the end zone by FSU linebacker Ernie Sims.

When Xavier Beitia drilled the right goalpost on a 43-yard field-goal attempt, Bowden must have been wondering whether it was going to be a continuation of the sluggishness that was on display in last week's victory over Syracuse.

FSU's first drive was three-and-out. The second possession covered only 26 yards. And the third time was hardly the charm. Before Beitia clobbered the post, the Seminoles (5-1, 3-1 ACC) ventured forth for just 33 yards.

Bowden may have been desperate to see a spark, but what he didn't have to do was go looking for another quarterback as he was inclined to do at halftime last weekend.

If there were such thoughts, they were gone by the time the second quarter came to a close. Bowden couldn't have possibly been frustrated, aggravated or discombobulated.

"Well, they were ready to play," Bowden said of his players. "They were focused on what they were doing. Last week they were not."

Sexton, who completed 16 of 21 passes for 179 yards in the first two quarters, directed a pair of touchdown drives in a span of only 6:13. He capped a 17-point quarter with a 24-yard fade to Chauncey Stovall.

"Our offensive line was amazing tonight," said Sexton. "They won the game up front, and our defense held them in check."

It was Lorenzo Booker's turn to lead the rushing assault, gaining 123 yards and scoring a pair of touchdowns. Leon Washington added 68 yards and another rushing touchdown.

Virginia (5-1, 2-1 ACC), which came into the night averaging 275 yards rushing, was held to 20 on 29 carries.

Linebackers coach Kevin Steele had said on Tuesday that the Seminoles would have a plan to handle everything Al Groh's offense threw at them. Marques Hagans, the Cavs' double threat at quarterback, passed for 214 yards, but he never was allowed to damage the Seminoles with his legs.

ACC commissioner John Swofford was one of the spectators, and even he had to go away scratching his head. He was boasting before the game that ACC football had become an exciting commodity with thrilling finishes, and he was expecting another one from the Seminoles and Cavs.

"These are the kinds of games we were hoping to have with football when we were talking about expansion," Swofford said of the ACC's second clash of the season between top-10 teams. "I think what we are seeing in the first year is every conference game is magnified, and truly important. That's what you'd like to have in terms of your interconference.

"We've had a lot of real competitive games, a lot of games that have gone right down to the end; attendance is up at practically every institution. So far, so good."

Tell that to Groh and his players this morning.

Yes, Virginia, there's still a Florida State.

Gator Bowl eyes 'Noles, Cavaliers

Jacksonville won't host the first Atlantic Coast Conference championship game until December 2005, but Gator Bowl Association president Rick Catlett expects to see some benefit from an expanded conference this season. Catlett, who was at Saturday night's game between Florida State and Virginia, believes one of the two teams will be at ALLTEL Stadium on Jan.1, 2005.

"We think with the strength of this conference that clearly one of these two teams could be available. You only can get two in the BCS in the current configuration so, with three great teams in the ACC, we're going to get one of them," Catlett said.

Of course, it's early, and Catlett's projection depends on Miami winning out to clinch the ACC's one guaranteed Bowl Championship Series berth. If the ACC gets two teams in BCS games, the Gator Bowl will take the third-best option. "Any time the national championship game aligns in the East, it makes it more difficult for an eastern conference team to get a second team in the BCS," said Catlett. "I'm sure the Sugar Bowl would be interested in a Florida State or a Virginia, but there is still a chance that we could have a top-10 team playing in our game."

Catlett's early projection - or, rather, his preference - would be to secure Notre Dame as the opponent.

Too big to miss

Bobby Bowden repeatedly refused to rule out a number of his injured players. He figured the game was too big to miss, and he proved to be right.

Eric Moore, out last week with a sprained ankle, returned to action in the fifth play of the game. He made one sack in the second quarter. Tight end Matt Henshaw, who also had a sprained ankle, caught an 8-yard pass before re-injuring his ankle in the second quarter. And Willie Reid, out two games with a hamstring injury, played Saturday night.

A sideline full of Bucs ...

Former Seminoles Derrick Brooks, Greg Spires and Mario Edwards took advantage of the weekend off to watch Saturday night's FSU game. Their Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammate Ronde Barber was on the sidelines of Virginia, where he played.

