UVA 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.”