It’s potentially a huge corner-turning year for the Virginia Cavaliers, who have increased their win totals in each of coach Bronco Mendenhall’s first three seasons at the school.
Mendenhall, who coached 11 seasons at Brigham Young before coming to Charlottesville in December 2015, has led his teams to bowl games in 13 of 14 career seasons as a head coach. He’s taken the Cavaliers twice. An ACC Coastal Division title seems like the next logical step.
How will the Cavaliers react to being favorites?
U.Va., coming off an 8-5 season that included a decisive Belk Bowl win over South Carolina, was picked to win the Coastal. The Cavaliers are the only current Coastal team without a title in the division. But as Mendenhall said recently, “We have as good a chance as anyone.”
Can QB Bryce Perkins become the elite player he’s thought to be?
Perkins, a senior, passed for 2,680 yards and 25 touchdowns with just nine interceptions last season, leading the Cavaliers to their first bowl victory since 2005. The dual-threat weapon also ran for 923 yards and nine scores, and this season could mark his true emergence as the ACC’s best.
Can the Cavaliers’ defense take the next step?
A season after finishing 78th in the nation in scoring defense, U.Va. ranked 21st in 2018, yielding just 20.1 points per game. The Cavaliers return a healthy core of potential All-ACC picks who could give Perkins ample opportunity to show his potential by getting the offense on the field.
How good can CB Bryce Hall be?
Hall, another significant senior named Bryce, was a first-team All-ACC honoree after leading the nation with 22 pass breakups. The speedy Hall, who considered the NFL before deciding to return, had 62 tackles and a pair of interceptions as a junior.
Who, besides Perkins, will run the ball?
Dynamic tailback Jordan Ellis exhausted his eligibility after leading the team with 1,026 rushing yards and 10 TDs as a senior. But Mendenhall considers junior PK Kier an Ellis clone, giving the Cavaliers a clear line of succession at the position.
How will U.Va. replace the production of the versatile Olamide Zaccheaus?
Zaccheaus left as the Cavaliers’ career leader in receptions, with 250. But he did so much more, rushing for 83 yards on 13 attempts while helping to keep opposing defenses honest.
Can the Cavaliers stop the run when it matters most?
U.Va. held opponents to 4.3 rushing yards per carry last season. But in key late-season losses to eventual Coastal champion Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech and rival Virginia Tech, the Wahoos allowed an average of 5.6.
Has Mendenhall’s complex culture fully taken hold?
The straight-shooting Mendenhall, who filled most of his staff with his former staffers in Provo, Utah, has tried to instill a “new standard” at U.Va. With ample proof that it has worked, the former Coastal doormat could finally rise to the top.
What if Perkins gets hurt?
Mendenhall admits that he’s asking a great deal of Perkins, a former junior college QB who began his career buried on the depth chart at Arizona State. Behind Perkins most of last season was 6-foot-2, 200-pound true freshman Brennan Armstrong, who passed for 62 yards and a TD in limited action. But it was limited enough; he appeared in just four games, allowing him to use a redshirt season and remain a freshman.
Is this the year?
The Cavaliers haven’t beaten Virginia Tech in 15 straight tries. Mendenhall wants the streak to end so badly that he talks about the annual regular-season finale year-round, calling a win an essential step for his program. U.Va. had the Hokies beaten last November in Blacksburg, but Perkins dropped the ball on a run-pass option on the game’s final play, resulting in a stunning 34-31 overtime loss. The Cavs get their next shot Nov. 29.
