Coach Bronco Mendenhall has high hopes for this year’s UVA football team. Photo: Matt Riley/UVA Athletics.
This Saturday, the Virginia Cavaliers will return to a full-capacity Scott Stadium for the first time in almost two years. The team will face considerable opposition if it wants to repeat its ACC Coastal Division-winning 2019 performance: Most preseason polls have UVA finishing fifth of eight teams in the Coastal, trailing UNC, Miami, Pitt, and Virginia Tech. UNC and Miami in particular boast strong, star-packed rosters.
But for the Wahoo faithful, there’s plenty of reason to believe. The Cavs handled the tumult of the pandemic remarkably well in 2020, winning four of their last five games to finish the season at 5-5. And heading into 2021, the roster has quite a few players who were a part of the memorable 2019 season, which saw Bryce Perkins lead the Cavaliers to their first ACC Championship appearance in program history.
On offense
UVA will shine on offense this season. The 2020 unit averaged 30.7 points per game, the first time UVA has averaged more than 30 points per game in the ACC. Quarterback Brennan Armstrong, the 6’2″, 215-pound redshirt junior from Shelby, Ohio, will lead the charge. Armstrong threw for 2,117 yards and 18 touchdowns, and was the Cavaliers’ leading rusher with 552 yards in 2020. He also threw 11 interceptions, more than competitors like UNC’s Sam Howell (seven) and Miami’s D’Eriq King (five).
Armstrong is one of seven returning quarterbacks in the country with a ProFootballFocus rating over 90. With spring and summer training curtailed by COVID in 2020, he struggled to find rapport with his offense, especially in the early part of the season. After a full season as the starter and a full offseason of work, Armstrong should be better than ever come fall.
The secret to UVA’s success this year will be keeping the team’s signal caller healthy and out of harm’s way—which is where the Cavaliers’ offensive line comes in. The OL has six key linemen returning: Olusegun Oluwatimi, Ryan Nelson, Chris Glaser, Ryan Swoboda, Bobby Haskins, and Joe Bissinger. Although the starting five have yet to be announced, it’s safe to say that Armstrong has experienced men protecting him.
A good quarterback is nothing without quality receivers and running backs, and luckily Armstrong has plenty. Senior Keytaon Thompson, who serves as a back-up quarterback and wide receiver, returns for the Hoos after rushing 39 times for 234 yards and three touchdowns, and catching seven passes for 98 yards and three TDs. Senior wide receiver Billy Kemp IV is a solid option for Armstrong as well, after rushing 644 yards and securing one touchdown in 2020. Kemp will also be the team’s starting punt returner. Big man Lavel Davis, Jr. made waves last season with 20 receptions for 515 yards and five touchdowns before tearing his ACL. Davis was originally slated to return in November, but in a recent press conference Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall teased a potential earlier return. Dontayvion Wicks, who was out last season due to injury, and Ra’Shaun Henry, who racked up 206 yards and four touchdowns in 2020, are valuable options for Armstrong as well.
The Cavaliers have three play-making running backs available to start: senior Wayne Taulapapa, sophomore Mike Hollins, and senior Ronnie Walker, Jr. Taulapapa returns for the Hoos after rushing for 395 yards in 2020. He’ll look to add to his 17 career touchdowns. Hollins opted out of the 2020 season but secured three touchdowns in 2019. Walker ran for 66 yards in four games after transferring from Indiana halfway through last year.
At tight end, Armstrong has an exciting new target to aim for: Jelani Woods, a 6’7″, 275 lb transfer from Oklahoma State. When he arrived at UVA, Woods selected the number 0 for his jersey, because, Woods says, 0 is the number of people who can stop him. Now that’s the right attitude.
On defense
The secondary will make or break the season for UVA. In 2020, the defense struggled, in part due to injury, giving up an average of 442.9 yards per game (10th in the ACC), 6.4 yards per play (14th in the ACC), and 29.6 points per game (ninth in ACC). The defensive backfield allowed 304 passing yards per game, which ranked last in the ACC and 123rd out of 127 FBS teams.
On the bright side, last season’s Hoos finished fourth in the ACC in rushing yards allowed per game, sixth in sacks with 32, and sixth in interceptions with 11. These aren’t extraordinary numbers, but at least the team has a foundation to build on entering the season.
Nick Jackson is the linebacker to watch. As an inside linebacker, he earned a spot on the all-ACC Third Team in 2020 after leading the Hoos with 105 tackles on the inside (ranked sixth nationally) and averaged 10.5 tackles per game (second in the ACC). Jackson was named to the preseason watchlist for the Butkus Award, which goes to the best linebacker in the country.
Senior safeties Joey Blount and De’Vante Cross are ready to rectify the mistakes of last season. Blount, an all-ACC performer in 2019, missed time in 2020 due to an injury but still managed one interception, one forced fumble, and a sack. Cross started all 10 games in 2020 and finished the season with 29 tackles, two interceptions, one sack, and six passes defended.
Joey Blount, who was injured for half of last season, is making up for lost time as a “super senior,” one of eight UVA players who is taking advantage of an extra year of eligibility. Photo: Matt Riley/UVA Athletics.
Senior cornerback Nick Grant is aided by the addition of grad transfer Anthony Johnson. Grant had 31 total tackles (25 solo), one forced fumble, and two interceptions in 2020. In 2019, Johnson had 27 total tackles, six points defended, three forced fumbles, and one interception at Louisville.
The defensive line is filled with experienced returning starters: Mandy Alonso, Adeeb Atariwa, Aaron Faumui, and Jahmeer Carter, plus freshman Bryce Carter, UVA’s highest-ranked recruit for 2021.
De’Vante Cross, another super senior, started all 10 games for the Cavs in 2020, and finished the season with 29 tackles, two interceptions, one sack, and six passes defended. Photo: Matt Riley/UVA Athletics.
ON the competition
The Cav’s opening game against William & Mary should get the team off the mark with a win. After that, things quickly get more difficult: UVA has September road games against the season’s two highest-ranked ACC opponents, UNC and Miami. Both programs boast star quarterbacks: UNC starting passer Sam Howell is on the watchlist for the Heisman, and dynamite Miami quarterback D’Eriq King returns for the Hurricanes after tearing his meniscus and ACL.
The Hoos have a dismal record on the road in recent years. They went 2-3 on the road in 2019 and 0-4 in 2020. Even so, UVA has beaten UNC for the past four years, including last season with Howell under center.
Miami, however, is a different story. UVA has lost to Miami on the road three times in the past four years. The Cavs beat Miami in 2018, when the Hoos and Hurricanes met at Scott Stadium, where UVA was able to pull off a three-point victory. Despite a stacked offensive roster, the Cavaliers may need a miracle to win at Miami on September 30.
