Note: Vote in my poll on the right side of the page. How many victories for UVa in 2016?
Last year: 4-8 (3-5 ACC) Best win: vs. Duke, 42-34 Worst loss: vs. Boise State, 56-14
Coach: Bronco Mendenhall (first year, 99-43 career)
Starters returning: 11 (5 offense, 5 defense, 1 specialist)
Offensive players to watch: QB Kurt Benkert. After getting through the other ACC previews, I can get to the main Virginia news announced last week: Benkert, who transferred from East Carolina in the offseason, was named the starting quarterback for the Cavaliers by Mendenhall after beating out incumbent Matt Johns and last year's backup, Connor Brewer. Benkert was not at UVa until after spring football, meaning he must have been pretty impressive in offseason workouts and over the past month at camp. It was clear after the spring that the new coaching staff wasn't overly taken with Johns or Brewer, because Mendenhall pretty much said neither had distinguished himself as the clear No. 1. He also said he preferred a
mobile quarterback, and while Johns last year could scramble around and improvise a bit, calling him a mobile QB is a bit of a stretch. So when Benkert joined the team and was called a mobile quarterback, ears perked up and since then, the inkling has been Benkert would be the starter. Additionally, the ECU coach last year, Ruffin McNeill, is now with the 'Hoos as defensive line/assistant head coach.
Benkert, who is from Florida, is not getting the job because of his experience. He is a junior, but has only thrown 10 passes in his career, and those were two years ago. Last season, he was named the starting quarterback for the Pirates but suffered a season-ending knee injury right before the first game. Soon after coming to Charlottesville, there was a video posted of him online throwing a football through a basketball hoop in Virginia's indoor practice facility from several yards away. But to get a better idea of what he's capable of, here are highlights from his junior year of high school:
With not much to go on yet, we'll just have to see how Benkert does Saturday against Richmond. I'm hopeful and optimistic that he is the right quarterback for this system, and that it will show through how the staff uses him and how he performs. I'm sure we will all have more opinions on Benkert after a couple games.
RB Taquan Mizzell. Mizzell finally had the breakout year fans were hoping for last season as a junior, carrying the ball for 671 yards and four TDs on 4.1 yards per carry while also catching 75 passes, No. 2 all time in a season for an ACC running back, for 721 yards, No. 1 all time in a season for an ACC running back, and four more TDs. It will be exciting to see how the new staff utilizes the versatile Mizzell, who really distinguished himself as someone that is a great pass catcher and can be shifty in open spaces last season. Running back in general is the deepest position for UVa. Running backs coach Mark Atuaia has praised the backfield and said he expects to get all the running backs in games. The offense has a "big back" position and Albert Reid is listed as the starter this week for the Richmond game. Reid transferred from Maryland before the 2015 season and had a very solid year, rushing for 360 yards and three TDs. He had the highest yards per carry average on the team at 5.5. Daniel Hamm recorded 242 yards and a TD, and Jordan Ellis had 74 yards and a pair of scores.
Defensive players to watch: S Quin Blanding. The former five-star recruit followed up his stellar freshman campaign with another solid season in 2015, though his numbers did take a slight dip overall ('14 numbers in parentheses): 115 tackles (123), one for loss (2.5), zero sacks (one), and one pick (three). He also recovered one fumble and forced one fumble. He is again slated to be a key cog in the new defense, which is a 3-4 -- Virginia ran a 4-3 last year -- that Mendenhall runs with assistant Nick Howell. Expect Blanding to have another All-ACC type season.
LB Micah Kiser. Kiser burst onto the scene as a sophomore last year, collecting a team-leading 117 tackles (which was No. 1 in the ACC and No. 17 in the nation), 13 for loss, 7.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, and three forced fumbles on the way to an All-ACC first-team selection by the media. He is slated to start at middle linebacker in the 3-4 scheme.
Special teams player to watch: P Nicholas Conte. Conte was a real weapon for the Cavaliers last year, averaging 44.7 yards on his 52 punts, placing 15 inside the 20-yard line. His 44.7-yard average was first in the ACC and was tied for the third-best average in a single season by a Cavalier.
