While it’s not solely on him, Willie Taggart‘s Florida State football program has hit yet another new low.
In Week 3, Florida State traveled to Charlottesville to take on No. 25 Virginia, the first time ever that a ranked Cavaliers team faced an unranked Seminoles squad. After six lead changes over four quarters of play, Virginia gave its fans a reason to storm the field -- which they wholeheartedly did -- as the Cavs scored the last 14 points to secure a 31-24 win.
The Seminoles led 14-10 at halftime, then stretched that lead to 17-10 at the end of the third quarter. After eventually taking a 24-17 lead early in the fourth quarter, the ‘Noles watched as the Cavs scored a touchdown with 6:02 left in the game to pull to within one at 24-23 (missed conversion) and then go ahead 31-24 with 2:34 remaining thanks to a touchdown and a two-point conversion.
FSU had one last chance to at least tie the game, taking over at its own 25-yard line. Thanks in very large part to penalties (four 15-yarders on UVa. on that drive), FSU drove inside the Cavs’ five-yard line; with time running out, Cam Akers was stopped for no gain at the four-yard line.
(WW)Win - DANCE - Again‼️#GoHoos | #TheStandard pic.twitter.com/8uBZ0QPejt
— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) September 15, 2019
Virginia picked up its fourth win all-time in 19 games against Florida State, and have now won three of the last six meetings. None of the three previous wins (2011, 2005, 1995) had been by more than five points (one, five, five).
For an FSU team that went 5-7 in the first season under Willie Taggart in 2018, missing out on a bowl game for the first time in 36 years, Week 3 continued a downward arc that shows no signs of abating. It also continues a distressing trend: Florida State is now 1-2 (or worse) for the third straight season, the first time that’s happened since 1974-76.
So, for those wondering: Taggart’s buyout is in the neighborhood of $17 million if he’s fired without cause before February 1, 2020.
Godspeed, FSU fans. And make sure you hydrate properly.