Later in the season, UVA can look forward to a tough home game against highly ranked Notre Dame, and a tricky matchup against Pitt in Pittsburgh on November 20. Then on November 27, Virginia Tech comes to town, and UVA will attempt to win the Commonwealth Cup for just the second time in the last 18 seasons.
It’s the million dollar question, isn’t it: Will UVA beat Tech? The Hokies shouldn’t be any great shakes this season, coming off a three-year run where the team accumulated a 19-18 record. Quarterback Braxton Burmeister had an injury-riddled, inconsistent season last year before leading Tech to victory over UVA in the annual November matchup. The Hokies lost their best offensive lineman and running back to the NFL, but added a transfer from Clemson along the defensive line.
With any luck, a jam-packed Scott Stadium crowd will cheer the Hoos as they topple their arch rivals in November. We can dream, can’t we?
Home sweet home
The Cavaliers are 16-2 at home over the last three seasons. They’re 6-13 when playing away from Charlottesville during the same stretch. That home-field advantage should continue this season, as Scott Stadium will be open to its full 61,500-seat capacity to start the season.
Old friends
UVA Class of 2019 star quarterback Bryce Perkins has impressed in this year’s NFL preseason—Perkins threw for more than 450 yards and three touchdowns over the course of the Los Angeles Rams’ three preseason games. The Arizona native went undrafted in 2019 and spent 2020 on the Rams’ practice squad, but now looks set to enter the season as L.A.’s third-string passer.
UVA Chief of Police Tim Longo came under fire recently for UPD’s treatment of a Black man on the Corner.
PC: Eric Kelley
Under fire
Shortly before midnight on November 15, a houseless Black man named Lawrence was reportedly violently detained by both Charlottesville and University police on the Corner.
According to eyewitness accounts given to Defund Cville Police, three UPD officers pushed Lawrence into the brick wall in front of Cohn’s. A dozen more officers soon arrived on the scene, and slammed him to the ground. Four pinned him down with their knees, digging into his back and ribs.
While witnesses and Lawrence’s wife asked multiple times why the officers were detaining him, they reportedly did not provide a clear answer. One officer accused Lawrence of trespassing on UVA Grounds, while another said they needed to question him and resolve a dispute with his wife.
The officers then pressed down onto Lawrence’s neck, claiming he was biting them, though witnesses say he was not. They allegedly did not let him go until another officer arrived and deescalated the situation.
Lawrence was then allowed to sit up and answer questions, which were not related to the incident, claim witnesses.
Because of the extent of injuries, Lawrence reportedly could barely walk or stand. When he was taken to the hospital, it was revealed he had three broken ribs, and multiple cuts and abrasions on his arms, wrists, side, and feet.
After Defund Cville Police’s account of the incident sparked outcry on social media last week, UVA’s Chief of Police Tim Longo released a statement about the “difficult encounter,” failing to mention Lawrence’s extensive injuries, or the large number of officers reportedly on the scene.
According to Longo, a UPD officer witnessed a verbal altercation between Lawrence and a woman outside a store on the Corner. He approached the couple and asked for identification. While the woman provided it, Lawrence refused, and walked away, crossing University Avenue onto UVA Grounds.
Another officer soon arrived on the scene, and recognized Lawrence from a previous incident at UVA hospital, during which Lawrence “became disorderly” and was banned from coming back onto UVA Grounds.
The officers followed Lawrence, told him he was trespassing, and tried to detain him. Lawrence went back to the Corner, which is off UVA Grounds, and attempted to leave the scene. The two officers then pursued and restrained him “for further investigation,” resulting in “several minutes” of “active resistance and struggle,” Longo writes.
A UPD supervising officer later deescalated the situation, ordering that Lawrence be allowed to sit up for questioning and evaluated by medical responders before allowing him to leave the Corner.
“Upon review of the incident, the Charlottesville Commonwealth’s Attorney has determined that none of the officers acted unlawfully,” stated Longo, who has now begun an internal UPD review into the incident.
One officer has been placed on administrative leave. Defund Cville Police demands every officer involved in the incident be fired immediately, and calls on the community to support Lawrence as he recovers from his injuries.
_________________
Quote of the week
“Enough is enough. When do we start fixing it and stop covering up things?”
—South First Street resident Angela Barnesadvocating for installing security cameras during a CRHA meeting last week, following a recent murder in the public housing community
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In brief
Get registered
Jackson P. Burley School, Charlottesville’s Black high school during the age of segregation, was added to the National Register of Historic Places last week. Burley opened in 1951, “part of an effort [by] many jurisdictions in Virginia to support segregation by constructing new and well-equipped separate but equal high schools for African American students,” reads the NRHP listing. The school was added to the Virginia Landmarks Register in September.
Jackson P. Burley School PC: Skyclad Aerial
Cool your jets
Just after Thanksgiving, UVA’s football team flew down to Tallahassee, ready to take on the 2-6 Florida State Seminoles. But upon arrival, the team was told the game had been postponed due to uncontained coronavirus among FSU’s players. It’s the third time this season the Cavaliers have had an opponent cancel on them due to COVID.
School outbreak
Five students at Woodbrook Elementary School tested positive for coronavirus last week, and are currently quarantined at home. The students and staff who attended classes with the students were also asked to self-isolate for 10 days. On November 9, Albemarle County moved to Stage 3 of reopening, welcoming about 2,700 students—mostly pre-kindergarteners through third graders—into schools for hybrid learning.
Supply chain training
Virginia is running its first round of vaccine distribution tests, reports the Virginia Mercury. The state Department of Health is overseeing 50 sites around the commonwealth as they practice transporting COVID-19 vaccines, in hopes of being prepared when the first shipments of real vaccines begin to arrive later this month.
According UVA’s COVID-19 tracker, 2,391 tests were administered from September 20-26, with 158 positive results. Roughly half of all tests were given to student-athletes.
By Amelia Delphos
On Tuesday, UVA released a six-minute video in which President Jim Ryan once again attempted to lay down the law, unveiling a new set of COVID rules following upticks in cases in university housing. These new restrictions ban gatherings of more than five people, require wearing a mask at all times unless students are in their room, eating or drinking, and avoiding travel to and from Charlottesville for the next two weeks.
The new restrictions come after the rate of infection has spiked in freshman residence halls. Fourteen percent of those tested in Hancock dorm were positive for the disease, and Balz-Dobie, Kellogg, and Echols dorms have all been put on lockdown for mandatory testing at some point, though those lockdowns have now lifted.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, the UVA football team hosted Duke. Scott Stadium contained the socially distanced family and friends of players and coaching staff, as well as the two teams and their respective entourages, in accordance with Governor Ralph Northam’s Phase III requirement of 1,000 people or less at sports venues.