Schedule: vs. Richmond, at Oregon, at Connecticut, vs. Central Michigan, at Duke, vs. Pittsburgh, vs. North Carolina, vs. Louisville, at Wake Forest, vs. Miami, at Georgia Tech, at Virginia Tech.
Outlook: Bronco Mendenhall has brought a terrific semblance of structure, soundness, and discipline to UVa football this offseason, which should be music to the ears for scores of beleaguered and weary Cavalier fans who endured anything but those things during the Mike London tenure, especially the latter half when it was obvious he was in over his head. Mendenhall has brought a vision to both sides of the ball and employs an "earned, not given" rule the players must abide by. They had to earn the right to practice in the spring. They had to earn the right to wear UVa logos. They had to earn the right to pick jersey numbers, which just happened a few days ago. Mendenhall has put his own stamp on uniforms and even on how the team will take the field and some of the pregame festivities. In short, UVa football is undergoing a culture change.
What does that means for wins and losses this year? Your guess is as good as mine. I can see anywhere from four to seven wins, with three and eight being at the extremes (in the regular season). Three of the first four games are definitely winnable. If UVa starts 3-1, it then gets a beatable Duke team on the road, one that just lost its starting QB, Thomas Sirk, for the season because of a setback in his torn Achilles tendon recovery. Then would come three huge games in a row at home against teams that could all win at least eight games in Pittsburgh, UNC, and Louisville. Let's entertain the notion of UVa being 4-1 going into that stretch. That would be a very exciting time for fans with legitimately big games happening at home for the first time in who knows how long. Win at least one, and then the Wahoos would need to win just one of their final four games to get to six wins. At that point, with momentum, anything could be possible. On the other hand, three of the first four games are definitely losable as well. The Connecticut game is on the road, and the Huskies went to a bowl last year. Central Michigan went to a bowl last season as well and has a great QB returning in Cooper Rush. Those could be close losses for the Cavs. Heck, even Richmond is no slouch. The Spiders are in the top five of the FCS preseason poll and will have a very good offense.
At 1-3, we would then be realistically hoping for improvement as the season goes along. With that kind of start, we could write off any bowl talk. That wouldn't mean the season would be a disappointment, though. It's not like missing another bowl berth would be that bad at this point. If you haven't been paying attention, UVa hasn't been to a bowl seven out of the past eight seasons. That isn't good, but another bowl-less season, provided we would be going in the right direction eventually, wouldn't be and shouldn't be the end all, be all. There are going to be bumps and bruises as the team adapts to new systems. What I'll be looking for will be fewer penalties, crisper execution, solid adjustments, and a general trend toward improvement and seeing that things are going in the right direction. That might not happen right away. As I said, 1-3 is not out of the question in the first four games. But even if that happens, don't be surprised if the team pulls an upset later in the year.
On offense, I really do think Benkert could be a revelation. He is familiar with the Air Raid-spread type scheme that Virginia is going to run from his days at ECU. And it is hard to say, but I just have this feeling about him that he could be special if the coaching staff likes him this much, and he was able to beat out two guys who have been at UVa longer than just a few months. I think it also speaks to how the offense is tailored to his type of game.
I'm not sure how the running game will look in this offense, but UVa certainly has a capable stable of running backs, as I already discussed. The offensive line has some experience and looks pretty good on the starting line, but depth is an issue. The receiving corps is led by a mix of new faces and familiar faces. Doni Dowling had a solid freshman year two years ago, but only caught one pass last year, missing the beginning of the season while recovering from a torn ACL. He never did seem right. Olamide Zaccheaus was very good and versatile as a freshman in 2015 (21 catches, 216 yards, one TD; 262 rushing yards, one TD) and the staff seemed to like him early on in spring football, so expect him to make some noise. Keeon Johnson is listed as a starter as well. He had a breakout freshman year in 2013 (20 catches) but only recorded a combined 26 receptions the past two seasons. Hopefully, he has been re-energized or rediscovered by the coaches. Andre Levrone was hurt last year as well but had a good freshman year along with Dowling two seasons ago. Unfortunately, Levrone experienced some kind of leg injury in camp, but supposedly he is ready for the first game. A couple other names to keep in mind at receiver are David Eldridge and Warren Craft.
