Turning the page
Mendenhall and his players say they have moved on from Saturday’s 48-38 loss at Pittsburgh — a setback that cost them the chance of winning the ACC’s Coastal Division title.
“College football doesn’t slow down for anyone,” Mendenhall said. “When you invest as much as our program had to win the Coastal Division, the thought that you just move on … well, that’s not realistic.”
But having a rivalry game immediately afterward helps.
“Here comes a really meaningful game that has so much meaning to our program,” he said.
“I’ve already turned the page,”
Armstrong said. “I’m ready to move on. Losing, it’s terrible, but it’s time to move on.”
Discipline issues
Blount says discipline is the reason behind Virginia’s problem with penalties in recent games. Several of those infractions came at key parts of the game.
“We’re disciplined as far as the way we play,” he said. “But we’re not disciplined when it comes to penalties.”
Mendenhall says balancing the emotions surrounding a rivalry game is a challenge for the Cavaliers this week.
“Education is part of it,” he says. “It’s showing examples of what is acceptable, what is not, what helps the team, what hurts the team.”
No advice from Dad
Blount hasn’t gotten any advice from his father about the rivalry game with Virginia Tech.
Tony Blount was a defensive back at Virginia from 1976-79. They talk about football, but the subject of Virginia Tech hasn’t come up.
“Believe it or not, it hasn’t been a topic of conversation,” Joey Blount said. “We talked more about it
being the last game of the season. What do I want to leave as my legacy?”
Blount said he thinks many fans don’t realize that some Virginia players have fans on the Virginia
Tech team, and vice versa. He said he has become close to Hokies receivers Tre Turner and Tayvion Robinson.
“It’s more a matter of respect,” Blount says.