The team was able to win its fourth consecutive home opener for one reason: vigorous testing. Those familiar with game-day traditions know that the most influential player gets to “break the rock” in the locker room after the final whistle blows. On Saturday, Kelli Pugh, the team’s associate director of sports medicine, broke the rock. According to Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall, Pugh has been instrumental in keeping the team COVID-free since players returned in July.
The school administered 1,168 tests to athletes between September 21 and 27, finding 22 positives, the athletic department announced this week. Athletes have been tested almost 5,000 times since July. UVA’s COVID dashboard says that from September 20 to 26, 2,391 tests were administered to UVA faculty, staff, students, and contract employees. Thrice-weekly testing for athletes is required by the Atlantic Coast Conference.
According to one third-year resident advisor, an upperclassman who lives in first-year housing to support the younger students, first-years were told they could come to college to make new friends and build connections, but now have to navigate strict restrictions in order to do so. RAs have watched their first-years struggle as the school’s stated goals and actual actions have contradicted each other.
“I really empathize with them trying to build the social connections that they need just to be mentally healthy, while also being physically healthy,” says the RA.
The constant testing of athletes has frustrated a fourth-year RA who is living in a dorm with an outbreak. “Those tests for the athletes are not just being taken out of UVA, but they’re being taken out of the Charlottesville community,” he says.
In his COVID-infested dorm, the residents are only being tested once a week, whereas the athletes are tested three times a week. “Dorms are also a hot spot,” he says.
Many students were quick to point out the hypocrisy of a gathering of 1,000 people when student gatherings of greater than five were banned just days before.
“It creates a sense that the university is willing to play loose with safety,” the third-year RA says, “if it’s something that benefits [UVA] financially or gives it good PR.”
Scott Stadium will be limited to 1,000 friends and family for this upcoming football season. Photo: UVA Athletics
By Julia Stumbaugh
The ball had barely slipped out of Virginia Tech wide receiver Damon Hazelton’s hands when the first University of Virginia students’ feet hit the turf.
The incomplete pass meant UVA had beaten its fiercest rival for the first time in 15 years. Nothing, not fences or Scott Stadium employees, could keep the hillside student crowd from spilling onto the field, where players were whipping off their helmets to shout their triumph to the sky.
Like most memories, the field rush looks different in the light of the pandemic. The celebration that felt so natural and effortless last Thanksgiving—bare hands on sweaty shoulders, singing “The Good Old Song” linked arm-in-arm—now feels a world away.
Today, as the Cavaliers prepare for their September 19 rematch against Tech, Scott Stadium stands empty. And when football players take the field, their calls will echo in a mostly vacant stadium: In order to adhere to Virginia crowd safety regulations, stadium crowds will be limited to 1,000 people—team family members only—in an arena with a regular capacity of 61,500.
Despite the enormous amount of money UVA athletics generate, the school’s most profitable sports—football and men’s basketball—operate on surprisingly thin profit margins. According to The Daily Progress, in the 2017-18 financial year, the university athletics program had a deficit of about $340,000, despite generating over $100 million in revenue.
Even football, the most profitable sport, brought in only about $6.5 million after costs in the fall of 2018, according to a financial report filed with the NCAA. In 2018-19, UVA spent $25.9 million on its football program and brought in $32.4 million total. Almost $6 million came from ticket sales. That means that without a crowd at Scott Stadium, the university’s biggest moneymaker could become another red line in its athletics budget.
But the loss of a football crowd will reverberate much further than Grounds.
“Football weekends are huge here in the Charlottesville area,” says Brantley Ussery, director of marketing and public relations at the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Hotels are going to feel it in terms of their occupancy rates. Typically we’re sold out on home football weekends. And the impact goes beyond the hotels and also goes to the wineries, the restaurants, and all the other tourism-related businesses that benefit from all those additional fans that come on the weekends.”
Charlottesville and Albemarle draw millions of visitors to central Virginia every fall. In 2018, the city and county took in a combined $21.9 million in tourism-related taxes, not to mention a whopping $654.4 million in tourism dollars that cycled into the local economy, reports The Daily Progress.
Visitors come for the wine and the views, but also for the football. UVA home games attracted an average of almost 48,000 people per game in 2019. In a normal year, that would mean thousands of out-of-town visitors heading downtown on six of Charlottesville’s busiest Saturdays of the year.
This, however, is no normal year. Food and occupancy tax revenues bottomed out in April and have climbed steadily since then, but June 2020 tax revenue was still down almost 50 percent compared to June 2019, reports the Free Enterprise Forum. The $2 million in lost tourism taxes stung for a city already operating on a pandemic-reduced budget.
Charlottesville, so dependent on tourism, has no choice but to remain hopeful. “We have seen slow and steady increases over the last couple of months,” Ussery says. “Each month looks a little bit better than the month before…we just hope that continues as we go into the fall season.”
The team finalized its schedule on Friday, announcing a slate of 11 games. Ten of those will be played within the ACC.
Despite the schedule confirmation, there’s no guarantee the season will proceed as planned. Two of the NCAA’s Power 5 conferences have already called off their seasons. Across the country, COVID-19 outbreaks on campuses have pushed administrations to move classes online or send students home. Other ACC rivals like the University of North Carolina and North Carolina State are proceeding with football even though classes are all virtual.
At UVA, which is holding some in-person classes, the football team has been living and practicing in a “bubble,” limiting contact with the outside world as much as possible. After practicing in full face shields, players return to an isolated residence hall. They also receive regular COVID tests, none of which have returned positive for the virus since July 24.
“Our players are getting ready to move off Grounds, and the students are coming, and some of our classes will be in person,” Mendenhall told the Richmond Times-Dispatch in late August. “And so, by that very design, the bubble is broken.”
Each year, as the leaves start to turn, Mincer’s lines the sidewalk outside its Corner storefront with racks of orange and blue sportswear. It’s no coincidence that six of Mincer’s 10 busiest weekends correspond with the six UVA home games every season.
“Since Scott Stadium is within walking distance, people are always just around the Corner all day,” says Cal Mincer, the shop’s vice president. “It’s a big spike for us.”
It’s a similar story for The Draftsman Hotel. Along with graduation weekend, home football games are when the hotel is most likely to sell out—especially if the visiting team is within driving distance, like Virginia Tech or UNC.
“The fall also has parents’ weekend, so it’s a pretty predominant peak season for us,” says Walter Burton, manager of The Draftsman. “You’ve got fall weddings, you’ve got parents’ weekend, you’ve got football games. Just those three dynamics, it helps boom the economy here in Charlottesville.”
