Mendenhall not looking to make new trip to FSU
Coach wants changes to when teams receive virus testing results
Sitting by the pool Saturday in Tallahassee, Florida, wasn’t so bad for Virginia linebacker Zane Zandier and his teammates, and there was time for a good bicep pump in the gym at the team hotel. But U.Va. probably isn’t going back this season.
U.Va. coach Bronco Mendenhall made that clear Monday.
After U.Va. (4-4, 3-4 ACC) was forced to make arrangements on the fly Saturday to jet back to Charlottesville from Tallahassee when Florida State canceled its game against the Cavaliers because of coronavirus issues within the Seminoles’ football program, Mendenhall doesn’t have much desire to make up the game.
“I have no interest in going back to Florida State,” Mendenhall said. “That opportunity was there. It’s no longer there. I’m anxious to play Boston College (Saturday) and then Virginia Tech (Dec. 12), and then, hopefully, we play well enough to be considered for postseason and we go from there.”
U.Va. heads into the game against BC (6-4, 5-4) seeking its fourth consecutive win. It’ll be the final home game of the season for the Cavaliers, who are 4-1 in Scott Stadium.
Zandier said he and his teammates found out about 10:30 a.m. Saturday the game against FSU had
been postponed. They’d arrived in Tallahassee on Friday night, and they had time to kill at the team hotel Saturday after the postponement and before their return flights to Charlottesville.
“We made light of it,” Zandier said. “We try to keep a positive mindset in times like this, just because if you don’t, you can get down on yourself pretty quick and it gets to be a little bit frustrating and a little bit depressing. It seems like as a team we kept a positive mindset, as disappointed as we were. We were able to come home and have the rest of our Saturday and our Sunday off to watch a little bit of football and just hang out.”
Though he’s certain FSU coach Mike Norvell wanted to play, Mendenhall is upset with the way FSU and some other ACC football teams carry out their coronavirus testing protocols. He sees no reason why some teams have to wait until Saturday morning to get testing results.
“There’s a lot of work that could still be done regarding protocols and regarding ensuring that when you make a trip that you actually have a chance to play the game,” Mendenhall said. “I have expressed those concerns and ideas to the ACC, as has (U.Va. athletic director) Carla (Williams), and we can do better is my sincere belief. ... Policies and other things prevented us from making an unnecessary trip. We waited until after 6 p.m. on Friday to ensure all of our results were back and all were negative. It doesn’t seem like too much to ask for anyone that’s playing in college football to have their test in and reported negative before the opponent gets on the airplane to leave.”