Quick Thoughts From Virginia’s Win Vs. Florida State

Virginia is 3-0.
Virginia fans filled the stands for the showdown with Florida State. ~ Kris Wright

The Virginia football team picked up its first win as a ranked team in more than a decade when it swiped a 31-24 win away from Florida State on Saturday night. The Cavaliers entered the game ranked No. 25 in The Associated Press poll and moved up to No. 21 following the weekend’s games. It marked the first win with a number by their name since the 2007 shutout demolition in Miami.

Leading into Saturday night’s game, varying progress markers during Bronco Mendenhall’s tenure already included: UVA returned to bowl play for the first time in six years, secured a winning record for the first time in seven years, won a against a ranked team for the first time in four years, and won a bowl game for the first time in 13 years. So adding the victory as the ranked team instead of as the underdog marked an important step for the program’s continued rebirth as the Hoos check off little milestones along the way.

With that in mind, here are some more quick thoughts from the game.

1. Atmosphere

The buzz grew early in the week and gained momentum all the way to kickoff. The official attendance mark registered at 57,826. That easily outdistanced any crowd in the Mendenhall era to date and represented the largest crowd in Scott Stadium since Notre Dame came to town in 2015.

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