This year, Corner businesses aren’t sure what to expect. Fans won’t be heading to Scott Stadium, but perhaps they’ll find their way to town on football Saturdays nonetheless.
“I would like to think, just because of Charlottesville and the attraction and people’s support of the football team and sports teams at UVA, we will probably still get some folks that are just going to come to the area, just to be a part of the atmosphere and the culture of UVA and Charlottesville,” Burton says.
“I don’t know if [limited ticket sales] will cause a big spike in people hanging out on the Corner, and then that’ll be good, because they’ll be at Boylan or something watching the game,” says Mincer. “Or if that’ll just kill all the traffic for the Saturdays.”
For now, Mincer’s attitude is the same as The Draftsman’s, and the tourism bureau’s, and the athletics department’s, and the entire city of Charlottesville’s: There’s nothing to do but wait, see, and hope for the best.
“We don’t really know what to expect,” Mincer says. “And even if we did, there’s not a lot we can do to prepare for anything. We’ll be open, and we hope people come.”
Ready, set, snarf! The Chris Long Special is made with rotisserie chicken, avocado, sprouts, tomato, cheddar cheese, and chipotle mayonnaise on a brioche bun. Photo: Tiger Fuel
With the UVA football team on an early winning streak this season, The Markets of Tiger Fuel—a favorite for game-day grub—look like marketing geniuses with the introduction of new sandwiches named for head coach Bronco Mendenhall and former University of Virginia and NFL star Chris Long. The service-station deli trend isn’t new in Charlottesville, but Tiger Fuel now works its made-to-order magic at five locations (tigerfuelmarkets.com). The Bronco Buster—turkey, pepper jack cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and hot pepper relish on a seven-grain roll—is already on the menu, with a $1 game-day discount. Long’s eponymous sandwich—rotisserie chicken, avocado, sprouts, tomato, cheddar cheese, and chipotle mayonnaise on a brioche bun—debuted on Monday, October 7. A buck from each sale goes to Long’s charity, Waterboys, which works to deliver clean water to communities in need.
Artist Georgie Mackenzie’s work will be on display at Milli Coffee Roasters beginning with the exhibit opening, 5-7pm, October 12. Photo: Courtesy Milli Coffee Roasters
Cool beans
“Machines don’t make coffee, people do.” Those words of wisdom from Milli Coffee Roasters founder Nick Leichtentritt have guided new owner John Borgquist, who has carried on Milli’s tradition of building community with caffeine since Nick passed away unexpectedly earlier this year. A longtime customer and friend of Leichtentritt’s, Borgquist officially took the reigns June 1. Now, along with Leichtentritt’s sister, Sophia Milli Leichtentritt, Borgquist is taking things to the next level with a state-of-the-art new roaster that will enable Milli’s to expand its small-batch offerings. “It has a round drum and looks like an old-school locomotive, but in stainless steel,” Borgquist says. “I’ve kept with [Nick’s] philosophy, though it’s great to have the new tool.” The shop—which also offers Belgian waffles, panini, and wine—will use the roaster to produce an organic, fairly traded Guatemalan coffee grown at high altitude in Huehuetenango. (“It’s pronounced way way ten-ango, which I call ‘Hue-Hue All the Way,’” Borgquist says.) Another Milli’s tradition, displaying work by local artists, will carry on beginning October 12, from 5-7pm, with a show by UVA student/painter Georgie Mackenzie. The shop/gallery is at the corner of Preston Avenue and Ridge McIntire Road. millicoffeeroasters.com
Nuggets
In a run-up to National Vegan Day, on Friday, November 1, Charlottesville’s pizza-and-trivia haven Mellow Mushroom is celebrating with Meatless Mondays, on October 14, 21, and 28. Everyone likes a nice gooey pie, so the pizza joint has teamed up with innovative plant-based food producer Follow Your Heart to make its popular Veg Out Pizza fair game (oops, sorry) for vegans, using a non-GMO, soy-free mozz alternative. Prepared on a 10-inch platter of gluten-free dough, the pie is made with red sauce and fresh veggies like spinach, green peppers, mushrooms (not magic ones), sweet onions, black olives, and—oh, you get the picture. No pepperoni, capiche?! The price is $10.99, a savings of about $8, according to a press release. • Looking for a cool way to ease into the weekend? The Wine Guild of Charlottesville welcomes London-based writer Wink Lorch—author of Jura Wine and Wines of the French Alps: Savoie, Bugey and beyond—for a tasting and book signing from 5:30-8:30pm, Friday, October 11. In addition to having one of the best bylines ever, Lorch is a leading authority on wines of the French Alps and Jura, a little-known viticulture region on the border of France and Switzerland. Email wineguildcville@gmail.com to reserve a spot at the tasting, and indicate which book you’d like Lorch to inscribe for you. Book and tasting $40-45, tasting only $10-15. 221 Carlton Rd. wineguildcville.com • The UVA-developed technology that led to the launch of Ian Glomski’s Vitae Spirits is about to bear fruit again with the debut of another local boutique liquor producer, Monte Piccolo Farm and Distillery. The tech, which aids in identifying and quantifying flavor compounds in fruit brandy, has paved the way for Robin Felder, UVA professor of pathology and associate director of laboratory medicine in the School of Medicine, to produce an eau de vie-style pear brandy with his big copper still in Albemarle County. Monte Piccolo grows its own fruit to make the hooch, and Felder says he’s finalizing his bottling, labeling, and packaging for brandy that will be available soon. “With over 4,000 pounds of pears this year, I’ll certainly have enough pear eau de vie-style brandy to sell!” Felder says. montepiccolo.com
DJ Ron Manila coordinates with the team, the band, and the announcers to enhance the experience at UVA basketball and football games. Image courtesy of subject
By Robin Schwartzkopf
Ron Manila knew he wanted to be a DJ as soon as he put his hands on the turntables at a family pool party in 2010. A few days later, he had his own set, and the beginning of a lifelong passion.
“I’m in love with music and I always have been for as long as I can remember,” Manila says. “I knew then, this is what I want to do.”
Nine years later, Manila is pursuing his dream as the in-game DJ for men’s basketball and football home games at UVA. After a fortuitous gig at the Virginia Track Challenge in April 2017, he applied to DJ football games at Scott Stadium.
“I was told my audition would be three live games, and if I did good with that, I would get a chance with the basketball program as well.”
In fall 2017, Manila started working at football and basketball games, balancing his full-time job in Richmond with his new work at two very different stadiums. After several seasons with both teams, Manila understands the nuances of each and can prepare his sets to serve the specific environment and crowd.
