Bowl prep has now begun in earnest in Charlottesville as the Wahoos look to win their first postseason game since the 2005 Music City Bowl. In order to do that, Virginia will have to beat South Carolina in the Belk Bowl on December 29th, of course, and the Gamecocks boast a team with a potent offense and a defense full of size and athleticism befitting its SEC bonafides.

Until the last few days, the Cavaliers have mostly been getting their younger players some work while the more experienced veterans rested up and focused on finals.

For defensive lineman Eli Hanback and outside linebacker Chris Peace, that's been a gift for all involved.

"I think a big thing for the guys who were getting a lot of reps in the season, getting recovery but at the same time staying strong, staying in shape," Hanback said last week. "Right now, a lot of the younger guys are doing some practice type stuff so they can expedite their technique and fundamentals coming into spring ball.

"But I think the biggest thing for us this year is just make sure we stay focused, that we still have another game ahead of us," he added. "We still have that goal on the table, to win a bowl game. And I think the biggest focus for the older guys and the entire team is to make sure everyone realizes that so we can keep our heads screwed on right and know we have a big challenge coming ahead of us."

Players obviously haven't lost sight of what happened a season ago, when the Hoos finally qualified for a return to the postseason only to get blown out 49-7 by Navy.

"How serious we take it," Peace said when asked if he'd learned any lessons from the Military Bowl. "It's cool that we can have fun and all that. But we actually have a game to go win now. Last year, I think we were just more excited to actually get there. Now, I don't know. It's just like 'We've been here before. Now what are we going to do differently this time?'"

A season ago, UVa had lost a tough one to Virginia Tech prior to playing in Annapolis. This year, the sting of another loss to the Hokies took a little longer to wear off. But both Hanback and Peace say the team is well beyond that at this point.

"Basically, we've got to just put that to bed and get ready for the next opponent," Peace said. "New month, new goal, focused on the Belk Bowl now."

"I don't think so," Hanback said when asked if the bowl game was more important given the way the regular season ended. "We put that behind us and we're just focused on South Carolina. I'd say that's in the past and we're focused on the now.

"The first year, that was awful," he explained. "We got blown out and had to wait a whole year...The next year, we got a little closer [to beating VT] and this year, everyone saw the game. It's one that got away for sure. But it definitely helps having another game coming up. It gives us another chance to end the season on a positive note. That helps us as a program going into the offseason."

That offseason, of course, will be critical for Hanback and those who will return in 2019.

"I know," he said, "just speaking for the D-line, we've been kind of thin and had a lot of younger guys playing. Aaron Faumui's a true freshman, Tommy (Christ) is a sophomore, and Jordan (Redmond) is a true freshman too. We've had a lot of young guys have to step up and help us. So I think the fact that they're getting these extra practices and stuff, it's going to help them a lot and help the team a lot going into the bowl game."

For Peace, this is his last game as a Wahoo and it'll come against a team he called "capable, physical up front" before he added that the Hoos are "going to have to bring their big boy pads."

That it's his last time wearing No. 13 for the Cavaliers is likely to hit him at some point even though it hasn't yet.

"The last time it hit me like that was the Liberty game," he recalled. "I started tearing up in the hotel before the game because I was like 'Man, this is my last one in Scott Stadium.' It'll probably hit me the week of, few days before the game."

The chance to go out with a win and give the program what he called "giant momentum" is something else that's on Peace's mind.

"It's a definitely a big thing because I've never done it before," he said. "I would love nothing more than to just see this team push forward and actually win a bowl game. It's one of the last things I can help this team do...I can't remember the last time we won a bowl game here at UVa. That's just all momentum for next year."

The chance to face a passing offense like the one the Gamecocks will bring to Charlotte is fun for an edge rusher like Peace. But he said he's more excited to ply a really good football team and see how the Wahoos measure up. It means a lot to him to have had the season the team has had thus far.

"The fact that we moved forward from last year," he said, "and actually improved. Last year was a big season for us because it was the first time we went to a bowl game, won six games. This year, we improved one more on top of that and now if we can get to eight wins, which everybody would really love, that would be even bigger.

"It's just a new challenge," Peace added. "We're all excited and happy to be in this situation right now. We've got a chance to accomplish one of our goals and win a bowl game."

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