With training camp in full swing and the season quickly approaching, the Virginia football team has been grinding hard to show growth in its second year under Coach Bronco Mendenhall. The silver lining of the Cavaliers’ disappointing 2-10 record last season is that there is immense room for improvement, and with many returning faces under Mendenhall’s system, there is some optimism.
Despite the many frustrations of 2016, the glimpses of potential shown by the Cavaliers were encouraging signs for the team’s future. Between senior quarterback Kurt Benkert’s five-touchdown game against Central Michigan and the Cavalier defense’s five-interception game at Duke, the team flashed talent on both sides of the ball. Now, Mendenhall’s squad must find consistency.
It all starts with Benkert, who comes into 2017 healthy after battling injuries last year. He will shed the knee brace he wore after tearing his ACL at East Carolina, and his shoulder is fully healed after seriously injuring it at Connecticut last season. Benkert threw for 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season, totaling 2552 yards but completing only 56.2 percent of his passes — 87th in the FBS last year. The Florida native was also sacked a whopping 31 times behind an inconsistent offensive line — the 19th-most sacks taken in the FBS.
Virginia’s success this season will rely on Benkert’s ability to control his gunslinger mentality so he can move the ball downfield and more effectively limit turnovers than last year. With healthy legs, Mendenhall can use Benkert more as a runner this year, and the quarterback’s athleticism will help him keep plays alive behind another questionable offensive line. The reviews on Benkert from training camp have been wildly positive, so he could be in for a big senior season with a better mental grasp on the offense.
Benkert will have his two leading receivers in yardage from last season returning alongside him. Senior wide receiver Doni Dowling (626 yards, four touchdowns) and junior running back Olamide Zaccheaus (584 yards, seven touchdowns) showed athleticism and big-play potential with Benkert under center last season. Beyond them, however, Mendenhall must find depth. He might look to senior wide receiver Andre Levrone, who has shown flashes of deep-threat potential behind a six-foot-three, 220-pound frame, but has been limited by numerous injuries since his freshman season.
Virginia’s biggest offensive uncertainty comes at running back, after the graduations of leading 2016 rushers Taquan Mizzell and Albert Reid. Junior running back Jordan Ellis leads the pack of returners after tallying only 65 yards on the ground last year as a short-yardage back. He impressed at Virginia’s spring game, showing newfound speed on a 60-yard touchdown run. Adding speed to his huge 215-pound frame could make him a force as Virginia’s lead back.
On the defensive side, Virginia brings back a fair amount of exciting talent. Senior linebacker Micah Kiser and senior free safety Quin Blanding passed on the NFL draft to return to the Cavaliers as last year’s ACC tackling leaders and their unquestioned team leaders. Senior and former five-star defensive end Andrew Brown returns after a breakout season that saw him leading Virginia with 13 tackles-for-loss to go along with six sacks. The defense as a whole was largely inconsistent last season, allowing 33.8 points per game — an uninspiring 99th in the nation. The improvement of the young secondary behind Blanding will be key for the Cavaliers in 2017.
An overlooked but crucial component of Virginia’s progress in 2017 will be steadying the kicking situation. Cavalier kickers connected on only five of 10 attempts last season, and the lack of confidence Mendenhall had in the pair forced him into many unsuccessful attempts at running plays or fakes on fourth down. Mendenhall may have struck gold in recruiting freshman kicker Brian Delaney to Virginia, who comes in as the No. 2 rated kicking and No. 1 rated punting prospect in the country by ESPN and Kohl’s Kicking, respectively.
Virginia begins its season hosting William & Mary on Sept. 2, which, although it is against an FCS opponent, will be a prove-it game for the Cavaliers. Virginia was throttled by FCS opponent Richmond in last year’s opener, so this year’s matchup will be a prime opportunity for Mendenhall to show how far his team has come since that defeat. Following the opener, Virginia hosts beatable foes Indiana and Connecticut in the following weeks before traveling west to face the always-formidable Boise State to end the non-conference slate.
Virginia’s ACC docket has some winnable matchups and some very tough draws. The Cavaliers host mediocre foes Duke and Boston College in October, but have brutal road clashes against preseason Top 25 opponents Louisville and Miami in November. Virginia’s remaining foes — North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech — are all replacing key parts of their offenses, including quarterbacks, but the Cavaliers have combined to go 1-7 against these solid teams in the past two seasons.
The buzz of optimism around the improvement of the Cavaliers is not unfounded, and Virginia seems poised to take a step forward in Mendenhall’s second season. With many lingering uncertainties, the step seems more likely to be small than substantial. But, early indications show — if nothing else — that there will be progress.
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