At John Paul Jones Arena, he says, “volume control is key.” The indoor arena is louder and smaller than the football stadium, which changes how he thinks about getting the crowd—and players—pumped up. While he has the freedom to pick whatever songs he wants to play, Manila says he takes into account songs players have requested and perennial crowd favorites. “I work closely with the directors on certain tracks,” Manila says. “But in-game, I pretty much have the flexibility to go with what the crowd will respond to best.”
What hits are the most reliably hype at Virginia games? His answer isn’t surprising—any frequenter of JPJ or Scott Stadium has jumped and danced along to “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC and Quiet Riot’s “Cum on Feel the Noize.”
During football games, Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” is a Manila go-to with its bold opening and powerful guitar reaching students lounging on the hill and fans in the highest seats. While classic rock appeals to almost everyone, Manila tries to incorporate as many genres as possible in his sets. Game attendees can expect to hear the ubiquitous “Sweet Caroline” plus pop, house, and EDM, all with the twist of Manila’s own style of spinning. Last season, during the fourth quarter of the Miami homecoming game, he decided to test some new tracks. “I introduced a song called ‘Swag Surfin’ by Fast Life Yungstaz, and the whole player and student section went crazy. So now that song is a must-play at all of our football games. I also took a chance and played the ‘Friends’ theme song and surprisingly the student section had a dance to it. So cool!”
Manila isn’t the only one making noise during games—he has to coordinate with the band, announcers, and other programming, all while switching up his beats depending on the flow of the game. With so many elements, communication is key in order to ensure the arena doesn’t become a cacophony of competing sounds.
As the DJ, he channels the energy and flow of the game, following each minute in the action while keeping the crowd engaged and employing his sharp musical intuition. “If the game-winning shot is on the line and the team is coming out of a time out, the band cuts off, and I have 30 seconds to play something to hype up everyone,” Manila explains, adding, “I love it!”
Robin Schwartzkopf is the Arts and Entertainment editor at The Cavalier Daily.
A parking map for Saturday, October 22. A larger version can be found at the bottom of the story. Courtesy of UVA Police
UVA football and Carrie Underwood fans could be on a collision course this weekend.
The University of Virginia Police Department has issued a traffic and parking advisory for Saturday, October 22, near UVA Grounds, and suggests avoiding the area if possible.
The UVA football team will face a longtime rival, the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, at 3pm at Scott Stadium. A 7pm Carrie Underwood concert at John Paul Jones Arena is also expected to draw large crowds to the same vicinity.
Expect traffic delays if you are attending either event and plan to arrive early, police advise. And since a majority of the traffic will be in the evening with low light, they ask you to be cautious while watching for pedestrians and officers conducting traffic control.
UVA quarterback Kurt Benkert set the passing school record during Saturday's game against Central Michigan.
Photo Pete Emerson
Another 90-degree football day and half the stadium seems to have forgotten there was a game. The hill, one of UVA’s two student sections, is decidedly more green than orange. The bleachers are half-empty. Today is not the day for Virginia to take home a win, no less a 49-35 win over Central Michigan. Today is not a good day for football in Charlottesville.
Regardless of the state of Scott Stadium, the captains flip a coin, the game starts, and the Hoos suffocate defensively, forcing Central Michigan to punt on their first three drives of the game.
The audience is grateful, cheering politely at every defensive stop, but their hearts aren’t in it yet.
How many games have we started well and lost later?
Nevertheless, the stadium sways left and right joyously and rings with the sound of Virginia’s unique fight song when quarterback Kurt Benkert connects to Olamide Zaccheaus for a Cavalier touchdown with 9:42 to go in the first quarter.
A 44-yard rush by Taquan Mizzel leaves the Cavaliers at first and goal. Another touchdown—6:02 left in the first quarter.
The song swells slightly louder this time. The hill seems slightly fuller.
Virginia has played 10 minutes of suffocating defense and scored twice before the Chippewas are even able to muster a first down.
Benkert outdoes himself for the Cavaliers, delivering them out of danger when the Chippewas land a punt on the 1-yard line, gaining 208 yards in the first quarter alone to CMU’s 43, and continuing to move the ball down the field to give the Hoos a chance to score.
Not even a full minute into the second quarter and UVA has its third touchdown of the game—this time courtesy of Keeon Johnson. Alex Furbank, UVA’s walk-on, Division III soccer-playing kicker, misses the extra point. But the fans don’t care. Too much good has happened already.
A sack by Zach Bradshaw to force a punt and suddenly the crowd goes wild. The weight of Virginia’s 21 points is starting to settle, heavy and comfortably, on the shoulders of their fans.
This is happening.
UVA’s next drive down the field and suddenly the fans are confident. “Touchdown!” a man yells, anticipating Virginia’s score while they’ve still got 4 yards to go. This time, Furbank doesn’t miss his extra kick.
Is this the same team? Is this the team that blew a game to Richmond?
Five minutes left in the second quarter and Central Michigan starts to break through. They’re one and 8 for the first time. They’re close. They score. 28-7.
A remarkable 85-yard touchdown later and suddenly it’s 28-14, 2:26 to halftime. The student bleachers look barren, about half-full.
Was it this empty at the start?
Another Virginia drive that leads nowhere—another punt—and then it’s halftime, 28-14 at the half. That’s good, right?
But what about after halftime? Will the same team run out of the tunnel that ran in when it was 90 degrees and not a good day for football?
CMU kicks off to Virginia and the second half begins. The stadium itself is a study in contrasts: half pulsing with color, half on life support.
The student section is virtually deserted. Empty water bottles litter the hill and used napkins and plates blow in the breeze. You wouldn’t know, by the looks of that hill, that the Cavaliers were hours away from winning their first game of the season.
The third quarter turns into a slew of bad plays for the Cavaliers. An unnecessary roughness call kills Virginia’s drive and forces them to punt early, and the Chippewas intercept Kurt Benkert’s pass for a 47-yard touchdown—it’s 28-21.
Is this where the tables start turning? Is this where the football gods turn their backs on Virginia?
Six seconds into the fourth quarter and the Cavaliers are back at square one. Rush throws a 14-yard touchdown pass to CMU’s Corey Willis and it’s 28-28. All tied up now.
The game is a blank slate. A 15-minute-long window of football.
With 9:36 left in the game, everything changes. Benkert is pressured inside Virginia’s 10-yard line. He runs, a throw goes up…and is caught. Eighty-two yards later and the crowd is electrified—brought back to life like Frankenstein’s monster.
Benkert hits his stride again, connecting short passes to push the Cavs down the field.
A collective shout—the loudest yet: 42-28 Virginia.
Just five more minutes. Just five more minutes of good football.