Another NFL connection for FSU, Martin Mayhew, was promoted to assistant general manager for the Detroit Lions this week. Mayhew, who also played at Florida High, has been with the Lions organization since February 2001. Mayhew earned his law degree from Georgetown University. He played nine years in the NFL after graduating from FSU.

... and Burt's buddies

Burt Reynolds, unable to attend the FSU-UNC game because of plane trouble, attended Saturday's game along with some cast members of the remake of "The Longest Yard" being filmed in Phoenix. The attending cast included former NFL players Bill Goldberg and Brian Bosworth.

Speaking of the NFL

Wide receiver Craphonso Thorpe was ranked as the No.2 wide receiver for the 2005 NFL Draft by The Sporting News. Former Southern Cal receiver Mike Williams is ranked No.1.

A different approach

Although FSU entered Saturday night with a 48-1 record against ACC teams at home since joining the league in 1992, Virginia players vowed not to be intimidated by a packed house at Doak Campbell Stadium.

"Their guys are probably going to try to intimidate us," Virginia offensive lineman Elton Brown said. "But we have guys in the locker room that won't budge. I think we have a team that doesn't back down. We're not going to be scared."

Virginia had reason to be scared by halftime, trailing 19-3 while collecting just 161 yards of offense.

New target

FSU tight ends enjoyed a hot start against the Cavs, snagging five receptions in the first half. Paul Irons led the charge with a career-high four catches for 23 yards. Matt Henshaw had a 7-yard reception in the first quarter.

The only other game this season an FSU tight end had a reception was against Alabama-Birmingham in the second game.

Block party

FSU linebacker Ernie Sims became the second Seminole to block a punt this season, joining fellow linebacker Jae Thaxton. Sims recorded his first career block in the first quarter, racing from the left side to block Sean Johnson's punt attempt back through the end zone for a safety. It was FSU's first safety since Virginia's last visit to Doak Campbell Stadium in 2002.
Stop cold

Virginia entered averaging 493.2 yards per game behind quarterback Marques Hagans. Additionally, the Cavs had gone three-and-out on possessions only six times in five games.

They found the going far more difficult against FSU, going three-and-out on four first-half possessions. Hagans, ranked third in the country in pass efficiency, completed 14 of 19 passes for 156 yards.

FSU was far more stubborn against the run, limiting the Cavs to 5 yards rushing in the first half. UVa entered as the ACC's leader in rush offense at 275 yards per game.

FSU recorded its eighth interception of the season when rover Jerome Carter, off a Travis Johnson deflection, intercepted Hagans on the Cavs' opening possession of the second half. Free safety Pat Watkins entered with a team-best three interceptions.

The announced crowd was 84,155, second-largest in Doak Campbell Stadium history. ... FSU quarterback Wyatt Sexton connected with nine different receivers in the first half. ... Punter Chris Hall set his career-long on his first punt of the game at 59 yards. His previous best was a 56-yarder against Clemson earlier this season. ... Receiver Chauncey Stovall recorded his fourth touchdown reception of the season from Sexton in the second quarter.
 

Cavs held hostage
Florida State's defense stops Virginia's run cold
By Jack Corcoran
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

Florida State didn't budge against Virginia's vaunted running game.

The line of scrimmage belonged unquestionably to the Seminoles on Saturday in their 36-3 victory at Doak Campbell Stadium.

No.7 FSU allowed only 20 yards rushing against No.6 Virginia, which entered averaging an astounding 275 yards on the ground to rank fifth in the nation. Tailbacks Wali Lundy and Alvin Pearman had nowhere to run. The same went for mobile quarterback Marques Hagans.

Lundy was held to 32 yards on 10 carries.

"We came out with a game plan of trying to run the ball, and they did a good job of stopping us," Lundy said.

FSU's defense stood tall from the start.

Lundy was bottled up for 10 yards on four carries on Virginia's opening drive. Hagans couldn't find any room to run either. Safety Jerome Carter was credited with his first sack of the season on third-and-2 from FSU's 22-yard line. That didn't help kicker Connor Hughes, who narrowly missed a 42-yard attempt.

FSU came into the game allowing only 65.6 yards per game on the ground to rank third in the country.

The Seminoles held an elite tailback in check for the second straight week. Syracuse's Walter Reyes was limited to 27 yards - nearly 83 yards below his season average - on 14 carries in FSU's 17-13 win at the Carrier Dome. And then came Lundy, who had 10 touchdowns in Virginia's first five games and was averaging 96.8 yards.

