Noles dispute they fell victim to trap game vs. UVA

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.”