An interception gives Virginia possession and a well-placed ball to “Smoke” Mizzell puts the Cavaliers up 49-28.
Central Michigan scores with 48 seconds left to put seven fewer points between the teams. But it’s already done. It’s already won. First-year head coach Bronco Mendenhall has his first win of the season, yet it seems half the crowd is still waiting for this game to turn into Richmond, or UConn, or any number of losses in the past seasons.
“We’re not immune yet from that being past history and I’m not sure the stadium was…” Mendenhall says. “It felt like there was this cultural ‘Well, we know what this looks like.’ And I felt that.”
“Bronco’s office is under renovation,” I’m told as I walk into UVA head football coach Bronco Mendenhall’s temporary office in July. “They’re adding bookshelves.”
Mendenhall sits at the end of a long table in a conference room, surrounded by pieces of paper. He looks every bit the part of a head coach in a Virginia shirt, Virginia athletic shorts and a Virginia visor. Mumford & Sons plays softly in the background.
As I approach, he gives me a friendly smile, but his tired expression and sun-beaten face are evidence of how hard he and his team have been working this summer.
What’s not so obvious about Mendenhall, 50, tall and broad-shouldered, is that he approaches the game with a unique coaching philosophy.
Those new bookshelves in his office aren’t for New York Times’ bestselling novels—they’re for his own personal research. Calling himself a “lifelong learner,” Mendenhall turns to books to guide him toward successful practices and methods, rather than relying solely on his own judgment.
Among his favorites are four “foundational books” that he bases his program on: Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin, The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle, Legacy by James Kerr and Wooden on Leadership by John Wooden. And Mendenhall himself is the subject of a book—Running Into the Wind, by Alyson Von Feldt and Paul Gustavson, which discusses the philosophy he developed as head football coach at Brigham Young University for 11 years.
“Everything we do is very well-researched,” Mendenhall says as he discusses the practices he has implemented at UVA since he was hired in December at a salary of $3.25 million for year one, to replace Mike London (London received $2.1 million in his first year), according to Streaking the Lawn. “What we do is often cerebral in nature, but it is always very well thought-out and very well researched. For example, there is nothing that our players are given. They have to earn everything, from their locker, to their V-sabre, to possibly their jersey number.”
While the methodology behind Mendenhall’s “earned, not given” policy was researched, he admits the decision to implement it was an impulse.
“This was all formed when I was standing in front of the team for the very first time,” Mendenhall says, explaining that the team lacked certain “foundational elements” necessary to “build a consistently strong program over time.”
A week before the Cavaliers face-off against the Richmond Spiders September 3, the whole team has earned the right to wear small V-sabres on their workout shirts. A total of 72 players will dress for UVA’s home-opener.
Mendenhall’s emphasis on proven coaching methods has been a staple in his career, evident since he began his tenure at BYU in 2005.
Then-quarterback John Beck, who played at BYU from 2003-2006 and in the NFL from 2007-2012, describes the young coach as “devoted and visionary,” constantly reading and studying.
“When Bronco took over as the head coach there, he was taking over a program that needed to be rebuilt. He was always trying to find the best way, the most efficient way to do things,” Beck says.
The first thing UVA football coach Bronco Mendenhall told his players was to “train, and if they had extra time, train. And in between training, train.” The team had to earn everything this year: from their lockers to the right to wear their V-sabres. Photo by Jackson Smith
During Mendenhall’s tenure, BYU did not have a single losing season. Barring his first season, in which the team ended with a 6-6 record, the Cougars posted 10 straight winning seasons and received 11 bowl invitations.
The ’04 Cougars and UVA’s current team look similar on paper. In ’03 and ’04, the Cougars recorded a 4-8 and a 5-6 season respectively, while UVA’s last two seasons left them 5-7 and 4-8.
In fact, in London’s six years at UVA, the Hoos had only one winning season, which came in 2011, during London’s second year with the Cavaliers. But after four subsequent losing seasons, calls for London’s resignation began to reverberate within the fan base, and they were answered at the end of the 2015 season when UVA lost to in-state rival Virginia Tech for the 12th consecutive year.
NUMBERS GAME
Mike London’s last season as head coach at the University of Virginia
Overall record: 4-8
Conference record: (ACC): 3-5
Points per game: 25.8 (opponents, 32.2)
Points off turnovers: 61 (opp., 81)
Average yards per rush: 4.1 (opp., 4.5)
Rushing touchdowns: 13 (opp., 15)
Average yards per pass: 6.9 (opp., 8.2)
Passing touchdowns: 21 (opp., 26)
Average yards per game: 383
(opp., 411.5)
Average yards lost to penalties per game: 63.8 (opp., 54.5)
Percent of third down conversions: 43 percent (opp., 37 percent)
Bronco Mendenhall’s last season as head coach at Brigham Young University
Overall record: 9-4
Points per game: 33.7 (opponents, 22.8)
Points off turnovers: 79 (opp., 83)
Average yards per rush: 4 (opp., 3.7)
Average yards per pass: 7.6 (opp., 6.4)
Average yards per game: 424.8 (opp., 345.7)
Average yards lost to penalties per game: 57.7 (opp., 58.7)
Rushing touchdowns: 28 (opp., 22)
Passing touchdowns: 26 (opp., 12)
Percent of third down conversions: 40 percent (opp., 38 percent)
Points per game
Mendenhall’s offense last season averaged eight more points per game than London’s did during his last season with the Cavaliers. The Cougars also allowed 10 fewer points per game from their opponents. More points per game plus fewer points scored by opponents equals more “W’s.”
Average yards per game
Mendenhall’s Cougars averaged almost 42 more yards per game than London’s Cavaliers, and they held their opponents to 66 fewer yards per game than Virginia. More yards per game plus fewer yards for your opponent equals more trips to the red zone.
The ‘X’ factor
A smile flits across Mendenhall’s face when I ask the questions he must have known were coming: Why leave BYU, where he had built such a successful program? Why come to UVA?
A search firm had contacted him last summer to gauge his interest in the head coaching position at UVA should it become open—not an unusual occurrence for a winning coach—but for Mendenhall, it wasn’t about the numbers. It didn’t come down to how successful BYU was or how unsuccessful UVA had been. For him, there had to be the “X” factor.
“There would have to be something more than just the game to get me to a different school and by that I mean a culture or an academic standard,” Mendenhall says. “I love to build and I love to do hard things—and so if there was a place that had an amazing academic environment and an amazing conference, then possibly I would leave.”
Mendenhall’s wife, Holly, who describes the BYU players as “family,” lists his love of a challenge as one of his top reasons for coming to UVA.