On defense, Blanding and Kiser won't be the only significant players. Tackle Donte Wilkins was one of the hardest-working players in the offseason adding muscle weight and trimming fat and was also the second player chosen by his peers to select his jersey number. In the 3-4, he will be a true nose guard, meaning he'll line up over the center. Wilkins had 11 tackles last year, 1.5 for loss, and half a sack. Andrew Brown will be one of the defensive ends. Brown has majorly underachieved so far in his two seasons as a Cavalier after entering as a five-star recruit. Some of that is the fault of injuries, some of it his fault, and probably some of it the fault of the old coaches. Last season, he had six tackles, 2.5 for loss, and one sack. It sounds like he has made strides in the offseason and has gotten in good with the staff, so let's hope it carries over into the season and he is finally unleashed. The other starting end will be Steven Wright, a freshman who redshirted last season. The starting linebackers in addition to Kiser are Cory Jones, Zach Bradshaw, and Chris Peace. Jones redshirted last year, Bradshaw collected 53 tackles, 3.5 for loss, and 1.5 sacks in 10 games, and Peace had 12 tackles, one for loss. Also expect Malcolm Cook to figure into the linebacking corps. He had a medical issue come up this week, Mendenhall said. Kelvin Rainey starts at the other safety spot with Blanding. Rainey tallied 68 tackles, three for a loss in 2015. Juan Thornhill impressed in the spring and at camp and is listed as a starter at one corner spot. He had limited playing time last year. The other corner spot right now goes to Myles Robinson, but Tim Harris is a senior who will probably take over after he's recovered from a shoulder injury. Harris recorded 34 tackles, three for loss, and one pick last season.
Time to put my money where my mouth is. No matter what happens, Mendenhall gets a very large pass for this year as he implements not only his systems, but his culture. I hope of course UVa gets lots of wins, but it might not go that way. Like I said, it will still be possible to see improvement throughout the year even if the final record isn't great. And the team has bought into Mendenhall by all accounts, so the players know there will be a process. Mendenhall has referenced the men's basketball program in interviews. We know that Tony Bennett barely had UVa at .500 his first two seasons before making the NCAA tournament in his third and NIT in his fourth, before finally taking off in his fifth season. These turnarounds take time, and a football team has a lot more players and needs more depth than a hoops squad. Don't be disappointed if this season isn't as good as you hoped. Just enjoy the ride. I think ultimately, the team will fall just short of a bowl, but a 6-6 record would not surprise me that much.
Win-loss prediction: 4-8 or 5-7
Last year: 4-8 (3-5 ACC) Best win: vs. Duke, 42-34 Worst loss: vs. Boise State, 56-14
Coach: Bronco Mendenhall (first year, 99-43 career)
Starters returning: 11 (5 offense, 5 defense, 1 specialist)
Offensive players to watch: QB Kurt Benkert. After getting through the other ACC previews, I can get to the main Virginia news announced last week: Benkert, who transferred from East Carolina in the offseason, was named the starting quarterback for the Cavaliers by Mendenhall after beating out incumbent Matt Johns and last year's backup, Connor Brewer. Benkert was not at UVa until after spring football, meaning he must have been pretty impressive in offseason workouts and over the past month at camp. It was clear after the spring that the new coaching staff wasn't overly taken with Johns or Brewer, because Mendenhall pretty much said neither had distinguished himself as the clear No. 1. He also said he preferred a
Benkert, who is from Florida, is not getting the job because of his experience. He is a junior, but has only thrown 10 passes in his career, and those were two years ago. Last season, he was named the starting quarterback for the Pirates but suffered a season-ending knee injury right before the first game. Soon after coming to Charlottesville, there was a video posted of him online throwing a football through a basketball hoop in Virginia's indoor practice facility from several yards away. But to get a better idea of what he's capable of, here are highlights from his junior year of high school:
And here he is speaking to the media after being named the starter:
With not much to go on yet, we'll just have to see how Benkert does Saturday against Richmond. I'm hopeful and optimistic that he is the right quarterback for this system, and that it will show through how the staff uses him and how he performs. I'm sure we will all have more opinions on Benkert after a couple games.
