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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

August 31, 2016

Bronco Mendenhall

Greensboro, North Carolina

BRONCO MENDENHALL: Good morning, everyone. I'm thrilled to be at the University of Virginia. I feel lucky to have the position that I have. A lot of hard work has gone in to establish at least a point of reference for our team before we take the field, and I'm anxious for the next step as well as my coaching staff and my players. With that, I'll take whatever questions.

Q. With the numbers ceremony, if you will, that you had where the players selected their jersey numbers, is that something you did at Brigham Young? If not, what motivated you to come up with that idea? Where did you get it from?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: No, it's not something I've ever done before and had not done at Brigham Young. The thought came really in the very first team meeting that I had when I met the players at UVA, and I saw the way that they were seated. I saw the way they were carrying themselves. I saw their body language, and I really was interpreting their mindset just based on the way that they were there, and they looked dejected and despondent, and right on the edge of being desperate, I think, for a successful football program. I realized at that point that this program is going to have to start from ground zero just with the sheer joy of being able to be able to play the game, to earn the right to play the game, and eventually to earn the right to play the game for the University of Virginia.

So with that thought process then just came the simple idea of not allowing any numbers and not having any V Sabers or any mark of any kind on any gear until it was earned, but also building the capacity of the team in the simple idea that they can do hard things and they can build capability and they can do it together, and if they're lucky enough, eventually they'll earn a number, which means I endorse them as being capable of representing our program.

Just with something that simple, it ended up being a fantastic ceremony and emotional and great for our team. 61 players to this point have earned their jersey, which is the number we'll run out of the tunnel with, barring some new selections for first years. I haven't let any of our first years select yet. That will be tomorrow, if any of our freshmen at other places is what they're called will be able to choose. But I want a team that's united and qualified, and I thought this was just maybe a creative way to bring that about.

Q. Do you anticipate it being a one-time deal, or do you think this could happen in future seasons?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: No, I see it happening every year. I think a lot of the coolest inventions or innovations happen with the thought of it being possibly just for a single time period or a single place or a single era or a single moment, but after seeing it and after being part of it, I think it'll be at the core of my coaching philosophy for the rest of my career.

Q. I'm curious with the FBS/FCS, do you address that with your team about not taking an opponent lightly, and does this Richmond team in particular because of what it brings back kind of make that an easy sell?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: I don't bring it up, and it's certainly an easy sell. We're in no position certainly to take anyone lightly. But I think as you and I get to know each other and others, my philosophy is really clear on this, and it has been with my team and any team that I've coached, is I put very little focus on whom we're playing or where we're playing. I put almost the entire focus on our own assignments, our own techniques, our own preparation.

The context comes from the opponent, but any opponent is capable of beating us, and that's for any team that I'm coaching. I just want our given team to play the best of their ability with how they're currently prepared, and I think teams play as they're prepared. You rise to the level of your preparation, not really expectations.

I haven't mentioned it once. I really don't mention our opponent really ever as I'm preparing our team to play. It's probably new for our team but not new to our coaching staff.

Q. For that coaching staff, what impresses you most about this Richmond team?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: The Richmond team is experienced, and so they're a team that knows how to win, has demonstrated that, has demonstrated it consistently now. They're very well-coached, have gone to the semifinals a year ago, and when you win 10 games and you have 19 I think of 22 players or contributors coming back, that's a great reference point to begin with, and Richmond is capable of beating a lot of football teams regardless of if there's a division and level or not. I've been really impressed.

Q. What are your thoughts about your kicking game, specifically Nicholas Conte the punter who was injured in the spring?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: Nicholas Conte is an exceptional punter. He's a scholarship player now for us at the University of Virginia. That didn't take long for me to see that he's capable and qualified to become that even though he was hurt in the spring. He's consistent. He has a big leg, and he's exceptional with the direction of placing the ball, and that's a huge weapon when field position is so important in our philosophy and in college football.

Our kicking game is still a work in progress overall, and the snapping and the holding and the kicking, much like a lot of our team, so we're working to accelerate that component as fast as we can. Repetition, time and feedback that comes with that is necessary, and so I'll know more after Saturday. All I can say is I feel comfortable we've accelerated it to the point that we can but not comfortable with where it currently is.

Q. What's something this Saturday that you'd be really pleased to see when your team is on the field, and what's something that would concern you?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: That's a great question of all the things that a head coach -- that goes through my mind. What I'd be pleased to see is resiliency. This team is a team that is learning about work capacity and learning about handling unique and tough situations and continuing to play hard. We've put our team through a lot with the idea of building a resilient team, meaning handling the different swings and momentum changes that happen in a game and just continuing to push on regardless of outcome, and so I'm an effort-based coach, and I like players that play hard regardless of circumstance no matter what, and so I'm hopeful to see that that's carried or that that's something that's demonstratable and something that shows from how I watch them play.

And something that would concern me I think would be the absence of that, and if the roots haven't gotten deep yet in terms of their ability to handle the ups and downs of a given game. We work -- I've mentioned so many times to them, the games don't go according to script or it's rare that they do, and their ability to transition and move quickly from one scenario to the next and forget the last play and move on to the next one is something we've worked hard on. So I'm hopeful to see us adjust well to whatever situations come with optimistic and positive mindset and then a resilient spirit. I think I'll be able to tell just by how hard they try through the game.

Q. How is the receiver position looking going into this game considering some of the injuries that a few of your players had during camp?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: We're at full strength, and so we've had a number of players that have been beat up a little bit and had a few nicks going into and through fall camp, but at this point every receiver we have in the program is capable and ready to play, and with the addition of some first years that have emerged that are doing a nice job, so we're at full strength at wide receiver.

Q. Do you anticipate playing any first years in this game?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: Yes, I do. And maybe more than what anyone expects. My history speaks pretty clearly to that. A year ago I played the third most freshmen in college football, and I have no issues with it. I actually think it's better for young people in transition to have a role and to have a purpose, and I think it's a steadying factor that helps them in their lives rather than managing the redshirt and the limbo that comes with that.

My hope is to play as many as possible that have earned a role, so that doesn't mean I'm going to play them if they're not ready or haven't earned a chance to play, but I think there will be a handful, and the exact number I think will play out on Saturday, and I'd be more comfortable seeing it play out than predict it. But yes, there will be some first years that play.

Q. Would you be willing to name a couple of the guys at the top of that pack?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: Not yet. I'd rather that just play out on Saturday. I think that's best, again, for just the fans and for anyone else just to kind of be surprised and cheer for them when that happens and one less thing they have to manage in terms of expectations once they've heard that I think they're going to play. I'd rather do that after the fact.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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