Virginia is coming off a close 32-25 loss against No. 7 Louisville in a contest it lost in the final seconds of the game.
Coach Bronco Mendenhall said he believes that last week’s game against the Cardinals (7-1, 5-1 ACC) shows just how much the Cavaliers (2-6, 1-3 ACC) have improved with each game.
“Our team is getting better with every time we play a game,” Mendenhall said. “It's fun to watch the transformation happening. It's steady.”
Virginia will hope to keep that momentum going when they face Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C. this weekend. The Demon Deacons (5-3, 2-2 ACC) have surprised the conference this year, winning their first four games. Wake Forest’s schedule includes victories over Duke and Syracuse, and the Demon Deacons played close against No. 22 Florida State, losing 17-6. Wake Forest will be looking for a win Saturday in order to guarantee a bowl game.
“Wake is methodical,” Mendenhall said. “They're strong on defense, and they're capable on offense. They manage their team in relation to that. So I think they identified pretty early who they are, and they've been able to win games and manage their team and give them, I think, ... their best chance.”
The Cavaliers and the Demon Deacons haven’t met since 2012, when Virginia lost at Scott Stadium, 16-10, under former coach Mike London. Saturday’s game may be another low-scoring affair, as Wake Forest’s strong suit this season has been its defense.
Junior defensive end Duke Ejiofor and senior linebacker Marquel Lee highlight the Demon Deacon defense. Ejiofor is ranked ninth in the nation with 12.5 tackles for loss, while Lee is ranked 11th with 12. Redshirt freshman defensive back Jessie Bates is a key component of Wake Forest’s defense as well — recording four interceptions and ranking third in the nation in interception return yards. Bates’ 119 interception return yards are also good for first in the ACC.
Defense is one area in which the Cavaliers have been trying to improve. Against Louisville, the defense kept up with the Cardinals for the most part — sophomore quarterback Lamar Jackson didn’t rush for a touchdown and was sacked five times.
“Coach Mendenhall said we should use this as momentum to get better,” junior defensive end Andrew Brown said. “That was a top-five team, and we contended them very well. Going into this next game, we should definitely build off that.”
Junior linebacker Micah Kiser has been arguably the leader of Virginia’s defense so far. He has 223 tackles in 32 games and 10.4 tackles over 20 starts. Kiser also recovered a fumble last week against Louisville.
“His position mastery and his execution of the plays in the defense and staying within his role — we need that,” Brown said.
The Cavaliers and the Demon Deacons will both try to lock things down on defense — but another area where they both excel is in the punting game.
Senior punter Nicholas Conte has put Virginia in good positions all season long with his punting average. Conte currently ranks first in the ACC and ninth in the nation with a 45.4 yard punting average. Conte’s career punting average is 45 yards, which is good for best in the program. Wake Forest freshman punter Dom Maggio has also performed well this season, ranking third in the ACC and 25th in the nation with a 43.9 punting average.
Offensively, the Cavaliers will look towards junior quarterback Kurt Benkert, who had a much-improved game Saturday after going through a slump where Virginia only scored 17 points in six quarters. Against the Cardinals, Benkert recorded 238 yards and three touchdowns. He also had clutch plays, most notably in Virginia’s last drive, where Benkert marched Virginia down 75 yards for a touchdown and a two-point conversion.
“The confidence that it took to throw that ball and where he put it, and then the two-point play. Those are the two statement throws of where he currently is,” Mendenhall said. “It's fun to see him emerge out of that kind of place that he was just through resilience and work — man, he's been trying so hard. So it was fun to see that happen on that stage against that opponent.”
Virginia will also be relying on senior tailback Taquan Mizzell to bolster the running game. Mizzell recorded 66 yards against the Cardinals with 3.3 yards per carry. The Virginia Beach, Va. native also has a 41-game reception streak, which is currently the fourth-longest streak in the nation.
With just four games remaining in the season, the Cavaliers will need to win out in order to secure a bowl game. Right now, though, they are focusing on tracking their improvement.
“I like what we're becoming,” Mendenhall said. “I'm excited to see with the weeks we have remaining how good we can get.”
Saturday’s game is at 3 p.m. at BB&T Field in Winston-Salem, N.C.
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