“Bronco’s really excited to be here,” she says. “I think he’s having a blast. He loves to fix things…” Holly says that fixer attitude carries over to broken items in their home.
The Mendenhalls aren’t what you’d consider a typical football family. When UVA’s new coach is at home, he generally doesn’t watch football on TV. It’s Holly who flips on the Thursday night game. And of their three sons, only one has pursued football so far, as Mendenhall says he “wants the motivation to be from them, not me.”
Breaker Mendenhall, 14, whose first season of football was last year, also plays baseball and basketball and hopes to pursue horse roping. Cutter, 16, doesn’t play team sports and was recently cast as the lead in his school’s production of Grease, while the youngest brother, Raeder, 13, has taken up tennis after watching the UVA men’s tennis team.
THE STORY BEHIND THOSE NAMES
Marc “Bronco” Clay Mendenhall isn’t the only family member with an unusual name.
Cutter Bronco Mendenhall
“If you ride a cutting horse you’re called a ‘cutter,’ so that is my oldest son’s name. If you go back to cowboy days, a cowboy on a cutting horse would cut through the herd and cut one cow out of the herd. That was usually to buy time for another cowboy to come up to grab the cow to brand it.”
Breaker Blue Mendenhall
“There’s a famous horse breaker named Breaker Morant, so he’s sort of named after him. Then for his middle name, I love the ocean and I love surfing, so I chose blue.”
Raeder Steel Mendenhall
“My [late] father-in-law’s name was Rae. We honored his name with ‘Rae’ and then we added the ‘der’ to make it ‘Raeder.’ We chose his middle name as Steel because we liked the idea that it was sort of steadfast and immovable.”
The move to Charlottesville required the family to sell their 12 cows and chickens, pack up their lives and move their five horses and four dogs 2,081 miles from Provo, Utah, and live in a hotel for three months and in an RV on their new property for four months while their home was being renovated. But Mendenhall says each of their three sons has individually thanked him for moving to Charlottesville and that the family is excited to be a part of the community—“and not just on Saturdays.”
“We are just excited for the Eastern experience, not as much sports-wise as history and culture,” Holly says. “We’re excited to have an adventure out here and soak up and experience all that we can.”
Mendenhall was raised in Alpine, Utah, and grew up on a ranch, breaking horses and working with animals throughout his childhood. Everything from his sons’ names to his lifelong role models is based on his experiences growing up.
“I never aspired to be a coach,” Mendenhall says, explaining he had to change his career plans when he realized he was not good enough for the NFL (he was a two-year starter at safety at Oregon State University). “I went to the two things I loved, and one was breaking horses and the other was football.”
Mendenhall cites his father Paul, whom he worked side by side with at the ranch, as a major influence.
“I never saw or heard him act in a way that was anything but exemplary,” Mendenhall says. “There was always an answer to a question, there was always time for me. Most importantly I could see what a man of substance was through his actions. He, more than anyone, has shaped my life.”
Much in the same way that Paul Mendenhall influenced his son, Bronco Mendenhall has shaped the lives of the student-athletes he has coached.
BeyondX’sandO’s
“When I see Bronco, I see him with a baseball cap, yelling at players to get their mind right,” John Beck says, recalling a key phrase from Mendenhall’s days at BYU. “He would always tell everybody to ‘have your mind right.’”
What Mendenhall meant, according to Beck, was to make sure players were mentally prepared for every practice or football game before stepping on the field. In a team sport like football, “you have to have everybody with their mind right.”
Andrew Rich, a defensive back who playedfor BYU from 2008-2010, similarly admired Mendenhall’s ability to give players the mental motivation necessary to succeed, even if they “maybe physically didn’t belong in the game.”
“His ability to get the most out of every player is kind of uncanny. He has the ability to draw everything from you if you’re willing to do it,” Rich says.
Although Mendenhall exerts a certain authority over his players, Rich stresses that his approach differed from previous coaches he’d had.
“He’s naturally an introvert so he’s just typically a little more quiet and a little more reserved type of coach,” Rich says. “I’ve had a lot of coaches who are really outspoken and loud and always yelling just to yell, and he’s definitely not that way.
For Rich, who experienced a difficult period at BYU, Mendenhall was more than just a football coach—he was a mentor.
“One day he drove an hour and 15 minutes to my house just to see how I was doing,” Rich says. “And it wasn’t because he was interested in me because I was this great football player because at that time I hadn’t had much success. It wasn’t always about X’s and O’s with him.”
Along with the individual care Mendenhall gave his players, Beck felt that he always knew what the team needed as a whole, evident even from one of his first acts as head coach at BYU.
“There was a moment where he took the entire football team up a canyon and we wrote down all of the frustrating things about why the team hadn’t been winning…and then he took a football helmet with the old logo on it and we chucked the helmet and all the papers into a fire,” Beck says. “And he said, ‘That’s done and we will never ever be that again.’”
A similar philosophy has manifested itself in Charlottesville, where Mendenhall says he’s “anxious” for the team to start over—not just on the field, but with their community of fans as well.
“I think our fans appreciate excellence,” Mendenhall says, referencing the UVA men’s basketball team fans. “Our fans are knowledgeable…and that, to me, is a great place to start from.”
Something else Mendenhall hopes Cavalier football fans will appreciate is a game day that looks a little different than in seasons past. In addition to revamped uniforms, spectators will notice the return of diamond overlays in the end zones and free programs. Missing this year, though, will be the Wahoo Walk, which allowed fans to cheer on the team as it made its way from Engineer’s Way to Scott Stadium two hours before kickoff, and the animated pregame video featuring Cav Man.
No more sitting homein December
Of course, it will take more than just a supportive fan base to jump-start UVA’s football season, and Mendenhall has not shied away from enforcing discipline on his team.
“I love fanatical effort, but first and foremost I love very high standards and very clear expectations,” Mendenhall says. “Rarely do I raise my voice, but what I say—we are gonna do. And we’re gonna do it exactly as I said. There are only two ways to do things in my book: We do it the exact right way or we do it again.”
Although Mendenhall’s policy may seem uncompromising, wide receiver coach Marques Hagans, who has been a part of UVA’s coaching staff since 2011, says the team is more than up to the challenge.
“The players have really bought in to what’s being asked of them and one of Coach’s biggest things is the power of choice. …The guys who are left really want to be here and really want to do everything that’s asked of them,” Hagans says, emphasizing that the players have been responding to challenges as a team and that he has seen an improvement in camaraderie and team chemistry.
Hagans notes especially how hard UVA’s student-athletes have been training leading up to this season, something Mendenhall has stressed since day one. In fact, Mendenhall’s message at his first meeting with the team included little more than “train.”