"We challenged them a little bit all week," FSU defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews said. "We challenged them today. They went out there and played with the kind of pride and effort that you have to have to be successful. We beat a good football team tonight."

The Cavaliers tried to get their ground game moving again on a critical drive midway through the second quarter. They didn't get anywhere.

Buster Davis stepped forward on first down, holding Lundy to 2 yards. Travis Johnson and Marcello Church didn't allow anything on second down. Hagans, who was seldom forced into obvious passing situations against Temple, North Carolina, Akron, Syracuse and Clemson, couldn't connect with Michael McGrew. Punter Sean Johnson went back to work.

The Seminoles took command with a nine-play drive. Chauncey Stovall's 24-yard touchdown catch from Wyatt Sexton put FSU ahead 19-0.

"The running game is hard-nosed football," Johnson said. "That's the thing we love, and that's the thing that we're going to continue to do - keep getting penetration and keep staying on the other side of the line of scrimmage."

Carter was credited with 10 tackles, including four stops behind the line. Ernie Sims had nine stops and two sacks to help contain Hagans.

"To begin with, (FSU) had a little defense where I was spying the quarterback," Sims said. "Wherever he went, I went. I think that kind of reduced his ability to run with it."

Virginia had 5 yards rushing on 12 attempts in the first half.

Virginia's inability to run against FSU wasn't anything new. The Cavaliers had averaged just 31 yards in the previous four meetings. They finished in the red last season with minus-5 yards.

Exposed nationally
Cavaliers fail top-10 test as Seminoles roll behind Sexton and tight defense
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Oct 17, 2004

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The University of Virginia football team swaggered into Doak Campbell Stadium looking like a contender for the ACC title. The Cavaliers staggered out looking like pretenders.

On a night when sixth-ranked U.Va. hoped to earn a watershed victory before an ESPN audience, fourth-year coach Al Groh's team failed miserably. Seventh-ranked Florida State, the reigning ACC champion, scored the game's first 19 points and pulled away in the second half for a 36-3 victory.

"I thought it would be a very difficult test," Groh said, and he was correct.

The Seminoles (3-1, 5-1) were the first ranked team Virginia faced this season. FSU would have been difficult to beat under any circumstances on the road, but U.Va. hurt itself with special-teams breakdowns and untimely penalties.
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As if the defeat wasn't humbling enough, Virginia lost its best offensive lineman, All-America candidate Elton Brown, to an apparent knee injury with 5:21 left in the third quarter. Groh said afterward that he didn't know the severity of the senior guard's injury.

Virginia fell to 0-23 in road games against top-10 foes.

The loss was the Cavaliers' worst since Oct. 20, 2001, when Florida State hammered them 43-7 at Scott Stadium. Not since Oct. 27, 2001, in a 24-0 loss to N.C. State, had Virginia failed to score a touchdown in a game.

Last night's much-hyped game drew 84,155 fans, the second-largest crowd in Doak Campbell history. "Overrated! Overrated" the FSU faithful chanted gleefully at the Wahoos in the fourth quarter.

"The energy in the stadium was amazing tonight," Seminoles quarterback Wyatt Sexton said, "and we really fed off it."

The fury of Florida State dazed Virginia (2-1, 5-1). So dominant in their first five games, in which they averaged 42.4 points, the Cavaliers hadn't seen anything resembling the Seminoles' defense. That quickly became apparent.

After picking up two first downs on their opening series - the first coming on their first play from scrimmage, a 40-yard gain by tailback Alvin Pearman on a pass from quarterback Marques Hagans - the Cavaliers didn't get another for another 25 minutes. By that time FSU led 19-0.

The 'Noles' offense overwhelmed Virginia, too, particularly in the second half. The Cavaliers, who came in ranked No. 2 among ACC teams in scoring defense, failed to force a turnover and sacked Sexton only once. Most of the time they didn't come close to touching him. Given ample time to throw, Sexton torched the Cavaliers' secondary, completing 20 of 26 passes for 275 yards and one touchdown.

"Our offensive line was amazing tonight," Sexton said. "They won the game up front, and our defense held them in check. We had heard about how good they were on both sides of the ball all week, but our guys came out and got it done."

The Seminoles' splendid tailbacks, Lorenzo Booker and Leon Washington, combined for 191 yards and three touchdowns rushing.

