CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — If there’s a recipe for a trap game, Florida State delivered nearly every ingredient required Friday.

After weeks of fawning praise following a Week 1 upset over Alabama, FSU quarterback Tommy Castellanos admitted his team might have read a few too many of its own headlines.

On the horizon in Week 6 is a showdown against rival Miami.

And on Friday, FSU got it first road test of the season against a pesky Virginia team wearing throwback uniforms in honor of another historic upset 30 years ago, when the Cavaliers delivered FSU its first loss as a member of the ACC.

When this game kicked off, it didn’t take long for the football gods to deliver some karma.

“I don’t think any part of it was looking further [ahead to Miami],” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said of a bevy of early miscues in his team’s 46-38 double-overtime loss. “We knew what their energy was going to be. We knew what our energy was going to be. It wasn’t a lack of preparation. But we did not execute like we needed to.”

Florida State fell into a 14-0 hole early in the second quarter, with the Cavaliers getting both touchdowns following Noles turnovers.

But that was just the beginning of a wild night at Scott Stadium that saw FSU battle back to take a 21-14 lead, Virginia respond to go up by seven with two minutes to play and Castellanos deliver a dagger in the end zone to tight end Randy Pittman on a fourth-and-goal with 36 seconds left to send the game to overtime.

All of that was just a prelude to Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris‘ fifth total touchdown of the game and a pitch-and-catch from Castellanos to star FSU receiver Duce Robinson that appeared to set the Seminoles up for a shot at a third overtime. Replay review, however, showed Robinson bobbling the catch as he exited the back of the end zone, and FSU’s last gasp on fourth down fell short.

Amid a 2-10 season a year ago, an outcome like this would have been another nail in Florida State’s coffin. After Friday’s defeat, however, Castellanos argued that it might have been exactly the experience this team required.

“I think we needed it,” said Castellanos, who threw for 254 yards, ran for 78 and accounted for two touchdowns to go with a pair of interceptions. “I think guys were riding high, kind of feeling ourselves a little bit. But I think we’ll respond and bounce back. We have to. This will push us and make us work harder.”

This offseason, Norvell lamented the 2024 team’s inability to respond to adversity, saying early losses doomed the season. He spent the entire offseason working to build a different mindset for 2025, and he said the resilience the Seminoles showed Friday offered ample evidence this won’t be a repeat of last year’s collapse.

“We didn’t finish with the outcome we wanted, but we responded,” Norvell said. “I believe in this team. I know how they work. And I believe in what they’ll do.”

Florida State refused to suggest Friday’s early struggles came as a result of looking ahead to Week 6’s rivalry game against No. 2 Miami, but there was clearly a lack of focus from the outset. Florida State’s first three drives resulted in a punt, a fumble and an interception.

Trap game? No. A bad mental approach? For sure, Pittman said.

“Just a lack of execution,” Pittman said. “It’s mental focus. We need to be locked in, be where your feet are, and execute.”

Regardless of how much Miami might have loomed over the Seminoles’ early struggles Friday, the Hurricanes will have their full attention now.

Castellanos said he already delivered a firm message to his teammates in the postgame locker room after the loss: “Be a man about it. Eat it, and on to the next. You can’t dwell on the past. It’s over.”

What lies ahead is a shot a redemption and a revival of FSU’s playoff hopes.

“We have a big opportunity here in front of us next week, a huge game for us, for our program and university,” Norvell said. “There are some big steps we need to take as a football team to be able to handle that environment and emotions and make sure our discipline and execution is what it needs to be.”

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Chandler Morris scored on a 4-yard run in the second overtime and Virginia beat No. 8 Florida State 46-38 on Friday night for its first home victory over a top-10 team since beating the Seminoles in 2005.

Morris ran for three scores and had two touchdown passes for the Cavaliers (4-1, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference). After the go-ahead TD run, he completed a pass to Trell Harris for a 2-point conversion.

Florida State (3-1, 0-1) had a chance to tie, but Duce Robinson bobbled a pass going out the back of the end zone on third down. On fourth-and-12 at the 27, Tommy Castellanos‘ heave into the end zone was intercepted by Ja’son Prevard, and Cavaliers fans instantly stormed the field.

Though apparently no players or coaches were injured, witnesses saw at least one fan being taken off the field on a stretcher and at least a dozen others being tended to by stadium personnel.

Seminoles coach Mike Norvell said he believed all of his players were unharmed in the postgame chaos, adding, “We got everybody in the locker room.”

Virginia coach Tony Elliott said he regretted being unable to speak to Norvell and Florida State players after the game.

“I hope that nobody got injured,” Elliott said. “You don’t want to see that. I hate that I didn’t get a chance to go shake Coach Norvell’s hand, because I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for him and what he’s done with that program.”

Over the summer, the ACC instituted a new policy that fines schools for field and basketball court storming. The first occurrence results in a $50,000 fine, the second $100,000 and the third offense or more over a two-year rolling period will lead to a $200,000 penalty.

Florida State rallied to force overtime, with Castellanos throwing an 11-yard touchdown to Randy Pittman Jr. on a fourth-down play with 32 seconds left. The teams traded field goals in the first overtime.

Robinson caught nine passes for 147 yards and a touchdown, and Castellanos threw for 254 and the score and ran for another 78 yards and a TD.

J’Mari Taylor ran for 99 yards and a score as Virginia’s run game ate up the clock in the second half.

Virginia turned a pair of first-quarter takeaways into touchdowns and an early 14-0 lead, but Florida State rallied back to go ahead 21-14, fueled by two interceptions. The teams were tied at 21 at halftime and 28 after three quarters.

Florida State’s season opened with such promise when it upset Alabama. But after a pair of blowout wins over lesser opponents, the Seminoles couldn’t start ACC play with a victory.

Virginia picked up the most significant victory for the program since it ended the 2019 regular season with a win over rival Virginia Tech.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

LSU leading rusher Caden Durham is doubtful for Saturday night’s game at Ole Miss because of an ankle injury, sources told ESPN.

Durham was injured in last Saturday’s 56-10 win over SE Louisiana and has been limited in practice all week. According to sources, he is still dealing with the injury and did not run well in the team’s final walk-through Friday.

Durham had been listed as questionable on the SEC availability report on Thursday.

Durham easily leads the Tigers with 213 yards on 52 carries. LSU’s second-leading rusher, Harlem Berry, has 87 yards on 15 carries. Sophomore Ju’Juan Johnson is expected to see more action, as will junior Kaleb Jackson.

LSU’s offense is No. 111 nationally in rushing, averaging just 116.8 yards per game. That’s the second-lowest average in the SEC behind South Carolina (80.3).

The good news for the Tigers is that quarterback Garrett Nussmeier appears to have worked through a torso injury and is back in form. LSU has the country’s No. 30 passing offense.