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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 14, 2016

Bronco Mendenhall

Greensboro, North Carolina

COACH MENDENHALL: After I think an improved performance in some areas, after a trip to Oregon, we continue to look for ways to really improve, grow and build our program in every capacity.

Plenty to work on in a lot of different areas. But the run game improved offensively. Our punter and our punting game in general appears to be strong. Our defense is still struggling with youth and inexperience and consistency. But the collective spirit of the team is growing and maturing and looking forward to the next test.

So I'll take questions.

Q. With your recent history with UConn, playing the last two seasons at BYU, is that somewhat of an advantage there? They might be the team you're most familiar with this season. Is that an advantage or not because you have a different team?
COACH MENDENHALL: I would say more of the second with a little bit of the first, meaning that there's some familiarity which helps. Really at this point in our program, so much of the focus is and still has to be only on us. Who we're really playing right now is not the main point.

I'm still becoming familiar with our team and what we're capable of. So maybe in another situation with another team, other circumstances, having played a team two years in a row might be more of an advantage. But I think it's mitigated just where our current level of performance is and the number of things we have to work on.

Q. We've obviously made a big deal about this team and its struggles on the road. Did you learn or see anything in that Oregon trip that might clue you in as to why? I know you were happy with some effort. Did you see anything on that trip you can learn from?
COACH MENDENHALL: Sure. Again, I think teams and people perform as they're prepared, and organizations perform as they've been designed.

We played better in week two than week one in a lot of areas simply because of time, consistency and focus. I'm putting zero stock right now or acknowledging whatever streaks, whatever teams we haven't beaten or where we haven't beaten teams or had success just simply because to me every point of reference is brand-new.

What the team showed as we traveled across the country is they're willing to step up, embrace and try anything that we're sharing with them that might be helpful. I think the more that we address things that have happened before in terms of a consistent manner, really the less successful we'll be after we acknowledge the brutal facts.

The brutal facts are the team has struggled on the road. But quite frankly the team has struggled many years winning many games or having winning seasons. We address it brutally saying these are our struggled, this is what has happened. But then we spend all our time on what we can do about it.

They're rising within their current capacity to do so.

Q. You've been happy since day one with the way they've bought into what you're preaching and asking them to do.
COACH MENDENHALL: Yes.

Q. Was that part a struggle, to get them not to dwell or focus on a road losing streak?
COACH MENDENHALL: Certainly. But the thing I would say that surprised me the most in terms of their intent and following and the chemistry part is I saw how quickly they can revert. I saw that in our opening game. That just reminded me really how shallow the roots currently are.

The foundation we're building is not deep, it's not set yet, it's just the beginning. Our players can easily revert back. I hear comments in practice: Not the old way, the new way, in terms of the some of the habits.

They're aware of it and they're fighting against it because those habits are stronger because they've been in place longer. So we're looking to replace and build new ones on top of the old ones so they're the first thing our players draw from. Still a long ways to go. We're doing it and they're responding well.

As I keep saying, I'm not sure when it will happen, but the quality of football will eventually catch up to the work ethic and mindset they're putting in around the program.

Q. Was this schedule or future schedule anything you considered before taking the job? What did you think of this schedule in particular with its six road games, which is one fewer than normally scheduled?
COACH MENDENHALL: Yeah, I did look at the schedule out of interest but not as a defining point of whether I take the job or not. I have not looked at future schedules or I didn't look at future schedules in terms of considering that, of whether I would come to the University of Virginia or not.

When I looked at the schedule, I saw a challenging schedule right from the beginning. I was somewhat familiar of just Richmond's reputation. I knew Oregon obviously from being out in the west. Had played UConn and had respect for them. Always have thought Central Michigan was a strong team.

Then the ACC was the biggest unknown. But as I've studied that since I've become the head coach, yeah, it's certainly at this point in our program, maybe at any point, everything we could handle and more.

Again, just to be brutally honest, I'm paying very little attention to who we're playing because I'm losing plenty of sleep and staying up and focusing entirely on how to help our team play quality football as fast as possible and to give our team the best chance to learn and grow and mature and have success.

So the opponents, and this is not disrespectful, are just kind of nameless and faceless because we aren't to the point where we can consider what everybody else is doing, we have so much work to do ourselves.

Q. You inherited a player with a pretty good reputation in Quin Blanding. Can you talk about how he's played for you, how you use a player of that talent in your system.
COACH MENDENHALL: Yeah, Quin is first of all an amazing young person. He's a future leader in whatever he chooses to do, whatever capacity, whatever enterprise he chooses to participate in. He's just an amazing young man. A quick study, a fast learner, applies things instantly. You only have to ask him to do something once, he'll do it, and he'll do it beyond expectations.

Really the role he's playing, he's been beat up a little bit with injuries, so he hasn't been able to perform yet to really his full potential. But he's still been playing despite that to help our team.

His just simple presence, consistency, optimism and confidence is something that this program needs so desperately. Quin is a person they can look to that not only has that mindset but then has the ability and the performance capacity to back it up.

So he is UVA football. He's one of our models of when a player is wondering or a situation arises of how to conduct themselves or behave, I can say, This is what it looks like. That's something they all understand.

Q. You talked about the spirit growing. Eventually the results will catch up with the effort put in. Is there a point, though, where you need positive reinforcement on the field to keep that up?
COACH MENDENHALL: Sure, sure. I think here is the thing. Positive reinforcement on the field can come in a lot of ways. Certainly the easiest, best and most tangible way is to win. But, man, there are so many other ways and so many other things that can be seen if just someone is sincerely looking on a week-to-week basis that are improving.

That's why I was so encouraged by week two, is just the number of things I saw improving from such a basic and fundamental level. I was just impressed at the number of small things. We celebrate simple successes and small things here on the way to bigger things.

A big thing is winning. But, man, we have a lot of steps still before we get there. But I'm not going to let those steps come and go with us making them without acknowledging them.

In the meantime, till we get the wins, of which we're both referring to, I look for small and simple things every day.

THE MODERATOR: Coach, thank you.

COACH MENDENHALL: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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