"The key to the game is the backs," said Groh, who raved about Booker and Washington. "That's the age-old football adage: If you can run the ball, it opens up things in the passing game."

Virginia totaled 281 yards against FSU. Only 20 came on the ground. This from a team that entered as the ACC leader in rushing. Then again, the Seminoles have the ACC's top rushing defense.

"I thought it was going to be pretty sticky going," Groh said.

On Virginia's final possession of the first half, its offense finally awoke from its extended slumber. The Cavaliers abandoned their running game and let Hagans' right arm lead them down the field. Virginia had to settle for Connor Hughes' 23-yard field goal, which made it 19-3 at halftime, but it picked up five first downs on that final drive.

Virginia had scored in 26 consecutive quarters before getting shut out in the first period last night.

The Cavaliers got the ball first in the second half and quickly moved to midfield. On first down, however, Hagans' pass was tipped and ended up in the arms of FSU rover Jerome Carter. The Seminoles capitalized on that interception with a drive that ended with Xavier Beitia's 32-yard field goal, making it 22-3 with 10:11 left in the third quarter.

Hagans took a blow to his hip in the third quarter and was "in a lot of discomfort," Groh said. So, with the score 29-3 early in the fourth quarter, Groh replaced Hagans with redshirt sophomore Christian Olsen. Hagans finished 20 of 30 passing for 214 yards.

All-America tight end Heath Miller, a junior whom FSU's star linebacker, Ernie Sims, had promised to shut down, caught nine passes for 110 yards for U.Va.

"Heath Miller's one guy who stepped up to the competition tonight," Groh said.

NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Oct 17, 2004

ONE WHO GOT AWAY: When Ahmad Brooks was a senior at C.D. Hylton High in Woodbridge, his suitors included Florida State, which received one of his official visits.

Now a sophomore at U.Va., Brooks this week was named a semifinalist for the Butkus Award, given annually to the nation's top linebacker.

"We never felt good about getting him," FSU coach Bobby Bowden said. "But we were glad he paid attention to us. A lot of good ones say they'll go to so-and-so and don't have time to visit. He was very nice to us. I visited his home and had a wonderful visit. But he chose his state university, and that's not a bad thing to do.

"We had him as, if not the best, one of the top two or three linebackers in the country, and I think that's the way he's playing."
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THE TIES THAT BIND: To the winner of the annual football game between Virginia and Virginia Tech goes possession of the Commonwealth Cup. There's a trophy at stake when U.Va. and Florida State meet, too.

Thomas Jefferson, U.Va.'s founder, was a grandfather of Francis Eppes VII, three-time mayor of Tallahassee, Fla. Eppes also was a longtime president of the Board of Education of the Seminary West of the Suwannee, the institutional ancestor of what is now Florida State University.

To commemorate this connection, the FSU-Virginia winner gets the Jefferson-Eppes Trophy. U.Va. claimed the trophy the first time it was awarded, in 1995, but the Seminoles have had it ever since.

UNORTHODOX METHODS: Connor Hughes, who kicks extra points and field goals for Virginia, and Kurt Smith, who handles kickoffs, warmed up for last night's game by taking turns booting a soccer ball about 40 yards to each other.

STRAIGHT TALK: Florida State has failed to capture the ACC title only once since joining the conference in 1992. Even so, former U.Va. coach George Welsh believes the gap has closed between the Seminoles and the rest of the ACC.

"Last year up here, if that snap doesn't go awry, who knows? We might beat them," Welsh said recently at Scott Stadium.

FSU edged Virginia 19-14 in Charlottesville last season. One of the Cavaliers' second-half drives blew up when a poor shotgun snap by center Kevin Bailey sailed past quarterback Matt Schaub.

"I think they have very good teams and very good personnel," said Welsh, who retired after the 2000 season, "but I don't think Florida State, honestly, is as good as they were. . . . Obviously they're not, because they're losing three or four games a year."

Would he say such things, Welsh was asked, if he were still the Cavaliers' coach? "No," he answered with a smile.

In 1995, Virginia handed the Seminoles their first ACC loss, winning 33-28 at Scott Stadium.

NOT-SO-SPECIAL TEAMS: The first quarter last night included two missed field goal attempts - one by each team - and a blocked punt for a safety.

