Four seconds from one of the biggest victories in Virginia football history, Tiki Barber couldn't look.
"I was saying to myself `I can't watch it happen again,' and it didn't," Barber said Thursday night. "God was on our side this time."Virginia withstood a last-gasp rally by Florida State, stopping Warrick Dunn inches from the goal line with no time left for a stunning 33-28 victory over the second-ranked Seminoles before an inspired crowd at Scott Stadium.
After last-play losses at Michigan and Texas earlier this season, even coach George Welsh said he had a bad feeling as the Seminoles' Danny Kanell brought his team to the line with four seconds left.
Only four teams, including 24th-ranked Virginia this year, have lost twice in a season on the last play of a game, and it's never happened to a team three times.
"I thought we were going to lose it," Welsh said. "I thought, here we go again.' "
The final snap went directly to Dunn, but Anthony Poindexter and Adrian Burnim stopped him inches from the goal line, setting off a wild celebration by the normally demure Charlottesville crowd. Within minutes, the field was covered with fans, and the goalposts were carried off into the night.
"I can't absorb it all right now," Welsh said. "I'm just so happy for those kids. They've been through so much adversity."
The Cavaliers (7-3, 6-1 ACC) ended Florida State's 29-game winning streak in the Atlantic Coast Conference, as well as their national title hopes.
"The national championship thing sorts itself out. Tonight, it sorted us out," said Bobby Bowden, head coach of the Seminoles (7-1, 5-1).
Barber, who took a back seat to Dunn in the pregame hype, finished with 311 all-purpose yards and scored two touchdowns. He ran for a career-best 193 yards, caught three passes for 45 yards and returned six punts for 73 yards.
"It's the best feeling of my life," Barber said. "You come to a school like this because you know you're going to play a big game like this. Winning it is something I can't even describe."
Virginia built a 27-21 halftime lead and blanked the Seminoles in the second half until midway through the final quarter. Rafael Garcia's third and fourth field goals upped the Cavaliers' cushion to 33-21.
Dunn, who came into the game averaging 9.4 yards per carry, but finished with only 54 yards on 14 carries, got it to 33-28 with his second touchdown on a 7-yard run with 6:13 left, then came up inches short of a victory.
"I thought we might pull it out, but they wouldn't let us in," Bowden said.
The result scrambled the major bowl picture. Had the Seminoles beaten Virginia and gone undefeated, they probably would have played No. 1 Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl for the national title.
Now, the only way the Fiesta will get two unbeaten teams is if Nebraska and No. 3 Florida win the rest of their games. Nebraska still has to play No. 11 Kansas and No. 25 Oklahoma, and Florida plays host to Florida State at Gainesville on Nov. 25.
In the ACC, if Florida State and Virginia finish tied, the league's berth in the Fiesta-Sugar-Orange alliance would likely go to the higher ranked team.
Kanell completed 32 of 67 passes for 454 yards and three touchdowns, but was only 10-for-29 for 134 yards and no TDs in the second half. He also had three passes intercepted after throwing only six in his first seven games.
"I put a lot of the blame on myself," Kanell said. "Our offense is throw and catch, and I wasn't throwing."
Nevertheless, Kanell's three TD throws gave him 28 this season and 53 for his career, both school records.
Virginia's Mike Groh was 19-for-37 for 302 yards and two TDs, including a 72-yarder to Pete Allen. He also threw three interceptions.
Percy Ellsworth had two of the Cavaliers' interceptions, including a diving catch at the Cavaliers' 2-yard line in the second quarter. Virginia has intercepted at least one pass in 26 straight games.