“I told them to train, and if they weren’t sure what to do, train. And if they had extra time, train. And in between training, train,” Mendenhall says, smiling. “And then I stood at the entrance to the team room and I shook every player’s hand as they left and I just tried to get a feeling for where every player was at.”
Junior Kurt Benkert, a transfer from East Carolina University, will take the field as starting quarterback this season. Photo by Jim Daves/UVA Media Relations
After four consecutive losing seasons, Hagans says both the players and the coaching staff are ready to see this team succeed, saying it’s been “tough” to watch UVA football recently. The team recently picked its starting quarterback—junior Kurt Benkert, a transfer from East Carolina University. Senior Matt Johns, last season’s starting quarterback, remains on the team.
“I want this team, these players, to have success and be able to say that they were a turning point in UVA’s history under Coach Mendenhall,” Hagans says. He adds with a sigh: “You get tired of sitting home in December.”
The big question on many fans’ minds is whether UVA will go to its first bowl game in four years—and, better still, whether the Virginia Cavaliers will record a “W” against Virginia Tech.
Thus far, however, the odds are stacked against Mendenhall’s Cavaliers, with the sports media choosing the team to finish last in the ACC Coastal Division via a poll at the season kickoff conference in July. Mendenhall has just one thing to say in response to the team’s last-place ranking: “They couldn’t have written a better script. In my entire life, I have never been picked to finish last, nor have I ever finished last—and as a head coach I’ve never been part of a losing season and I’ve never not gone to postseason play. They’ve provided a great storyline to start a very intriguing plot.”
BRONCO’S LIST
UVA’s head coach tells us which players we should be watching this season
Quin Blanding. Photo by Jim Daves/UVA Media Relations
Quin Blanding
Junior, free safety
“Quin Blanding is incredibly smart, fast, experienced, tough. Exactly what we want at safety.”
2015 stats
Solo tackles: 68
Total tackles: 115
Tackles for loss: 1 (4 yards)
Interceptions: 1
Forced fumbles: 1
Recovered fumbles: 1
Pass break-ups: 3
Doni Dowling
Junior, wide receiver
“Doni Dowling is a fierce competitor, plays with tons of emotion, and when channeled correctly he can be a huge big-play asset.”
2015 stats
Solo tackles: 3
Micah Kiser
Junior, inside linebacker
“Micah Kiser is absolutely reliable in every way and is the heart of our defense.”
2015 stats
Solo tackles: 64
Total tackles: 117
Tackles for loss: 13 (58 yards)
Sacks: 7.5 (48 yards)
Forced fumbles: 3
Fumbles recovered: 2
Pass break-ups: 2
Jackson Matteo. Photo by Pete Emerson/UVA Media Relations
Jackson Matteo
Senior, center
“Amazing leader and an excellent football player that has been leading from the front in everything we’ve done since the moment I arrived.”
Taquan “Smoke” Mizzell
Senior, running back
Mizzell goes into his senior year as the leading receiver from the 2015 season, tallying 75 receptions and an average of 60 receiving yards per game, despite being a running back. He hasn’t slacked off as a running back, though: He leads the Cavaliers with 163 carries and 723 yards gained. Mizzell can also fill in as a returner, which makes him a player worth watching—he’s a threat in three categories.
“Smoke is a big play threat at any time from multiple positions on the field.”
2015 stats
Rush attempts: 163
Yards gained: 723
Average gain per rush: 4.1
Average rushing yards per game: 55.9
Longest rush: 36
Rushing touchdowns: 4
Receptions: 75
Average yards per reception: 9.6
Average receiving yards per game: 60.1
Receiving touchdowns: 4
Kick returns: 7
Average yards per kick return: 13.7
Total touchdowns: 8
Average total yards per game: 124
Eric Smith
Senior, offensive tackle
“Eric Smith has a tremendous future. He’s a very good football player with great experience, and he’ll play a pivotal role in defending our quarterback.”
2015 stats
Solo tackles: 2
Donte Wilkins
Senior, defensive tackle
“Donte Wilkins is where 3-4 defense starts and that’s at the nose tackle.”
2015 stats
Solo tackles: 6
Total tackles: 11
Tackles for loss: 1.5 (2 yards)
Sacks: 0.5 (1 yard)
Olamide Zaccheaus. Photo by Rich Schmidt/UVA Media Relations
Olamide Zaccheaus
Sophomore, running back
Olamide Zaccheaus is another triple-threat player, making his mark in rushing, receiving and returns for the Cavaliers last season. As a freshman, he recorded 33 carries and 275 yards, as well as posted 21 receptions and an average of 18 receiving yards per game. The returner for the Cavaliers also averages 19.3 yards per kick return and 6.8 yards per punt return. Look for him to step up into a larger role this year on many potential fronts.
“Olamide is a dynamic, versatile player—thrives in space.”
UVA’s new football coach Bronco Mendenhall moved from Utah and is living in an RV in Ivy.
Photo Cara Salpini
UVA’s football team starts spring training this week under new head coach Bronco Mendenhall, who is residing in an RV in Ivy with his wife Holly and three sons, Cutter, Breaker and Raeder.
The family of five is adjusting to life in an RV while they await a renovation to their new home that could take up to four or six months, according to the Daily Progress.
The new digs in Ivy were listed on Zillow for $1.4 million and feature 28 acres, a nearly 5,000-square-foot house, a six-stall horse barn, a pond and “magnificent mountain views,” according to the listing.
While the coach is roughing it, so is the team. Unlike past players, the current Cavaliers enter spring training with no numbers on their backs, no Virginia gear to sport around grounds and a coach who says they have to “earn” their time on the football field.
.“What I have learned relatively quickly is that this team is not resistant,” Mendenhall says at a March 21 press conference. “They’re eager, they’re hungry. I didn’t know really where they would be and I’ve been really impressed with how hard they want to work, how willing they are to embrace the level of detail that we’ve asked for.’”
Under Mendenhall, each player will have to earn his right to have a number on his back, to wear Virginia gear and even to participate in spring practice.
To qualify for spring training, each player had to complete a tempo run within a timeframe set by Mendenhall. He estimates that 90 per cent of the team qualified, but the remaining players were given an additional opportunity to meet the requirements this past Saturday.
“Eighty percent of the team or more showed up to support the guys that hadn’t made their times,” says Mendenhall, who emphasizes the camaraderie building in the team. “The guys who then qualified, there was dogpiling and it was like fans charging the field after a win.”
He says, “So if you put it in context, these guys are fighting like crazy actually to get to work harder once they put on gear and that’s the paradigm shift I’m hoping for. Football is supposed to be the reward.”
Spring training for the Cavaliers began Tuesday, March 22.
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