Seminoles stare down blueprint for rebuild ahead of matchup with Virginia

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - While hopefully on a grander scale, Florida State need look no further than this Saturday’s opponent, Virginia, to see the blueprint for a successful rebuild.

Now in his fifth season with the Cavaliers, Bronco Mendenhall took the Wahoos from a 2-10 cellar dwellar to last year’s Orange Bowl against Florida.

A big reason for UVA’s turnaround? Discipline.

The ‘Hoos rarely shoot themselves in the foot and are the second-least penalized team in the ACC.

A discipline FSU Head Coach Mike Norvell knows the Seminoles will have to replicate on Saturday.

“I have seen improvements as the year has gone on with our guys,” Norvell said. “The awareness as we’ve cut down on some of the foolish penalties and, even though we’ve still had some that have shown up at inopportune times, that’s something that’s going to be big in this game. This is a big, physical football team that’s going to be aggressive in all aspects.”

The Noles and Cavs are set for an 8 p.m. kickoff at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday.