Campus Alert Archive
UVA

Down the Hill: 19 Hospitalized in the Scott Stadium Field Rush After UVA Upsets No. 8 FSU

VAotheradvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

When UVA beat then-No. 8 Florida State 46-38 in double overtime at Scott Stadium on the night of September 26, 2025, students charged down the barrier-free grassy Hill onto the field, and at least 19 people were hospitalized and dozens more hurt in the crush. The ACC fined UVA $50,000 and student journalists documented students still recovering a week later.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
University of Virginia
Public R1 · VA
~26,000 studentsUVA Alerts / Scott Stadium PA
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTPA System
Approximate reconstruction209 chars
For everyone's safety, please remain in the seating areas and do not enter the field. Entering the competition area is prohibited and creates serious risk of injury. Please allow players and officials to exit.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The crush developed as students surged down The Hill, Scott Stadium's signature student section, which uniquely has no barrier between fans and the field; the speed of the rush down the steep slope drove the trampling.
Reconstructed from the policy framework and event reporting; no verbatim official archive of the in-stadium message was located, so isVerbatimConfirmed is false.
FOLLOW-UPWebsite
Approximate reconstruction314 chars
Following Friday night's game, a number of fans were injured during the field rush, and several were transported to the hospital. We are grateful there were no fatalities and are reviewing crowd-management and access-to-field procedures, including the configuration of The Hill, to keep fans safe at future events.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

A follow-up institutional message addressing the injuries and the $50,000 ACC fine; The Cavalier Daily reported the barrier-free Hill design as a central safety failure that drew sustained criticism.
Reconstructed wording; isVerbatimConfirmed false.
Context

Background

UVA's 46-38 double-overtime upset of No. 8 Florida State ended when safety Ja'Son Prevard intercepted a pass in the end zone, touching off a field rush from The Hill, the grassy student section just beyond the end zone that has no barrier separating fans from the field. CBS Sports reported at least 19 people were hospitalized as the crowd surged down the steep slope and people were crushed or trampled. The Cavalier Daily found students still recovering a week later and ran an opinion piece arguing the storming exposed administrative indifference. The ACC fined UVA $50,000 under its tiered field-storming policy (first offense $50,000, then $100,000 and $200,000). Notably, Scott Stadium previously had barricades at the bottom of the student section that were removed in 2006, after a nearly identical 2005 field storm — also following a win over Florida State — injured 20 students. The case is one of the most serious crowd-crush injury events in recent campus-venue history.
Analysis

Key Findings

At least 19 people were hospitalized and dozens more injured in the post-game crowd surge
Scott Stadium's barrier-free student section, The Hill, sits on a steep slope above the field and channeled the dangerous rush
The ACC fined UVA $50,000 for the field storming after the double-overtime upset of No. 8 FSU
This is a crowd-crush safety case at a campus venue rather than a weather or external-threat case
Outcome
No fatalities; at least 19 people were hospitalized and dozens treated for injuries from the crowd surge, and the ACC fined UVA $50,000 for the field rush.
Provenance

Sources

  1. national media
    Field storming after Virginia's upset win over FSU leads to 19 people being treated for injuries - CBS Sports
    cbssports.com
  2. Student Paper
    One week on, some students are still recovering after a field storming hospitalizes 19 - The Cavalier Daily
    cavalierdaily.com
  3. national media
    Virginia fined $50K for storming field after viral video of upset over No. 8 FSU - Bleacher Report
    bleacherreport.com
  4. News
    19 hurt in field rush after UVA football win - 29News
    29news.com
Tags
crowd-crushfield-stormingstadiumvirginiagame-dayinjuriesacc-fine
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion