An old Folgers coffee commercial campaign presented a simple message, jingle and all. The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup. The images behind the catchy caption usually featured people enjoying a cup of coffee to start the morning with smiles while surrounded by family.
Bronco Mendenhall has not installed a coffee machine in the Scott Stadium locker room yet. A toaster, on the other hand, is a completely different story.
”It’s hard to eat breakfast unless you’re home and it smells like toast,” Mendenhall said.
That’s because the Virginia coaching staff has sent a clear message to the team this spring. Scott Stadium is home. You need to be comfortable here, confident here, and ready to play here. The toaster then serves as reminder of that welcome home message. Almost every home has a toaster. The Hoos even have served breakfast to the team at the stadium this spring.
”A year ago, I remember going into our first game and walking into our stadium and our team, it didn’t appear that they had a positive feeling being there and it didn’t appear that they started to gain momentum and confidence being there,” Mendenhall said. ”It appeared that there was kind of a cloud over the locker room and over the stadium, a history of we’re not capable or we’re not sure. … We’ve taken over that space and made it a point to do that this spring.”
The Cavaliers have spent most of their spring practice sessions working at in Scott Stadium as a result. The players said they didn’t practice nearly as much at Scott Stadium in recent seasons, including last fall as Mendenhall prepared the team for its first season under his watch. In the past, UVA even bounced around to different locations to practice everywhere from Lambeth Field to the Park.
The added benefit of practicing at Scott Stadium comes in the form of the field itself. At the team’s practice facilities, the surface is artificial turf. At Scott Stadium, it’s natural grass.
”I was happy,” receiver Olamide Zaccheaus said. ”We play at the stadium. We play on grass, but most of the times we practiced on turf. It makes sense that we practice where we play or on a surface that we play on, especially at home. We have seven home games this year. We’re going to need to practice over there and get a feel for what the grass is going to be like when it’s wet or raining and even when it’s not.”
The players have adjusted quickly to the change in practice scenery.
”It was definitely a new thing,” redshirt sophomore Eli Hanback said. ”It’s grown on me. I like practicing at the stadium. We’ve gotten more used to it. Coach Mendenhall says it’s where we play, it’s our house. We have the toaster in there and it smells like toast when we walk in. I’ve grown to prefer the stadium actually.”
Abdullah Decides To Transfer
Redshirt sophomore Naji Abdullah has decided to transfer from the program. He joins Landan Word, Matt Terrell, and David Eldridge as players that have left the program since the beginning of March.
”I can’t say there might not be others by the time our spring exit interviews finish,” Mendenhall said. ”But I think that’s still normal in the transition to a new coach even after one year. Sometimes, the first spring and the first season give you clarity as to what you think the direction is. Sometimes, it takes a second spring to see where exactly you’re going to fit or if you’re going to fit.”
Abdullah committed to Virginia during the Mike London era and redshirted in 2015. He appeared in two games last season, getting snaps on special teams against Wake Forest and Miami. A defensive end/outside linebacker prospect out of Florida, Abdullah is likely a player caught between positions during the transition from a 4-3 scheme to a 3-4 scheme.
Huddle Up
When Mendenhall and company arrived at Virginia, part of the philosophy brought into the program focused on an up-tempo spread offense. The Cavaliers adopted a no-huddle, up-tempo attack last spring and carried that through fall camp into the season.
As the season progressed, however, the staff shifted gears and slowed down the tempo. That started in the Louisville game at the end of October and continued through the final four games in November. The Cavaliers even started to huddle up between plays.
That tweak remains in place this spring. The Hoos huddle up between plays and even use some plays with the quarterback under center. Mendenhall did not rule out a return to a more up-tempo, no-huddle size at some point in the future.
”The philosophical change just comes from a better idea of what our roster looks like and who our best players are and what they can do,” Mendenhall said. ”We’re taking whatever time we need between plays to put the right players out for the right play so that we have the best chance for success on that play. So if that slows the overall tempo down a little bit, we’re willing to make that trade. However, from the time the huddle breaks until we run that play, that can still apply some pressure to the defense.”
Virginia Football Worth Noting
- Safety Quin Blanding missed Tuesday’s practice with a fever.
- Virginia receiver Andre Levrone caught several long passes from Kurt Benkert during the session.
- Bronco Mendenhall said that Olamide Zaccheaus’ hamstring injury last season “significantly” impacted the ability to use him in full on offense, but that he’s looked really good this spring.
- Another receiver, Joe Reed, is bouncing back from a hamstring injury this spring.
- Daniel Hamm and Chuck Davis worked at punt returner.
- Left-footed kicker Nash Griffin attempted all the field goals during practice again.
- On a Lamont Atkins’ touchdown run, Jack English set the edge with a key block from his tackle spot.