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| RB Taquan Mizzell |
RB Taquan Mizzell. Mizzell finally had the breakout year fans were hoping for last season as a junior, carrying the ball for 671 yards and four TDs on 4.1 yards per carry while also catching 75 passes, No. 2 all time in a season for an ACC running back, for 721 yards, No. 1 all time in a season for an ACC running back, and four more TDs. It will be exciting to see how the new staff utilizes the versatile Mizzell, who really distinguished himself as someone that is a great pass catcher and can be shifty in open spaces last season. Running back in general is the deepest position for UVa. Running backs coach Mark Atuaia has praised the backfield and said he expects to get all the running backs in games. The offense has a "big back" position and Albert Reid is listed as the starter this week for the Richmond game. Reid transferred from Maryland before the 2015 season and had a very solid year, rushing for 360 yards and three TDs. He had the highest yards per carry average on the team at 5.5. Daniel Hamm recorded 242 yards and a TD, and Jordan Ellis had 74 yards and a pair of scores.
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| S Quin Blanding |
LB Micah Kiser. Kiser burst onto the scene as a sophomore last year, collecting a team-leading 117 tackles (which was No. 1 in the ACC and No. 17 in the nation), 13 for loss, 7.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, and three forced fumbles on the way to an All-ACC first-team selection by the media. He is slated to start at middle linebacker in the 3-4 scheme.
Special teams player to watch: P Nicholas Conte. Conte was a real weapon for the Cavaliers last year, averaging 44.7 yards on his 52 punts, placing 15 inside the 20-yard line. His 44.7-yard average was first in the ACC and was tied for the third-best average in a single season by a Cavalier.
Schedule: vs. Richmond, at Oregon, at Connecticut, vs. Central Michigan, at Duke, vs. Pittsburgh, vs. North Carolina, vs. Louisville, at Wake Forest, vs. Miami, at Georgia Tech, at Virginia Tech.
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| LB Micah Kiser |
Outlook: Bronco Mendenhall has brought a terrific semblance of structure, soundness, and discipline to UVa football this offseason, which should be music to the ears for scores of beleaguered and weary Cavalier fans who endured anything but those things during the Mike London tenure, especially the latter half when it was obvious he was in over his head. Mendenhall has brought a vision to both sides of the ball and employs an "earned, not given" rule the players must abide by. They had to earn the right to practice in the spring. They had to earn the right to wear UVa logos. They had to earn the right to pick jersey numbers, which just happened a few days ago. Mendenhall has put his own stamp on uniforms and even on how the team will take the field and some of the pregame festivities. In short, UVa football is undergoing a culture change.
What does that means for wins and losses this year? Your guess is as good as mine. I can see anywhere from four to seven wins, with three and eight being at the extremes (in the regular season). Three of the first four games are definitely winnable. If UVa starts 3-1, it then gets a beatable Duke team on the road, one that just lost its starting QB, Thomas Sirk, for the season because of a setback in his torn Achilles tendon recovery. Then would come three huge games in a row at home against teams that could all win at least eight games in Pittsburgh, UNC, and Louisville. Let's entertain the notion of UVa being 4-1 going into that stretch. That would be a very exciting time for fans with legitimately big games happening at home for the first time in who knows how long. Win at least one, and then the Wahoos would need to win just one of their final four games to get to six wins. At that point, with momentum, anything could be possible. On the other hand, three of the first four games are definitely losable as well. The Connecticut game is on the road, and the Huskies went to a bowl last year. Central Michigan went to a bowl last season as well and has a great QB returning in Cooper Rush. Those could be close losses for the Cavs. Heck, even Richmond is no slouch. The Spiders are in the top five of the FCS preseason poll and will have a very good offense.
