Virginia football season kicks off for the first time under new coach Bronco Mendenhall in a few short weeks. The season opener against Richmond at Scott Stadium is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 3 at 3:30 p.m. It will also be streamed on ESPN3.
With a new era so close to game time, TheSabre.com wanted to introduce a weekly football feature where our staff responds to message board questions. This feature is brought to you by our newest sponsor Bundoran Farm, where you can Create Your Virginia Legacy.
The very first “Ask The Sabre” article features some culture style questions as Mendenhall – and a large part of his staff from BYU – moved across the country to try to reboot UVA football. Lets get on with it then!
Has a true culture change happened or is this Building of a Program Part II? ~ KGHoo
Associate Editor Chris Horne: I see a true and lasting change beginning. It starts with Coach Mendenhall and what he wants the program to look like. He has a clear vision.
Mendenhall also preaches a disciplined, do-it-the-right-way mentality, and players are responding. Micah Kiser sees more player accountability, saying, “I would say guys just hold each other way more accountable. Now, especially leading out of summer workouts, the team just took control of what we were doing, how we were doing it, and why we were doing it. It’s coming from within ourselves.”
Changing the culture entirely takes more than an offseason, but certainly the program is moving in the right direction. This team has bought into Mendenhall’s “earned, not given” philosophy. Much has been made of the physical conditioning in the offseason, but to me consistent mental sharpness and toughness is ultimately what is being developed. The expectation to play the right away or be held accountable. While I think the will and character was evident on the team last year, I’m not sure the accountability was there. Whether it is how the players take the field or anything else, Mendenhall expects things to be done the right way. The players know what is expected. They are passing it down to the true freshmen. This is a team that wants to succeed and his following the plans laid out by its coach.
So yes, I think a real change has occurred.
Are you surprised that Coach Mendenhall has not engaged in “coach speak” when talking about the condition of the program when he got here? ~ hawkb
Editor Kris Wright: Not really. He’s a matter of facts type of guy – I’m sure fans have picked up on that. So when you ask a question like reporters have, he answers it honestly but without much drama attached to it. The one that caught a lot of people’s attention came in the Doug Doughty article back in July where Mendenhall discussed quarterbacks and called it “probably the biggest mismanaged position in the program” as “just an objective assessment” of the situation. He didn’t take any shots at the previous staff and he’s actually credited them when it was due on things like the players’ willingness to buy in and some of the athleticism in playmaker spots. On either side of the spectrum, it was a Joe Friday style response in my mind. Just the facts.
Overall, however, I think this no frills and honest answers trend speaks to the big picture culture change asked about in the first question. Mendenhall’s public comments in the media or at the VAF socials aren’t any different than how he speaks to his team. It’s straight forward with expectations, goals, and feedback. Players get numbers on each day’s practice. They get targets that must be met to practice (tempo runs) or play (body fat/conditioning). He’ll praise something when it’s deserved or critique it when it isn’t.
It all comes across as someone secure in his coaching skin with a method that he has confidence in. Players have talked about that already – that they draw confidence from his confidence. Long story short: not surprised. It’s just who he is.
Will the D be ready to play the variations Coach Mendenhall requires at the beginning of the season which seems to be anywhere from a base 3-4 to a 1-4-6? Will the O be ready to function at the pace required when the season begins? ~ Beetle
Associate Editor Chris Horne: We saw instances of Virginia using two down linemen in practice. Given the personnel, I think we may see more 1-4-6 and 2-4-5 fronts initially. There just isn’t a lot of depth on the defensive line to run a pure 3-4 consistently, but if some of those inexperienced players develop well, maybe we could see more traditional 3-4 as the season goes on. Mendenhall wants to put the defense in the best possible position to succeed, and right now I see Virginia having few proven defensive linemen and more rangy, athletic linebackers and versatile defensive backs. So I think UVA is more ready for the variations due to the personnel.
I think the offense will be able to adjust just fine to the fast pace. With any change there are some bumps, so it won’t be perfect, but the line looks to be in great shape and the players seem excited about the fast pace. I’d be surprised if this is a serious issue.
Beyond more wins, how should we, as fans, measure the team’s progress this year over last year? Fewer mental errors? Speed of play? Better conditioning? Better half-time adjustments? Better quarterback play? ~ W-S Hoo
Editor Kris Wright: This is a great question. I think all of your suggestions are good ones. Fewer mental errors – this means things like false start penalties, too many men on the field, and so forth. Better conditioning – can UVA keep up the effort and execution in the second half, which has been an issue in recent years (read about it in this EDGE article)? Better quarterback play – this one would be fewer interceptions and better yards after the catch, a sign of accuracy. All of these would be good improvements to focus on regardless of what the win column says – so would explosive scoring plays (20+ yards) allowed, punt return average, and more.
One place I’m personally watching for progress, though? The response to losses. Since making the 2011 Chick-fil-A Bowl with a resilient team that pulled out close games, Virginia has been mired in a cycle of ‘this is the year’ excitement followed by losing seasons. With the exception of 2015, the other three seasons all featured at least a four-game losing streak. There just weren’t those streak-stopping responses needed to end slides and possibly save seasons. Within those years, adversity played out in different ways. A coulda/shoulda game against Louisiana Tech game ended up ballooning into a six-game losing streak in 2012. The 2013 disaster ended with a nine-game losing streak, including double-digit defeats in the final six. The 2014 team’s adversity came in the form of close losses and it didn’t overcome it, a last-second heave and touchdown at Virginia Tech sealing a losing record in a four-point game.
I want to see how this team responds to its first taste of defeat or its first challenges with adversity. If the buy-in and commitment to the new coaches remains strong after that, then I think that’s a very good sign.
Having seen Tony Bennett, Brian O’Connor, and Brian Boland build their programs into the elite of their respective sports, do you see the same potential for Coach Mendenhall to gradually construct a similar program over the next few years ‘the right way’ and ultimately achieve and sustain top level success? ~ HOOSNICE
Editor Kris Wright: I think it depends on how we define ‘top level success’ in this case. Bennett has elevated UVA basketball into a regular top 10 team the past three years and the Hoos are a threat to advance in the postseason tournament each season. O’Connor took the baseball program all the way to the National Championship, ending the ACC’s drought in the College World Series that had endured since 1955. Boland has done better than both, creating a dynasty in men’s tennis that has won three of the last four National Championships. That’s some lofty territory obviously.
‘The right way’ piece is a given I think with Coach Mendenhall so we’re really only talking about the achieve and sustain part. I believe that he can re-establish Virginia as a postseason participant in most years, that he can make UVA a regular in the top 25 rankings, and that he can make the team a threat in the Coastal Division. I think that will be a sustained benchmark for Mendenhall with the Cavaliers. I’m not sure we’ll see Virginia among the elite of the sport – the top 10 in the rankings, playing in the College Football Playoff regularly, or winning National Championships – though. Lightning in a bottle? Maybe. Sustained? It’s just hard to imagine that as a possibility considering where things have been the last decade.
Loved it! Nice piece guys! Well done all around.