Last year’s Friday night UVA versus Florida State game was so successful that the Athletic Department scheduled two Friday night games this season. However, FCS Norfolk State is not the draw that Florida State is.
The September 11, 2026 game had a 7:02 pm kickoff time. Because it was a workday for the University, parking lots didn’t open until 4:45 and 5 pm. This added more traffic to Charlottesville’s rush hour.
With the anticipated traffic, I left Fredericksburg at 3:15. Route 3 had its normal bottlenecks, even using the River Road route. When traffic merged onto I-64 from Route 250 east of Charlottesville, it was slow to the Rivanna River Bridge. Surprisingly, traffic exiting onto Route 29 north was rather light.
Finally, I exited onto Ivy Road heading east to Alderman Road. As usual, the school paid to have cones placed to allow for two eastbound lanes, and there was no signage to use two lanes. The right lane backed up from the access ramp, and the left lane was empty. I used the left lane, passing all until the traffic light at Old Ivy. I hope I started a trend.
Around 5:36 pm, I received a text: “Scott Stadium gates are officially OPEN! Beat the rush and get to your seats now!”
Traffic on Alderman Road was light, and I reached my VAF lot around 5:45. I guess I beat the rush.
The walk to the stadium was uneventful. The entrance line was rather short. There was no backup getting to my seat. The announced attendance was 46918. I don’t know if they count tickets sold plus students or the number of bodies through the gates. There were many empty seats, and we were able to spread out.
The students filled their lower-level sections and the hill. It did not appear there were lines to access the hill. It was a good turnout, and I’m sure the players appreciated their classmates’ support.
As is typical with a lopsided game, the students cleared out after halftime, achieving their Sabre Points accumulation.
Exit traffic: there was none.
Looking forward to the next Friday night game on October 23 versus Duke.
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