With Sean Johnson back to punt on fourth and 4 from U.Va.'s 17-yard line, FSU linebacker Ernie Sims raced in untouched. Sims blocked the punt, and the ball sailed out of the end zone to make it 2-0 with 7:20 left.

No Virginia punt had been blocked since the 2002 regular-season finale against Virginia Tech at Lane Stadium.

SPECIAL GUESTS: The capacity crowd last night of 84,155 included several Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a rooting interest in the game: Ronde Barber, who starred at U.Va., and former FSU standouts Derrick Brooks, Greg Spires and Mario Edwards.

Other notables in attendance: ACC Commissioner John Swofford, Burt Reynolds, Brian Bosworth and pro wrestler Bill Goldberg.

SUNSHINE STATERS: U.Va.'s travel squad included three Floridians: starting center Zac Yarbrough (Winter Park), second-team center Jordy Lipsey (Longwood) and seldom-used defensive end Matt Stone (Boca Raton).

SHORT-HANDED: U.Va. brought only one fullback to Tallahassee, fifth-year senior Brandon Isaiah. Starter Jason Snelling is out indefinitely with a sprained ankle. Groh said Monday that Kevin Bradley, a fullback who has yet to play, would have to be ready this weekend, but the true freshman from Fayetteville, N.C., didn't make the trip to FSU.

Tight end Tom Santi, a true freshman, also played fullback last night.

REVOLVING DOOR: For the sixth straight season, U.Va.'s starting quarterback against FSU was not the one who filled that role the previous year.

Junior Marques Hagans started against the Seminoles last night, as he did in 2002. Matt Schaub started against FSU in 2003 and 2001, Bryson Spinner in 2000 and Dan Ellis in 1999. The last U.Va. quarterback to start consecutive games against Florida State was Aaron Brooks (1997 and '98).

NEXT WEEK: The level of competition drops dramatically for the Cavaliers in their second consecutive road game. U.Va. takes on Duke (0-3, 1-5) on Saturday in Durham, N.C. The 1 p.m. game won't be televised.

Virginia has won 13 of its past 15 meetings with Duke and leads the series 28-27. In last season's opener, the Cavs blanked the Blue Devils 27-0 at Scott Stadium. - Jeff White
 

U.Va. can't find welcome mat at FSU
BOB LIPPER
POINT OF VIEW
Oct 17, 2004
Bob Lipper
Contact Bob Lipper at (804) 649-6555 or e-mail blipper @timesdispatch.com

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Maybe Virginia will win one of these showdowns some day. Big game on the road. Packed stadium. Nationwide TV audience. Poll sta- tus and bowl positioning up for grabs. Legacies on the line.

The Cavaliers thought they were up for this sort of undertaking last night.

They weren't.

The Cavs came to town No.6 in the country to Florida State's No.7. They left humbled 36-3 losers. They couldn't cope with FSU's runners, passers or catchers. Their big offensive line couldn't open holes or offer much in the way of pass protection. They were slower on both sides of the ball. They fell behind early and never gave hint of a comeback.

Asked if he was disappointed in the lopsided outcome and his team's performance, Al Groh replied, "If I didn't say 'Yes,' you'd think I wasn't a very good coach. I feel the same way I always do when we get beat - not very good."

How much history was lined up against Virginia? Beaucoups history. The Cavs were 0-22 on the road against top-10 entries heading into this matchup, 0-6 in Tallahassee, 1-11 lifetime against the 'Noles. Talk about your stacked deck. FSU, meanwhile, was 49-1 against ACC visitors - N.C. State in 2001 being the lone breakthrough - and 80-4-1 in Doal Campbell Stadium all told since 1990.

That's a better home record during this stretch than 'Huskers, Gators, 'Canes - anyone you can name. You venture into Leon County to take on Bobby Bowden, Chief Osceola, high-octane defenders and wideouts, crunching runners and those chanting, tomahawk-chopping fans, odds are you're leaving unhappy.

The Cavaliers left 5-1 and droopy. The offense that had been good for nearly 500 yards and 42 points a game was limited to 281 and a field goal. The running game that had chewed up the likes of Temple and Clemson for 275 yards an outing was limited to 20. They've now been outrushed 1,048 to 101 in their past four outings against FSU. As trends go, this is sort of like the Huns vs. Bambi.

