99 Virginia Football Thoughts Before Kickoff

Earlier this week, the “99 Virginia Football Thoughts Before Kickoff” series discussed the ACC Football Kickoff comments made by Olamide Zaccheaus, Chris Peace, and Bronco Mendenhall that one of the program’s stated goals is to beat Virginia Tech. The in-state rival has won 14 straight games against the Hoos so that’s hardly a surprising goal.

The comments sparked varying articles in the media as expected, including this one from Jeff White at VirginiaSports.com. The message boards also bantered about the motivational tactic in threads here, here, and here.

Before those comments hit the podium in Charlotte, I already had this Friday’s “99 Thoughts” topic in mind, though. While it’s not on the same level with the Hokies …

No. 47 – Beat Pitt!

The Cavaliers play the first of two Friday night games this season in just 15 weeks when Pittsburgh comes to Charlottesville for a 7:30 p.m. contest on ESPN2. (That prompted some local high schools to move games to Thursday night per CBS 19’s report here.) The Hoos host North Carolina the previous Saturday, while the Panthers play a home game with Duke.

The other Friday night game with Virginia Tech three weeks later draws more attention in schedule discussions, but the Pittsburgh game could carry the same amount of significance as UVA chases back-to-back bowl bids for the first time since 2004 and 2005.

That’s because the Cavaliers likely need three ACC wins to get to that plateau. That assumes a 3-1 record out of conference like last season’s path, which looks doable with Richmond, Liberty, Indiana, and Ohio on the board. Of course, if UVA can get to 4-0 in those games, that means two ACC wins. On the other hand, an in-state sweep but two losses to Midwest opponents means four ACC wins.

Anyway you slice it up, however, the four conference home games take on increased importance. Those contests feature Louisville on Sept. 22, Miami on Oct. 13, UNC on Oct. 27, and then Pittsburgh on Nov. 2. So why single out the Pitt game in this case?

The Panthers represent the other new kid on the block in the Coastal Division, making them an annual opponent on the schedule for the Hoos. Miami and Virginia Tech joined the ACC in 2004 for more than a decade’s worth of games with UVA. The Cavaliers have won six times against the Hurricanes in that span, while the Hokies have piled up a streak.

Pittsburgh, on the other hand, came into the league in 2013. In those five years, Virginia has grabbed just one win in the series. That came in 2014 with a 24-19 win fueled by Kevin Parks and the defense. Parks logged a career-high 169 rushing yards with a touchdown, while the D held Pitt’s James Conner to 83 yards and got a touchdown from linebacker Max Valles on a 35-yard interception return. Receiver Miles Gooch set up a touchdown pass with a trick play completion of his own too.

That’s the same game where the Hoos unveiled the special helmets with a carbon fiber weave design. Here’s The Sabre photo gallery.

The Hoos are 0-3 against current Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi, including two rather lopsided scores in Bronco Mendenhall’s two seasons in charge. The Panthers prevailed 45-31 in 2016 in a game that included a 93-yard kickoff return touchdown from Quadree Henderson. UVA led that contest 28-21 midway through the second quarter before Pitt uncorked 24 unanswered points. The Panthers jumped out to a 21-0 lead in 2017 thanks in part to a Henderson punt return touchdown and eventually won 31-14. The good news from those two games? Henderson is now in the NFL.

A 1-4 mark against a division opponent simply isn’t a recipe for consistent success. So while part of what Mendenhall and company said Wednesday focused on ending the streak with the Hokies, the rest highlighted the program’s overall expectations. “We expect to play post-season every year, not just occasionally, and we expect to win,” Mendenhall said. “Those aren’t things that we expect randomly or occasionally; we want a program that does those things consistently, and that’s part of the direction we’re moving toward. Still work to do, no question, but that’s the direction we’re moving.”

Moving in the right direction toward consistent success will mean being more competitive against programs within the division, particularly the teams that have hovered near the middle of the pack. The Hoos have won two of three (and three of the last four home games) against Georgia Tech. They’ve turned things around against Duke the past two seasons. They stopped a seven-game losing streak against UNC with last season’s win. That’s part of the old guard in the ACC. As mentioned above, the Hoos have done OK with Miami and struggled with VT.

That leaves Pittsburgh and that one UVA win in ACC games. The Panthers missed a bowl game last season and have owned a 6-7 record three other times since 2011 with bowl game losses. That’s not a juggernaut. That’s someone in your division you need to be better against.

The next chance to do that comes in a Friday night lights game at Scott Stadium. There’s a lot of football to play over the 15 weeks until Nov. 2, of course, so who knows what significance that game will have within the season by then, but it terms of the big picture. Beat Pitt!

The “99 Virginia Football Thoughts Before Kickoff” series has discussed much more. The previous articles are below. Click away.

• No. 99 – The Importance Of A Fast Start
• No. 98 – The Impact Of Early-Ending Careers
• No. 97 – Jordan Mack’s Role
• No. 96 – Welcome Back
• No. 95 – Han Solo Says
• No. 94 -Smart Addition
• No. 93 – The Center Spot
• No. 92 – Finding A Punt Returner
• No. 91 – Facing Running Quarterbacks
• No. 90 – Interceptions
• No. 89 – Kickoff Times
• No. 88 – QB Optimism Not Enough To Tilt Early Predictions Too Far
• No. 87 – It Starts With Jordan Ellis
• No. 86 – Virginia’s Most Dangerous Game
• No. 85 – The Tight End Swan Song?
• No. 84 – Teach A Man To Fish
• No. 83 – No Ordinary Joe
• No. 82 – Now Or Then
• No. 81 – How To Treat The Kickoff Rule Change
• No. 80 – Play, But Still Redshirt
• No. 79 – Which Red Zone Offense Is The Real One?
• No. 78 – Schedule For Success
• No. 77 – Who’s The Worst?
• No. 76 – ACC Coach Rankings
• No. 75 – Keep That Cold Weather Gear
• No. 74 – 1,000 Target For OZ
• No. 73 – Cross Out Cross-Training For Cross
• No. 72 – Punting Plans
• No. 71 – Redshirted … Ready?
• No. 70 – A June Jolt
• No. 69 – Who?
• No. 68 – Stops To Start Second Half
• No. 67 – Root, Root, Root For …
• No. 66 – Wildcard Extras
• No. 65 – Defense Showed Red Zone Improvement
• No. 64 – Welcome Back, Mr. Robinson
• No. 63 – The Florida Footprint
• No. 62 – True Freshmen Will Play, But Who Will Make The Most Impact?
• No. 61 – Four Fireworks-Worthy Moments In The Bronco Mendenhall Era
• No. 60 – Juan Thornhill Primed For An All-ACC Caliber Season
• No. 59 – Rebuilding The Offensive Line Is On Schedule
• No. 58 – Bouncing Back On The Defensive Line
• No. 57 – Underrated Hoos
• No. 56 – Lordy, Lordy, How ‘Bout 40?
• No. 55 – Peace Talk
• No. 54 – Hoos’ Handle On Social Media Bodes Well For Future Recruiting
• No. 53 – Filling The Void At Wide Receiver
• No. 52: The Sixth-Year Seniors
• No. 51: Borrowing A Burning Question
• No. 50: Beat Tech!
• No. 49 – A Resolute Leader
• No. 48 – The Perkins Theorem