Virginia football coach Bronco Mendenhall said it takes a lot for him to notice or hear fans during the game, but during last week’s win against William & Mary it was hard to ignore how the hill and student section looked. Mendenhall noticed it before and during the victory against the Tribe.
That end of the field was filled with spectators and load roars rang out during many big plays like Nick Grant’s interception return for touchdown and Joe Reed’s kickoff return for touchdown.
“One of my favorite things from Friday night was our student section. It was jammed,” Mendenhall said. “It was so much fun. What a cool thing for college students to have a chance on a Friday night to go to a football game and see good and winning football in an environment like that. I hope it’s just the beginning. I really do. It was noticeable to me. I pay attention usually just before the game, and then they have to be pretty loud for me to notice during the game, and I notice not only their section, but the grass hill on the end. It just started looking like, ‘Hey, this is starting to take shape’.”
The Cavaliers entered the national rankings for the second straight year following their 2-0 start to the season. That combined with Florida State’s first visit to Scott Stadium since 2010 has created a palpable buzz around Charlottesville.
The athletics department and the football program are trying to top last week’s strong atmosphere. There’s a student promotion going on as well. The goal is to set a new student attendance record with the target being 12,000 students. There will be t-shirts given to the first 12,000 students that arrive and students get bonus ticket points if they arrive before 6:30 p.m.
Beyond the students, ticket sales have been high and there have been reports of scarce tickets available for the game. This is the sort of atmosphere UVA fans have been itching to rekindle and that Mendenhall has been eager to see.
“I would hope it’s just the beginning and that the community at large, the state, as well as our student section and the long-time fans that have been so loyal, I hope they’re optimistic and enjoying what’s happening and encourage their friends to come,” Mendenhall said. “It’s Florida State, ACC football, with a UVA team that seems to be on the right track.”
With that in mind, it’s time for Fan Friday!
Threads Of The Week
The message boards have been buzzing this week with thoughts about the matchup with the Seminoles. Some select posts from a pair of threads are below. Check out the two threads here and here.
Fans Of The Week
We see you Wahoos!
Student Fans Of The Week
Are UVA students ready to bring the noise again this week?
Feature Photo Of The Week
Virginia and Charles Snowden are locked in this season.
Post Of The Week
While things are heating up on the football field, it’s a big week for the men’s basketball program too. The Cavaliers will raise their National Championship banner tonight at the John Paul Jones Arena. For fans, the fact that the Wahoos are the National Champions still brings out a lot of joy. That’s the case with the post of the week – you can read the whole thread here.
Question Of The Week
We’ll get back to football to wrap up this week’s article. Poster 5Pillars asked the question of the week in this thread: “Taking the 2 Bryces off the table, who do you think will have the greatest Impact on the game on each side of the ball Saturday night?” 5Pillars picked Terrell Chatman and Joey Blount. Share your answer in the comments below or on the message boards.
