Note: If you would like to watch some or all of Bronco Mendenhall's news conference at UVa, click here.
"I will outlast you."
Is this the new motto that will be printed on 2016 UVa football T-shirts?
Bronco Mendenhall was officially introduced as Virginia's next head coach Monday at a news conference in Charlottesville. He said a lot of things and answered a lot of questions, but the quote above was the one that sent the Twitterverse and message boards into a tizzy with excitement.
Besides just sounding awesome as a quote, outlasting opponents is something recent Cavalier teams have not done. UVa accrued nine one-possession losses over the past two seasons, meaning nine of its 15 losses in that span (60 percent) have come by eight or fewer points. So it is understandable why fans would be eager for the 2016 season to get here to see how Mendenhall's philosophy will play out on the field. Even with Mike London at the helm, Virginia has been just a few plays away each of the
past two seasons from going to a bowl. Of course, the end goal is to be better than just 6-6, but I'm sure next year, that would be a great start for fans, to see tangible progress and success.
Mendenhall said "I will outlast you," in the middle of a sort of joke sequence, but he also seemed to be semi-serious. A reporter asked him how his new players were reacting when he was giving them his initial message Monday morning. He said their demeanor changed as his message went from more of a nice-guy approach to "train and be ready." Then he said, addressing the media, "I see even in this room, those already fiercely committed and can't wait to come and support and see how this goes ... and others are skeptical. I get it. I will outlast you." The room burst into laughter, but Mendenhall was only half-smiling.
Toughness and meeting challenges were significant themes of the presser as Mendenhall said at first for the players, it will be about will over skill. He said he will know who is committed and who isn't by who can actually finish practice. He said "skill will come along, position mastery will come along, execution will come along, but only after they've learned to try hard." Sounds like there could be some trying times ahead for the current Cavaliers, but I think in the end, the team will be better for it.
Another way Mendenhall is demonstrating his message of finishing is by staying on as BYU's coach through its bowl game Dec. 19. Most new coaches do not do that. He said what kind of coach would he be if he stressed outlasting and finishing to his players, then bolted before the end of the season? I thought this was a refreshing perspective given the climate of today's college sports, where a student-athlete that transfers has to sit out a year before playing with his or her new team, but a coach can change jobs and begin coaching his or her new team the next year.
Mendenhall staying at BYU has brought up some concerns from fans about retaining the freshman class London had recruited for next season. Mendenhall said that his focus would be on BYU through the 19th, but that he would also call those recruits after each day's bowl preparations, and that if a recruit could not wait 13ish days to have more of a face-to-face meeting on where he might fit into the Cavaliers' program, then he would not want them. He wants players committed to Virginia football.
On that note, he stressed the importance of finding specific players that will fit UVa's program. He said he did the same at BYU. Most players at BYU are of the Mormon faith, and BYU also stresses academics, as does Virginia. One thing BYU does that Virginia does not do is stress moral conduct, at least not to the same degree. Sure, London ran a clean program that was involved in the community, but he did not enforce strict adherence to rules such as this: Among other things, students at BYU, whether Mormon or not, cannot drink alcohol or have pre-marital sex, and they have to take religion courses and participate in their religion, whatever it might be (it does not have to be
Mormonism). Those are tough standards for many college students to live by. Mendenhall said he told his first staff at BYU to go recruit high school players that could fit that BYU mold. He said the assistants came back a little discouraged when they found only 30-some players throughout the entire country (and some out of the country as well). He instead said that was a good number, since most programs only take in around 25 freshmen per year.
At Virginia, he said he wants players who want it all -- good academics, good football, and learning to be a good citizen. He said he does not buy in "one bit" to the notion that good academics and good football can't go together. He said he believes students who strive for greatness strive for it in all areas of their lives. As such, he said he was drawn to the athletics department motto of "Uncompromised Excellence," and driven by its goals. He alluded to the fantastic sports teams UVa has, and said he wants the community to have one more sport it can get behind and wants to get behind. Along those lines, a question was asked about declining attendance at Scott Stadium. He said he understands that winning is what will put butts in seats. At first, about 50 percent of the people will come because of what you believe in and what you stand for, he said. The other 50 percent will come after sustained winning takes place. In the end, he wants fans to have "one other sport here that they couldn't wait to come watch play ... and it becomes, you would never think about not going."
