With the Clemson Tigers grabbing a quick 10-3 lead over then-No. 10 Virginia last Thursday night, it looked like the Cavaliers might be in for a long night. Senior guard Elton Brown, however, was not worried.
"It wasn't an issue," Brown said. "We pulled together and ran up 27 unanswered points. That shows what we're about."
Holding the Tiger offense scoreless over the last three quarters and recording their fifth-straight win by 20 points or more, the Cavaliers indeed showed what they were all about -- and to an audience of almost two million watching on ESPN.
The 5-0 Cavaliers now sit tied atop the ACC standings with Miami and have attained their highest ranking (No. 6 in both polls) since they held the No. 1 spot for three weeks during the 1990 season.
Virginia goes into its matchup at Florida State this weekend as the higher ranked team (the Seminoles hold the No. 7 spot) for the first time in the series. The Cavaliers have only beaten the Seminoles once in 12 previous games, and never in Tallahassee.
Considering their recent play, however, the Cavaliers seem poised to steal a win from the defending ACC Champions.
Virginia has scored at least 30 points in every game it has played this season. The Cavaliers have never trailed in the second half and have allowed opponents an average of 11.6 points per contest.
Against Clemson, the Cavaliers looked to be particularly on top of their game. Virginia amassed 464 yards of total offense in the 31-10 victory over the Tigers (1-4, 1-3 ACC), including a season-high 225 yards in the air.
While quarterback Marques Hagans didn't have his best passing performance completion percentage wise, throwing 14 for 26, he came through when the Cavaliers needed him most, leading a Virginia offense that was successful on 14 of 20 third down conversions. One of those conversions was a three-yard touchdown pass to Heath Miller in the second quarter that put the Cavaliers ahead for good.
Tailback Alvin Pearman once again showed his versatility, running for 104 yards and two scores in addition to catching three passes for 48 yards and returning two punts for 15 yards.
Even the kicking game was exceptional for the Cavaliers. Connor Hughes had been struggling, converting only three of his six field goal attempts coming into Thursday's contest. The junior kicker had no trouble against the Tigers, however, making all three field goals including kicks from 43 and 50 yards.
Now the Cavaliers are preparing to face a Seminole team that stands 4-1 on the season, with its only defeat coming at the hands of No. 3 Miami. But last week against Syracuse, a team the Cavaliers beat handedly 31-10 on Sept. 25, Florida State only managed to squeak by 17-13. Still, the Seminoles remain a solid top-10 squad that Virginia is not taking lightly.
"Florida State is an excellent team," linebacker Ahmad Brooks said. "The game will be a way for us to prove that we've got an excellent team too. We're waiting for Saturday"
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