CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Greg Jones rushed for 107 yards Saturday night and No. 22 Florida State took advantage of five turnovers for 30 second-half points as it coasted to a 43-7 win over Virginia.
The Cavaliers handed the Seminoles their first-ever Atlantic Coast Conference loss, 33-28, here on Nov. 2, 1995 when Warrick Dunn was stopped at the goal line as time expired. This time, Virginia (3-4, 2-3 ACC) hung tough and trailed only 10-7 at halftime.
But William McCray scored on a one-yard plunge with 7:06 remaining in the third quarter and rover Abdual Howard picked off the Cavaliers' Matt Schaub and returned it 80 yards for a score for a 26-7 lead at the end of three periods.
The victory gave Florida State coach Bobby Bowden his 319th career victory, tying him with Glenn "Pop" Warner for third on the all-time NCAA Division 1-A victories list. Bowden trails only Penn State's Joe Paterno and Alabama legend Bear Bryant, who are tied with 323.
The Seminoles (4-2, 3-1) poured it on in the fourth quarter as Virginia continued to unravel. Xavier Bettia added his third field goal of the game and backup quarterback Adrian Mcpherson threw a pair of touchdowns for the final margin.
Florida State can now look forward to a showdown with unbeaten and 14th-ranked Maryland next week in Tallahassee. North Carolina also is a factor in the ACC race with just one conference loss.
Freshman Chris Rix completed 11 of 21 passes for 205 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
The Cavaliers have lost three straight games for the first time since 1993.
