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Florida State football were upset by Virginia in a 46-38 overtime loss as the Seminoles offense fell flat in overtime

Florida State football couldn't overcome self-inflicted wounds as the Seminoles were upset against Virginia in a 46-38 double overtime loss in the conference opener at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The No. 8 Seminoles (3-1) trailed 14-0 after a pair of first-quarter turnovers, a Gavin Sawchuk fumble and Tommy Castellanos' interception. However, FSU's defense would come up with a pair of turnovers of their own in the second quarter, leading to a 21-point quarter that saw the game tied at 21 at halftime.

A missed field goal from Jake Weinberg to open the second half led to Virginia taking the lead back on a 12-play drive that featured 11 runs. The Seminoles responded with a quick drive that ended with a Duce Robinson touchdown.

The Cavilers took the lead late in the fourth quarter, and after a failed fourth-down conversion, FSU got the ball back with over two minutes left. The Seminoles got into the red zone, but Castellanos was sacked and threw two incompletions before making the throw of his career, finding Randy Pittman Jr for the game-tying score with 36 seconds left.

Ja'Bril Rawls picked off Chandler Morris to send the game to overtime. After both teams exchanged field goals, Virginia scored a touchdown, and the Seminoles had a would-be score from Robinson wiped off as he was deemed not to have made a catch on a bobbled pass.

The Seminoles failed to convert on 4th and 12, as Castellanos threw an interception to end the game. He finished 18-of-32 for 254 yards, a touchdown, and two picks.

Here are three takeaways from the Seminoles' stunning overtime loss to Virginia.

Too many self-inflicted wounds, uncharacteristic mistakes put FSU in jeopardy

A disastrous first quarter put FSU in a 14-point hole, the largest deficit the team has faced this season, after a pair of turnovers gave Virginia a quick lead.

FSU also had three penalties for 40 yards in the opening two drives of the game, and the first three drives were all impacted by penalties and careless football. On the first drive, a third-and-short throw from Castellanos to Robison was called for an offensive pass interference as Robinson pushed off his defender, which turned a first down into a third and long, which eventually led to an FSU punt.

On the next two drives, FSU turned the ball over. An illegal block in the back penalty erased a six-yard gain on the first play of the Seminoles' second drive, and on the following play, Gavin Sawchuk fumbled. Virginia would score the game's first touchdown after that.

On the next drive, the Seminoles drove down to the five-yard line before a pass from Castellanos was deflected in the air and intercepted, which led to a second Virginia touchdown.

The first drive of the second half gave FSU a chance to take the lead, but a field goal missed by Jake Weinberg led to a 12-play 74-yard drive from Virginia that ended with a touchdown. That field goal became crucial, as the Seminoles went to overtime instead of having a three-point advantage after the last-second touchdown.

In overtime, the inability to complete the catch from Robisnon and a false start on fourth down from Sawchuk sealed the Seminoles' fate.

Self-inflicted wounds put FSU in a precarious position, and that eventually led to the overtime loss.

FSU football's offense rebounded but couldn't / overcome first-quarter mistakes

Sep 26, 2025; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Duce Robinson (0) catches a pass as Virginia Cavaliers cornerback Emmanuel Karnley (19) and Cavaliers safety Antonio Clary (0) defend during the second quarter at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Seminoles' first three drives ended with a punt, a fumble, and an interception, with both turnovers leading to touchdowns for Virginia. However, an interception from Edwin Joseph turned the game around as FSU scored 21 points in the second quarter, with 14 points coming on a pair of interceptions.

Both scoring drives were capped off by wildcat scores, the first a Sawchuk 2-yard run, and the second a 2-yard run from Randy Pittman Jr.

Robinson was key in the first half turnaround, recording five catches for 100 yards in the second quarter, coming up with a key fourth-down catch that set up the Seminoles to take a 21-14 lead on a 6-yard Castellanos run.

After a Virginia score in the third quarter, a third wildcat touchdown was scored with Pittman throwing a pop pass to Robinson for a touchdown.

When the offense needed one more yard in the fourth, FSU couldn't get it on a fourth and short with under three minutes left in the game. The Seminoles were given a lifeline after the defense forced a 3-and-out, and Castellanos's magical touchdown throw to Pittman led to the score and eventually overtime.

Castellanos found Robinson for what was called a touchdown in overtime, but Robinson bobbled the pass and couldn't control the ball before stepping out of bounds, and the score was overturned.

It led to FSU's failed fourth down and loss.

FSU's defense struggled, came up in big moments, but couldn't get the final stop

It wasn't the game FSU's defense would have wanted or expected as Virginia posted a season-high 46 points and recorded 440 yards of total offense, and at times, saw its defensive line manhandled by the Virginia offensive line.

But when the Seminoles needed some big plays, the defense delivered. The first of two second-quarter interceptions came when Justin Cryer pressured Morris and forced him to throw a wild throw downfield out of the pocket, right into the hands of Joseph. The next drive, Quindarrius Jones deflected a pass right into the hands of Elijah Herring, who grabbed his first interception.

FSU scored off both turnovers, and it helped them take a 21-14 lead in the second quarter. However, a 26-yard touchdown run late in the first half, which came off a tackle Earl Little failed to wrap up, tied the game at 21 at the break.

In the fourth quarter, after a failed fourth-down conversion, the Seminoles forced a three-and-out before the two-minute timeout to give Castellanos the ball back, and he did the rest with his magical touchdown throw. Virginia got the ball one last time, and Ja'Bril Rawls grabbed an interception to force overtime.

However, the Seminoles failed to stop Virginia in overtime when they needed it most, allowing a field goal, a touchdown and a two-point conversion, leading to the upset loss.