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Press Conference: UVA coach Bronco Mendenhall on loss at Virginia Tech

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bronco mendenhall uva footballUVA football coach Bronco Mendenhall talks with reporters after the Cavs’ 52-10 loss at Virginia Tech.

 

Opening  Statement:   “First  off,  congratulations  to  Virginia  Tech.  As  the  Coastal  Division  Champions,  they  earned  it,  and  they   certainly  showed  why  today.  They  played  very  well  from  beginning  to  end  and  in  all  three  phases  of  the   game,  so  the  credit  goes  to  them  and  their  coaches.  Regarding  our  performance,  I  have  a  base   philosophy.  I  am  responsible  for  how  our  team  plays.  I  am  responsible  for  how  they  are  prepared,  and  I   am  responsible  for  how  they  execute.  Clearly,  the  outcome  today  showed  that  I  didn’t  prepare  them   well  enough  in  all  three  phases  of  the  game  to  handle  this  opponent  in  this  setting  and  give  us  the   chance  to  win.

“I  am  appreciative  to  our  players  and  how  hard  they’ve  tried  all  year.  They  believed  in  myself  and  the   new  staff,  and  they  embraced  the  culture  that  we  brought.  We  have  lots  and  lots  of  work  to  do  just  in   playing  the  game  of  football  and  executing  at  a  really  high  level.  I  certainly  wanted  the  outcome  to  be   different  for  our  seniors  and  for  the  parents  of  seniors.  They  have  traveled  so  faithfully  and  to  all  the   members  of  our  team.  I  have  really  been  touched  by  the  unique  experience  with  this  group  of  people.   They  are  so  resilient  and  tough,  and  they  are  encouraged  to  keep  going  and  going.  That  is  what  I  like   most  about  my  team.  They  keep  bouncing  back,  and  I  am  proud  of  them  for  that.  With  all  that,  I  will  take   all  the  questions  that  are  coming.”

On  what  does  he  say  to  his  team  following  a  2-­‐10  season:   “First,  we  have  to  address  the  brutal  facts.  We  have  a  long  way  to  go  to  be  a  championship  caliber   football  program  and  a  consistent  winner.  Again,  self  assessment  is  first,  and  I  shared  that  with  them;   anything  that  I  can  use  to  do  better,  and  anything  that  our  program  can  use  to  do  better.  My  job  is  to   uncover  everyone  of  those  things  and  continue  to  work  on  it.  I  tell  everyone  else  that  we  have  to  believe   that  it  can  happen.  There  has  to  be  a  realistic  internal  dialogue.  Do  you  believe  that  it  can  happen?  Do   you  want  to  follow  the  direction  that  the  program  is  going?  This  isn’t  the  right  time  for  us  to  be  in-­‐ between.  This  is  a  massive  change  effort.  It  will  require  everything  that  I  have,  my  coaches  have  and   these  players  have.  It  can’t  be  for  someone  who  hasn’t  decided  yet.  That  was  just  a  simple  framework   that  I  allowed  and  put  in  front  of  them  after  I  shared  my  appreciation  for  them.  That’s  what  it  is  going  to   take  moving  forward.”

On  the  decision  to  use  altering  quarterbacks:   “Yeah.  The  decision  was  set.  We  thought  (senior  QB)  Matt  Johns  would  give  us  some  composure  and   poise.  We  thought  he  would  manage  early  downs  and  some  of  the  run-­‐pass  option  things.  We  thought   different  things  would  help  us  add  some  momentum  and  consistency  throughout  the  game,  and  then   some  possibility  of  downfield  throws  if  we  got  behind  the  sticks.  Some  things  might  have  required  a   bigger  arm,  so  to  speak.  (Junior  QB)  Kurk  (Benkert)  really  does  well  in  eluding  pressure  and  delivering   the  ball  down  the  field,  so  there  were  some  elements  of  an  existing  offense  that  were  then  broken  up.   That’s  the  direction  we  decided  to  go.”       (more)

On  what  changed  his  mind  on  the  two-­‐quarterback  system:   “We  were  in  a  unique  situation.  It’s  not  ideal,  nor  will  it  ever  be  ideal,  but  we  did  think  that  it  would  give   us  our  best  chance  in  this  game  to  help  our  current  team  and  our  current  situation.  We  thought  it  would   help  us  move  the  football  and  score  points.  My  philosophy  hasn’t  changed  one  bit,  nor  will  it  ever.  One   quarterback,  a  single  starter  is  what’s  ideal.  Rarely  will  I  ever  consider  doing  it  another  way.  These   circumstances  were  a  little  bit  different,  and  that  is  why  I  chose  to  do  it.”

On  if  the  team  has  built  anything  from  this  2-­‐10  season:   “I  see  a  lot.  I’m  sure  that  the  easy  story  will  be  not  to  see  that,  but  I  saw  a  stretch  in  the  season  where   almost  every  area  that  we  targeted  was  improved.  There  was  more  consistent  play  and  improvement   throughout  the  year.  What  people  remember  are  usually  the  beginning  and  the  end.  My  job  is  much   different  than  that.  I  look  for  every  single  thing  that  has  improved,  and  I  saw  more  consistency  and  a   better  execution  in  almost  every  phase  of  the  game  at  times  throughout  the  year.”

On  how  different  this  year  has  been  for  him:   “It’s  a  hard  one.  I  don’t  know  how  to  describe  that:  learning,  growth,  challenge  and  resilience.  This   season  has  been  the  most  learning  that  has  ever  taken  place  in  my  football  career.”

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