From a broad perspective, London was able to get recruits that fit UVa, too. They were of high character, good athletes, and solid academically. So that is nothing new. Where fans hope Mendenhall excels is where London came up short -- on the field with recruits that also fit together to form a great football team. London was able to get several higher-level recruits to come to UVa: QB Greyson Lambert, WR Darius Jennings, WR Jamil Kamara, CB Demetrious Nicholson, ATH Dominique Terrell, RB Taquan Mizzell, DT Andrew Brown, and DE/LB Eli Harold to name a few. However, in a lot of cases, these players didn't pan out or have had mixed results. London seemed to stab in the dark at big-time recruits, and whoever he got, he got, and if he didn't, he didn't seem to have a backup plan to fill out rosters, and depth suffered. He didn't seem to piece together the team like a puzzle. At times, nothing seemed to fit together quite right. In particular, offensive linemen did not fare all that well under London, but they made the NFL on a regular basis under Al Groh. Fans are hoping that Mendenhall can bring back a tradition in the trenches for the Wahoos.
Mendenhall appears to be the opposite of London in some ways: highly organized to a fault, and he has a system he trusts to win games (about nine per year in 11 years at BYU). Mendenhall has even co-authored a book dealing with organizational dynamics as it pertained to the BYU program. One of the other authors is Paul Gustavson, not exactly a schlub in the field. Mendenhall described himself in the news conference as an introvert that plans 90 minutes per day to recharge with a solitary activity, such as motorcycling, surfing, hiking, or fishing. As far as specific systems go, he ran the defense at BYU during games, but he did have a defensive coordinator on staff, Nick Howell, who is expected to follow Mendenhall to UVa after the bowl game. Several offensive staff members have already confirmed they are coming to Virginia, offensive coordinator Robert Anae among them. He's served two stints as BYU's OC, most recently from 2013 to this year, when the Cougars averaged 428 yards and 34 points per game. He runs an uptempo spread offense and has a background as an offensive lineman. He was the offensive line coach for five seasons at Texas Tech under Mike Leach, an "Air Raid" offense guru. It's tough to know how long it will take for Virginia's new offense to get off the ground, but it should look prettier than it has in recent seasons once it does get going.
Mendenhall is all about efficiency and hard work. There might be some bumps along the way, but he has a proven record that can get UVa back on the winning track. He's already said he will outlast us, so we might as well go along for the ride.
"I will outlast you."
Is this the new motto that will be printed on 2016 UVa football T-shirts?
Bronco Mendenhall was officially introduced as Virginia's next head coach Monday at a news conference in Charlottesville. He said a lot of things and answered a lot of questions, but the quote above was the one that sent the Twitterverse and message boards into a tizzy with excitement.
Besides just sounding awesome as a quote, outlasting opponents is something recent Cavalier teams have not done. UVa accrued nine one-possession losses over the past two seasons, meaning nine of its 15 losses in that span (60 percent) have come by eight or fewer points. So it is understandable why fans would be eager for the 2016 season to get here to see how Mendenhall's philosophy will play out on the field. Even with Mike London at the helm, Virginia has been just a few plays away each of the
 |
| Bronco Mendenhall is 99-42 in 11 seasons at BYU, and is going for his 100th win with the Cougars on Dec. 19 against rival Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl (AP photo). |
Mendenhall said "I will outlast you," in the middle of a sort of joke sequence, but he also seemed to be semi-serious. A reporter asked him how his new players were reacting when he was giving them his initial message Monday morning. He said their demeanor changed as his message went from more of a nice-guy approach to "train and be ready." Then he said, addressing the media, "I see even in this room, those already fiercely committed and can't wait to come and support and see how this goes ... and others are skeptical. I get it. I will outlast you." The room burst into laughter, but Mendenhall was only half-smiling.
Toughness and meeting challenges were significant themes of the presser as Mendenhall said at first for the players, it will be about will over skill. He said he will know who is committed and who isn't by who can actually finish practice. He said "skill will come along, position mastery will come along, execution will come along, but only after they've learned to try hard." Sounds like there could be some trying times ahead for the current Cavaliers, but I think in the end, the team will be better for it.
Another way Mendenhall is demonstrating his message of finishing is by staying on as BYU's coach through its bowl game Dec. 19. Most new coaches do not do that. He said what kind of coach would he be if he stressed outlasting and finishing to his players, then bolted before the end of the season? I thought this was a refreshing perspective given the climate of today's college sports, where a student-athlete that transfers has to sit out a year before playing with his or her new team, but a coach can change jobs and begin coaching his or her new team the next year.
