CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Tony Elliott quickly found out he didn’t need to worry about his team becoming overconfident following its monumental upset of then-No. 8 Florida State on Friday.

As he talked to Virginia football’s veteran leaders it quickly became evident, they were not satisfied with the performance in the 46-38 double-overtime victory.

“They said, ‘Man, we could have played even better,’” Elliott said. “So, it was a good sign that everybody was excited to win, but also understands that we haven’t played our best game yet.”

Indeed, while Friday’s victory will go down in the annals of the program’s history – along with the rapid and epic field storming by the fans – it was far from a perfect performance.

The offense committed three turnovers, the defense gave up four pass plays of 30 yards or longer and Eli Slibeck’s first punt was a 28-yard shank.

Of course, that’s the kind of nitpicking coaches like to engage in to keep clubs humble. And as Virginia gets ready for Saturday’s road game at Louisville, it helps to have that message amplified by team leaders.

“When we came in for film Monday, one of the first things we said as a team, and the coaches told us, we didn’t play our best game last week,” senior offensive lineman Noah Josey said. “That was evident in the film.”

It also helps that the Cardinals have won three straight meetings with UVA, winning each of the past three years by a touchdown or less, and that Louisville is a touchdown favorite at home Saturday.

“Coach E just basically said, ‘We can’t get too ahead of ourselves,” linebacker Marcellus Maddox said. “We left definitely a lot of plays out there (against FSU). We didn’t feel too good, because we know we’re better than that.”

Friday, it was UVA that had the juice. A nationally ranked opponent was coming to its house, and its fans were amped and ready to create a hostile environment for the visitors.

Saturday, the cleat will be on the other foot. This time, it’s Virginia that goes into another team’s stadium. No. 24 Virginia that has a national ranking attached to its name.

Still, Maddox doesn’t think UVA’s mindset will be any different.

“I don’t feel it’s a different position,” Maddox said. “We all knew who we had in the building. Everybody bought into Coach E’s plan for us at the beginning of the season and it was really just proving ourselves right to the world.”

Of course, that’s a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world. And Virginia has to back up the FSU win with its performance on the field Saturday at Louisville.