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Sep 26, 2025; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers defensive back Ja'son Prevard (10) makes a game winning interception in the end zone on a pass intended for Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Squirrel White (4) in the second overtime period at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Three Improvements that Virginia Must Make to Remain ACC Title Contender

Originally posted on Virginia Cavaliers on SI
By Maria Aldrich | Last updated Sep 27, 2025 6:55 PM ET

Virginia's Friday night matchup against Florida State ended in a shocking victory that stunned the nation. The Cavaliers pulled off a tremendous upset with a score of 46-38, lighting up the sky with fireworks and sounds of a roaring crowd.

This historic victory marks what could be the start of a phenomenal season for the Cavaliers, potentially naming them a serious contender for the ACC title. Winning a game is always the end goal, but doing so against a Top-10 opponent is a rare feat. The double-overtime thriller will go down in UVA history as one of their greatest wins to date.

Although Virginia is in full celebratory mode, rightfully so, there are always aspects to a program that need some fine-tuning. Their next matchup takes place on Oct. 4 when they face Louisville at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium, which leaves UVA with only a few days to recover and hone in on the key areas needing improvement.

1. Pressuring the Quarterback

Particularly when facing a quarterback who is as proficient as FSU's Tommy Castellanos, who completed 18/32 passes for 254 yards, Virginia needs to use consistent pressure to rattle him and disrupt his play. As expected, Castellanos put up a remarkable fight on the field, but fortunately, UVA kicked their defensive unit into high gear.

The Cavaliers did a fine job of applying pressure at times, but they need to make it a regular occurrence. Virginia's defense continues to gain traction with substantial improvements being made, but that doesn't mean that there isn't room to build on their current skills.

2. Consistency, Consistency, Consistency

Clinching a victory against a top program is a monumental achievement, but in order to continue on the upswing, UVA must start showing more consistency as a whole. One stellar game is not enough to carry them to the championship.

"... Tonight is just, you know, one step in that direction," said head coach Tony Elliott. "But in the big scheme of things, we just won an ACC game, and you know what? We go on the road tomorrow, I mean, next week, to Louisville, right with a chance to win another. So we wanted to be in the driver's seat, and that's all we did, was just keep ourselves in the driver's seat. So we got to keep two hands on the wheel, put the seat belt on right, make sure that we check the rear view mirror, make sure we're awake, so that we don't hit a pothole along the way."

3. Chandler Morris Needs to Clean it Up Early

There isn't a question in mind as to whether or not the Cavaliers' quarterback Chandler Morris showed out on Friday — his stats speak for themselves. But making matters more impressive is that Morris is now the first UVA signal-caller to rush for three touchdowns since 2019, according to Virginia Sports.

However, there were a few instances early on in which Morris figuratively dropped the ball. As a result, there were some interceptions that could have easily cost UVA the game. While the Cavaliers had time to clean things up, they won’t always have the luxury of doing so.

Now is the time for UVA to buckle up and get back to work if they want to be viewed as an ACC title contender.

This article first appeared on Virginia Cavaliers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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