Game Notes: UVA hosts Central Michigan on Saturday

UVA (0-3) hosts Central Michigan (3-0) on Saturday in Charlottesville.

UVA concludes non-conference slate
• Virginia returns home to host Mid-American Conference-foe Central Michigan in the Cavaliers’ final non-conference test of the 2016 regular season.
• Central Michigan and Virginia are meeting for the second time.

Five Top Storylines
• DE Andrew Brown came through in a big way at UConn with 3.5 tackles for a loss, to go with his six tackles and one sack, helping limit the Huskies to 277 yards of total offense.
• PK Alex Furbank connected on a 23-yard field goal in the first quarter of the UConn game on his first collegiate play. In fact, it was Furbank’s first play of football ever. He was a soccer player that was on the roster at DIII Randolph-Macon in 2015, but didn’t play in any games. His three points also gave UVA the lead for the first time in 2016.
• Virginia is playing a Mid-American Conference team for the third time in four seasons and for the 14th time overall in Charlottesville. UVA owns an 11-2-1 all-time record against teams from the MAC.
• Virginia’s all-time leading rusher, Thomas Jones (3,998), made his collegiate debut against Central Michigan the only previous time these programs met in 1996. His first career rush went for 57 yards. He finished with 76 yards on five carries with one touchdown.
• UVA’s 1996 win over Central Michigan served as the 99th win of Hall of Fame coach George Welsh’s Virginia career. At the time it was an ACC record for victories.

Mendenhall and UVA coaching Staff to Take Part in Coach to Cure MD
• Bronco Mendenhall and his coaching staff will take part in Coach to Cure MD on Saturday versus Central Michigan.
• Coach to Cure MD is a nation-wide project designed to build awareness and funding to support researchers trying to find a treatment and cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research.
• The Virginia coaching staff will be wearing the Coach to Cure MD patches during Saturday’s game.
• This is the ninth-annual Coach to Cure MD effort and all American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) members will wear a Coach to Cure MD logo patch during games this week.
• Coach to Cure MD is a partnership between the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD), the largest nonprofit organization in the United States focused entirely on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, the leading childhood genetic killer of young men.

Virginia and CMU Meet for the Second time
• Virginia owns the all-time series lead over Central Michigan, 1-0.
• UVA won the 1996 season-opening game at Scott Stadium against the Chippewas, 55-21.
• Notables from the 1996 meeting include the win was the 99th win for Hall of Fame CoachGeorge Welsh at Virginia, which at the time was the most head coaching wins in the ACC.
• Other notables in the game include the collegiate debut of UVA’s all-time leading rusher, Thomas Jones, who sprinted 57 yards on his first career carry. The true freshman finished with 76 yards on five carries and his first career touchdown.
• Former UVA running back Tiki Barber rushed 16 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns in the 1996 meeting with Central Michigan. It was one of Barber’s 19 games with 100 rushing yards or more, a program best.
UVA vs. the Mid-American Conference
• Virginia is 11-2-1 all-time against teams that currently represent the Mid-American Conference.
• UVA is 2-0 vs. Akron, 0-1 against Ball State, 2-0 against Buffalo, 1-0 against Central Michigan, 1-0 against Eastern Michigan, 1-0 against Kent State, 1-0-1 against Miami (Ohio), 1-0 against Ohio and 2-1 against Western Michigan.
• The Cavaliers have never faced the MAC’s Bowling Green, Northern Illinois or Toledo.
• When UVA first played Central Michigan in 1996 the Cavaliers had only previously played Miami (Ohio) and Ohio from the MAC.

Mendenhall vs. the MAC
• UVA head coach Bronco Mendenhall has never faced a team from the Mid-American Conference.

Central Michigan and the ACC
• Central Michigan is 0-13 all-time against current members of the ACC. CMU has faced Boston College (0-3), Clemson (0-1), Louisville (0-2), NC State (0-2), Syracuse (0-3), Virginia (0-1) and Virginia Tech (0-1).
• Central Michigan is playing in the Commonwealth for the third time. In addition to the 1996 game at Scott Stadium, Central Michigan also played at Virginia Tech in 2010.

Brown Comes Up Big at Uconn
• DE Andrew Brown had an exceptional game at UConn, recording a career-high 3.5 tackles for loss.
• Brown added one sack, recovered a fumble and broke up a pass to go with his six tackles. The six tackles was one off tying his career high of seven set in the season opener against Richmond.

Field Possession Struggles at UConn
• UVA started six of its 12 offensive possessions at UConn at the 20-yard line or worse.
• Two started at the 10-yard line or worse, while three were inside the 15-yard line.
• UVA scored a field goal off its worst field position to start a drive. Starting at its own nine-yard line, UVA went 12 plays to take an early 3-0 lead.
• UVA’s next possession the Cavaliers started on their own 10. UVA marched 90 yards on 13 plays for its only touchdown of the game.