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MESSIER: What we missed Saturday

<p>Sophomore wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus looks to make a profound impact with a full 60 minutes of eligibility this week.&nbsp;</p>

Sophomore wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus looks to make a profound impact with a full 60 minutes of eligibility this week. 

It is hard to look past Virginia football’s deflating 37-20 loss to FCS opponent Richmond last weekend — and I’m not saying that we should. However, amidst the defensive struggles and offensive blunders, there are a few key things that may go overlooked in assessing last Saturday’s in-state matchup.

The Cavaliers committed zero penalties the entire game

Of course, without forcing the Spiders to punt until the second half, it was difficult to notice Virginia wasn’t flagged for a penalty all game. The silver lining, though, is that the Cavaliers were the only FBS team in week one to play a full 60 minutes without a penalty.

Virginia hasn’t been able to do that since 2004 against Maryland. During the Mike London era, penalties were a factor that often plagued the Cavaliers.

Is this truly a positive though?

Coach Bronco Mendenhall may argue it isn’t.

“I think [there is] another really interesting statistic — and you might view this one way or the other — but I don't remember a penalty being called on our team in the game,” Mendenhall said. “And that to me is not necessarily a positive thing.”

Mendenhall’s teams at BYU were actually known for committing penalties, notably averaging almost nine penalties per game in 2014, good for 124th in the nation.

Mendenhall has been known to coach teams that play just within the rules — meaning his teams are just aggressive enough without going overboard — and that often comes with some flags.

“There is a line where the rules are, and John Wooden actually used to say that he thought the team that made the most mistakes would win, because they were pushing the envelope right to the border of what the rules would allow,” Mendenhall said. “They were aggressive, they were assertive, they were confident and I believe this is the first team I'd ever coached where there were no penalties.”

While stopping short of calling his team’s play tentative, Mendenhall noted this may have to do with the team’s culture that he has tirelessly been attempting to change.

“This is just a reflection of just where we are,” Mendenhall said. “Here's the line, and they're certain they don't want to go over it, and it's not allowable to kind of get close, and so I'm finding myself encouraging the confidence and the position mastery and the fundamentals that actually require them to be right next to that line.”

Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean that teams with more penalties make the most successful football teams, and Mendenhall recognizes that too.

“That doesn't mean I want penalties for the sake of penalties,” Mendenhall said.

It will be interesting to see if the Cavaliers see the flag a few times this Saturday against No. 24 Oregon.

Sophomore Wide Receiver Olamide Zaccheaus’ 30 minutes of play

Zaccheaus was held out of the first half of the game for a violation of team rules — something that Mendenhall noted showed responsibility on the sophomore’s part.

“So [Olamide] made a mistake in violation of the team rules,” Mendenhall said. “But to his credit, he acknowledged it before I found out from anyone else and called me and said what had happened. It cost him the first half of the game, as well as a few other things, and he handled it really well and maturely and would have helped our team the entire game.”

Zaccheaus made it clear the Cavaliers could have used his speed and shiftiness in the slot and on special teams all game, leading the team with five catches for 75 yards in just 30 minutes of play. Last year, he had a bigger role on special teams, where he led the team with 541 yards on kickoff returns.

Junior quarterback Kurt Benkert had praise for the sophomore. The two appeared to work well together once Zaccheaus entered the game.

“He’s a good player,” Benkert said. “He’s explosive. He’s good at catching balls, and he breaks away from people. He’s fast.”

Zaccheaus will certainly be a player to look for in upcoming games, as his chemistry with Benkert will be an important factor in his development, especially when he is able to play a full 60 minutes.

The obvious: junior quarterback Kurt Benkert’s big debut

It would be hard to miss Benkert’s strong performance Saturday. Despite having attempted just 10 passes at the collegiate level prior to Saturday, the East Carolina transfer went 26-for-34 for 264 yards and three touchdowns. Benkert’s completions and touchdowns tie for the best in any Virginia quarterback’s debut.

Despite getting sacked three times and throwing one interception, Benkert appeared to be comfortable steering the Cavaliers’ new air raid offense.

Benkert’s performance made many Cavaliers fans confident in Mendenhall’s choice for starting quarterback. He was pleased with his performance too, but realizes that there is plenty of work to be done in the offense.

“I feel like I did pretty well,” Benkert said. “There were just a few throws in critical situations that I needed to make to get the first downs and we needed to be better on third down and that starts with me, decision making. We’ve got a lot to correct.”

What this means

Virginia will only be tested more and more as the season goes on. While it seems the team is currently back to square one, Mendenhall is hopeful these bright spots can carry the team through.

“I am positive that [success] will happen and that the scheme, strategy and coaches that are here will be able to pull that off,” Mendenhall said. “But lots and lots of work ahead, steep learning curve still to come.”

It will be interesting to see how these positives hold up when Virginia travels to face nationally-ranked Oregon in Eugene this Saturday.

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