	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 18, 2017

Bronco Mendenhall

Greensboro, North Carolina

BRONCO MENDENHALL: Really, really anxious to play another football game and continue to grow our program and our team. Looking forward to another unique and tough challenge in ACC football, and we're going our best to prepare, not only daily, but weekly, to help our kids have their best chance to have success.

So I'll take questions.

Q. I'm curious, I know obviously you have so many things on field and with the team that you deal with but in terms of growing the program from a fan interest in an attendance standpoint, are you hoping to see a better turnout on Saturday, and is that an important part to building the program?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: You know, I think it's one of the metrics. It is important, and I think it's important for a number of reasons.

I think it's important as clarity that people in the community and the state are identifying with the way the program is run, as well as the result.

So I think fans could come for the philosophical approach or fans can come for the winning or they can come for both. I think right now, there's intrigue on the fans' part and there's hopeful and the excitement of, is this real and what does this look like and can this be. And we would welcome that support, but again, one of our guiding principles is earning the support.

So I think as one seat at a time starts filling up and then two and three and sections, that's just going to be earned with consistency and time. I think it's still a little too early and not quite consistency enough to have generated the excitement that I'm hopeful for.

But again, I'm framing it in relation to the beginning and not the end. So I think it's about where, just quite frankly, where the brutal facts say it is, and with each win, hopefully we'll see attendance increase.

Q. Unrelated, you said on Monday that you didn't anticipate having Malcolm this week but you thought there was a chance he could be available the following week. Is that still an accurate outlook?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: Yeah, that's still accurate. And that's -- the chance for the following week, not this week but the week against our next opponent, that's still going to be a race to get that done.

So I'm not going to present that as a sure thing, but I would say it's probable that he would be ready for the next one.

Q. With a high-powered running game coming in there this weekend, how would you rate or describe your run defense to this point?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: I would put it in the good, not great, range. I thought we made some pretty significant strides and were playing well until the two runs against North Carolina.

The traditional runs we've been defending really well all year and then there's been some quarterback scrambles and some quarterback runs that have kind of altered and skewed the rushing yardage. And so I would have said a different response other than the two runs we just gave up, so I think we're good, not great. Probably if you're giving it a letter grade in the B range as to where we are, probably after game six.

Q. Have you put a bigger emphasis on it this week?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: We started -- yeah, even after the very first game, we've been targeting that with increased emphasis and the different types of runs we've been seeing. But certainly against Boston College that is a first priority. It's run, run, run and then you have to defend playaction.

So yeah, we think it's not only necessary for our team's improvement but for our best chance to have our best chance against this opponent.

Q. This is not necessarily Virginia-specific I guess, but after the Wake Forest situation last year where it came out that other teams had some of their plays; where have you at that time or in the off-season, did you reevaluate sort of security measures that you have or who has access to information? Was there a re-evaluation among you or your staff in the Wake of that scandal?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: There was an informal re-evaluation. When I heard that, I didn't want to believe it and I didn't want to think that that could happen or would happen in college football, and after that flash thought, I realized pretty quickly: It is happening, it can happen, and it is happening more than what any of us want to acknowledge; if you compare that just to some of the behaviors that you see on the recruiting trail and that kind of thing.

Certainly the informal evaluation led to a few processes, and we're not nearly as open with visitors and we're much more clear of who is to speak for our program and to whom and what those processes look like.

So I wouldn't say that there's been a monstrous change in policy, but there's certainly been tightening down the policy as a result of that.

Q. I guess that story in a lot of ways made headlines because of the sheer blatancy of it, but there's a lot of gray area, among, like, well, I've heard that this team might be doing this or that. What do you tell your coaches or staff if you're approached with some information about what an opponent might be likely to do or something like that?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: I ask them pretty simply that the only remarks that are ever to be made are only in regards to our program and to the sources and to contacts that have been vetted and they have been able to have set up through our media relations director. And so if it's not through our media relations director and it's not about our program, then they are not to say anything about our program or anyone else, and that's just the starting point, yeah.

Q. Just hoping for some perspective on what's made your red zone defense so good to far this year.
BRONCO MENDENHALL: To be truthful, I really don't know. I can't say that there's been some magical formula or this amazing intensity and effort put into defending that area of the field. It just has kind of what we do best, and with a little bit, maybe a little bit more urgency and early success we've had to where there's a different level of confidence.

But there isn't much more to it other than assignment-sound football with urgency because of where we are. I would say the ranking on where we are is probably more lucky than good at this point.

Q. You mentioned confidence and that's probably an intangible people overlook, but with your team overall, how much does that help once you see them start making plays or start winning, the overall psyche or mindset of a team?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: Oh, I think it's just that. I don't think it's possible to build confidence or have a high level of confidence without results. Up until that point, I think it's hopeful and I think it's optimistic.

But once, then, there's tangible results, and then if those results start to become consistent, then confidence is something that's fostered and nurtured and grows and our team is gaining that every single day and every single week that we're practicing right now. That part's fun to see in terms of the effect it has on our players.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297