At 1-3, we would then be realistically hoping for improvement as the season goes along. With that kind of start, we could write off any bowl talk. That wouldn't mean the season would be a disappointment, though. It's not like missing another bowl berth would be that bad at this point. If you haven't been paying attention, UVa hasn't been to a bowl seven out of the past eight seasons. That isn't good, but another bowl-less season, provided we would be going in the right direction eventually, wouldn't be and shouldn't be the end all, be all. There are going to be bumps and bruises as the team adapts to new systems. What I'll be looking for will be fewer penalties, crisper execution, solid adjustments, and a general trend toward improvement and seeing that things are going in the right direction. That might not happen right away. As I said, 1-3 is not out of the question in the first four games. But even if that happens, don't be surprised if the team pulls an upset later in the year.
 |
| WR Doni Dowling |
On offense, I really do think Benkert could be a revelation. He is familiar with the Air Raid-spread type scheme that Virginia is going to run from his days at ECU. And it is hard to say, but I just have this feeling about him that he could be special if the coaching staff likes him this much, and he was able to beat out two guys who have been at UVa longer than just a few months. I think it also speaks to how the offense is tailored to his type of game.
 |
| WR/RB Olamide Zaccheaus |
On defense, Blanding and Kiser won't be the only significant players. Tackle Donte Wilkins was one of the hardest-working players in the offseason adding muscle weight and trimming fat and was also the second player chosen by his peers to select his jersey number. In the 3-4, he will be a true nose guard, meaning he'll line up over the center. Wilkins had 11 tackles last year, 1.5 for loss, and half a sack. Andrew Brown will be one of the defensive ends. Brown has majorly underachieved so far in his two seasons as a Cavalier after entering as a five-star recruit. Some of that is the fault of injuries, some of it his fault, and probably some of it the fault of the old coaches. Last season, he had six tackles, 2.5 for loss, and one sack. It sounds like he has made strides in the offseason and has gotten in good with the staff, so let's hope it carries over into the season and he is finally unleashed. The other starting end will be Steven Wright, a freshman who redshirted last season. The starting linebackers in addition to Kiser are Cory Jones, Zach Bradshaw, and Chris Peace. Jones redshirted last year, Bradshaw collected 53 tackles, 3.5 for loss, and 1.5 sacks in 10 games, and Peace had 12 tackles, one for loss. Also expect Malcolm Cook to figure into the linebacking corps. He had a medical issue come up this week, Mendenhall said. Kelvin Rainey starts at the other safety spot with Blanding. Rainey tallied 68 tackles, three for a loss in 2015. Juan Thornhill impressed in the spring and at camp and is listed as a starter at one corner spot. He had limited playing time last year. The other corner spot right now goes to Myles Robinson, but Tim Harris is a senior who will probably take over after he's recovered from a shoulder injury. Harris recorded 34 tackles, three for loss, and one pick last season.
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| DT Donte Wilkins |
Time to put my money where my mouth is. No matter what happens, Mendenhall gets a very large pass for this year as he implements not only his systems, but his culture. I hope of course UVa gets lots of wins, but it might not go that way. Like I said, it will still be possible to see improvement throughout the year even if the final record isn't great. And the team has bought into Mendenhall by all accounts, so the players know there will be a process. Mendenhall has referenced the men's basketball program in interviews. We know that Tony Bennett barely had UVa at .500 his first two seasons before making the NCAA tournament in his third and NIT in his fourth, before finally taking off in his fifth season. These turnarounds take time, and a football team has a lot more players and needs more depth than a hoops squad. Don't be disappointed if this season isn't as good as you hoped. Just enjoy the ride. I think ultimately, the team will fall just short of a bowl, but a 6-6 record would not surprise me that much.
Win-loss prediction: 4-8 or 5-7
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