BRONCO MENDENHALL: Yeah, it’s good to be with everyone today. Another ACC game coming up. We’re anxious to be at home this time after a road victory against Duke, and looking forward to the home stretch of the season.
So I’ll take questions.
Q. Your secondary and corners, what do you see from North Carolina their perimeter receivers and their passing game?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: Yeah, I think their passing game is certainly a threat. North Carolina loves to get the ball on the perimeter. They use multiple types of screens, but they also like downfield shots, and their receivers have length and they have speed and they have capability.
So yeah, I think they are certainly very competitive, and I think really capable.
Q. Kelly told us yesterday that outside of NC State, this is the hardest offensive matchup you guys have faced. The statistics don’t necessarily bare that out, so if you agree, why do you think that is?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: I think, not speaking for Kelly, but what I think, simply, is North Carolina is talented. So when it’s running back or tight end or receiver, all those players we think are very, very capable and maybe the only difference, again, to this point has just been consistency.
Q. Talking to Tim on Monday, he was talking about how you talked to him about coming back for his sixth year. What did you learn in that conversation and was there something about him that made you want to have him back?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: I’ve had a lot of conversations with Tim. I can’t say that I remember specifically that conversation.
But in relation to the second part of the question, wanting him back, Tim just in my opinion, had not reached his potential. I’m not talking specifically on the field. Tim is someone that’s learning and growing daily in terms of work capacity, and mental resilience and physical resilience.
My counsel has been over time to them, that I thought he needed another year with us and we certainly would like him back because he’s a good football player. But the primary purpose is more just another year of development as a person, with the staff. That’s really our primary goal.
And so I think that’s the core of what the comments were that I made to him, and after a relatively slow start this season, there is becoming an emerging change, not only of intensity but of resiliency and production that I think is pretty gratifying for all of us now.
Q. If you would, curious about Ellis’s status for the game. Has he practiced the last couple days and do you expect him to play on Saturday?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: Jordan hasn’t practiced yet and we’re hopeful for Saturday. I have a simple rule in our program where a player has to practice on Thursday to be able to be considered for play on Saturday.
So we’ll see tomorrow.
Q. I was just curious, now that you’ve had a couple more days, what Joey’s status is?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: Yeah, Joey will be playing. He’s practicing and he’s full speed, so he’s good.
Q. Is it good to have a mobile quarterback who actually can run and pass, because he basically in the first quarter got a rushing touchdown and threw one, too. What’s it like having a mobile quarterback?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: It provides more options. It’s hard to run the defense because many times, they have to not only execute their plan, but then be able to extend and create outside of the plan to compensate for the quarterback who is outside of our system, which just the plays last longer and they become more variable in terms of how you have to defend them.
It’s a great asset for us and really helping us this year.
Q. Did you have that a lot at BYU, a lot of mobile quarterbacks and you brought that system here to Charlottesville?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: We had one quarterback that’s similar to Bryce and he’s playing for the New Orleans Saints. His name is Taysom Hill. That was the reference point we used as we were developing this system and hoping to recruit a quarterback to be similar to Taysom. Bryce is different but still has some of the same skill sets that Taysom had.
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