Bronco Mendenhall couldn’t provide any update on the status of starting safeties Joey Blount or Brenton Nelson for Saturday’s game against #15 North Carolina.
Both were out for last week’s 19-14 loss at #11 Miami, whose quarterback, D’Eriq King, had a monster game picking apart the patched-up UVA secondary, throwing for 322 yards, completing 21 of his 30 pass attempts.
King particularly picked on sophomore Antonio Clary, who was targeted five times, and allowed five completions for 108 yards.
Mendenhall is hopeful that Indiana transfer Ronnie Walker will be available this coming weekend.
Walker, a junior, was finally granted eligibility two weeks ago, but he hasn’t been in the lineup since getting the NCAA waiver.
“Ronnie is eager to come back. We’re anxious to have him back and anticipate his possible return for this week. And then, just how he looks and time will kind of tell us where he fits,” Mendenhall said.
Junior Wayne Taulapapa is entrenched at the top spot on the tailback chart. Towson grad transfer Shane Simpson has been the #2.
One last update: freshman wideout Lavel Davis Jr. missed the Miami game, and is “most likely not available for this one as well,” Mendenhall said.
The coach said he is “really not at liberty to say how come,” adding later that it’s “nothing punitive.”
The 6’7” Davis has nine catches, three for TDs, and is averaging an ACC-best 23.3 yards per catch.
St. Francis grad transfer Ra’Shaun Henry stepped into the rotation at wideout at Miami and had one catch, a 35-yard TD pass from Brennan Armstrong in the fourth quarter that got the ‘Hoos back to within one score.
He also had what would have been a 24-yard TD reception in the second quarter called back by an ineligible receiver downfield penalty.
Story by Chris Graham
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