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In a dominant display at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, the Florida State Seminoles secured their first conference victory of the 2026 season, overwhelming the Virginia Cavaliers 38-7. After spotting the visitors a 7-0 first-quarter lead, the Seminoles rattled off 38 unanswered points to cruise to the win.
Florida State's defense turned in a relentless performance over the final three quarters, amassing 10 sacks and 12 tackles for loss while limiting Virginia to just 37 rushing yards on 40 attempts. The Cavaliers managed only 205 total yards on 72 plays, averaging a mere 2.85 yards per play.
Daniels Rewrites Record Books
Quarterback Ashton Daniels delivered a historic outing, establishing a new Florida State single-game record with five rushing touchdowns. His scoring runs came from 4, 3, 6, 81, and 1 yard out. The 81-yard scamper, his fourth of the day, stands as FSU's longest play of the season and the second-longest rush by a quarterback in program history, trailing only Jordan Travis's 88-yard run against Pitt in 2020. Daniels also set the Doak Campbell Stadium record for rushing touchdowns and tied the ACC mark for most by a quarterback in a conference game.
Daniels finished with a career-high 136 rushing yards, surpassing his previous best of 129 set at NC State in 2024 while with Stanford. It marked the most rushing yards by an FSU quarterback since Christian Ponder's 144-yard effort at Miami in 2008. Through the air, Daniels completed 12 of 19 passes for 183 yards, including 154 yards in the first half against a Virginia defense that entered the game allowing just 130 passing yards per contest, fifth-best nationally and tops in the ACC.
With his fifth touchdown of the season, Daniels matched Tommy Castellanos's school record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season. He became the first FBS quarterback since 2023 to rush for five touchdowns against a Power 4 opponent and just the ninth since 1995. In that span, he is the only player to record at least 180 passing yards, 130 rushing yards, and five total touchdowns in a game.
Defensive Dominance
Florida State's defense registered 10 sacks, its highest single-game total since a school-record 11 against Wake Forest in 1997. Nine different players contributed at least half a sack: Rylan Kennedy, Chris Jones, Mikai Gbayor, Deante McCray, Mandrell Desir, Jalen Anderson, Kevin Wynn, Deamontae Diggs, and Omar Graham Jr. The 10 sacks tie the most in an ACC game since records began in 2005, and FSU is one of only 14 teams to achieve that feat against a Power 4 opponent in that period.
Virginia's 37 rushing yards rank as the third-fewest allowed in head coach Mike Norvell's tenure and the fewest by an FSU opponent since Northern Illinois managed just six yards in 2018. It also stands as the fewest allowed in an ACC game since Syracuse was held to 37 yards in 2016. The Seminoles' rushing margin of +244 yards is their largest in an ACC game since 2012 and the most in a Power 4 matchup since Utah out-rushed Colorado by 384 yards on October 25, 2025.
Additionally, FSU recorded a season-high five pass breakups, with Kennedy, Ma'Khi Jones, AJ Cottrill, Charles Lester III, and Daniel Lyons each tallying one. Jones, Lester, and Lyons matched their career highs, while Cottrill notched the first of his career. Defensive back Ashlynd Barker reached 100 career tackles, recording three solo stops.
Special Teams and Offensive Notes
Kicker Gabe Panikowski drilled a 44-yard field goal and converted all five extra points, extending FSU's streak to 182 consecutive made PATs over the past four seasons. Panikowski remains perfect in his FBS career, connecting on all 21 field goal attempts and all 21 extra points. Punter Daniel Hughes boomed a 65-yard punt in the first quarter, the longest of his career and the longest by a Seminole since Alex Mastromanno's 65-yarder against Boston College in 2024.
Freshman punt returner Jasen Lopez returned four punts for 43 yards, including a career-long 31-yard return that set up a touchdown. It was FSU's longest punt return of the season and followed his 25-yard return last week against Central Arkansas. Long snapper Caleb Bowers, celebrating his 23rd birthday, appeared in his 50th career game, the most on the team.
Running back Quintrevion Wisner posted a season-high 106 total yards (46 rushing, 60 receiving). His 48-yard reception set up Daniels's first touchdown and was the second-longest catch of his career. Wide receiver Micahi Danzy hauled in a 33-yard pass and led the Seminoles with 70 receiving yards, becoming the fourth different FSU player to lead the team in receiving this season.
Florida State remained perfect in the red zone, scoring touchdowns on all four opportunities. The Seminoles are now 21-for-21 in the red zone this season with 17 touchdowns, their longest streak to begin a season since 2023. FSU led 17-7 at halftime, and their 17 second-quarter points were the most Virginia had allowed in any quarter since giving up 21 in the second quarter at home against FSU on September 26, 2025.
Under Norvell, Florida State improved to 13-0 when allowing fewer than 10 points and 25-2 when allowing fewer than 20. Defensive coordinator Tony White's unit is now 8-0 when holding opponents under 20 points, including a 3-0 mark in 2026.
Virginia quarterback Beau Pribula, who entered the game completing 77 percent of his passes (fourth-best in the nation), was held to 14-of-32 passing for 168 yards. One week after limiting Central Arkansas to 3.4 yards per play, FSU allowed just 2.85 yards per play against the Cavaliers.
With the win, Florida State improved to 16-5 all-time against Virginia. The Cavaliers had entered the contest with the nation's seventh-longest active road win streak, which the Seminoles emphatically ended.
Originally reported by headtopics.