Jacob Manley

*This is part of a series of previews for Student Union Sports, for teams other than the Cavaliers, see here.

In his third year at the helm of the Cavaliers, Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall nearly led to the program to a breakout season. Had it not been for two heartbreaking overtime losses to end the regular season, the Cavs would have been looking at a trip to the ACC championship. However, with one the most exciting QBs in the country and a potentially weak division, now might be the best time for a breakthrough.

Prestige Ranking: 3*

Two years ago, the Cavaliers would have been looking like a two or even one star program. Thankfully, the arrival of Mendenhall and two straight bowl games have pushed them up. Perhaps if the aforementioned break-though occurs, they can push for four status.

Last Year’s Record: 8-5 (4-4 ACC)

The Cavaliers were a very interesting team last year. With the exception of beating South Carolina in the bowl game (which doesn’t really count) they didn’t really pull any upsets. On the flip side, when they lost, oh boy, it was not great. Losses to Georgia Tech, Pitt, and a severely depleted Virginia Tech team sank their division title hopes. Oh, and they lost to Indiana. You never want to lose to Indiana.

Projected Returning Starters

Offense: 6

  • QB Bryce Perkins
  • WR Hasise Dubois
  • WR Joe Reed
  • LT Ryan Nelson
  • LG Chris Glaser
  • RG Dillon Reinkensmeyer

Quarterback Bryce Perkins is one of the most exciting players in the country that many don’t know about. Arguably the second best QB in the ACC, Perkins totaled 34 touchdowns last year, with 9 of those coming on the ground. With inexperience at running back, his rushing ability may be utilized even more this season. He is no slouch as a passer either, totaling 2,680 yards through the air to his 923 on the ground. He is easily a dark horse Heisman candidate

At running back, the Cavaliers return virtually nothing. The leading returning rusher is Perkins, and the next closest to him is junior PK Kier who had…. Eighty yards last season. Granted, he was stuck behind two other options, so the hope is he can provide a nice one-two punch with Perkins.

The loss of leading receiver Olamide Zaccheaus will hurt, but Mendenhall seems comfortable in the depth at wide receiver. The team’s second and third receivers both return in Hasise Dubois and Joe Reed. Reed is especially intriguing, because despite only catching 25 passes last year he was second on the team in touchdown catches and averaged 18.6 yards per catch.

With only one senior, the offensive line is incredibly young. There is experience from last season, but left tackle Ryan Nelson is only a sophomore and right tackle Alex Gellerstedt was not the primary starter last season. If the rushing attack is to have success, the O-line will need to prove itself.

Defense: 6

  • NT Eli Hanback
  • OLB Charles Snowden
  • ILB Jordan Mack
  • ILB Zane Zandier
  • CB Bryce Hall
  • S Brenton Nelson

It is always going to be hard to worry about a Bronco Mendenhall defense, even one that lost its best player in safety Juan Thornhill, who had 98 tackles last year. The secondary has a chance to be one of the better in the ACC led by CB Bryce hall, who was an Athlon All-ACC selection. In addition, Safety Brenton Nelson was a starter last year and will be paired with Joey Blount, who played well as a backup last season.

The linebacking corp will be the strength of the defense, returning three of four starters, including last year’s second leading tackler, Jordan Mack, who will help man the middle of the defense. Adding in sophomore Noah Taylor, who played mostly special teams last season, and this unit has potential to be special.

The defensive line returns one starter, in senior nose tackle Eli Hanback. Thankfully, the 3-4 defense should help mitigate some of that pressure. There is some youth along the line, with junior Mandy Alonso and sophomore Aaron Faumui projected to be the starting ends.

Specialists:

  • K Brian Delaney
  • KR Joe Reed

Delaney was the starter last year, going 12-16, but Mendenhall has indicated that there may be a kicking battle in camp. Also, the team must replace punter Lester Coleman, with Nash Griffin seemingly being next in line.

On the bright side, Joe Reed is an electric kick returner, burning teems all throughout the season, and is the all-time leader at UVA in kick return yards.

Key Losses

Safety Juan Thornhill: Defensive leader who led the team in both tackles and interceptions.

Receiver Olamide Zaccheaus: Team leader in receiving yards and touchdowns with 1,058 and 9, respectively. Also third on the team with 83 rushing yards.

Running back Jordan Ellis: Team leader in rushing yards and touchdowns with 1,026 yards and 10 touchdowns. Formed a menacing backfield with Bryce Perkins.

Key Newcomer on Offense: RB PK Kier

Not a newcomer, per se, but some fans may not be familiar. After being buried on the depth chart, Kier looks to be the lead back this coming season. Replacing Jordan Ellis’s rushing output won’t be easy, but Kier will need to attempt to in order to win a Coastal title.

Key Newcomer on Defense: OLB Noah Taylor

Only a sophomore, Taylor seems to be in line for a starting spot this season. If he is trusted to be a starter this young on a Bronco Mendenhall team, he has potential to be a star.

Win the Conference if:

They can finish games. The final two games of last season Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech were both overtime losses that sunk the Cavaliers division title hopes. In what could be a potentially weak division, UVA has no business losing those games.

Circle this game: Virginia Tech

After losing a fumble to end the game last year, Virginia extended its losing streak to their in-state rival to fifteen years. At this point, even if they miss out on a division title, beating Virginia Tech would make the season a success.

2019 Outlook: 9-3

It was extremely tempting to give the Cavaliers ten wins, especially since they avoid Clemson. The only surefire loss looks to be Notre Dame in late September. However, after seeing some of the puzzling losses, it is hard to trust this team a whole lot, especially with offensive questions, and the unknowns of Miami, Florida State, and Virginia Tech. That being said, UVA should have one of, if not the, best shot at the Coastal title in their division.