Cavaliers hand Seminoles their first loss
Marques Hagans threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns and Connor Hughes kicked four field goals to help Virginia recapture a bit of its history by holding on to beat No. 4 Florida State, 26-21, last night in Charlottesville, Va.
The Cavaliers (4-2, 2-2) stopped the Seminoles near midfield with 3 1/2 minutes to go to force a punt. Hagans then ran for 6 yards before Florida State's Tony Carter was called for pass interference on third down, giving Virginia a first down.
After Hagans came up a yard short on a third-and-7 run, the Cavaliers punted and Florida State got one last chance from its 26 with 56 seconds left. Drew Weatherford's pass was picked off by Tony Franklin, sealing the upset and bringing thousands of fans pouring onto the field to celebrate the victory.
The only bigger win in program history came 10 years ago, also against Florida State, when the Seminoles arrived ranked second and the Cavaliers held on for a 33-28 victory when Warrick Dunn was stopped at the goal line in the game's final seconds.
That 1995 team was honored at halftime, and then history repeated itself.
Florida State (5-1, 3-1) had rallied from 26-10 down behind Weatherford in the final quarter, getting a 20-yard touchdown catch by Chris Davis and a 32-yard field goal from Gary Cismesia, but the freshman's third interception ended the comeback attempt.
Weatherford finished 35 for 59 for 359 yards.
Coming off consecutive double-digit road losses at Maryland and Boston College, Virginia responded by beating a team ranked in the top five for only the second time.
Miami 34, Temple 3 -- Kyle Wright's stellar performance offset a poor effort from Miami's reserves. Wright threw four touchdown passes in the first 19 minutes, leading the seventh-ranked Hurricanes over woeful Temple in Philadelphia in the Owls' first game since coach Bobby Wallace said he will leave at the end of the year.
The Hurricanes (5-1) completely outclassed Temple (0-7), jumping out to a 27-0 lead in the first quarter. But Miami's backups dampened the team's mood by getting shut out in the second half.
Wright sprained his right thumb on his final play. X-rays were negative and he doesn't expect to miss any time. Wright completed 9 of 10 passes for 196 yards, before giving way to Kirby Freeman late in the second quarter.
Georgia Tech 35, Duke 10 -- Reserve running back Tashard Choice rushed for a career-high 107 yards and two touchdowns in Durham, N.C., after P.J. Daniels left with an injury, helping the Yellow Jackets (4-2, 2-2) snap a two-game skid.