Virginia might've suspected it was in a little bit of trouble on its 10th snap of the evening. It was a third-and-four call from U.Va.'s 17 - Hagans rolling to his right for a pass. Against North Carolina or Akron at home, Hagans finds a receiver or space and keeps the series alive. Against FSU amid frenzy, he was lucky to fling the ball away for an incompletion before being planted by 258-pound defensive end Chauncey Davis.

On the next play, 'Noles linebacker Ernie Sims whooshed in to block Sean Johnson's punt out of the end zone. Johnson probably never saw him coming. It's tough to get a fix on a blur.

Speed. Too much speed. That was the variable in FSU's favor and U.Va.'s headlights. On the Cavs' first play of the game, Hagans found Alvin Pearman for 40 yards. On their last possession before intermission, Hagans passed them to a beat-the-clock field goal. In between, they were frazzled by FSU's scorched-earth policy.

Try an inside handoff? FSU plugged the gap. Set Hagans in the pocket? FSU came at him hard from all angles. Defend the pass? FSU wideouts Craphonso Thorpe and Chauncey Stovall ran away from U.Va. corners Marcus Hamilton and Tony Franklin. Punt? FSU return man Willie Reid evaded U.Va.'s gunners and scooted for field-position yardage.

Got the picture? It's one Virginia would've preferred to freeze-frame, but the Seminoles wouldn't cooperate. They kept on popping off exposures as if they were operating a motor-driven Nikon. Click. Lorenzo Booker sashays for 20 yards. Click. Wyatt Sexton finds Chris Davis on a crossing route for 24. Click. Travis Johnson (all 6-5, 290 pounds of him) blows in to bat aside a Hagans pass attempt.

The upshot was a 19-3 halftime cushion the Seminoles kept expanding after the break. They turned a tipped Hagans pass into an interception they converted into a field goal. They got fourth-quarter TDs from Leon Washington and Booker. They prompted Groh to yank a battered Hagans after a wretched third-period series during which the 5-10 quarterback had two passes deflected and fumbled (he recovered the ball) while being sacked.

It was one of those nights for the Cavs. They can only hope their time is coming down the road.

Mike Bianchi
Cavaliers bring out the best in these 'Noles
Published October 17, 2004

TALLAHASSEE -- The old champs are back in business.

And don't forget it.

Some said they'd lost their edge. Some said, they no longer could dominate or intimidate. Some said up-and-coming programs such as Virginia were younger and hungrier than Bobby Bowden's old, trusty champs of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Let this dominating 36-3 Florida State victory be a lesson to all those people: Virginia is still Virginia. And the Seminoles -- even with the season-opening loss to Miami -- still might be the class of the ACC.

I know, I know, this was supposed to be some sort of coming-of-age bar mitzvah for Coach Al Groh and his unbeaten Virginia Cavaliers. Instead, it was Bobby and his boys showing up at the kiddie party riding Harleys and packing heat.

"We had heard all week about how good Virginia was on both sides of the ball, but our guys came out and got it done," said Florida State's Wyatt Sexton, who ended any potential quarterback controversy with a near flawless performance.

This was billed as a monumental conference showdown -- only the sixth time two teams from the ACC have met with both teams ranked in the top 10 and only the second time in 13 years that the 'Noles have hosted a higher-ranked conference opponent.

The last time Virginians got this excited about two rivals going at it, the Whigs were facing off against the Federalists. And, for a change, Florida State fans were actually in a tizzy about a conference home game. What's it tell you when the second-largest crowd in school history -- 84,155 -- showed up for a game between the Seminoles and . . . Virginia!
Virginia, as we should have expected, reverted to its old self. Once again, the Seminoles made the Cavs look like that same bunch of hoity-toity eggheads from the proud old bastion of academic integrity founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 -- the same year a young Bobby Bowden accepted his first job as offensive coordinator for the Continental Army.

Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." Yeah, but all football teams aren't. The No. 6 Cavs showed up Saturday night with the intention of proving they were Florida State's equal; they left knowing they aren't even close to competing with the elite teams in college football. The Cavs, who are 0-23 lifetime on the road against top-10 teams, are still obviously the not-ready-for-prime-time players.

Virginia came into the game ranked No. 1 in the ACC in both total offense (493.2 yards per game) and scoring (42.4 points per game), but that was against a schedule that looked like it belonged in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Cavs couldn't score a touchdown against Florida State's swarming defense and managed 20 rushing yards.

