CAVALIERS SEEK TO BUILD ON SUCCESS
Mendenhall aims to keep momentum going for U.Va.
Win No. 7 might’ve seemed like a modest accomplishment for Virginia from the outside, but the suddenly successful Cavaliers saw much more in it.
Saturday’s 45-24 non-conference victory over Liberty represented a significant shift in the evolution of third-year coach Bronco Mendenhall’s developing culture.
Unlike last season, when U.Va. achieved bowl eligibility by getting its sixth win with three regular-season games to go, the Cavaliers were able to add to the accomplishment and lock up their first winning season since 2011.
“We didn’t know as a program … OK, how do you behave?” Mendenhall said, referring to the team’s 1-6 finish down the stretch last season. “It was almost like the accomplishment mark was hit, and there were still games to play. This year, yeah, the accomplishment mark for postseason was hit, which is one of our goals. That didn’t come close to taking any edge off for what’s next.”
The Cavaliers (7-3, 4-2 ACC), who sit alone in second place in the league’s Coastal Division, can inch closer to their goal of a conference championship Saturday at Georgia Tech.
Of course, they’ll need help from teams playing against firstplace Pittsburgh, which bumped U.Va. from the top spot with a
23-13 win in Charlottesville on Nov. 2. The Panthers have remaining games at Wake Forest and Miami.
U.Va., which was ranked 23rd in the AP poll before the loss to Pitt, finishes the regular season at rival
Virginia Tech. The Wahoos have plenty of motivation, regardless of how things play out for the Panthers.
“We're not done yet,” junior quarterback Bryce Perkins said after passing for two touchdowns and running for another pair Saturday. “We've got to keep going. Our goal is ACC champs. We got to finish these two out and get a 9-3 winning season, and on to the bowl game.”
Of course, Georgia Tech will have an immediate say in that.
The Yellow Jackets (6-4, 4-3) run a triple-option attack that gave the Cavaliers fits the last time they faced one.
In last season's Military Bowl, against Navy's option scheme, U.Va. surrendered 452 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground in an ugly 49-7 loss that left the Cavaliers envious of amnesia patients.
“After that Navy game, we pushed that aside and started to focus on a new season immediately,” said senior safety Juan Thornhill. “That Navy game was last year, and this is a whole different year. And I feel like we're a different team now.”
Mendenhall agreed, citing the team's ability to remain focused after its previously all-important sixth win.
“That's part of a mindset shift and a cultural shift of what expectations are,” he said.
Option an old nemesis
Preparations for Georgia Tech began in earnest Monday for Mendenhall's players, but it started for the coaching staff after the Navy game.
More specifically, it began for Mendenhall two decades ago.
In 1998, when he became the defensive coordinator at New Mexico, Mendenhall began studying the option and how to defend against it because the Lobos frequently played Air Force, another service academy that employs the vexing scheme.
His staff at U.Va. studied it in the offseason with both the Navy gave lurking in the past and Saturday's game looming in the future.
It's something Mendenhall said they embraced.
“We love option football because it's so hard,” he said. “We like hard things. It's challenging, and you never feel like you have enough time. And it kind of gives you an occasion to rise to.”
The Cavaliers became bowleligible last season with a dramatic 40-36 home win over Georgia Tech.
Booming and ‘Aussie’ working for Coleman
U.Va. punter Lester Coleman received his coach's praises Saturday after averaging 37.3 yards on three punts, twice pinning the Flames deep in their own territory.
Coleman, a senior from Martinsville, employs what's widely known as the “Aussie” style of punting in short-yardage situations. The term, derived from Australian rules football, refers to kicking the ball lower on the nose to allow for precise placement.
Coleman is averaging 41.5 yards per kick, and he's hit eight of at least 50 yards while placing 15 inside the 20-yard line. He said he doesn't have a preference
“They're both fun,” he said. “I wouldn't say one's more fun than the other. Certainly, if you can down the ball inside the 5-yard line, that's a lot of fun. And in the same respects, if you can hit one over 50 yards, that's a lot of fun, too.”
Fourth-down call debated
Much of the postgame talk Saturday revolved around Liberty coach Turner Gill's decision to go for it on fourth down from the Flames' 14-yard line in the third quarter.
With his team trailing 31-24 and needing just a yard, Liberty quarterback Stephen Calvert had a screen pass broken up by free safety Brenton Nelson. The Cavaliers turned it into a Perkins touchdown run three plays later.
Mendenhall commended Gill for displaying guts.
“I actually admired the decision,” Mendenhall said. “But they came to win the game, and they were having success running the ball, especially early.
“I have no issues with the decision.”
Perkins called it “disrespectful,” though Liberty had converted two previous fourth-down tries.
Gill defended the play, which came on a read by Calvert.
“You have to take chances in this type of game,” Gill said. “You have to score points. We knew we had to score some points against them. Unfortunately, we didn't make it.”