No. 8 Florida State was one of college football’s most pleasant surprises of September with its perfect start to the season, but that came to a halt Friday night in a stunning 46-38 double-overtime upset loss at Virginia. The Seminoles were hot after defeating Alabama in the season opener and obliterating their last two opponents before the Cavaliers handed them their first taste of adversity, and quarterback Tommy Castellanos welcomed the challenge that comes with responding to the hiccup.
There is little time to waste in bouncing back as Florida State hosts No. 2 Miami next week in one of the biggest games of the college football season to date. If this loss brings out a new sense of urgency in the Seminoles, they could get right with their second ranked win in five outings.
“I think we needed it,” Castellanos said after the loss. “I think guys were riding high, feeling it, kind of smelling ourselves, feeling good. Little adversity. I think we’ll respond and bounce back. We have to really quick here. But I think we needed it. I think it’ll be good for us moving forward. I think it will just push us and make us work harder and continue to play harder.”
The Florida State offense largely had its way with the Cavaliers, but a slow start and a couple of key errors proved costly. Castellanos threw two interceptions, and in the second overtime period wide receiver Duce Robinson bobbled a potential game-tying touchdown that replay review deemed incomplete.
The mistakes overshadowed a couple of big performances as Castellanos racked up 332 yards of total offense and two touchdowns and Robinson posted nine grabs for 147 yards and a score.
“We gotta continue to keep smiling, keep working, keep believing in one another and stay together,” Castellanos said. “Things like this happen and teams kind of fall apart. But we’ve got a good brotherhood here. We know what we need to do. We’re going to continue to stay together and continue to fight.”
Florida State is still squarely in contention for the ACC title and a College Football Playoff berth, but the upset loss drastically reduces its margin for error. Responding with a win over Miami would put the Seminoles right back in the driver’s seat in both the conference and CFP races, particularly with a manageable schedule ahead. None of Florida State’s opponents beyond the Hurricanes stand inside the Week 5 AP Top 25 rankings.
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