FSU football report card for Virginia game

The FSU Seminoles have their biggest win of the season, crushing the Virginia Cavaliers 38-7 in Doak Campbell Stadium.

FSU scored the final 38 points of the game to erase a first-quarter deficit and cruise to victory. It was a massive win for the Seminoles, who improved to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in ACC play with the win. While his seat is still hot, this helped cool it off and gives them some momentum ahead of a tough stretch of ACC games.

While quarterback Ashton Daniels led the way with a record-setting performance, he was far from the only Seminole to have a great game. The defense finally showed its talents, wracking up 10.0 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss, to the delight of their fans .

Here is our report card for FSU's Week 5 win over Virginia.

Daniels had the game of his life, writing his name into FSU's record books. His five rushing touchdowns are the most ever by a Seminole, and should unlock something the offense can build on moving forward. He finished with 136 yards on the ground to go with 183 yards and one interception passing.

Ousmane Kromah and Quintrevion Wisner took a backseat to Daniels in the game, but they made the most of their chances, combining for 126 yards on 26 carries. Wisner also took a screen pass for 48 yards, setting up FSU's first touchdown. Kromah once again forced several missed tackles, needing to be gang-tackled by Virginia.

FSU had 183 yards receiving, but it came on just 12 receptions as they frequently generated explosive plays, setting up the rushing attack. Micahi Danzy had his best game of the season, catching a team-high four passes for 70 yards. The group also did a good job blocking, helping squeeze some extra yards out on run plays.

They had a rough start to the game, but FSU's offensive line settled in as the game went on and did a good job of protecting Daniels in the second half after giving up 3.0 sacks in the first quarter, some of which were partially on Daniels. Xavier Chaplin was called for two penalties, an area he has to improve in.

FSU's defensive line dominated the game, frequently getting pressure on Beau Pribulla and containing Virginia's run game. Rylan Kennedy had his best game as a Seminole, recording a team-high 2.0 sacks. Kevin Wynn had the first sack of his career, and six different defensive linemen had a sack.

Chris Jones has been exactly what FSU needed at linebacker, and he had another great game. He and Mikai Gbayor led the team with six tackles apiece, with Jones having 1.5 sacks and two quarterback hurries while Gbayor added one sack of his own. The group, along with the defensive line, did an excellent job stopping Virginia's rushing attack and preventing Pribulla from scrambling.

They were helped out by some drops, but the secondary did a good job sticking with their guys and avoided any costly busts, something that has plagued them this season. Pribulla completed 14 of his 32 passes for 168 yards and one touchdown.

Gabe Panikowski continued his perfect start to the season, making his only field goal and all five extra points. Daniel Hughes averaged 47.2 yards on his five punts, with two going for over 50 yards and one being pinned inside the 20-yard line. His only blemish was a 33-yarder that gave Virginia a short field before they scored their touchdown.

Jasen Lopez once again looked dangerous returning punts, returning four for 43 yards. He had a 31-yarder that helped set up FSU's second touchdown. FSU's coverage team also did a good job, allowing just one punt return for 13 yards.

It took a quarter, but FSU completely dominated this game. The decision to let Daniels pound the rock was an excellent one and is how he should be used moving forward. The defense looked completely different than they have all season, a testament to Tony White and the rest of the coaching staff.