CAVS SEEM SET TO STAY
Mindset, depth have U.Va. poised to avoid recent poor endings
DURHAM, N.C. – We’ve been here before with Virginia. Encouraging start, whispers that the Cavaliers are poised for a winning season, fantasies of Coastal Division contention.
This feels different. This, dare I say, is different.
Virginia defeated Duke 28-14 Saturday. This the Cavaliers did emphatically, scoring on their first possession, never surrendering the lead and outplaying the Blue Devils in every facet.
Almost as rewarding to thirdyear Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall: His team had no hangover from the previous week’s upset of Miami, a signature victory of his tenure that could have lingered.
“So it wasn’t just the way that they played the game,” Mendenhall said, “but the start was indicative of their mindset. And we worked really hard on that, if you will, to erase Miami on Monday and insert Duke. Our players took that to heart.”
That maturity, and the completeness of Saturday’s performance, are part of what make this season different.
The Cavaliers are 5-2, 3-1 in the ACC and a game behind divisionleading Virginia Tech (4-2, 3-0) in the loss column. The position is not unfamiliar.
Virginia was 5-3 in 2008 under Al Groh and lost its final four games. The Cavaliers were 4-2 under Mike London in 2014 and dropped five of their last six.
Most striking, Virginia was 5-1 last year and limped home 1-6 to complete its ninth losing season in a decade.
So why expect the Cavaliers to flip the script in 2018?
Start with defense, Mendenhall’s wheelhouse. Few coach it better, and for the first time at Virginia, he has not only frontline talent but also depth.
When Duke (5-2, 1-2) drew within 20-14 early in the fourth quarter and quickly forced a Cavaliers punt, momentum appeared to be shifting. But then Chris Peace sacked Daniel Jones for a 2-yard loss. Mandy Alonso and Eli Hanback then tackled Jones for another 2-yard loss, followed by a 10-yard sack courtesy of Peace and Charles Snowden.
“That was probably the most important drive of the game,” Peace said.
“I thought it was huge,” Snowden said, “not just the stop itself, but the way we made the stop.”
Tavares Kelly’s subsequent 29-yard punt return gave Virginia possession at Duke’s 28, and four plays later, Bryce Perkins eluded the rush, rolled to his left and found tight end Evan Butts for a 16-yard dagger touchdown.
And there’s another reason to believe in the Cavaliers: Defense is their strength, but special teams and the offense complement the D.
Perkins rushed for 61 yards and two scores and baffled Duke with his knack for extending plays. Long returns by Joe Reed (kickoff ), Chuck Davis (punt) and Kelly (punt) set up each of Virginia’s three touchdowns.
Blended into that mix is a sneaky depth. Tailback Jordan Ellis missed the entire second half with what appeared to be a sprained ankle. PK Kier and Lamont Atkins weren’t as productive as Ellis, but they contributed.
Similarly, when safety Joey Blount was sidelined with an unspecified injury, De’Vante
Cross filled in admirably.
“It just adds to the backstory of what’s happened,” Mendenhall said. “It’s just new players every week that we haven’t seen much of contribute.”
Virginia dominated both lines of scrimmage and outrushed Duke 178-58. Most impressive, the Cavaliers smothered Blue Devils tailback Deon Jackson (17 yards on 11 carries) and harassed Jones at every step, that pressure helping cause interceptions by Juan Thornhill and Bryce Hall.
“They got really exotic with some of their stunts and some of their blitzes,” Duke center Zach Harmon said.
A final contrast to 2017 is the schedule. At 5-1 last year, Virginia had yet to face AJ Dillon and Boston College, Lamar Jackson and Louisville, undefeated Miami and nemesis Virginia Tech. Indeed, the Cavaliers were underdogs in each of their last four regular-season games.
This year’s schedule is far more accommodating. U.Va.’s next three tests — North Carolina, Pitts- burgh and Liberty — are at home, and the Cavaliers likely will be favored in all of them. They then close with road contests at Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.
The program’s first winning season since 2011 is at hand, and come mid-November, Virginia should be among those chasing the Coastal Division title.
“We’re watching it happen,” Mendenhall said of a culture change, “right in front of us. … It doesn’t get easier each week, but it gets more challenging and more fun and more at stake, which … if you’re a coach and building a program, what else could you want?” Teel can be reached by phone at 757-247-4636 or by email at dteel@dailypress.com. Read his blog at dailypress.com/teeltime and follow him at twitter.com/DavidTeelatDP.