Mendenhall staying at BYU has brought up some concerns from fans about retaining the freshman class London had recruited for next season. Mendenhall said that his focus would be on BYU through the 19th, but that he would also call those recruits after each day's bowl preparations, and that if a recruit could not wait 13ish days to have more of a face-to-face meeting on where he might fit into the Cavaliers' program, then he would not want them. He wants players committed to Virginia football.
On that note, he stressed the importance of finding specific players that will fit UVa's program. He said he did the same at BYU. Most players at BYU are of the Mormon faith, and BYU also stresses academics, as does Virginia. One thing BYU does that Virginia does not do is stress moral conduct, at least not to the same degree. Sure, London ran a clean program that was involved in the community, but he did not enforce strict adherence to rules such as this: Among other things, students at BYU, whether Mormon or not, cannot drink alcohol or have pre-marital sex, and they have to take religion courses and participate in their religion, whatever it might be (it does not have to be
 |
| Bronco Mendenhall at his news conference with wife Holly, and three sons who have unique names: Raeder, Breaker, and Cutter (though I don't know which one is which). Mendenhall said although it takes a lot of time, he strives to be a good husband, father, follower of his faith citizen, teacher, and football coach. He wants football players that want to be good at football, academics, and character as well. (Newscast screenshot photo). |
At Virginia, he said he wants players who want it all -- good academics, good football, and learning to be a good citizen. He said he does not buy in "one bit" to the notion that good academics and good football can't go together. He said he believes students who strive for greatness strive for it in all areas of their lives. As such, he said he was drawn to the athletics department motto of "Uncompromised Excellence," and driven by its goals. He alluded to the fantastic sports teams UVa has, and said he wants the community to have one more sport it can get behind and wants to get behind. Along those lines, a question was asked about declining attendance at Scott Stadium. He said he understands that winning is what will put butts in seats. At first, about 50 percent of the people will come because of what you believe in and what you stand for, he said. The other 50 percent will come after sustained winning takes place. In the end, he wants fans to have "one other sport here that they couldn't wait to come watch play ... and it becomes, you would never think about not going."
From a broad perspective, London was able to get recruits that fit UVa, too. They were of high character, good athletes, and solid academically. So that is nothing new. Where fans hope Mendenhall excels is where London came up short -- on the field with recruits that also fit together to form a great football team. London was able to get several higher-level recruits to come to UVa: QB Greyson Lambert, WR Darius Jennings, WR Jamil Kamara, CB Demetrious Nicholson, ATH Dominique Terrell, RB Taquan Mizzell, DT Andrew Brown, and DE/LB Eli Harold to name a few. However, in a lot of cases, these players didn't pan out or have had mixed results. London seemed to stab in the dark at big-time recruits, and whoever he got, he got, and if he didn't, he didn't seem to have a backup plan to fill out rosters, and depth suffered. He didn't seem to piece together the team like a puzzle. At times, nothing seemed to fit together quite right. In particular, offensive linemen did not fare all that well under London, but they made the NFL on a regular basis under Al Groh. Fans are hoping that Mendenhall can bring back a tradition in the trenches for the Wahoos.
Mendenhall appears to be the opposite of London in some ways: highly organized to a fault, and he has a system he trusts to win games (about nine per year in 11 years at BYU). Mendenhall has even co-authored a book dealing with organizational dynamics as it pertained to the BYU program. One of the other authors is Paul Gustavson, not exactly a schlub in the field. Mendenhall described himself in the news conference as an introvert that plans 90 minutes per day to recharge with a solitary activity, such as motorcycling, surfing, hiking, or fishing. As far as specific systems go, he ran the defense at BYU during games, but he did have a defensive coordinator on staff, Nick Howell, who is expected to follow Mendenhall to UVa after the bowl game. Several offensive staff members have already confirmed they are coming to Virginia, offensive coordinator Robert Anae among them. He's served two stints as BYU's OC, most recently from 2013 to this year, when the Cougars averaged 428 yards and 34 points per game. He runs an uptempo spread offense and has a background as an offensive lineman. He was the offensive line coach for five seasons at Texas Tech under Mike Leach, an "Air Raid" offense guru. It's tough to know how long it will take for Virginia's new offense to get off the ground, but it should look prettier than it has in recent seasons once it does get going.
Mendenhall is all about efficiency and hard work. There might be some bumps along the way, but he has a proven record that can get UVa back on the winning track. He's already said he will outlast us, so we might as well go along for the ride.
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