Can you say domination?

Meanwhile, Florida State's offense has found its starting quarterback. There was speculation before the game that if Sexton struggled, he would be yanked and replaced by senior Chris Rix. Well, Rix came into the game all right, but not until mop-up time with five minutes left in the game and the Seminoles up by five touchdowns.

Sexton was nothing short of brilliant, as close to perfect as Florida State coaches could have hoped. He looked off defenders, rifled balls with zip over the middle, deftly delivered touch passes to the sideline and didn't do anything dumb. He completed 20 of 26 passes, and -- get this -- five of those incompletions were dropped passes.

"I couldn't take Wyatt out with the way he was playing," Bowden said. "I couldn't ask for a better performance out of him.

"This is the kind of win that makes me feel like we've put it together, that we're getting real close."

They're more than real close.

They're back.

The old champs are back in business.

Stifling defense proves to be the key for 'Noles
FSU dominates the game, holding down Virginia's powerful running game that ranks 1st in the ACC.
By Emily Badger | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted October 17, 2004

TALLAHASSEE -- As far as motivation goes, sure, it's great to hold one of the giddiest offenses in the country to under 15 points, even under five points. But as Travis Johnson walked the sideline in the fourth quarter of Florida State's 36-3 victory against Virginia on Saturday night, his biggest concern was capping the Cavaliers' total output at 300 yards.

"If they had gotten 300, that would have been another gasser on Monday," the defensive tackle said of the wind sprints that are often punishment for a mediocre outing. "We knew we were going to win the game, but then it was time to not get any conditioning on Monday. That was a big deal to us."

Defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews will cut the unit some slack Monday after it handily won a front-line showdown that was billed before the game as pitting one of the top rushing games in college football against a defense that would like to be considered just as good.

"They're a great team, and they're great in all the offensive categories," FSU linebacker Buster Davis said. "But today, we just didn't allow them to be a great team."

A Virginia offense that had averaged 42 points a game this season was limited to one field goal. And a ground game that ranked first in the ACC and fifth in the nation, with an average of 275 yards over five victories, couldn't notch a first down in the first half.

The Cavaliers moved the ball a net 5 yards before halftime as quarterback Marques Hagans shifted to rely more on his overhand throw than the tailback pitch. In the final box, backfield tandem Wali Lundy and Alvin Pearman were limited to a combined 44 yards. The Cavaliers finished with a total of 20 rushing yards.

In the interests of full disclosure, Virginia had bullied its way into the top tier of NCAA season statistics against Temple, Akron and Syracuse.

This FSU defense -- and on the Seminoles' home field, with a first Bowl Championship Series poll looming -- was something else.

"The rush defense isn't just the front defensive line," Andrews said. "When you've got a scheme, you've got to involve the whole dang group, and we've got 11 people playing great and doing their job."

Hagans' front line had given up only two sacks in the first five games of the season. Saturday night, he was knocked down for a loss four times. He was pulled at the start of the fourth quarter for sophomore Christian Olsen who, on his first drive, was sacked as well.

Earlier in the game, as if to set the tone for a victory marked by its defense, FSU first got on the board when sophomore linebacker Ernie Sims blocked a first-quarter punt that went down as a safety.

A few offensive contributions such as that won't hurt the reputation FSU is trying to build.

"By the end of the season, hopefully we're the No. 1 defense in the country," Johnson said.

Florida State Brings Virginia Back Down to Earth
By Mark Schlabach
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, October 17, 2004; Page E01

TALLAHASSEE, Oct. 16 -- Virginia's football team may be faster, stronger and deeper than ever before, but Saturday night's 36-3 loss at seventh-ranked Florida State showed that the sixth-ranked Cavaliers still aren't ready for prime time.

After rolling over lesser competition in its first five games, Virginia never challenged the Seminoles, who have won the ACC championship in all but one of their 12 seasons in the conference. Florida State won for the 12th time in its 13 meetings against the Cavaliers, who have never won in 23 road game against top-10 opponents.
Florida State's Lorenzo Booker drags Virginia's Marquis Weeks into the endzone in the fourth quarter. (Mark Wallheiser - Reuters)

Even though Virginia entered the game with a higher ranking, Florida State showed once again that it has superior talent, speed and strength. Wherever the Cavaliers ran, more than one FSU defender was waiting. Whenever Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans threw, the Seminoles were bearing down on him. And wherever the Seminoles ran and threw, the Cavaliers weren't there quickly enough.

