Both the Virginia Cavaliers (0-1, 0-0 ACC) and the No. 5 Florida State Seminoles (1-0, 0-0) faced game-deciding plays in the closing seconds of their respective openers last week.
The Seminoles resisted Iowa State's surge on the last play, tackling quarterback Seneca Wallace at the goal line to preserve their 38-31 win. Virginia was not quite as lucky, as Cavalier quarterback Marques Hagans fumbled the ball inside Colorado State's 3-yard line, halting their comeback hopes and ending the game in a 35-29 losing decision.
Virginia looks to better their luck in Tallahassee, Fla. on Saturday as both teams play their first conference game at 3:30 p.m.
Though Virginia was disappointed with the outcome of their season opener, the Cavaliers had a lot of positives to take away from the game -- most notably the play of their freshmen. Running back Wali Lundy led the charge, and received ACC player of the week honors for his performance, totaling 20 carries and 94 yards.
Another positive was the play of redshirt freshman Hagans, who threw for 120 yards and ran for 45 more. He split time with junior starter Matt Schaub, who contributed 73 yards and a touchdown score.
The Cavaliers, especially on offense, are the embodiment of youth; Florida State, however, is one of the ACC's most experienced units. The Seminoles return eight starters, including potential All-American linebackers Kendyll Pope and Michael Boulware.
Speed is the philosophy Florida State is built upon, and Coach Al Groh said he is cognizant of this fact, but confident that his team can still compete.
The Seminoles "still look pretty fast, but that's what we're trying to get," Groh said. "I think it's apparent we have some faster players than what we had available last year."
That team speed extends beyond just defense. Sophomore quarterback Chris Rix -- last year's ACC Rookie of the Year -- is fleet of foot and provides a double threat on attack with his strong arm and scrambling ability. Last year he became the first freshman signal-caller to start opening day in Coach Bobby Bowden's 26-year tenure, going on to finish eighth in the nation in passing efficiency.
Despite Rix's obvious tools, Virginia defensive captain Angelo Crowell
-- who recorded a massive 18 tackles against Colorado State -- and the rest of his squad have little worry when it comes to containing Rix.
"I'm not really worried," Crowell said. "He's a mobile quarterback and we've played against mobile quarterbacks before -- he's not the first one. He's talented and we just have to throw some things at him that will really confuse him."
Last year Virginia held Rix to 52.4 percent passing accuracy and intercepted him twice. Though the Seminoles would ultimately prevail by a count of 43-7, the difference was only a field goal at halftime.
Of Florida State's 33 second-half points, 27 of them came off turnovers, which is not good news for a Cavalier squad that turned the ball over five times last week against Colorado State.
Against the historicallypotent Florida State offense, the momentum of the game can change at any time, especially with the home field advantage going to Bowden and his squad. Virginia needs to minimize its mistakes and hold on to the ball if it hopes to pull out a victory from deep in Seminole territory.
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