"They had too much for us," Virginia tailback Alvin Pearman said. "They just dominated us from the start."

The Cavaliers (5-1, 2-1) seemed overwhelmed from the beginning, playing in front of a crowd of 84,155 fans, the second-largest in Doak Campbell Stadium history. Virginia made a plethora of mistakes, from a missed field goal attempt to a blocked punt to untimely penalties, helping FSU (5-1, 3-1) take a 12-0 lead midway through the second quarter.

"We didn't get off to a good start doing anything," Virginia Coach Al Groh said. "I thought it would be a very difficult test. It was far and away the best team we've played, maybe the best Florida State team we've encountered since we've been here."

Seminoles quarterback Wyatt Sexton was simply too good, completing 20 of 26 passes for a career-high 275 yards and one touchdown. His 24-yard touchdown pass to Chauncey Stovall, who out-jumped cornerback Marcus Hamilton on the right side of the end zone, gave FSU a 19-0 lead with 2 minutes 33 seconds left in the first half.

Sexton, the son of Seminoles assistant head coach Billy Sexton, was making just his third career start but played like a seasoned veteran against Virginia's young secondary. He completed two long passes to Willie Reid to set up FSU's first two second-half scores, Xavier Beitia's 32-yard field goal and tailback Leon Washington's five-yard run, which made it 29-3 with 14 1/2 minutes remaining.

FSU sophomore Lorenzo Booker, who ran 15 times for a career-high 123 yards, scored two touchdowns, including a five-yarder that made it 36-3 with 6:38 left. The Seminoles ran 39 times for 192 yards against a Virginia defense that allowed an average of only 85.4 yards in its first five games, and FSU out-gained the Cavs, 470-281.

"I thought the key to their team was the two [running] backs," Groh said. "We certainly thought those two backs would be terrific coming in here, having played them before, and they were as terrific as we thought they'd be."

Virginia's offense struggled mightily, with its only points coming on junior Connor Hughes's 23-yard field goal at the end of the first half. The Cavaliers averaged 42.4 points and 275 rushing yards in their first five games, but it was much more difficult against the Seminoles. Hagans played admirably, completing 20 of 30 passes for 214 yards before leaving early in the fourth quarter because of a hip injury. But the Cavaliers ran 29 times for only 20 yards, and Hagans was sacked four times.

"We wanted to run the ball against them, and they were just too strong up front," Pearman said.

Along with scoring a safety, the Seminoles missed a field goal attempt and made one, and then they made the Cavaliers pay dearly for their mistakes with less than nine minutes remaining in the half.

After Sexton threw a 32-yard pass to Stovall at the Virginia 24, the Cavaliers appeared to have the Seminoles stopped at the 21. But on third down and seven, Cavs defensive tackle Andrew Hoffman was penalized five yards for being offside. On third down and two, linebacker Kai Parham stuffed Washington for a loss, but Parham was penalized five yards for grabbing Washington's face mask, giving FSU a first down at the Cavaliers 11. Booker scored on a six-yard run two plays later, and Beitia's extra point gave the Seminoles a 12-0 lead with 8:46 remaining in the half.

On Virginia's first drive, after Hagans threw a 40-yard pass to Pearman, Hughes missed a 42-yard field goal attempt. FSU pinned the Cavaliers at their 11-yard line on their next possession, and they weren't able to generate anything offensively. On fourth down, FSU linebacker Ernie Sims blew past Pearman to block Sean Johnson's punt through the end zone for a safety and 2-0 lead with 7:20 left in the quarter.

The Cavaliers seemed to get a break on the final play of the first quarter, when the Seminoles tried a fake punt from the Virginia 42, with punter Chris Hall throwing back across the field to defensive end Kamerion Wimbley. Virginia linebacker Isaiah Ekejiuba stopped Wimbley for a six-yard loss, but he grabbed Wimbley's face mask and was penalized five yards, leaving the Seminoles with fourth down and one from the 38. Fullback James Coleman ran for two yards and a first down, and Beitia kicked a 26-yard field goal five plays later for a 5-0 lead.

"With our team, with the talent we have, I would have never imagined us losing like this," Virginia cornerback Tony Franklin said.